Proto by +Halle. The refuge as a form.

In an increasingly exposed, fast-paced and shared environment, the need to find spaces of pause becomes almost instinctive. The Proto family, designed by Nick Ross for +Halle, is born precisely from this idea: understanding furniture as a contemporary form of refuge.

Developed as part of +Halle’s Annual Briefing on the concept of Dwelling, the collection explores how we inhabit spaces and how design can help modulate the relationship between the intimate and the collective. For Ross, the inspiration came from a very primal image: curling up in a corner, creating a personal place within a shared environment.

More than a seating collection, Proto functions as a system capable of building small atmospheres within open spaces, generating different degrees of encounter or intimacy.

A geometry that embraces

Proto’s curved and enveloping forms are closer to shelters than rigid structures. This family of soft seating, developed jointly by +Halle and Nick Ross, delivers a precise sense of comfort, reinforcing the idea of retreat through material and proportion.

The collection includes armchairs and sofas with In and Out arms: curves that either fold inward or open outward, subtly changing how each piece relates both to the user and the surrounding space. It also includes a high-back armchair with Out arms, designed to enhance privacy, as well as a bench, a pouf and four side tables that complete the system. The family has expanded with the addition of the Proto Armchair Light.

Each element can work independently or be combined into broader configurations, allowing the creation of flexible landscapes where relationships are constantly shifting.

Living through flexibility

Proto does not impose a single way of use. It invites rotation, rearrangement and continuous redefinition of space. An open system that understands design as something alive, adaptable and in constant transformation.

Its fluid yet contained presence allows the collection to integrate naturally into contract, hospitality or contemporary workplace environments, where the balance between interaction and concentration is increasingly essential.

Proto does not define space as something fixed, but as a changing sequence of relationships and moments. Its curved forms create small areas for meeting, pause or focus without rigid isolation or separation.

A collection that transforms the act of sitting into a more flexible, human and natural way of inhabiting space.