Sculpting emotional geometry: Pop-futurism in the third dimension

True design intuition requires room to play. In our collaborative workshop series with Dezeen, Julien Sebban, founder of the Paris-based studio Uchronia, reveals how digital modeling functions as a living canvas for hyper-expressive, narrative-rich hospitality spaces.

Using a fictional 1970s-inspired lounge as his playground, Sebban shifts the software away from rigid architectural documentation and into the realm of pure emotional curation. 

For Sebban, an interior must first function as a psychological driver. To establish a sense of liquid movement, he uses SketchUp to fluidly sculpt soft, amorphous spatial layouts. The digital workspace allows his studio to prototype curved alcoves, circular structural seating configurations, and a undulating, lava-lamp-inspired ceiling canopy at high speed.

"Digital craft has become as integral to design intuition as sketching or physical model-making." 

Modeling these complex geometries in real time allows the studio to immediately analyze how physical shape and continuous interior movement alter the atmospheric volume of a space. Uchronia utilizes organic, curved alcoves and striking wave motifs to test how geometric fluidity influences the emotional tone of a hospitality environment.

Once the structural boundary is established, Sebban shifts his focus toward a fearless exploration of surface materiality. He applies high-impact purple-to-orange color gradients, custom glass mosaics, and highly textured, lava-stone-inspired finishes across the bar's undulating face.

By leveraging 3D Warehouse to source bespoke fixtures and instantly swapping out complex surface maps, Uchronia evaluates exactly how reflectivity, light saturation, and pigment convergence interact. This high-fidelity digital sandbox ensures their surrealist spatial visions translate into a predictable, high-impact physical reality.

Curious to see how this same digital canvas can pivot from vibrant pop-futurism to grounded, heritage-led storytelling? Explore how Tola Ojuolape weaves raw material craft, local history, and quiet architectural sanctuaries into her spaces.