Each of our designs is part of a world we build from our imagination. A world that fulfils our desires at a particular moment in time. Thus, LaPalma was born early in 2021, when the world was closed and our view was limited to our snowy garden fence. The work of studio Kranen/Gille was ongoing but was, of course, deadly boring from home.

In a series of remote design sessions, a place we would have loved to escape to at that moment emerged. A warm place with a beach, a drink, beautiful furniture but above all: palm trees. Tall and waving, welcoming us and inviting us to have a drink in this beautiful place.

From all that this place has to offer, we worked the palm tree into an industrial product to get as close as possible to our ideal destination, the perfect escape so to say. The process that followed was interesting because a palm tree is of course an iconic image that, with all its symbolism, has already found its home in pop culture in many ways.

Therefore, our approach was different. Kranen/Gille always works from the idea that the whole must be greater than the sum of its parts.

1+1=3, otherwise it makes no sense.

That’s why we dissected the palm tree into individual elements and then determined which mix of these elements best answers the ideal image of the palm tree. Carefully considering the combination between curvature, height and leaf shape we came up with this icon, composed entirely of industrially formed elements and taking you to a nice warm place.