The Brazilian architect and designer Anna Maya has unveiled Ginga — a modular sofa presented at Salone del Mobile.Milano within the Brazilian Furniture space promoted by Abimóvel and ApexBrasil.
Anna Maya's Ginga project translates the fluid, oscillating movement of capoeira's foundational gesture — ginga — into a design system where individual components can be combined, rotated, or recomposed to generate ever-changing configurations. In other words, the designer's system draws direct conceptual inspiration from the capoeira principle of continuous rhythmic movement that keeps the body balanced between stability and transformation.
Ginga's formal construction contrasts a linear base organized by horizontal seams that create a precise visual rhythm and allow different fabrics, colors, and textures to be combined, with a spherical backrest whose gathered surface generates softness and movement. An unexpected wooden sphere on the reverse side acts almost like a punctuation mark concluding the composition.
Image Credit: Anna Maya
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Modular Movement Furniture
- A rise in component-based seating systems that enable continuous reconfiguration creates prospects for living environments that adapt form and function to changing activities and spatial constraints.
- Biomimetic Rhythm Design
- Design approaches inspired by human movement and cultural gestures point to products that embody dynamic balance and rhythmic modulation across scales and contexts.
- Mixed-material Contrast Aesthetics
- Juxtaposing rigid structural elements with soft, gathered surfaces suggests opportunities for furniture that communicates tactile complexity and personalized visual punctuation.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Residential Furniture
- Homes increasingly demand adaptable, multi-configurational seating solutions that support flexible lifestyles and smaller urban footprints.
- Hospitality Design
- Public venues can benefit from seating systems that recompose to manage fluctuating occupancy, sightlines, and social interaction patterns.
- Furniture Manufacturing and Supply Chain
- Modular designs motivate production shifts toward standardized interchangeable components, localized finishing options, and more responsive inventory strategies.
