In the work of Paris-based architect Ariel André, space is rarely static. Through his studio GOLEM, André has developed a practice that moves between architecture, design, and research, exploring how environments might be reshaped to welcome broader ways of inhabiting them. His latest design system, Amoreba, continues that inquiry by turning the interior itself into a tactile landscape—one that softens architecture while inviting new forms of social interaction.
At first glance, Amoreba appears almost biological. Upholstered spheres ripple across floors, walls, and seating areas like a field of soft forms, transforming rigid architectural surfaces into something closer to terrain. The effect is both sculptural and deeply physical: a place to sit, recline, gather, and move.
Rather than functioning as a single piece of furniture, Amoreba operates as an adaptable surface that can spread organically within an interior. For André, the project reflects a long-term investigation into how design might break away from standardized frameworks and instead shape environments that feel more open, experimental, and responsive to human experience.
A Surface Inspired by Nature, the Body, and the Everyday
Portrait of Ariel André. Photo by Marguerite Bornhauser. Courtesy of GOLEM.
Amoreba’s visual language draws from a wide range of references—nature, food, art, and even the contours of the human body. Each spherical element is shaped as the negative imprint of a palm, giving the design an intuitive relationship to touch. Pressing, stepping, or reclining across the surface creates a responsive sensation thanks to a carefully engineered blend of fibers inside each upholstered sphere.
This tactile dimension is central to André’s thinking. The surface does not simply decorate an interior; it changes the way the body interacts with space. Sitting becomes sinking, leaning becomes drifting, and walking across the installation becomes an encounter with shifting softness.
To achieve this flexibility, the studio developed a custom code within its 3D design program, allowing the spheres to be deployed across almost any architectural surface. The system can flow seamlessly across smooth curves, adapt to sharp angles, or settle into geometric compositions. For each project, the configuration is tailored to the interior and the social activities it is meant to support.
Color also plays a crucial role. Amoreba can be rendered in nearly any tone, allowing it either to blend harmoniously with existing materials or to create striking visual contrasts.
The Curator’s Pit
Courtesy of GOLEM. Photo by Mathilde Hiley.
Courtesy of GOLEM. Photo by Mathilde Hiley.
Amoreba’s first large-scale European realization appears in The Curator’s Pit, a project commissioned by a Brussels-based American curator known for championing artists from underrepresented regions.
The brief was both practical and imaginative: transform a teenager’s bedroom into a social environment where guests could gather to share ideas, meals, and drinks. At the same time, the space needed to accommodate a guest bed and provide storage for oversized books—all without competing with the room’s mid-century interior designed by Jules Wabbes.
André responded by shaping Amoreba into a sunken communal seating area. The design encourages conversation and shared reading, forming a comfortable gathering zone at the center of the room.
Hidden within the soft terrain is a void sized to accommodate a standard double mattress, allowing the pit to transform easily into a guest sleeping area. The height of the structure is carefully calibrated so that when lying down, the windowsill obscures the neighboring building—creating the sensation of floating among clouds.
Designing Beyond the Human
Courtesy of GOLEM. Photo by Mathilde Hiley.
Courtesy of GOLEM. Photo by Mathilde Hiley.
Underlying Amoreba is a conceptual shift in perspective. André imagines the surface as if experienced by a microscopic creature navigating a soft landscape—an idea inspired by the psychedelic fantasy of moving through the tiny bumps of a forest mushroom colony.
“Starting from the standpoint of those usually overlooked—here, microscopic beings—allows us to create new forms and spaces that enrich the experience of life for everyone,” André explains.
This “beyond-human” viewpoint encourages designers to rethink scale, texture, and spatial relationships. Instead of centering architecture solely on human proportions, Amoreba explores how environments might feel if approached from entirely different vantage points.
Craft, Sustainability, and Local Production
Courtesy of GOLEM. Photo by Mathilde Hiley.
Courtesy of GOLEM. Photo by Mathilde Hiley.
While the design feels futuristic, its fabrication is rooted in traditional craft. Amoreba is produced entirely in France by skilled artisans using locally sourced fabrics and fibers.
Sustainability was central to the development of the system. None of the individual elements are glued together, allowing each sphere to be separated and recycled. The result is a modular construction designed for longevity and adaptability—qualities that mirror the project’s broader ambition to rethink how interiors evolve over time.
With Amoreba, André continues GOLEM’s mission to challenge the conventions of architectural design. Rather than presenting space as a finished object, the system proposes something more dynamic: an environment that spreads, adapts, and invites people to experience architecture in entirely new ways.
Courtesy of GOLEM.
