Designed For Divorce? This New Post-Pandemic Furniture Range Breaks Up If You Do

Apr. 07, 2022

FC Home & Deco and Wunderman Thompson Lima present a design innovation that adapts to increasing rates of divorce and flat-sharing among young people. This new modular range of furniture divides in two, encouraging friendlier splitting of belongings between partners and friends.

The pandemic has accelerated already existing changes in how we are living – as well as who with, and for how long. Many countries have seen huge rises in divorce rates since 2020, including an incredible 35% increase in Argentina. Meanwhile, growing housing costs are forcing young people to share homes, unable to afford their own place. As they move out, many of these partners and friends need to divide their belongings – which often causes even more conflict.

To make this separation easier for young people, FC home & deco, a Fontenla company, and Wunderman Thompson Lima opted for a design solution adapted not to spaces, but to people. "The Friendly Break Up Collection" is a line of furniture that breaks apart when people break up.  

Federico Fontenla, president of Fontenla group, behind FC Home & Deco commented:

“The Friendly Break Up Collection includes furniture conceived as a unit but that can be divided into two, maintaining the initial aesthetics and utility, thus, facilitating the division of material goods.This is a collection that allows you to start over and move with a part of the original piece of furniture, but at the same time looks complete and can still be enjoyed. A simple but innovative idea that meant a lot of time, dedication, and a great challenge from a design and functionality point of view,”  

 

Fontenla is known for their avant-garde and prestigious designers, and for decorating and restoring important buildings in Argentina.

The furniture in the collection is named after celebrity breakups, including the BradIston Sofa, GarnAfleck rug, DemiLlis coffee table, CruisMan bookcase, KanyDashian table, and the LuisCarey painting, to name a few.

Every item is the product of ingenious modular design which means it can be used either as one large or as two smaller units – making the range highly flexible, whether or not you are moving out. A whole room can be instantly redesigned: by splitting the BradIston couch into a pair of elegant armchairs or dividing the KanyDashian table to instantly set up two separate workspaces. Considerable effort from an interdisciplinary team of architects, industrial designers, decorators, and interior designers was needed to ensure each piece has functionality and personality, both together and apart. For people splitting up or moving out, the hope is to give everyone an equal share, so that each can keep their favorite part: "You like the left? Good, I like the right."

Following the launch, new items will be added to the collection following a social media campaign that will invite members of the public to suggest further names.

Bruno Reggiardo, Executive Creative Director Wunderman Thompson Lima, and Augusto Landauro Head of Content Wunderman Thompson Latam add:

"It has been incredible to co-create this collection with the FC team, who have understood people very well and have been able to adapt to their different lifestyles. Of course, no one starts a relationship thinking about splitting up, but it does happen. That's why Friendly Breakup Collection seeks to make those separations more friendly and practical."

 

The collection is available for people in Argentina to buy on the FC Home & Deco website and in-store at their flagship outlet in Buenos Aires. 

To make things even easier for those cohabiting with friends, customers can use two separate payment methods to pay for their items, so they don’t have to worry about who owes who at the end of the tenancy. All in all, it offers a flexible solution for our increasingly flexible lifestyles – and a helping hand during those painful moments in life.