The Playful Smiley Chair by India Mahdavi + 22 System Is Electric

Have you ever been sitting down, just having hit that comfortable spot, and you get that dreaded notification – low battery. Paris-based architect and designer India Mahdavi and 22 System, a brand of integrated electrical outlets co-founded by Bocci’s Omer Abel, respond to this first-world yet legitimate problem. Introducing Smiley, a playful and joyous addition to any interior, that will add a spark of power to a dynamic space. Outfitted with top of the line outlets and components, the Smiley Chair combines material innovations and clever design to create a beautiful and functional response to maintaining comfort within the modern age.

Person sitting in a pink armchair using a laptop, holding two phones, with charging cables and a lamp nearby.

Photo: Thierry Depagne

At the heart of the collaboration resides a custom outlet and component suite in a brilliant canary yellow. This hue, contrasting yet also coalescing with the blush pink of the seat, signifies joy and the dawn of a new age. The Oliver Chair, a cheerfully upholstered yet sturdy-looking seat designed by Mahdavi, takes Cubist and Postmodern influences and translates them into a solid canvas for the electrical components to rest. Integrated technology like this has become more ubiquitous with modern life, yet we doubt most of it looks this good.

A beige armchair with smiley face buttons is set against a yellow background. The chair has a boxy design and metal legs.

Photo: Thierry Depagne

“Smiley is about celebrating the small details that bring joy to our daily lives,” shares the designer. “By reimagining the electrical outlet as a design element, we invite people to see the beauty in the functional and the familiar.” Strewn across the face of the chair, outlets offer a functional and humorous take on traditional placement, choosing instead to let the outlets grow across the form, uninhibited and undeniably yellow.

A pink room with a pink armchair, a small pink side table, a paint can, a glowing lamp, and yellow cords. Multicolored dots are scattered on the walls.

Photo: Tom Dagnas

Unveiled earlier this month at Paris’ Matter and Shape fair, where the space was outfitted with working outlets too, dotting the walls like some type of interactive polka dot wallpaper. This adds to the immersive quality of the space, the walls reflecting the same blush pink of the chair’s upholstery. Mahdavi creates a powerful network of conversation, showing the interconnectedness and also chaos of globalized communications.

Person sitting on a pink chair in a room with pink walls, holding a phone. There's a lamp and various cables around.

Photo: Tom Dagnas

A pink room features a pink armchair and a uniquely designed lamp with a glowing white shade and pink base, sitting on a brown floor. Yellow electrical cords are visible.

Photo: Tom Dagnas

Two people in a pink room are interacting with a piece of electronics connected to an illuminated lamp. One is sitting on a chair, the other is crouching while holding a phone.

Photo: Tom Dagnas

A pink sofa with yellow plugs and cords, holding a tray of small desserts, is placed on a brown floor. A laptop and a cup on a saucer sit nearby.

Photo: Tom Dagnas

The outlet is transformed into a beauty mark, with integrated freckles that take on a happy, joyful feeling. Playfully colored, with the soft pink in the background, one can immediately see the upending of norms on display at Matter and Shape. Omer Arbel, co-founder of Bocci and 22 System, said: “This collaboration with India Mahdavi exemplifies our commitment to partnering with like-minded creatives to bring new perspectives to the work of our studio.”