When the floodwaters come and the grid goes dark, those who planned ahead can float to safety — in style. The Bliss sofa, a fully equipped life raft for the design-obsessed, anticipates a future when furniture must function as escape pod.
The one-of-a-kind Bliss was conceived by the creative agency Mother through its product platform, Mother Goods. From afar, it looks like bold, minimalist seating composed of 100-year-old reclaimed pine wrapped in marine-grade foam and vivid orange Sunbrella fabric, which it is.
But the Bliss’s real identity lies in its embedded extras: a flotation system that complies with SOLAS (the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) standards, a double-bladed wooden paddle, a rocket flare, an emergency strobe and a sea-level indicator, all stowed within the cushions and frame.
Its accompanying ottoman is stocked with sunblock, gin, vermouth, a jar of green olives, a cocktail shaker and a single stainless-steel martini glass. The essentials.
Unveiled in Tuleste Factory’s “Harmonious Proportions” exhibition, during the 2023 edition of NYCxDESIGN, the piece was an instant conversation starter.
“What’s powerful is how it invites you in with design and then confronts you with meaning,” says Celeste Greenberg, who cofounded the New York gallery with her sister, Satu. “It’s about privilege, preparedness and the absurdity of comfort in a world on fire.”
“We’re interested in how objects can hold tension — between form and function, humor and urgency,” says Satu Greenberg. “Bliss is playful, yes, but it’s also asking hard questions about who gets to escape and what survival even looks like.”
Mother Goods, which launched in 2021, has made a name for itself by creating objects that act as vehicles for cultural critiques. One project involves situating giant inflatable boobs on rooftops to advocate for public breastfeeding rights; another takes the form of a hospital bracelet plated in 18-karat gold to pan the exorbitant cost of healthcare.
With the Bliss, it has distilled anxieties about a global deluge into a singular, buoyant artifact, one that drifts between function and farce.
“The Bliss sofa was impeccably handcrafted,” says Paul Malmstrom, Mother’s creative chairman in the United States, citing the close collaboration between industrial designers, carpenters and upholsterers. “Every detail, from the included strobe, flare and sunscreen to the ottoman’s built-in cocktail accoutrements, was considered to enhance both the satire and utility.”
Twenty percent of the sofa’s sales proceeds will go to the UN Refugee Agency to support those displaced by climate-related disasters. And although it may technically be a piece of furniture, the Bliss’s true value resides in its purpose as something not just to sit on, but to sit with.
Says Celeste, “It’s this kind of layered, thought-provoking design that makes a piece not just noteworthy but unforgettable.”
