Design Issue
April 2021 - Year XV - www.ifdm.design
22
PEOPLE & OPINIONS
Gilberto Negrini & Piero Lissoni B&B ITALIA
39
PEOPLE & PROJECTS
Kelly Wearstler
94
ARCH & INTERIOR
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28 TREND
Color Stories
YEAR XV
DESIGN ISSUE TREND 28 Color Stories PEOPLE &OPINIONS
GOOD LIKES 14 Exploring new territories
Design Issue
April 2021 - Year XV - www.ifdm.design
SIX NEWS FROM IFDM.DESIGN
36 MÉTAPHORES Interview with Emilie Paralitici PEOPLE &PROJECTS 39 Interview with Kelly Wearstler
16 A selection from web
24HOURS IN MILAN
ECONOMY &MARKETS
42 Milan restarts: what to see, where to go
18 Back to home
Gilberto Negrini & Piero Lissoni
PEOPLE & PROJECTS
Kelly Wearstler
94
ARCH & INTERIOR
Pause/Stop/Live
B&B ITALIA
on cover: big bang rug Design Collection by Illulian
22
84 EFM DESIGN Interview with Emanuela Frattini Magnusson PEOPLE &PROJECTS 87 Interview with Elena Salmistraro RISING TALENTS 90 New voices, outside the box ARCH &INTERIOR 94 Pause/Stop/Live
PEOPLE &OPINIONS 22 PEOPLE & OPINIONS 39
PEOPLE &OPINIONS
56 FOCUS ON
B&B ITALIA Interview with Gilberto Negrini & Piero Lissoni
A BIG HUG
Pedrali
Paolo Bleve bleve@ifdm.it
PUBLISHING COORDINATOR
Matteo De Bartolomeis matteo@ifdm.it DEPUTY EDITOR
Veronica Orsi orsi@ifdm.it EDITORS
Alessandra Bergamini, Alessandro Bignami, Manuela Di Mari, Cristina Ferrari, Rachele Frigerio, Francisco Marea, Antonella Mazzola INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTORS
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DIGITAL DEPARTMENT
Federica Riccardi | web@ifdm.it PR & MARKETING MANAGER
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BRAND RELATIONS
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PEOPLE &PROJECTS
GRAPHIC DEPARTMENT
25 Interview with Stefan Diez
Sara Battistutta, Marco Parisi grafica@ifdm.it
101 PEOPLE&PROJECTS
Federico Peri
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
TRANSLATIONS
Stephen Piccolo ADVERTISING
ARCH &INTERIOR 50 The Ginger House: traveling and feeling at home in Milan
CLOSE UP
PEOPLE &PROJECTS 101 Interview with Federico Peri EVOLVED RETAIL
52 SCAVOLINI Italian pop history
104 Flexibility is the new normal
DESIGN DISTRICTS
FOCUS ON
56 An overview of the major 108 The trade fair international companies calendar resumes
IFDM 8 April 2021
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Panton Chair Design: Verner Panton, 1959/1999 The Original is by Vitra
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editorial
PAOLO BLEVE | Editor-in-chief
T
Design Explosion
he cover of this edition of the Design Issue is rather unusual, you might say. It is clearly conceptual, and should be seen in relation to the origin of this shot – a rug with the name Big Bang – and the vision that accompanies it: the primordial explosion that generated the universe. Everything springs from chaos, from the instability that reigned over matter, followed by an expansion and the formation of the universe as we know (and do not know) it. In a moment in history when our everyday existence, our social, economic and relational dynamics have been disrupted, we find that we are in that same bubble of primordial volatility. Inside this dimension, however, we have seen how the world of design is capable of joining forces and creating new dynamics, adapting and revealing unexpected energy. Like a true ‘explosion.’ The numbers, bouncing back after a limited slump in the first half of 2020, tell the story. So do the incessant new developments in the area of product, as well as the solutions developed to create spaces ‘made to measure’ that adapt to new necessities of living and working.
Design in all its forms has proven to be a world in evolution and constant activity, an industry that becomes a reference point for the community. Design has also been the bulwark on which we have all relied in a moment when the universe of the home became the only available comfort zone, the only reality capable of welcoming and supporting… a place in which to generate new habits. This is the force of design: that disruptive and engaging energy that moves markets and companies, creativity and trends. With a result of accelerated expansion: like the universe.
IFDM 11 April 2021
Palo Alto & Millimetrica walk-in closet _ MisuraEmme® studio _ ph. Michele poli _ misuraemme.it
good LIKES
EXPLORING NEW TERRITORIES AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE, OFFERED BY NEW PLATFORMS, INTERACTIVE CATALOGUES AND ONLINE SHOPPING SITES. THE GOAL IS NOT JUST TO INVESTIGATE CONTENTS AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS, BUT ALSO TO ORGANIZE DIGITAL TOURS INSIDE THE COMPANY, OR TO PURCHASE PRODUCTS. THERE IS ALSO THE DESIRE TO ‘VIRTUALLY’ TRANSMIT VALUES, PHILOSOPHY AND ATMOSPHERES, REPRESENTING THE DNA OF COMPANIES IN STEP WITH THE TIMES
SHOP.UNOCONTRACT.IT
This is the new platform that marks the entry of UNO Contract in the world of e-commerce. The idea of the online shop arrives to simplify processes of creation of projects for the contract sector, cutting times and costs. The site is aimed at both private clients and professionals (architects and designers), including an exclusive area with the possibility of interaction with the UNO Contract team, offering the support required for the formulation of residential and hotel projects.
CATALOGO.PORRO.COM
Re/Titled One is the new interactive catalogue presented by Porro, which offers a unique experience for readers. It conserves the clean graphics of the traditional catalogue, which is part of the company’s language, but at the same time it offers the possibility of greater depth, with additional contents like video bites on products, still life images, moodboards of spaces, and all the finishes available for every piece. With a single click it is possible to download the traditional PDF catalogue and all the product profiles, including the latest new creations.
FORNASETTI.COM
Just as the Fornasetti stores transport you into a dreamy dimension, roaming through the creations of the Atelier, so the new website offers nearly a thousand products, viewed in an unusual experience of online shopping. Navigating the website, visitors can browse through the world of Fornasetti, composed of furniture, complements, porcelain and accessories, to discover the stories behind the objects and their decorations, and to make purchases from anywhere on the globe.
AGAPEDESIGN.IT
New horizons for the Agape website, with contents and images relying on the work of the photographers who have collaborated with the firm for many years. Visiting the site, you can discover the new photographs of products, as well as the References section that covers the latest projects in Portugal, Ireland and Scotland. The menu is subdivided into three sections (Products, Services and Company), and the product pages feature a new layout for the technical profiles, organizing all the information and the downloads available for each item.
ERNESTOMEDA.COM
Ernestomeda Next is an immersive virtual reality platform capable of providing a guided tour of the company, facilitating B2B contacts with foreign buyers and counterparts, especially in a delicate moment like that of the present. It is the result of the experience of the digital company Websolute, and of the vision of the future of Ernestomeda. The platform incorporates a two-way video conferencing system, for use with a normal PC, tablet or smartphone, or with virtual reality visors to reach an experience of maximum immersion. IFDM 14 April 2021
CONNERY SEATING SYSTEM | RODOLFO DORDONI DESIGN TORII ARMCHAIR | NENDO DESIGN BOTECO COFFEE TABLE | MARCIO KOGAN / STUDIO MK27 DESIGN DISCOVER MORE AT MINOTTI.COM/CONNERY
six news FROM IFDM.DESIGN EVERYDAY
live on IFDM.design
RETAIL
2,934 | 01:22 min | 1,843
OFFICE
Tecno opens TClub in the home-atelier of Le Corbusier
Serena Confalonieri: tuned design As in a symphony, the designer from Brianza considers a project finished only when its frequencies vibrate in all the right parts. A chord produced by color and graphics, tracing through the ‘sentimental tuning’ of all her creations
Photo © Andrea Agrati
PEOPLE
4,537 | 01:24 min | 1,470
DESIGN
The office to come
Performance in the kitchen
Everyone seems to agree that in the future work in the office will not vanish, but will alternate with remote work. The enlightened viewpoints of leading architecture firms and their designers: Alessandro Adamo of Lombardini 22 and the brand DEGW, Francesco Conserva of Open Project, Park Associati and Massimo Roj of Progetto CMR
To store, to optimize, to organize space. To conceal. These functions and more become indispensable in the design of an ergonomic kitchen that can become the true functional core of the home
Photo ©Studio Millspace
TClub by Tecno is a club open to all the friends of the brand, a new format inside Maison Ozenfant by Le Corbusier, the home-atelier of the great master of architecture, and the company’s headquarters in Paris since 2017
4,685 | 02:03 min | 1,378
Photo © Andrea Martiradonna
Photo © Francesca Avanzinelli
2,241 | 01:30 min | 1,486
7,246 | 01:59 min | 1,265
RESIDENCES
4,522 | 01:21 min | 1,142
ECONOMY
‘La Bella Vita’ in Taiwan The art of living, starting with the name, for a ‘good life’ in a residential tower of the new Taichung district in Taiwan. Created by Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel (ACPV), it combines informal luxury with social interaction for a unique lifestyle
IFDM 16 April 2021
Design Holding and Fendi present FF Design Design Holding and Fendi have announced the launch of a new joint venture, Fashion Furniture Design (FF Design), for the business development of Fendi Casa, with Design Holding as the majority stakeholder
ELEGANCE is our
ATTITUDE
Aurora lounge chair and ottoman, design Draga & Aurel operacontemporary.com
Photo © Dylan Chandler
economy&MARKETS
BACK TO HOME AFTER SUFFERING A LOT IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2020, MADE IN ITALY FURNITURE HAS BEEN THE PROTAGONIST OF A STRONG REBOUND, EVEN ON FOREIGN MARKETS. DIGITIZATION AND SUSTAINABILITY ARE THE TRENDS ACCELERATED BY THE HEALTH CRISIS, WHICH HAS GIVEN BACK TO THE DOMESTIC LIVING SPACE A MAJOR ROLE IN OUR LIFE, INCLUDING THE PROFESSIONAL ONE text by Alessandro Bignami
PORRO showroom West | Out East, New York
C
onsistently with the general context of the manufacturing industry, Made in Italy furniture has had a very difficult year due to the raging pandemic, which has eroded the purchasing power of many consumers and shaken up the structure and distribution channels of the supply chain. The difficulties were aggravated by the crisis of international trade, which has always been a primary outlet for Italian design. According to the preliminary data shown by CSIL, sales abroad in 2020 suffered an 18% decline, while domestic demand saw a 23% decline. After all, the coronavirus has directly affected people’s social habits and life choices, starting with the postponement of weddings or separation from the family of origin, GALLOTTI&RADICE, President Junior desk
discouraging the purchase of houses and the furniture to decorate them. However, in the second half of the year, after the months of the strict lockdown, the rebound was better than expected, also thanks to the need to rethink the ways of experiencing the domestic living space, where families found themselves spending much more time, even for work. The decline in production was thus partially mitigated in the second half of the year, but in any case, quantified at around 20% by the forecast released in December by CSIL. In the first months of 2021, the projections on last year’s final balance turned out to be rosier, showing a recovery that had already begun in the last months of the year and capable of alleviating a situation that seemed compromised in spring 2020. The forecasts of the Federlegno Study Center limit the decline to -10.8% for the wood-furniture sector: -9.4% the estimated decrease on the domestic market, -13.1% on the foreign one, where France, Germany, and the USA are confirmed as the main outlets. This data convinced Claudio Feltrin, new president of FederlegnoArredo, to speak of “cautious optimism for 2021”, while making distinctions between sectors: “Contract furniture continues to suffer more, while home furniture has benefited from the forced stay between domestic walls.” Digitization, sustainability, training, and innovation are the themes considered by Feltrin as crucial for the crisis to be transformed into opportunity and for the sector to become the protagonist of this turning point in which “the pandemic has shifted the focus back to homes.” A breath of fresh air for the sector was also the recovery of the Italian furniture districts on foreign markets, towards which, according to a study by Intesa San Paolo, they recorded a 4.5% growth in the third quarter of 2020, double the national trend. Remarkable was the performance of the main districts such as Treviso, Pordenone and Brianza, Pesaro’s kitchens, Murgia’s upholstered furniture, and above all Forlì, with a stunning +45.5% increase made possible
“
HOME FURNITURE HAS BENEFITED FROM THE FORCED STAY BETWEEN DOMESTIC WALLS. THE PANDEMIC HAS SHIFTED THE FOCUS BACK TO HOMES Claudio Feltrin
president of federlegnoarredo
by the excellent results in France and China. What weighs on 2021 are the uncertainties linked to the evolving and still unpredictable pandemic situation, although the vaccination campaign offers reasons for optimism for the second half of the year. The international market should return to being a key marketplace for Made in Italy furniture, whose exports are expected to grow by almost 3% by CSIL. The same increase (+2.9%) is expected on the domestic front. An investment stimulus will come from the 110% Superbonus confirmed by the government. However, it is in 2022 and 2023 that the recovery is expected to consolidate, with an average growth rate of 4.7%, also thanks to the economic revival of the country fueled by the Next Generation EU. It will likely take 2 years, according to the CSIL document, to return to pre-pandemic numbers.
DESIGN EFFECT
BIG BANG rug, Design Collection by ILLULIAN
-10.8%
+4.5%
+3%
THE LIMITED DECLINE FOR THE WOOD-FURNITURE SECTOR
THE GROWTH OF THE ITALIAN FURNITURE DISTRICTS ON FOREIGN MARKETS IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2020
THE GROWTH ESTIMATES OF EXPORTS FOR THE MADE IN ITALY FURNITURE IN 2021
POLTRONA FRAU GOES DIGITAL Interaction and innovation accompany the growth of Poltrona Frau online, to the point of creating a true digital experience on a specific platform, for the launch of the campaign “Take Your Time. Feel the difference.”
THE RISE OF E-COMMERCE Digital acceleration is one of the keys to interpret this phase, as confirmed by a research by the Digital Export Observatory of the School of Management of the Politecnico of Milan. Electronic commerce has at least partially offset the decrease in international trade, so vital for Made in Italy furniture. Furniture was one of the sectors that benefited the most from the opportunity of the digital channel, totaling exports for 1.1 billion euros and almost 8% of Italian online exports and 12% of total furniture exports from Italy. As for the domestic market, according to the blog of the Observatory in 2020, the purchases of Italians related to furniture and home living reached 2.7 billion euros, with a 32% growth compared to 2019. The demand on the web was addressed especially toward indoor and outdoor furniture, objects and decorations, kitchen accessories, textiles, and lighting.
Photo © Filippo Romano
DESIGNING SUSTAINABILITY Another trend made more urgent by the pandemic is that of sustainability, which in interior design can be expressed on several levels: from the care of the open spaces of the domestic area, such as balconies, terraces, and gardens, to the use of ecological, non-toxic materials having a life cycle with lower environmental impact. FederlegnoArredo is an important point of reference on the issue of sustainability, fighting to simplify the too many certifications that weigh “unsustainably” on company budgets, and collaborating with the initiatives of the Rilegno Consortium, which allows members to obtain panels made from 93% recycled wood. In addition, to encourage environmental innovation, Federlegno Assarredo’s association has launched the “Sustainability Project”, with the intention of establishing itself as a European leader in sustainable design and circular economy by 2025.
PEDRALI’s automated warehouse, Mornico al Serio - Italy
IFDM 19 April 2021
TAVOLO TREBLE SEDIE GIÒ POLTRONCINE YORK TAVOLINO LUMIERE LIBRERIA FREEWALL MADIA LINEA LAMPADA PLANET
RIFLESSI STORE: MILANO PIAZZA VELASCA 6 ROMA VIA PO 1H NAPOLI VIALE KENNEDY 415/419 BERGAMO VIA SUARDI 7 BARI P.ZZA GARIBALDI 75/A REGGIO CALABRIA C.GARIBALDI 545 TORINO C.SO TURATI, 82
riflessi.it
people&OPINIONS
Gilberto Negrini & Piero Lissoni
CEO & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR of B&B ITALIA
text by Manuela Di Mari
A NEW CEO AND A NEW ART DIRECTOR TO CONSERVE THE STYLISTIC CONSISTENCY OF A COMPANY THAT HAS MADE DESIGN HISTORY, PROJECTING IT INTO A FUTURE OF INNOVATION AND CONTEMPORARY FLAIR its growth, production that happens for the most part inside various plants, and the series of specialized craftsmen. I will follow the path already outlined, but in a more structured way, with a major retail growth plan based on new openings. The distribution channel in the world is a very strong one for B&B Italia, and the strategy is to reinforce retail operations in a very careful manner. Then there is the Contract division, where B&B Italia has been a pioneer, as one of the first companies to launch such an initiative. We want to grow more in this area as well.
Photo © Emilio Collavino
What are the objectives and guidelines of your work as CEO? My professional background has been in design companies, and I know how important it is to maintain a high level of quality, not just quantity. The two funds have clearly conveyed the concept that their reputation is based on making companies grow in a healthy way, providing the resources for this to happen, and I like this approach very much. There are strong points to be conserved, which are the product itself, a research center which is fundamental for
Speaking of the new art director, Piero Lissoni… He has been a friend of the company for many years, in an already existing relationship of collaboration. Having differentiated Maxalto, where the art director for many years has been Antonio Citterio (also of Arclinea), we required support on an equally high level for B&B Italia. Piero has approached this challenge with great enthusiasm, aware of the need to conserve the identity of the brand in a coherent way, a very delicate and fundamental operation for a company with such a distinctive personality. He has very clear ideas about where we should be heading. The operation has to be done on an all-around basis together with the company, from products to catalogues to showrooms... The Research & Development center is the core, connecting the various brands and their art directors. The proof lies in a total synergy, beyond the new product just launched, Noonu, an
We can see a focus on outdoor at the moment. What are you aiming for? It’s important to grow. The collection continues to expand every year, to live. So much so that we would like to make it become a brand with its own identity. Once again, B&B Italia was the first to create this niche design inside the company, almost 20 years ago, and this area has gradually revealed all of its potential, with sales reaching tens of millions of euros, which is not bad at all for a company not specializing in this field. But that is not an arrival point. Piero has designed a beautiful collection, Borea, and we will be presenting many new developments, new catalogues. We believe our stores should be the ambassadors of B&B Italia outdoor, with products that are synonymous with design, modernity and sustainability. The latter is a question we will be approaching in a very serious way, also in terms of our corporate structure. After the acquisition of Azucena in 2018, this brand has collaborated with Serapian. How is it inserted in the production? Azucena, a historic firm with very high design content, founded in 1947 by Caccia Dominioni, Gardella and Dell’Acqua, has been acquired as a strong point of the entire B&B Italia collection, a synonym of discreet elegance, rich in content, and it is a major added value for us. The collaboration with Serapian has happened with ease, and sums up shared values, because like Azucena the company stands out for excellence and craftsmanship, not to mention the fact that they were founded in the same year. We have personalized Catilina, the historic seating by Caccia Dominioni, with a mosaic texture, presented as a limited edition in the beautiful setting of Villa Mozart in Milan during the last fashion week. Putting two brands together is anything but a banal operation. They should be on equal footing.
MAXALTO collection
B&B ITALIA showroom, Miami
ARTE SURFSIDE residences, Miami
IFDM 22 April 2021
Photo © Kris Tamburello
Let’s backtrack: what has been the impact of the passage from the Busnelli family to the Design Holding fund? It has been a gradual, well-balanced passage. Also thanks to the entrepreneur, who stayed involved until my arrival one and a half years ago, and who wanted to lead the company towards an even more international project, with an even wider strategic vision. First, in 2015, there was the ceding of the majority share to the private equity fund Investindustrial, followed by the acquisition of Arclinea and Azucena. Then came the entry of Carlyle Group at 50% with Investindustrial, and hence the creation of Design Holding, of which Flos and Luis Poulsen, in addition to B&B Italia, are also a part. Everything was managed with extreme intelligence, respecting the strong, recognizable global identity of the brand.
What digital strategies are you activating? The most important change will be in the website, whose upgrade will be officially presented in May, and where Maxalto will have its own specific domain. This is an important message we want to convey, that of providing a distinctive identity to a brand that now reports over 40 million euros in annual sales. The sections of B&B Italia will also be completely renewed, more elegant, clean and easy to use, with a configurator to create your own domestic layouts, a part for consumers to interact directly with the company and to receive project support. A website that brings emotions, created together with our new art director.
important upholstered piece designed by Citterio for B&B Italia, whose launch has been coordinated by Lissoni in an exchange of ideas and opinions with Citterio himself.
What kind of input were you given? The request is simply to respect the brand, to continue to use a very contemporary language. My attempt has been to make B&B Italia speak an even more contemporary language than it did in the past. No easy task. What are you relying on, in order to succeed? Actually I am not alone. I work with the Research & Development center, with the in-house architectural team, and a group that focuses on communication and marketing. A series of people in everyday dialogue, with whom I can come to terms. The opportunities through which to see the initial results of this collaboration have been the recent opening of the store on Via Durini for a special presentation, without an audience, with the possibility of viewing only the shop window, and the installation of the entire corporate showroom at Novedrate with the new Noonu sofa designed by Antonio Citterio, as well as a presentation only for this new product. Continuity, then, but B&B is also a company that looks forward, hence its focus on innovation. What is your personal contribution, in this sense? My contribution will be to utilize the past in order to trace new lines for the future. I would like to make the company return to reasoning as a leader. Furthermore, I would like to construct, without any hierarchies, a team of not necessarily famous designers, young or not so young, simply capable of doing their job. Drawing on the worldwide market and trying to make the R+D division function as a machine of research, in the fullest sense of the term. Research is intellectual food, which has to be generated and discovered, also in the interpretation of people outside the classic channels, otherwise
it will be hard to build credibility in the next 20 years. What we do today will be legible in terms of duration in about ten years. This mechanism has to be evaluated, as in a sort of chess game towards the future. Already in January, for example, we have begun to understand and to decide how the stores will be made in the future, the displays, the graphic design, while we are now searching for that new generation of designers who will become part of the B&B Italia team. Which are the factors with which you feel most in tune? Above all, the fact that the brand touches on all types of interiors, permitting 360° action. In the catalogue there are certain parts that are stronger than others, which have helped us, and other areas that need rebalancing, but all this is part of the life of a company. B&B Italia also has a strong outdoor approach, which we want to reinforce, which has developed from the outset in a very natural way. On this topic, let’s talk about the Borea collection, which you have designed with an emphasis on ecology. Thinking about a new generation of products developed for outdoor use, we began with a series of questions. How do we want to do it? With materials that are strong, durable and honest. Aluminium came to the fore. Then we realized we should design very light objects, hence the project with a framework that seems like a bicycle. Borea has a very high level of strength, requires little maintenance; it is stackable from the start, because by removing the totally waterproof cushions, the structure of the sofas is stackable. The best way to respect the environment is to give products a long life, therefore building them in the best possible way. When Borea reaches the end of its life cycle, it will be 88% recyclable. The cushions are made with recycled PET, like the fabrics produced with industrial scrap, using recycled semi-finished products to transform them into new ones. The collection is constantly growing and will be expanded with a series of poolside cots and ample lounge seating, with a particular form. It is a model that is still evolving, another characteristic of B&B Italia production. Please tell us something about other pieces you have designed, like SAKè, Eda-Mame, Dock. What’s the leitmotif? I have tried to design products that are a bit ‘drier’ from a stylistic standpoint. Mapping the brand’s catalogue, made of gentle, soft items, I wanted to shift the focus towards products that are a bit rawer, with the aim of inserting them in a very strong existing range. So I have searched for small oases of work, missing points inside these constructions. I have looked at B&B Italia as it if were a giant tapestry, to find the empty gaps.
Photo © Valentina Sommariva
The new phase of art direction at B&B Italia began in January this year. How did that happen? I believe Gilberto Negrini had a big role, but above all Antonio Citterio, who at a certain point asked me if I wanted to get involved with the company. That is how it all began. I’m still studying the situation. Intervening in a company that has maintained such a high level of excellence over time is not easy. You have to be very cautious, and have a sense of proportions. What I would like to do is to bring continuity, without destroying anything, simply inserting some non-conformist elements. The company is very strong and versatile, and it has invented ‘worlds’ that are now considered normal, generating points of extraordinary vision that are still astonishing for their level of creativity. What interests me is to look to the future with a sideways gaze.
Since you knew him, what did Piero Busnelli, the founder of B&B, transmit to you? He left me with a sort of feeling, that of the company totally integrated with life. Though the company is now in the hands of investment funds, you can still sense the power and presence of the family. Anyone who approaches the firm also approaches the extraordinary vision of a man, which still seems to hover and to be perceptible. In my own small way, I will try to move forward with that vision. And we have the same first name.
BOREA armchairs
DOCK sofa
SAKÈ sofa
IFDM 23 April 2021
Create, innovate. Design.
www.kettal.com
Photo © Robert Brembeck
people&PROJECTS
INTERVIEW WITH
STEFAN DIEZ text by Francesca Gugliotta
Growing up in a household of 4th-generation carpenters, to the young designers he suggests to start in a workshop, learning about materials and mechanics. He is particularly focussed on the
potential of a circular economy to careful use of finite resources, pointing out the importance of repairability and pushing the boundaries to imagine a better sustainable life.
IFDM 25 April 2021
people&PROJECTS
The Munich based designer Stefan Diez, growing up in a household of 4th-generation carpenters, he trained as a cabinetmaker before studying industrial design under Richard Sapper and working with Konstantin Grcic for several years. He is particularly focused on the potential of a circular economy, exploring a broad spectrum of everyday products whose raw materials can be recycled and integrated into a more sustainable material cycle, also pointing out the importance of repairability, a very hot topic, not often addressed by companies. Led by curiosity and supported by a network of local craftsmen and specialists, the designer always pushes the boundaries to imagine a better life, with beautiful objects that solve real problems. To his students says: “Complexity is a great opportunity, and that even difficult problems can be tackled through networked work.” Growing up in a household of 4th-generation carpenters, to the young designers you suggest to start in a workshop, learning about materials and mechanics. The sensitive, determined handling of materials plays a decisive role in an experimental search for new solutions. In addition to compute, sketching by hand, it is above all practical trial and error in the workshop that is at the heart of the design process. Especially when questions of use and ergonomics, the manufacturing process and material properties are to be explored. You are focused on the potential of a circular economy as in Costume sofa for Magis. Latest since the Paris Agreement on achieving the climate goals, the model of the circular economy has increasingly become the guiding idea for a future economy on our planet. The central idea of the circular economy is the careful use of finite resources: at the end of a product’s life cycle, all components should be completely recycled. The energy required for this should come from renewable resources, which is why the effort involved in recycling remains a major challenge. To achieve this, a sofa must be able to be broken down into its components by the last user without much effort, so that each component finds its way back into the appropriate material cycle. Separation by type is the prerequisite for effective recycling of used materials. Dyes, adhesives, additives, etc. should be avoided. At Costume, we have consistently taken such considerations into account. If now, after more than a year of the pandemic, politicians are thinking about the comeback of the economy, then one has to ask oneself whether we should not rather demand a much more radically forward-looking plan. This is another reason why I am now so clearly advocating the idea of a circular economy.
1. Ayno lamp by the designer Stefan Diez for Midgards, winner of the German Sustainability Award in design 2021. All the parts can be separated and replaced easily without tools, by the users themselves. The central feature is a fiberglass rod, which is stretched to the bow by the luminaire cable.
2. D2 system for Wagner: “Perhaps our most ambitious project”, says Stefan Diez. “D2 is not to be sold as a finished piece of furniture, Wagner will only offer the connectors for it and provide assistance with planning. The idea is to optimise transport and storage costs by having D2 produced exclusively locally.”
You point out the repairability, as in Ayno lamp for Midgard the parts can be separated and replaced by the users themselves. Longevity should always precede recycling, because every recycling process consumes energy and also leaves a residual amount of waste. The integrity of the product should therefore be maintained for as long as possible. This results in some requirements for the design of the products themselves, which we designers can already take into account during the design process. Therefore easy reparability should stand in the focus, alongside flexibility and adaptability to new environments. Thinking about recontextualisation as early as the design stage, so to speak, is an interesting strategy. Just like models where the product is rented instead of bought... we have summarised the most important aspects in ten points on how designers can use their influence in the conception, design and production of products and support the transformation from a linear to a circular economy. Innovate to imagine a better life, as in the D1 chair where a mechanism allows the natural movements. What does design mean for you? The question of what good design is has always been a controversial one. When designers mainly worked in dialogue with engineers and were responsible for the formal design of products, one liked to make fun of the narrow-mindedness and one-dimensional thinking of engineers and to label this discipline as a hindrance to ideas. Today, the boundaries have become much blurrier. There are still designers who are mainly concerned with form, but it is just as possible to include areas of product development, construction, sourcing of materials etc. in the remit of industrial design. I believe that an approach based on the collaboration of different experts in loose networks will lead to more radical, fascinating and ultimately better solutions that are capable of overcoming real challenges. You work with complex software and tools, but with care for the local craftsmanship. Industry and craft are all the stronger in combination: the Houdini would not be possible without the help of computer-controlled machines. The strength of the collaboration with Arita also lies in the combination of handicraft and industrial processes, which was made possible by the many specialised companies in Arita that worked together on the Arita 2016 project. I’m interested in the potential behind new or newly combined things, not so much in preserving old traditions.
3. Costume for Magis represents a a new sustainable way of constructing upholstered furniture: “A sofa must be able to be broken down into its components by the last user without much effort. Separation by type is the prerequisite for effective recycling of used materials, dyes, adhesives, additives should be avoided.”
4. Plusminus for Vibia, an evolution of the light rail based on a conductive, yet flexible textile belt. Luminaries of different typologies can be freely placed and replaced upon the belt forming extensive compositions of light. The belt could be stretched tightly between walls, ceiling or floor, or hanging loose and crumpled.
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What are you working on right now? At the moment, for example, we are working on the development of conference tables made of recycled aluminium, which is extracted from post-consumer aluminium with the help of hydroelectric power in Norway. Or a lighting system for Vibia based on conductive belts that can be installed in rooms in an extremely flexible and reusable way. Perhaps our most ambitious project at the moment is the D2 furniture system for Wagner. D2 is not to be sold as a finished piece of furniture, Wagner will only offer the connectors for it and provide assistance with planning. On the one hand, we are developing a fitting made of nylon that connects honeycomb panels made of cardboard or aluminium to each other in a wide variety of constellations; on the other hand, we are working on an infrastructure that will bring local craftsmen, architects and customers into contact with each other. The idea is to optimise transport and storage costs by having D2 produced exclusively locally. But the local craftsmen will later also take over the service and maintenance of the furniture. In the end, a true recycling of the components is to be achieved through the local operations. Since 2018 you are teach Industrial Design at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. What do you teach young people? Since I started teaching design in Karlsruhe in 2008, I have been reflecting much more on my own work and I think that my studio in Munich also benefits from my ongoing involvement with new topics. In general, I try to encourage my students in the understanding that complexity is a great opportunity and that even difficult problems can be tackled through networked work. By making my studio in Munich and our network accessible to the students and by frequently involving external experts and project partners, I try to establish a connection to practice. Apart from that, we have excellent staff in the department: production technology, CAD, workshops from metal to plastic, various joining techniques from sewing to welding, construction technology, formal design, photography and film, etc., that’s what the team brings with it. Is there a project you would like to do but you haven’t done yet? There are two topics I would like to work on: mobility in the city and semi-finished products for architecture such as solar thermal elements, electro-voltaic panels, or even just standard elements such as windows, doors or balconies.
5. Houdini chair, a mix of technology and craftsmanship designed for the German brand e15. The chair is inspired by a technique used in aeroplane model making, two-dimensional plywood slabs are stretched by hand around a complexly milled solid wood ring to form the back and another to form part of the seat.
6. D1 chair family by Stefan Diez for Wagner, with a single joint that enables the independent movement of seat, to adapts to the full range of sitting positions. The innovation is condensed into the aluminum encapsulated joint which anchors the tubular steel frame cushioned by rubber buffers below the seat.
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trend
Color Stories
The first, Dumb numb narrates the increasingly overriding dependency on screens and digital devices, which makes human relations a matter of privilege: devices are always with us, to capture every moment, every experience or event. Human engagement becomes a luxury (a concept summed up in the expression ‘luxurification of human engagement’), along with the most authentic luxury, far from hyperconnectivity, in contact with nature, off-grid, so to speak; experiences that become a new, sought-after status symbol. The colors of this Story are all connected with key concepts: a bright pink; the tones of gold, discreet and sophisticated; the strong orange that symbolically suggests friendship; a soft delicate green as screens; and the grey of technology.
Aesthetics
Stupidify
The golden ticket
Ciaokefai?
No WI-FI
Why-FI?
text by Rachele Frigerio
Photo © Gianluca Cisternino
DUMB NUMB
THE PALETTE FOR THE 2021 IS AN ENGAGING RAINBOW OF WARM, DEEP HUES. A FAR CRY FROM THE TONES THAT DOMINATED IN 2020, WHERE THERE HAD BEEN MORE SPACE FOR COOL, FORCEFUL TONES, REPRESENTING A SOCIETY IN CONFLICT, IN PURSUIT OF BALANCE. THERE IS A CLOSE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE EMERGING MOVEMENTS OF SOCIETY AND THE COLORS THAT SET CHROMATIC TRENDS: THE RESEARCH AND INTERPRETATIONS HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT BY COLORWORKSTM, AND GROUPED IN 4 MACRO-THEMES, OR STORIES, LITERALLY TRANSLATED INTO 20 COLORS (5 PER STORY) TO REFLECT THE SPIRIT OF EACH THEME
1 1. NOVACOLOR | LUCE_WALL PAINTING Around the concept for 2021 “Be Grateful,” Novacolor has created a line of products in praise of light. The design becomes even more refined thanks to natural colors and materials that immediately convey a sense of comfort and wellbeing. Luce_Wall Painting is a standout, with a special binder derived from sustainable biomass. 2. ARMANI/CASA | ROYAL A limited edition of just 88 pieces, Royal is a “sartorial handmade” cabinet featuring details that suggest a revised sécretaire with a shutter for closing and opening. Conserving strong ties with oriental influences and fashion inspirations, the piece is faced in a special weave of paper and cotton, similar to Japanese tatami mats, and the textured fabrics typical of the aesthetic of Giorgio Armani. 3. MÉTAPHORES | PÉPITE Pépite wool satin has the precious glow of gold. Its texture is based on a double weft that makes the fabric extremely soft, enhanced by golden threads that catch the light. Impressions range from the mineral world to a cloudy sky where sunbeams break through the haze.
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4. ETHIMO | VENEXIA A tribute to the functional elegance of furnishings typical of city living in the late nineteenth century, Venexia is the new design challenge from Ethimo and Luca Nichetto. Visually reminiscent of old-fashioned railings, the structure of the furniture is made of a refined harmonious series of very thin aluminium slats, shaped with ad hoc moulds to ensure uniformity. 5. PEDRALI | PANAREA Light, sunny, elegant. These are three good adjectives for Panarea, the new outdoor collection from Pedrali, created by CMP Design. Panarea stems from an idea of a Mediterranean coastal landscape, with an armchair and a lounge chair featuring a crafted weave, 100% Made in Italy.
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6. MUUTO | AMBIT PENDANT LAMP Embodying the values of Scandinavian design, the Ambit Pendant Lamp is made of hand-spun aluminum that has been hand-painted. The collection now is introduced in a new, grander size of Ø55 cm / Ø21,6, alongside a new Light Blue color. Design by TAF Studio. 7. BAXTER | RONCHAMP Elegant, sinuous, sculptural. The new Ronchamp table by Baxter is a combination of forms and materials. Juxtaposing marble with nubuck leather, the various lines are enhanced, creating games of light and shadow. 8. MEMPHIS | UTAMARO
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Photo © Andrea Ferrari
Photo © Delfino Sisto Legnani. Courtesy of Memphis
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Forty years after the creation of the Memphis Group and the presentation of the famous Tawaraya boxing ring, a new family of products designed by Masanori Umeda, some of them dating from the early eighties – fully in line with the spirit of Memphis – now takes its place in the family of Post Design collections. Among them, the Utamaro series, consisting of a double bed, sofa and armchair.
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trend
Aesthetics
Pure False
The naked truth
El Dorado
The Mask
Myrddin
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C-TRUE The second Story embodies the distrust of society towards information and brands, and at the same time the growing demand for transparency. This is C-True. We live in the era of authenticity, society demands truth, both in people and in what surrounds us. We look for authenticity in our leaders and the celebrities we follow on the social networks, in the products we purchase and the brands that produce them. Colors get darker and more serious (as required by the theme of true, authentic products and services), while the touches of light rely on tones that suggest the light at the end of the tunnel. A blue that evokes the hues of marble, deep and dark; a classic faded orange evoking the color of the Financial Times, one of the few newspapers that has kept faith with its mission; the golden nuance seems to remember us that “all that glitters is not gold.” The lime green references the masks and false identities; and a hue of blue that in color psychology implies trust, loyalty and intelligence. 1. ARFLEX | MARENCO
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This bestseller of contemporary furniture owes its name to the designer who created it in 1970, Mario Marenco. The piece has been redesigned to make it even more comfortable. The system to assemble the cushions and armrests on the base is innovative: the cushions are simply inserted in a frame of metal tubing, to guarantee strength and resistance to wear and use. 2. INKIOSTRO BIANCO INEDITI SERIE 04-ARCADE Inediti Serie 04-ARCADE proposes a new challenge, a collection of wallpapers that transports us into a playful dimension of fun and imagination. The new collection enters a playroom and offers a series of levels, 15 in all, like the new wallpapers. A stimulus to let fantasy run wild and to explore new scenarios inside which to play your own “game.” 3. PAOLA LENTI | HARBOUR Harbour is a modular system designed by Francesco Rota, with multiple compositional possibilities. The structures covered in fabric host comfortable cushions made with Aerelle® Blue, the new completely recycled fiber with which the company has decided to make the upholstered furnishings of its indoor and outdoor collections even more eco-sustainable.
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4. ADRENALINA | SWING The match between Adrenalina and Debonademeo designer duo yields new experimental scenarios, as Swing, a series of sofas and armchairs that mixes canon and innovative design. A tubular metal frame is anchored to the upholstered seating shell. At first glance the design seems seriously rigorous, but as you sit down the feeling changes and extreme relaxing comfort is what prevails.
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Photo © Massimo Colonna
5. PULPO | ASPA The Aspa table series by Spanish studio MUT Design presents the perfect platform in which to express the brand’s love of glass in all its forms. The series is an exercise in simple geometry – Aspa translates to the intersection of straight planes. Each table brings together five glass panels converging at their centre. The coloured transparency of the glass form darkens to produce a layered aesthetic to the series. 6. DESALTO | SOFTER THAN STEEL Ultralight carved tops of different shapes and complementary heights define the Softer Than Steel range. Almost a playful Nendo design, with an arrangement of interesting personal variations and nestings. Also available in outdoor version. 7. RUBELLI | SAN POLO Rubelli is presenting Venice, for its 1600th anniversary, with a new pure silk damask: San Polo. Eight tonal variants are counterpointed by eight variants with contrasting warp and weft. The latter are the result of studied colour combinations, the product of colour contrasts and juxtapositions that enhance the iridescent effects.
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trend
SENSE APPEAL The third story, Sense Appeal, puts the accent on neuroaesthetics. Every human action is connected to emotions. A factor big companies are trying to quantify and analyze through technology to get more connected with consumers. Researchers working in the discipline known as ‘neuro-aesthetics’ are attempting to identify the systems and mechanisms of our brain that respond to aesthetic input (color, design, visual art, architecture, music…), to find out how human beings react. The palette of colors to identify this trend spreads through a soft coral pink of the emotional intelligence to a metallic green; then comes the intense violet, the orangey shiny copper and apparently white hue that contains pigments of copper nuances.
Aesthetics
Motus intelligentia
Sweaty Art
Mona-Lise me
D.A.B.E.
Yuan bei
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1. BENTLEY HOME | RAMSEY The new Ramsey line designed by Carlo Colombo defies gravity, with its seat suspended off the floor. Its shell, sensually tapered, flows into the armrests that reach upwards like outstretched wings. A gun metal grey insert frames the profile, reaching down below the seat. Here featuring a Burr Walnut frame.
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2. RUBELLI | NADAR Nadar is a décor damask, flameproof and easy to use, connected with the world of nature. This time the reference is to the art of photography and its techniques. The lens is pointed at an expanse of flowers (waterlilies, perhaps), which when ‘printed’ become vaguely floral, rarefied and blurred forms. 3. POLTRONA FRAU | CHESTER LINE The Chester Line family is growing up with new two curved sofas, with and without armrests. The classic sofa with its sculpted design becomes a genuine system of modular sofas with various different elements: chaise longue and armchair, pouf and now two corner elements. 4. EX.T | NOTO Noto is a new multifunctional, versatile and dynamic system featuring storage units for the bathroom. Available in two sizes and thicknesses, it can be paired with integrated or countertop washbasins. Multiple solutions for a single component featuring clean and essential lines, suitable for different living spaces.
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Photo © Alberto Parise
5. DE CASTELLI | WAVE Lanzavecchia + Wai reinterpret a quintessential piece Asian furniture: the shoe bench, transformed into a welcoming element. The micro architecture, designed with simple, flowing forms, is produced using solid natural copper which plays with curves, solids and voids. The upper surface provides ample space to sit down, while the base provides storage space for bags and shoes. 6. CC-TAPIS | AVINO As a natural continuation of the bespoke rugs designed for the Palazzo Avino (Ravello, Italy), Cristina Celestino presents five new designs developed with cc-tapis to be included in their permanent collection. The new Avino rugs feature monochromatic geometries and patterns and oversized floral designs, taking inspiration from the colors and natural elements of the Amalfi Coast.
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Photo © Marina Denisova
7. WALL&DECÒ | PAPERCUT A multitude of fragmented forms – restructured and casually reassembled in several layers – generate new imagery and graphic compositions. The Papercut collection is a material wall which, like a canvas, becomes a place of formal experimentation. Designed by Studio Salaris & Sans Nom Studio. 8. MOROSO | GETLUCKY The Getlucky armchair (design Patricia Urquiola) stands out for the simplicity of its forms. Created as a “dining” small armchair, its nature stands in its minimal shapes. A soft backrest wraps around the back like a ribbon before interweaving with the comfortable seat. Precise lines, which embody the grace of the sign and the elegance of shape. 9. CASSINA | DUDET
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Photo © Alessandro Paderni
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70s inspiration for Dudet armchair (design Patricia Urquiola). Dudet is a small architecture defined by three individual padded elements: a seat cushion and two tubes that fluidly design its legs, armrests and backrest in a continuous line.
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Photo © Federico Torra
trend
Aesthetics
Stigmergence
Ant attack
Magurgur
Waggle Dance
Deep Shi(f)t
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UBUNTU The voyage continues with the last Story, Ubuntu, a term that has been borrowed for its efficacy from the Zulu language: it means “I am because we are” or “Humanity towards others.” This trend, in fact, puts the accent on collective cooperation. The interdependency of today’s society calls for new methods that rely on collective awareness to continue to evolve and to build new social systems. For instance? Swarm Intelligence, based on algorithms biologically driven by nature replicated by robots, or Blockchain as a vehicle of trust and transparency. Dark, contrasting colors, suggesting the earth and Africa, emerge from this Story: a dark metallic violet tone symbolizes collective minds that interact; we can see a return to brown tones with points of red having light metallic and translucent effects; the dark green (with a pinch of yellow) suggests nature and the idea of safeguarding the human race; there has to be an amber tone, the color of honey and beehives, a direct reference to bees; finally, a bright red concealing tiny internal glitter: the tone of alarm indicates the complexity of today’s problems.
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1. FLOS | BELLHOP Bellhop Floor is the new floor lamp designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby to enrich the Bellhop family. The archetypal elements remain similar to the existing collection, but the Bellhop Floor has a more sculptural character: it features a stable concrete base with a finish that is pleasant to the touch, an aluminum body (available in different colors) and an opal glass diffuser. 2. LONDONART | THE DAYDREAMER The new wallpaper collection created by GIOPAGANI for Londonart is a reinterpretation of distinctive signs in an eclectic and imaginative stylistic language. Pop accents, cinematographic representations, Japanese and geometric motifs from the 70s alternate in a sophisticated aesthetic journey. The capsule collection features an extensive experimentation in the use of color. 3. OLUCE | MINI COUPÉ The brand is expanding the Coupé family with the introduction of Mini Coupé: at 34 cm in height and in brand new colours (black, anodic bronze, scarlet red, mustard yellow), the Mini Coupé wittily maintains all the vigour common to Joe Colombo’s designs of the 60s.
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4. DIESEL LIVING WITH MOROSO CLOUDSCAPE SOFA The Cloudscape system features outsize shapes and large cushions for the maximum comfort. In addition to the traditional two-seater, three-seater and modular versions, Cloudscape is also available in a one-seater version, an extra-large armchair. The back and the side of the elements are the same height, and both come with optional movement functions to adjust their positioning.
Photo © Alessandro Paderni
5. RUBELLI | DI VARIA NATURA
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Fabrics very different from one another, but all with vivid character, are found in the new Di Varia Natura collection, which brings together eco-sustainables with new bio-sourced fibers, geometric patterns for indoor-outdoor use, silks and damasks, all the way to cotton prints, like the La Vie en Rose model seen in the photo: energizing colors for strong visual impact. 6. JANNELLI&VOLPI | JV453 IGUSA With JV453 Igusa, a collection of wallcoverings is born, made only with natural reeds woven on a loom (traditionally used for the making of Japanese tatami mats). Thanks to the game of weaves and chromatic contrasts, the product brings a warm, natural look to spaces, while spreading the scent of freshly cut grass. 7. DOOOR To expand, border or screen interiors: multiple functions performed by a single tool. The textile door collection of the young brand Dooor conserves the functional specificity of this architectural element, while expanding its aesthetic range. Various models are available: with lateral, bilateral, central, off-center or multiple opening. (Interior design project: Arch. Andrea Rubini) 8. GALLOTTI&RADICE | AUDREY MOTION
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Photo © Carola Merello
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Based on a virtually infinite line, Audrey Motion is the evolution of one of the company’s bestsellers, now revised by Massimo Castagna to accentuate its sinuous, ‘moving’ shape. A modular structure created for different configurations offers the possibility of larger measurements and more or less wide curvatures.
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people&OPINIONS
Emilie Paralitici
CREATIVE AND IMAGE DIRECTOR of MÉTAPHORES
text by Veronica Orsi
THE FINE FABRICS OF MÉTAPHORES, THE BRAND BELONGING TO HERMÈS’ TEXTILE DIVISION, EMBODY ALL-AROUND SENSORY EXPERIENCES. AN ALCHEMY OF MATERIAL, SPIRIT AND GESTURE. THE MAISON MIXES VALUES OF INNOVATION WITH AGE-OLD EXPERTISE, THANKS TO ARTISANS WHO CARRY ON THE FRENCH HERITAGE, SELECTING NATURAL FIBERS WHICH ARE INTERPRETED THROUGH REFINED VISUAL AND TACTILE INVENTION: FABRICS FOR INTERIOR DECORATION THAT ADORN VOLUMES, ENLIVEN SPACES AND MAKE US REDISCOVER THE ROOMS IN WHICH THEY ARE DEPLOYED. TWO YEARS AGO, WITH EMILIE PARALITICI AS CREATIVE AND IMAGE DIRECTOR, THE EVOLUTION OF MÉTAPHORES TOWARDS AN INTERNATIONAL POSITION AND A STRONG IDENTITY BEGAN, IN TUNE WITH THE FUNDAMENTAL VALUES OF THE COMPANY
You are organizing a true regeneration around Le Crin. What are the qualities of its fabrics? Horsehair has long be utilized for its natural beauty and intrinsic qualities. When woven, it offers delicate luster and remarkable strength, two qualities that seduce many interior decorators from all over. Only one workshop in the world continues to weave horsehair, in keeping with a rare ability that Métaphores sets out to preserve. The technique requires great precision and care, and only small amounts of the fabric can be produced every day. Mixed with cotton, linen or other fibers, horsehair is often chosen by interior designers for furniture and other uses, including paneling. It is also perfect for upholstery and seating, because it is strong and durable.
What does it mean for a textile company to respond to the needs of contract projects and tailor-made creations? What is your experience in this area? Our fire-retardant fabrics have to stand up to strict regulations in contract projects. Taking these technical constraints into consideration, our selection is able to offer materials and weaves with very natural finishes and touches, designed for harmonious coordination with other items from the collection. Personalized support for our clients allows us to offer custom service to complete their projects.
You have one of the largest fabric archives in France: to what extent is the history of the company interwoven with that of the territory? And how does this archive “live” in the present? For me, the archives are a precious resource and an infinite source of inspiration, because they allow me to draw, to reinterpret or rework already existing motifs, covering a very
Photo © Stephan Julliard
Métaphores & Pierre Gonalons exhibition, Paris Design Week 2020
Which major trends are you seeing in the world of decorating? I think the present situation is creating a very ambivalent context in the world of decoration. On the one hand, spending more time than usual inside the home is making people seek values of refuge, pale colors, natural materials that are enveloping and reassuring. On the other, frustration prompts people to develop imagination and daring. Interiors are stage sets, so the graphic effects and colors narrate stories we want to bring to life, making them evolve over time. NÉOLYMPIQUE collection
ÉLÉMENTS TERRE collection
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Photo © Jean-Marc Palisse
You have launched the new Elements Terre, what are the inspirations? The ‘Earth Elements’ often play a central role in my creative approach. They are naturally enlivened by vibration, movements, offering a rich palette of grains, graphic effects or structures. Their abstract beauty inspires me to design
wide historical period. The latest addition to the Verel de Belval line Grandiflora is based, for example, on a 19th-century document in the Hermès textile division archives. Its stylized floral pattern has been slightly streamlined, while retaining a quite exceptional attention to detail. Woven in the French workshops of the company on a warp of cotton viscose, it perpetuates the traditional know-how of Lyon silk with fine threads and a wealth of sophisticated patterns. In the field of special projects and custom creations, the archives are also open to clients as part of an interactive process, enabling us to respond to all individual needs.
Photo © Gaëlle Le Boulicaut
The project of ‘renovation’ of the corporate identity began two years ago: not just a supplier, but also a brand in the fullest sense of the term. How are you pursuing this objective? When I arrived, I found myself in a very rich, complex universe that already existed: there was no need to add new elements, but a need existed to express the reality at its best, bringing out its harmony. The desire to combine heritage and avant-garde is the leitmotif I have utilized to bring new energy to Métaphores. Building bridges inside the collections, especially with the Le Crin and Verel de Belval lines, I have tried to stimulate eclecticism and uniqueness, to make Métaphores the promise of an unprecedented sensorial experience. We pursue this objective through each new collection, gathering references of the three lines around a shared theme.
games of light, effects of texture, patterns that we then transcribe into exclusive textile materials. For each interpretation, it has been very important to underscore the sensorial qualities and richness of every fiber. Our magnificent Everest cashmere bouclette, for example, brings to mind the foam of the seaside, or clouds. The inspiration becomes a starting point for the creation, but also permits detours or very imaginative interpretations. The mineral grain is transformed into a soft, comfortable material, and the botanical compositions are channeled in a multitude of sparking and unexplored colors.
Corso Monforte, 20 20122 Milano – I Tel. +39 0287178662 gallery@livingdivani.it
SUMO. WWW.LIVINGDIVANI.IT
Photo © Joyce Park
people&PROJECTS
INTERVIEW WITH
KELLY WEARSTLER text by Alessandra Bergamini
Her projects, her eclectic interiors for private homes, hotels and restaurants, are ‘adventurous’ journeys between contemporary and vintage, signature design, art and fine craftsmanship, “masculine and feminine, raw and refined”, instinct and intellect. The aesthetic of Kelly Wearstler, founder and principal of the design studio of
the same name, has always pivoted on the concept of mixology, combining influences, materials, cultures and – last but not least – the tastes of clients. Including Proper Hotels, Four Seasons, Viceroy Hotels and Residences, Westfield. The aim is to explore their desires, but also to challenge cultural contexts and mental scenarios.
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people&PROJECTS
How does your creative process work? How do you get to achieve such a refined eclecticism? I approach every project, whether a residence or hotel, dining room table or rug design, with the same process of exploration and passion. I always want to tell evocative stories, adventurous and full of soul, incorporating a mixology of materials and influences. A creative cross-pollination in the studio inherently informs each interior project and product design of every scale. Working with different artisans and coming up with creative solutions, customizing pieces for clients is also very inspiring. Learning to use different materials and artisanal approaches keeps product design fresh. I am also fortunate to have collaborative partnerships with leaders in different industries that allow my voice and vision to be aligned with their expertise, such as Farrow & Ball, The Rug Company and Lee Jofa.
own filter. The best projects are inevitably the ones in which the client has a strong voice and distinctive point of view. I’ve been fortunate to have worked with incredible clients along the whole of my career. When projects are successfully articulated, there’s a natural progression that occurs and allows for growth.
Considering different client briefs and the many facets you take into consideration, from textiles to arts, how do you get to design successful cultural layering and hybridization? My interior projects are truly a collaborative effort. My clients are my greatest muse – each project is a reflection of their distinctive personalities. One of my favorite aspects of my work is learning to be a great listener and explore the tastes of my clients. I take into consideration what the program is and what the client wants, and run this through my
How would you describe Los Angeles area lifestyle and architecture development in the last decade? From the towering palm trees, azure sky, mountain hiking and stretches of surf and sand to on-fire culture, worldclass museums, innovative artists, food wellness and total decadence, this city is so unique and inspiring. It’s a city of passion and exploration. A perfect coming together of history and modernity. There remains so much to discover and watch unfold in Los Angeles. What I love most about LA
1. The Wearstler-Korzen residence, Beverly Hills, was originally built in 1926 as a Spanish Colonial Revival, and remodeled five years later by architect James E. Dolena in a classic Georgian style. Preserving the historical integrity of the home, all the structures were extensively renovated, including the pool and gardens, and a new wing was added.
3-4. The climate, history and iconography of the city is the inspiration for the identity of the Santa Monica Proper Hotel, spanning two stylistically disparate buildings linked by an artfully crafted bridge. Its interiors are a lesson in restrained elegance, nature-inspired palettes, light hardwood floors, and organic textures augmented by artworks from local artists.
2. Situated above Malibu Beach’s, this seaside residence has a castaway allure with a sun-bleached color palette that is muted yet complex, consisting of shades of driftwood taupe, misty gray, watery green and shell pink. Wave-patterned marble walls evoke the feeling of abstract art and chunky, modernist furniture contradict the idyllic setting.
What about the research for the single objects to be integrated in the whole concept? My aesthetic has always been about mixology – the juxtaposition of contemporary and classic, masculine and feminine, raw and refined. Important vintage and soulful historical reference points lend such spirit to a space. I love mixing my own designs with a mélange of progressive contemporary furniture designers and artists, with important vintage furniture and curated unique finds from my travels.
5. In the creative direction and design of the Proper Hotel, Kelly Wearstler looked to Downtown L.A. as her muse, soulfully blending past and present into a sensory, residential environment of deep, warm color and feel. Her vision deftly layered the building’s vestiges of the 1920s with elements of Spanish, Portuguese, Mexican and Moroccan design.
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is its ever-evolving infusion of new soul and old soul. Each of the iconic and original dwellings has its own pedigree and story. It is an ever-evolving infusion of spirit and place. I think the design landscape in LA will continue to surprise and move boundaries and have its own unique point of view. And please tell us about your ongoing or future works I have just launched my first paint collection for Farrow & Ball which is a dream come true. I have such a love for color, and I’ve always used paint in my projects to help evoke a certain mood or feel with the interiors. I’ve used Farrow & Ball paints throughout my career, and I am continuously appreciative of the quality and craftsmanship that goes into their products. We both have a deep understanding and love for how color can create a dynamic space, so the partnership felt natural. I also strive to create a natural, clean environment within my projects, and I respect the Farrow & Ball mission to create beautiful colors sustainably. All of their paints, including The California Collection palette, are water-based with low VOCs, and come in a recycled metal tin. In addition to this I am currently working on upcoming furniture, textile and lighting collections. I do also have several residential projects underway. I always make time for private client work. I am so passionate about design and every project truly has a special place in my heart.
6. The California Collection, a palette of 8 fresh, sun-soaked hues created for Farrow & Ball. The debut partnership represents the first palette created by an outside designer since the company’s founding in 1946 and it is inspired by the light of the Pacific and the landscape of California, providing a feeling of serenity and belonging in the surrounding environment.
7. Situated in the restored historic lobby of the San Francisco Proper Hotel, Villon Restaurant takes its name from Jacques Villon, a French cubist painter at the turn of the 20th century. The intimate and richly detailed space combines furnishings and elements from various European modernist styles inside a Cubist inspired envelope.
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24 hours in
MILAN Milan restarts: what to see, where to go WAITING FOR THE SALONE IN SEPTEMBER, THE DESIGN CAPITAL WARMS UP WITH SOME EVENTS, TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS, IN PERSON OR ON THE SCREEN text by Cristina Ferrari & Francesca Gugliotta
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ilan, the design capital and Italy’s most international city, after months of closure, lights up. The opportunity came up with Milano Design City, two weeks of events in April, including presentations, talks, conversations in person (finally!), but also hybrid initiatives mixing real and virtual content. A program offline and online, in showrooms, corporate headquarters, but also on Zoom, Instagram and interactive platforms, to reach a worldwide audience. An opportunity for companies to launch new products, set up showrooms with new collections, create a buzz and put the spotlight back on the city after a period of stasis, with proposals that will live on in the months to come, during the run-up to the Salone del Mobile on 5 September. Tom Dixon, one of the brightest participants, approached the design week with an alter ego hologram; Poltrona Frau unveiled the Take your Time collection online, a series that urges us to take things slowly and to grasp every detail through the senses, menawhile Cassina virtually narrated its new collection, presented by the art director Patricia Urquiola and the CEO Luca Fuso. Displays not to be missed include the ‘room of ideas’ of Antoniolupi, with new creations by Gumdesign, Calvi Brambilla, Carlo Colombo, and others. Then the Rooms by Moroso, five different interpretations of living space at
the showroom on Via Pontaccio, a project by Marco Viola; Giulio Cappellini has wagered on the dreamy hyper-decorative imagery of Elena Salmistraro for the Cappellini space on Via Santa Cecilia. Visionnaire – in the Wunderkammer of the Visionnaire Design Gallery in Milan – stages Regine exhibition by the artist Paolo Leonardo. Shop windows are full of colorful sculptural presences: Alpi, in the showroom on Via Solferino, explores dense, saturated colors for wooden surfaces, with the French Palette by Piero Lissoni; Gervasoni on Via Durini stages new indoor and outdoor furnishings. Living Divani launches of the indoor-outdoor family by Piero Lissoni, David Lopez Quincoces, Marco Lavit and Mist-o. On Via Durini, Porro offers a series of spaces without structural and conceptual barriers. Some of the players have gotten ready for this design week with a new look (as Misha wallcoverings) or by opening new spaces, as Versace Home, Jannelli&Volpi, De Castelli, Dom Edizioni, Rexa Design, Manerba, Sahrai with the temporary store on Via Manzoni; Lapalma with Lapalma for Architects. Events to mark at least a dozen new openings, which last fall studded the central districts of Milan with new design hubs (Ceccotti, Nemo Lighting, Snaidero, Marsotto, Pianca & Partners, Mutina, Solferino Lab, just to name a few). In spite of everything, Milan comes alive and attracts interest, as well as the investments.
30,000 PETALS FOR AN ARMCHAIR This is the Hortensia model by the Argentine designer Andrés Reisinger for Moooi. it began as a 3D rendering, which soon went viral on Instagram. Contacted by Moooi, the designer was able to translate a digital drawing into reality, in collaboration with the Catalan designer Júlia Esqué for the covering, creating an armchair formed by 30,000 laser-cut pieces in Petal fabric, available in pink or gray. IFDM 43 April 2021
24 hours in MILAN
CASSINA
via Durini 16 Cassina continues its journey to complete all areas of the home mashing up the company’s icons with this year’s new proposals designed by Michael Anastassiades, Jeffrey Bernett, Philippe Starck and Patricia Urquiola. An exciting project by Vico Magistretti makes a return: the Edison table, updated in the measurements and in the materials, featuring the characteristic cross-shaped joint.
Photo © Leonardo Duggento
MOROSO
VERSACE HOME
B&B ITALIA
New opening: via Durini 11 Versace Home opened a new flagship store at the very heart of the design street of the city, via Durini. The concept of the space, opened in collaboration with Interni Spa and realized by Vudafieri Saverino Partners firm, evokes the unique elegance of Versace residences, starting from the architectural style of the building that host the showroom.
Photo © Matteo Imbriani
Photo © Marco Menghi
via Pontaccio 8/10 “Stanze” is the new setting for the Milanese showroom and at the same time is the project in which Moroso tells its story: the products are placed in an environment designed to be reproduced in the stores; the entire Moroso house is fitted out, with the bestseller products of recent years: Gogan, Gentry, Josh, Redondo, Shanghai Tip, and, to the fore, Pacific, the new collection designed by Patricia Urquiola.
DE CASTELLI
New opening: via Visconti di Modrone 20 An architectural location, a meeting place, an exhibition of the culture of craftsmanship, design and experimentation. This is the new space created by Cino Zucchi for De Castelli. Luminous spaces with large niches become a setting for the narration of the new Rame At Home collection.
via Durini 14 The renovation is in full swing for the historic flagship store of B&B Italia in Milan, but for Milano Design City in April the facility was transformed into an exceptional stage for the new Noonu upholstered furniture system designed by Antonio Citterio, which completes a pathway that began in 2018 with B&B Atoll. Ample sizing, flexibility and ‘islands’ of relaxation are its defining canons. IFDM 44 April 2021
Photo © Matteo Imbriani
24 hours in MILAN
GALLOTTI&RADICE
via Felice Cavallotti, 16 The Milan showroom (in partnership with Salvioni DesignSolutions) presents updated displays featuring new entries for 2021. Exclusive new products and expansions of existing lines thus convey the meaning of research capable of getting beyond trends and everyday circumstances. As the dining zone, creating a convivial atmosphere conveyed by the Shiro dining table and the Akiko chairs (both by Oscar & Gabriele Buratti).
LAPALMA
Photo © Andrea Martiradonna, Jasmina Martiradonna
New opening: via Gorani 8 “I have envisioned this space not as a showroom, but as a sort of design lab,” says Francesco Rota, art director of Lapalma, talking about the new Lapalma for Architects facility opened in the 5vie district. Next to the key spaces of the brand Home & Lounge, Café and Light Office, the hub features a wall that gets right to the crux of any project, thanks to the Material Lab and Tech Lab.
AGAPE
via Statuto 12 The new Outdoor collection by Agape crosses the boundaries of conventional rooms, to take the bath experience into direct contact with nature. This is the case of the Handwash (by Benedini Associati), in the new Cementoskin® version, which guarantees easy maintenance and better strength of the washstand, to stand up to weathering. Ideal for both indoor and outdoor use. IFDM 46 April 2021
PIANCA & PARTNERS
via Porta Tenaglia 7N3 Calatea Green is the sustainable re-edition of Calatea armchair designed by Cristina Celestino in 2017: a new green version, with different materials and a distinctive aesthetics, redesigned according to the circular economy rules. The new armchair is exhibited in the Pianca & Partners showroom (recently opened) hosting 26 companies inside 900 sqm.
Photo © Vittorio Grassi Architetto & Partners
OPERA CONTEMPORARY
LIVING DIVANI
WEWORK
Corso Monforte, 20 Created as a hybrid space, halfway between display and concept, the Living Divani Gallery takes on a novel look to host the new Indoor Collection 2021. With tenuous atmospheric lighting from large, refined bell-shaped lamps made of rice paper, the new setting is a sequence of tableaux, to rediscover the pleasure of conversation and sharing: thanks to the protagonist, namely the Sumo family of upholstered furniture by Piero Lissoni, and the Lemni armchair by Marco Lavit.
PRINCIPE AMEDEO 5
Via Principe Amedeo 5 Principe Amedeo 5 is the architectural regeneration project by Vittorio Grassi Architetto & Partners, which has transformed a historical gem (the building that contained the American consulate since 1850) into an elegant office building, which now contains 500 workstations on 5 levels for a total of about 9000 sqm. A surprising outcome that has led to candidacy for the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2022.
Photo © Francesco Caredda
New opening: Via Manzoni 37 The project by Bestetti Associati for the brand’s showroom is a magic box in which the company’s longterm icons are combined in a natural way with the important new creations for 2021 (first of all, the Aurora lounge chair & ottoman by Draga & Aurel). The design respects the character of the spaces, with well distributed settings that make the facility seem much larger than the actual 200 square meters of its layout. The finishes call for a special tracking shot: the juxtapositions of marble and wood, leather and fabrics, the stylistic impact of simple gilded pillars, like orderly cameos with an elegant mission.
Photo © Courtesy of D2U and WeWork
Via G. Mazzini 9 The fourth and largest location of the American group in Italy was opened in March. Eight floors, over 7700 sqm, to welcome up to 1100 persons, inside a building that was once the headquarters of Banca Agricola Milanese. The interior design has been entrusted to the studio D2U (Design to Users), alternating luminous workspaces with smart meeting rooms and exclusive private offices, all with a stimulating, comfortable atmosphere.
JANNELLI&VOLPI
New openings: via Statuto 21 | Corso Garibaldi 81 The company celebrating its 60th anniversary this year has closed its former showroom on Via Melzo in Milan, and opens two new spaces in the Brera district. Two dedicated points, two different targets: the JVstudio aimed at professionals, with two windows at Via Statuto, and the JVstore for a wider audience, slated to open in May at Corso Garibaldi 81.
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24 hours in MILAN
GERVASONI
via Durini 7 The new indoor and outdoor products, presented at the showroom in Via Durini, reveal a modern way of viewing design as a timeless union between craftsmanship and contemporary creativity. For her first collaboration with Gervasoni, Chiara Andreatti has designed the outdoor furniture collection Guna, consisting of rugs, charpoys, cushions and coffee tables with a strong, multiethnic inspiration.
MANERBA
Photo © Federico Cedrone
New opening: Piazza San Simpliciano “A Place to Live” is the concept – curated by the brand’s art director Federica Biasi – that gives form to the new Manerba showroom in the heart of Brera. A location that represents the evolution of the company, as both an ideal destination for designers (featuring a materials library and temporary filing services) and private customers, who can find the latest collections, including the Amis work&meeting table by Busetti Garuti Redaelli.
CECCOTTI
via Durini 23 Opened in September, the Ceccotti flagship store has been updated for new products in 2021, including the Evenmore table designed by Roberto Lazzeroni: refined in its aesthetics and materials (a perfect combination of wood and marble), and in its workmanship.
KNOLL
Piazza Bertarelli, 2 The company responds to the new needs of home working, and therefore functional ergonomic furniture, but in line with the domestic landscape, with the 2021 collection Work from Home, featuring the KN Collection designed in collaboration with Piero Lissoni. This seating family includes the KN06 chair, now in a height-adjustable swivel version.
ARAN CUCINE
Piazza S. Gioachimo, 2N The company shows Vita Bella, a new kitchen able to harmonize elements from the past and the Italian manufacturing tradition, with contemporary ‘ingredients’. Core of the project are the doors, framed or smooth, optical or with decorations, which combine each time with simple volumes, or with sinusoidal and curved cabinets, giving freedom of composition. IFDM 48 April 2021
Oak
arch&INTERIOR
THE GINGER HOUSE: TRAVELING AND FEELING AT HOME IN MILAN text by Manuela Di Mari
AN ELEGANT MILANESE APARTMENT REDEFINES THE CONCEPT OF HOSPITALITY, MIXING SIGNATURE ARCHITECTURE, WORKS OF ART AND EXCELLENT 5-STAR SERVICES. A PROJECT ORDERED BY THE FOUNDER DAVIDE VENERI, CARRIED OUT BY LUDOVICA SERAFINI + ROBERTO PALOMBA
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pending time in another city implies temporary residence, which still requires cozy atmospheres combined with the desire for extraordinary experiences. This is the intuition of Davide Veneri, who has transformed a simple real estate investment in Milan into a unique, emotional place in which to regenerate, after the stress of travel, and to feel welcomed by a city that awaits your exploration. The result is the Ginger House, an elegant apartment
from the 1930s with an area of 90 sqm, in the Porta Venezia district, interpreted in a surprising, innovative way by the architects Ludovica Serafini + Roberto Palomba. A hospitality project with a totally new approach, combining intimate domestic space with an organizational structure similar to that of a 5-star hotel. The facility provides luxury services, including conciergerie, personal lifestyle consulting, dog-sitting, chauffeurs, all the way to private performances. The unique break in the warm setting has
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been interpreted by Ludovica Serafini + Roberto Palomba in clearly unconventional way. Welcoming and functional, the interiors have been created to “surprise, to help you enjoy every moment, to bask in the instant and to dream,” Veneri says. The reminder of the essence of a certain Milanese character emerges in the refurbishing that preserves signs of the past, but inside a contemporary vision. The historic part has been conserved through the use of wood and the color of the walls (taken from the original), and
that narrates a historical area of Milan, through machine-made embroidery: the former Varesine area, now part of the urban development of Porta Nuova. All this is joined by a site-specific work by the artist Raffaele Barbuto, ‘Non sono io che amate, ma chi mi abita,’ like a large advertising billboard, colored and layered by the passage of time. jTo underline the fact that the traces left on inhabited space are the true essence of the place. Finally, installed on plexiglass, there is the small, refined ‘Ginger’ created by Carlo William Rossi + Fabio Mureddu, a work that lends its name to the project, a symbol of the house and its discreet yet omnipresent host. Photo © Enrico Costantini, Enrico Mazzeo
enlivened with the choice of two different colors for walls and ceilings, and the contrast of warm white and slightly cooler gray for the stuccowork. Earth tones dominate, not just on the walls but also on the fixtures, while mirror surfaces completely cover the kitchen counter and the glazing of two doors, evoking both tactile and visual sensations. The most striking feature, perhaps, is the presence of works of art, so widespread as to merge with the architecture itself. The creative duo explain: “For us, architecture is the sum of the arts, because it encloses the place that embraces human beings in their lives.” Just past the entrance, a custom wall known as ‘Alpi,’ inspired by the Alps, advances in the space, becoming angular and drawing attention towards the video installation ‘Alano’ by Matthias Schnabel, commissioned for the Ginger House as a symbol of protection. The luminous work ’41,’ with a length of 17 meters, made by the architects to brighten the entire living area and kitchen, makes reference to the spatial gestures of Lucio Fontana, inspired by a visit to the Museo del ‘900 in Milan. Even the visible heating pipes are interpreted by Fausto Caletti as if they were gilded cords, in a reference to the everyday materialized utilized in American Minimal Art. Caletti has also contributed ‘Carillon,’ a large wall tapestry IFDM 51 April 2021
close up ANNIVERSARY
Scavolini: Italian pop history THE KITCHEN BRAND THAT IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE ITALIAN DOMESTIC HEARTH CELEBRATES ITS 60TH ANNIVERSARY. A CAREER OF CONSTANT SUCCESS, AT HOME AND ABROAD, THANKS TO ‘VISIONARY’ CHOICES AND NEVER A SINGLE WRONG TURN. WE TALKED ABOUT IT WITH FABIANA SCAVOLINI, CEO, AT THE HELM OF THE COMPANY, WITH THE FAMILY
Fabiana Scavolini, CEO Scavolini
Adv campaign “60 years together”
From a small crafts workshop to an international industrial reality. In 60 years you have become Italy’s most popular brand. What is the key to this success? The secret lies in a combination of things: maximum focus on product, extreme attention to detail, and a constant tendency to pursue increasingly ambitious goals. It is certainly important to be able to offer the quality of Made in Italy – a distinctive factor, coveted all over the world – as a competitive advantage to meet the challenges of the global market. The work on product, however, has to be accompanied by forceful strategies of expansion of our retail channels, in Italy and elsewhere, with operations on five continents.
What have been the decisive steps, starting in 1961, the year of the company’s founding? My father Valter and my uncle Elvino transformed a small crafts workshop for the production of kitchens into one of our country’s most important industrial players, in just a few years. Today Scavolini is no longer only about kitchens: the introduction of offerings for the bathroom began in 2012, followed by the living area in 2015, and we have recently diversified into wardrobes. These are the steps of our evolution. Furthermore, for over 30 years we have been one of the leading Italian producers in this sector, and one of the main exporters of kitchen components: an extremely important achievement, thanks to a strategy of internationalization that led to the creation of Scavolini USA in 2007, the opening of an office in Shanghai in 2014, a UK branch in 2015, and the company Scavolini France in 2018.
The big breakthrough came with some of the best known ad campaigns in Italy, with the slogan “the one Italians love best,” accompanied by a very popular celebrity. We were the first in our sector to approach television advertising, in 1975, but it was in 1984 that we reached the apex of success, thanks to the campaign with Raffaella Carrà, entering the collective imagination with that slogan. We wanted a high-impact ad campaign. My father saw the three most popular personalities in Italy, at the time, on the cover of a famous magazine. One of them was Raffaella Carrà, so we chose her as our testimonial. The message was simple and evocative at the same time: an immediate hit. Then we did the same thing with Lorella Cuccarini, the face of Scavolini since 1987, in a relationship that lasted until 2004. The returns in terms of visibility and brand loyalty were rapid and constant, but we have always approached the market by listening to people’s needs.
Photo © Livio Fantozzi
text by Manuela Di Mari
international architects, including Giugiaro Design, Nendo, Ora-ïto, Diesel Creative Team, King&Miranda Design, Karim Rashid, Michael Young, Rainlight Studio and Fabio Novembre, who have contributed with their exclusive creations to an ongoing activity of mediation between the liveliest expressions of creativity and the present and future dreams of individuals, while building a legacy of trust, excellence and design expertise. What are the innovations that have developed over the years, and the new paths of production? One decisive choice, from the outset, was that of outsourcing a large portion of the production processes. During the economic boom years we had the chance to grow rapidly, but if we had been producing everything inside the company we would not
What is the most iconic product? Is there one favorite that continues to be in demand today? It’s hard to pick just one, but we can definitely mention the famous Dandy collection: launched in 1986, it became a big success and a Scavolini bestseller. In 2020 we decided to reinvent it with the Dandy Plus series, designed by Fabio Novembre. When did you start working with wellknown international designers, and why? We began in 1975 with Agostino Bertani, who created one of our iconic models of that period, L’Isola della Melarosa. In the 2000s we began to work with
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SVEDESE kitchen, design Vuesse (1962)
have been able to keep pace with demand. So we decided to focus on research and development of new collections, assembly and shipping. This strategy was a winner, and it has allowed us to devote major resources to marketing and communication, which was an innovative approach in our sector. The focus on the role of technology in kitchen design, the space par excellence for innovation, has always been a central factor for us. This was the starting point for our collaboration with Fabio Novembre. We were able to formulate an intelligent solution, also using the Amazon voice assistant Alexa in the Dandy Plus series.
How have you been able to diversify production? The choice of expanding the range of our collections to include items for the bathroom, the living area and the wardrobe, more recently, has been the natural evolution of the desire to respond to market demand, coming to terms with a total living project. Until 2012 we made almost only kitchens, but then – also stimulated by the contract market which called for combinations of furnishings for the kitchen and the bath – we decided to diversify. The passage to the living area in 2015, with a structured collection, was the next step towards the creation
DANDY kitchen, design Vuesse (1986)
of a coordinated style for various rooms. Today this is an established trend, which after the pandemic implies that the entire home has to perform new functions, as in the case of people who transform spaces for work or schooling.
MIA BY CARLO CRACCO kitchen, design Vuesse in collaboration with Carlo Cracco (2018)
Over time, how have foreign and retail markets grown? Our main markets of reference are the United States, Russia, the Far East, China, as well as Europe and France. Recent new openings in Australia and Japan have further expanded our network, consolidating a project of international growth launched some time ago. Today Scavolini is one of the leading exporters of component kitchens, relying on a distribution network of over 1200 points of sale in Italy and abroad. This success strategy is based on constant boosting of retail channels, and the development of products in tune with the needs of different countries.
DIESEL SOCIAL KITCHEN, design Diesel Creative Team (2013)
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This diversification has become the focus of the new television ad campaign to celebrate 60 years of history. Will there be other initiatives? Besides the ad campaign “60 Years Together,” this year all the new products will be supported, besides the current touchpoints and available strategies, by special offline and online communication, as well as the company’s social network accounts. To improve engagement with clients and partners, we have organized a series of virtual activities and events, along the lines of what was already being done in 2020. These initiatives are part of a wider-ranging project to get increasingly close to people, not just as a brand but also as a reference point on a territorial level. A strategic approach in which the protagonists are the retail channel and our points of sale, which represent counterparts of great importance for us.
close up ANNIVERSARY
The three ‘Cs’ of the Scavolini collections COMMUNICATION, CHANGE AND COMPANIONSHIP SUM UP THE EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS OF THE LATEST GENERATION OF PRODUCTS BY THE COMPANY, CREATED IN COLLABORATION WITH DESIGNER OR THE IN-HOUSE STYLING DIVISION. THEY ALL EMBODY UNIQUENESS AND WAYS OF BREAKING WITH CONVENTIONS, BEARING WITNESS TO NEW LIFESTYLES AND THE SOLID TRADITION OF MADE IN ITALY, COMBINED WITH CONSTANT TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH
GYM SPACE Personal care and physical fitness come together in Gym Space, the system designed by Mattia Pareschi that combines bathroom and fitness room. The designer reinterprets the Swedish ladder system around which to organize other exercise gear – benches, elastics and TRX – and various bath furnishings – lights, soap dishes, shelves, cabinets, mirrors. A modular program available in different formats and finishes.
TRATTO Based on a modular design concept, Tratto – created by Vuesse – is a line of accessories for the bathroom, including shelves in slim sheet metal, and towel racks attached to the wall or the floor. It can be coordinated with the Line System: a component structure with backs and sections on which it is possible to attach objects in coated metal, such as container bins, open compartments and hooks.
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DELINEA As an island, a corner or a peninsula: there are many compositional possibilities offered by the DeLinea kitchen designed by Vuesse. They all share a door without handle, opened directly from the aluminium border, set at an angle of 40°, with two types of grip: Flat and Round. The elegant finishes, also in contrasting effects, are combined with open elements that add variety to the compositions.
WALK-IN WARDROBE An interpretation of the Fluida wall system, the Walk-in Wardrobe project designed by Vuesse is ready to create a perfect wardrobe space, made to measure. The system, with a depth of 61 cm, develops around basic modules, such as structures and doors, enhanced by a wide range of accessories, including coat racks and extractable frames, vertically adjustable racks, drawers for personal effects, trouser hangers, shoe storage units. All conceived to optimize available space.
FORMALIA There is also an office in the Formalia system designed by Vittore Niolu, as well as a kitchen, living room and bathroom. Every element – bookcases, storage units made to measure, desks – has been designed for extremely personalized spaces. Among the strong points, Status is a wall system with a modular open structure that can be inserted in a kitchen project or freely installed as a divider.
BOXLIFE Winner of the NYCxDESIGN Award in the Storage category, BoxLife is an interior design scheme that conceals infinite functions to guarantee maximum flexibility in the organization of spaces. Designed by the Rainlight Studio, BoxLife displays or hides, depending on needs, in the kitchen (up to four appliances), the bedroom zone, the living area and even the laundry room. All with hideaway opening systems, in folding, sliding or pivoting versions.
DANDY PLUS Designed by Fabio Novembre, Dandy Plus – for the kitchen, living room and bathroom – returns to a bestseller from the 1980s and incorporates the functioning of Alexa, in partnership with Amazon. On the Task Bar, an accessorized aluminium rod placed under the upper cabinets, an intelligent device operates with BTicino Living Now to control technological systems, permitting voice activation of home automation functions. IFDM 55 April 2021
DIESEL MISFITS BATHROOM Conceived for residential and contract applications, in the Diesel Misfits Bathroom the forms of the trolley and the Misfits credenza are reinterpreted to contain the washstand. The setting is completed by a mirror, hanging cabinets and a shelving system. The many possible configurations combine various materials and colors for doors, counters, borders and glazing, to generate personalized projects that are always different from the others.
DIESEL GET TOGETHER KITCHEN Diesel Get Together Kitchen sends an inclusive message. Three original types of handles – one built-in, two external with titanium finish – many details of industrial style, and new worktops, to blur the boundaries between the kitchen and the living area, for a fluid spatial layout. A dynamic mixtures with the Misfits freestanding storage elements in coated metal, grafted into the overall design.
Photo © Andrea Garuti
focus on
ILA armchairs
A big hug from Pedrali Photo © Andrea Garuti
LET YOURSELF GO, WITH THE ULTRASOFT UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE BY PEDRALI, BASED ON “AFFECTIONATE” DESIGN THAT WELCOMES AND WRAPS THE BODY IN EVERY MOMENT OF THE DAY. EVEN WHEN YOU ARE WORKING
BABILA XL armchair
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inter days, stretched out on seating created by Pedrali, are not just about absolute comfort. Their abundant design goes further, soothing the body (and the mind) in an ergonomic embrace of forms, soft padding, intense color combinations, and warm fabrics. All shaped to respond to personal needs, offering relaxed living in every moment, during every activity, from work to leisure. The Ila armchair, for example, has been created by Patrick Jouin with the aim of providing a refuge, a private niche. The curved lines of the outer shell in rigid polyurethane, with the inner part in soft, flexible polyurethane foam, create a sense of protection for those who want to grab moments of relaxation and escape. A flight from reality accentuated in the headrest version, for a pleasantly secluded effect. The seat can be combined with a central swivel base shaped like a truncated cone, or with a structure of four legs in steel tubing. Above all, it is composed of three parts that permit updating of the cover, while all the components can be easily separated for correct recycling at the end of the product’s life. Comfortable and rounded, the chair created in a recent collaboration with Sebastian Herkner reminds us of a flower in its shape and its name, Blume, where
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BLUME chair, new textile
personal wellness is the central focus. The structure in extruded aluminium supports a seat padded in polyurethane foam and visibly ‘rounded’ for a sensation of relaxation or convivial pleasure. Again in this case, the parts can be separated for correct disposal. Babila XL – the size indication speaks worlds about its wearability – is comfortable like a tailored garment. The chair designed by Odo Fioravanti has a shell (and armrests) molded in polypropylene laden with fiber glass, with a completely removable cover. A version made completely with recycled material has just been released, composed 50% of post-consumer plastic waste and 50% of industrial plastic scrap. These are some of the first items in the ‘recycled grey’ series, the latest ecological initiative by Pedrali. www.pedrali.it
Island of comfort RELAXED ATMOSPHERES, COMFORTABLE LIFESTYLE. THE ARGO COLLECTION DESIGNED BY PAOLA NAVONE REFLECTS NATUZZI’S INTENTION OF OFFERING PRODUCTS THAT EMBRACE A MEDITERRANEAN IDENTITY
completed by the chaise longue Sleeping Argo, which moves sinuously to encourage relaxation thanks to electrical mechanisms, based on Natuzzi’s know-how, activated with touch controls. The Mediterranean colors and atmospheres extend to the sinuous waves of the Calçada carpet by Sopa Studio. The particular weave simulates the patterns of
antique mosaics and suggests the image of the sea, due to the various tones of blue and the alternation of two types of wool: bouclé and shaggy. Entirely made by hand, the Calçada carpet has an irregular form, highlighted by the fringe at the extremities. www.natuzzi.it
ARGO sofa
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he Argo sofa, with its imperfect beauty and Mediterranean colors, evokes the sea and the Apulian roots of Natuzzi, which the designer Paola Navone has interpreted with mastery. The results are also based on collaboration with the company’s in-house styling division, capable of creating products that reflect the craftsmanship, tradition and culture of Apulia. The sofa becomes a protagonist of the living area with its ample forms and soft, almost pop look. Argo is a two or
three-seat sofa, also available in a swivel armchair version. The feet are low, almost invisible, developed by Navone to increase the sensation of comfort. The eye-catching details are undoubtedly the two giant braces that sink into the back, passing through it to underscore the effect of softness. But also the belt on the back, making the sofa an ideal choice for use at the center of the room. Particular care has gone into the upholstery, thanks to the use of materials that combine strength and softness. The collection is
SLEEPING ARGO chaise longue
Squaring the circle
SQUARE table
SQUARE IS THE FIRST TABLE BY RIFLESSI WITH A PATENTED TOP, AND A BARREL SHAPE THAT IS A CROSS BETWEEN THE SQUARE AND THE CIRCLE, EXPLOITING THE ADVANTAGES OF BOTH FORMS
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iflessi has patented a top for the Square table that has the ‘classic’ surface of a squared dining table, but without sharp corners, making it safer for children. The new creation of the company is that of the wooden tops with a thickness of 20 mm, made with sunburst wood veneer with natural grain, obtained by working with certified wood taken from
forests managed with strict environmental, social and economic standards. The available finishes are Canaletto Walnut and Heat-treated Coke Oak, as well as other elegant matte finishes in ceramic for a ‘marble effect,’ resistant to scratching and impact, suitable for domestic spaces where comfort, functional quality and style are indispensable factors. The table used as a kitchen island or worktop rests on the Shangai base and is offered in a fixed version with sides of 100 cm, and an extensible version – using practical central inserts – to reach a length of 150 cm. www.riflessi.it
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SAINT-GERMAIN sofa & LE CLUB armchairs
The elegant curve CURVED, SINUOUS DESIGN IN THE CREATIONS FOR 2021 BY JEAN-MARIE MASSAUD FOR POLIFORM. A NEW INTERPRETATION OF THE LIFESTYLE AND “SUSTAINABLE QUALITY” OF THE COMPANY
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SAINT-GERMAIN’s detail
he inimitable touch of Jean-Marie Massaud is back for Poliform, in the design of the new proposals for the living room in 2021. Westside, Mondrian and Bellport are now followed by Saint-Germain, an upholstered furniture system with sinuous, sensual forms. As in the previous iconic collections, the modular approach is wide ranging, with an accent on comfort: islands of extreme relaxation, composed of multiple elements. The stylistic plot changes, however, since Saint-Germain stands out for soft roundness in all the
modules of the series; an enveloping nature that creates linear sofas, L-shaped configurations or organic compositions. This is a novel concept with respect to the more rigorous linear approach usually applied by the French designer, emphasized even in the coverings, in fabric or leather, that frame the full volumes. The same design trajectory can also be seen in the Le Club chair, a name that indicates an inspiration, namely the emulation of the voluminous leather armchairs in the clubs of the last century. Jean-Marie Massaud reinterprets archetypes, filtered by his contemporary gaze: the forms are radically lightened, the materials reduced to an essential minimum, and elegance becomes more nonchalant. The result is an airy, almost suspended place to sit, defined only by a continuous line that frames the perimeter, in a game of full and empty zones between the base and the back. The new items are the result of a longterm dialogue between Massaud and Poliform, with an experimental approach that thrives on a solid, shared vision of intent: “a shared evolution,” to use the words of the designer, in a perspective of sustainability understood as “consistency, the quality of what we offer to our audience. Sustainability lies in things well made, things we can love for a long time.” And while “the company has a unique way of giving rise to a refined, timeless elegance,”
LE CLUB armchairs
the new furnishings created by Massaud “are all inspired by this search for something unique but universal, by the desire to share beauty, sensuality, culture and quality,” Massaud emphasizes. Saint-Germain and Le Club
IFDM 58 April 2021
fit perfectly into this idea of a warm, familiar landscape, producing a precise sensation of pleasant domestic wellbeing. www.poliform.it
Houdini: sculptural magic
HOUDINI cabinet
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he objective was to create a cabinet for fluid positioning in the home: from the living area to the bedroom zone. It’s a piece that defies classification. Not a credenza, not a storage unit, not a bar cabinet: but a bit all of those things. I wanted it to be a mysterious object, harboring secrets and magic: this initial idea
led to the name,” says Roberto Lazzeroni, the creator of Houdini for the company Giorgetti. The name is that of history’s most famous magician, Harry Houdini, famous for his impossible escapes. From that aura of mystery, Lazzeroni has invented this object to contain jewelry, glasses or other things, which in the two-door
AN OBJECT THAT CONCEALS SECRETS AND DISPLAYS THE UNIQUE QUALITY OF THE CABINETMAKING TRADITION OF GIORGETTI, COMBINED WITH THE MOST MODERN TECHNOLOGY, TO TRANSFORM AN OBJECT INTO A GEM
version resembles two columns, true trunks that open to reveal shelves, compartments and drawers. The magic of Houdini also lies in its workmanship, with an exterior featuring inlays of Canaletto walnut or maple, arranged in the direction of the grain, vertical and horizontal, for an intriguing effect on the surface. The inlays have been studied and arranged to create a sort of optical illusion depending on the vantage point. From a distance, the inlays seem to converge at the center, then extending towards the upper and lower extremities. In the version with a single column, there is the possibility of choosing hinged opening to the right or the left. The internal materials are also precious, where the shelves are enhanced by bronze or gray colored glass inserts, while the raised panel is covered in leather. www.giorgettimeda.com
The state of ideas NOMADIC, MULTIFUNCTIONAL, THE MRWOLF TOWEL RACK DESIGNED BY BRIAN SIRONI REFLECTS NEW LIFESTYLES, IN THE INSTALLATION ‘THE STATE OF IDEAS’ CREATED BY CALVI BRAMBILLA FOR ANTONIOLUPI
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MRWOLF towel rack
ased on in-depth research on the evolution of contemporary homes, MrWolf, the towel rack designed by Brian Sironi for Antoniolupi, embodies new residential lifestyles. The company, a high-profile reference point for the bath environment, presented the installation ‘The State of Ideas’ created by Calvi Brambilla inside the brand showroom in Milan. Rich in detail and current design thinking, MrWolf speaks of nomadism and multifunctional décor. It is a towel rack that rests against the wall, ready to be moved at any time, to adapt to spatial compositions that can vary to respond to changing needs. Accessorized with a shelf and object caddie in Flumood or Colormood, it becomes a valid helper in everyday actions, facilitating movement and gesture. The extremely functional surface permit easy access to
objects and accessories. In terms of form, lightness and solidity coexist perfectly thanks to the slim ladder structure in brass, coated in white or black, or in the color range of Antoniolupi. A clean, linear design
IFDM 59 April 2021
that makes MrWolf a sort of passepartout, positioned near the washbasin zone or near fixtures, showers and bathtubs. www.antoniolupi.it
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Eastern virtuosity THE INIMITABLE STYLE OF POLTRONA FRAU BLENDS WITH AN ORIENTAL TOUCH IN THE COMPLEMENTS OF THE NEW 2021 COLLECTION
MI cabinet
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he time has come to rediscover quality of life and living spaces. To take back control of a living experience enhanced with a wealth of contents, comforts and functions. It is time, in other words, to See, Feel and Touch, sensations that define and categorize the new offerings of Poltrona Frau. “Take your Time” is not only the name of the 2021 collection. It becomes a sort of message, a manifesto that urges us to bring value to this ‘suspended time’ in which we are immersed by the pandemic, to fill that time with sense, through all the senses. The many proposals of the brand for the living area and bedroom zone are organized around this concept, to achieve a multisensory experience (and at the same time multi-material:
IREN desk
alongside the distinctive use of Pelle Frau®, the items also feature fabrics, wood and marble). In this setting, which gives rise to a new collection and a new habitat ideal, the pathway of design branches out with curiosity, with style and inspirations that take their cue from the Orient while blending with the typical stylemes of Poltrona Frau: many of the new products for the living area, in fact, link ack to the harmonious gestures and poetics typical of the oriental world, perfectly matching the updated sensorial philosophy of the brand. Starting with Iren, the desk designed by Kensaku Oshiro, whose identity relies precisely on the value of gesture: while the term “iren” in Japanese means continuity in the tracing of points, lines and characters, the complement that bears this name connects to the concept of
the game of surfaces, where a simple gesture can suffice to make them slide one atop the next, fulfilling multiple functions. Oriental echoes can also be perceived in the Mi storage units: the duo Neri&Hu have worked by subtraction to achieve a balance between essential simplicity and refinement. The line includes a high cabinet with two doors, a low cabinet with four hinged doors, and a trolley on wheels: the red thread is a game of full and empty volumes, lights and shadows, revealing or concealing the objects inside; cowhide returns as a protagonist, now enhanced by a cannetté texture of vertical lines, KYOTO tables
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combined with a metal structure, a raised marble top, and the bronze-tone glass of the upper surface of the cabinet. The same dualism of full and empty portions is even more striking in the Kyoto table created by the designer Gianfranco Frattini in 1974 (drawing on the mastery observed in workshops he visited in that Japanese city), accurately reissued by Poltrona Frau in 2020: the result is embellished with a new black lacquer open-pore finish of the solid wood, accentuating the perfection of the interlocking workmanship. www.poltronafrau.com
MAISTRI a brand of ASSO SPA / GIZA design alberto minotti
maistri.it
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Nomadic objects MOVING WITH EASE BETWEEN INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SETTINGS, THE PIERRE CHAIRS BY FLOU ARE AN INVITATION TO SOCIALIZE
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soft, irregular form for the Pierre chairs, expanding the family of poufs and tables created by the Contromano design studio for Flou, in a reminder of river stones smoothed by flowing water. Padded and covered in removable fabric or leather, they come in three sizes (small, medium and large) and have two types of backs. One version has a back like a curved metal shell, wrapping and protecting the cushions, while in the second model the back is formed by two tubes and a horizontal band, also in metal, in a very minimal design where the fabrics are the protagonists. There are many possible combinations for Pierre, thanks to the range of different types of covers (also for outdoor use), two back models and various metal finishes, including burnished matte, oxide, black, greige and white, along with the new Magma and Oceano finishes. www.flou.it
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esign and architecture are the intertwining elements that create the shared, geometric language found in many Boffi products, such as the Antibes bookcase with its rigorous lines, and the APR60 kitchen, with essential styling, both designed by Piero Lissoni in collaboration with CRS Boffi. Antibes is a modular
PIERRE armchairs
ric and architectural character. The APR60 kitchen plays with encounters between forms and materials and adapts to use in the living area or in a separate space. The pure form is enhanced by the lack of handles on the base cabinets, whose fronts have a protruding upper border to permit opening. The bases with hob, washing zone and storage
Architectural atmosphere A COMPOSITION TO INTERPRET SPACE WITH TASTE AND RATIONALITY. THE ANTIBES SYSTEM AND THE APR60 KITCHEN BY PIERO LISSONI CREATE THE DESIGN PERFECTION THAT ALWAYS SETS BOFFI’S SOLUTIONS APART
ANTIBES bookcase
system, a grille that divides space with elegant horizontal and vertical lines, without a back. It can be attached to the wall or become the protagonist of a room with a floorto-ceiling structure. The system offers great compositional flexibility, and in the kitchen it can become an accessorized storage wall. It also comes with an LED bar lighting system that contributes to underscore the geomet-
cabinets under the counter are enhanced by paneling equipped with shelves and hanging cabinets, which can be open or closed. The gaze is captured by the details, the carefully gauged thicknesses and shifted volumes, but also by the range of colors or combinations with materials like wood and glass or wood and steel. www.boffi.com IFDM 62 April 2021
APR60 kitchen
Being consistent ALSO IN THE NEW TWENTYONE COLLECTION, THE ELEGANT, ENVELOPING LANGUAGE THAT SETS PORADA APART MOVES CONSISTENTLY FORWARD, WHERE RESEARCH ON MATERIALS GENERATES AN ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY
of creating a harmonious, cohesive whole with the spaces in which they are placed, and with each other. An uninterrupted line seems to extend through the elegant, tactile complements, which punctuate the domestic landscape and then expand the area of action of the great décor protagonists.
CHIBA coffee tables & SAITAMA back-sofa console
A soft, sinuous line, with a stylistic approach that brings out the tactile and natural appeal of materials, especially in the case of wood. The concept is reflected in the Leaf tables designed by Patrick Jouin: an ode to the natural grain of wood, in which “the beauty of nature becomes a graphic principle in its own right,” the designer remarks. The top and the particular rounded wooden leg rise from a circular pedestal in marble, generating games of direction and an idea of movement. The consistent styling continues in the Chiba coffee tables and Saitama back-sofa console, extensions of the Kanto project, part of the 2020 collection. The two products inherit the graphic structure in black coated aluminium, and the construction of the wooden volumes, conserving the original character of the design but reshaping its language through different proportional relationships between the parts, and different modes of use. The Softway bed joins ranks in this escalation of functions and scale, with its soft, curved image. The solid walnut feet at the four corners are the true protagonists, whose solidity forms a contrast with the softness of the upholstery.
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ontinuity and research are the key terms of interpretation of the Twentyone collection by Porada, including new developments in 2021 for the living and bedroom areas. “Continuity, with respect to design, which over time becomes increasingly recognizable and clearly formulated. Research, because the materials and forms evolve and adapt, in a perspective of flexibility and functional quality,” the company explains. This pairing has led to the definition of products capable
LEAF tables
SOFTWAY bed
www.porada.it
Authorial imprint TREP+ PRESENTS LUCE, A PROJECT BY JOE COLOMBO
ellipse becomes a perfect representation on a vertical plane; a form that links back to “VISIONA 1”, the futuristic habitat prototype created by Joe Colombo for Bayer, shown in 1969 at the Interzum fair in Cologne and at the Milan Science Museum. The new product by TREP+ is a synthesis of design and technology, which also relies on the Beta handles by Olivari, again designed by Joe Colombo, and the exclusive S-MATT finishes by ICA Group with an ultra-matte effect (resistant to fingerprints and scratching, with self-repairing properties in a water-base product, hence with very low VOC emissions).
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light graphic sign, an elliptical imprint. The distinctive signature is in this geometric space, which for its author was simply a symbol of the concept of passage. The designer was Joe Colombo, and the project is the Luce door produced by TREP+. While for Colombo doors were elements of communication, opening towards other spaces, the
www.trep-piu.com
LUCE door
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AURORA lounge chair and ottoman
Contemporary Glam
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lengance and attention to details. These are the distinctive features of a timeless beauty, an identity in constant evolution, described in a harmonious encounter of forms, colors and materials, carefully selected and combined. Opera Contemporary matches manufacturing excellence with contemporary style in a range of luxurious and glamorous furnishings conceived to address the tastes of a vast, demanding and cosmopolitan clientele. The identity of the Lombard brand, enhanced with the stylistic approach of art direction by the studio Bestetti Associati, comes to terms with the unique character of an increasingly rich, dynamic vocabulary
ON THE OCCASION OF THE OPENING THE NEW SHOWROOM IN MILAN, ON THE VERY CENTRAL VIA MANZONI, OPERA CONTEMPORARY SIGNS EVERY SPACE IN THE HOME WITH FURNISHINGS THAT ARE SEDUCTIVE FOR THEIR HARMONY OF STYLE AND NOBLE MATERIALS
which when combined with inserts in marble and metal brings out the nobility of the wood, creating unexpected optical effects. In the New Brian tables the metal structure with asymmetrical legs welcomes an elegant top in marble with rounded and beveled borders, on which to etch the brand’s logo. The New Doris collection – a sideboard, a bar cabinet, a TV cabinet, a dressing table with or without mirror, bedside tables, and a dresser with four drawers – is made with frisé maple with contrasting
(designed by DL studio) concentrates many material elements of Opera Contemporary in its metal structure, containing shelves in wood, marble and leather. Finally, and new for 2021, comes Aurora: a lounge chair and ottoman created by the design duo Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow, concentrating their expressive flair in a very refined compositional eclecticism, between vintage memories, contemporary style and innovation. This is an iconic piece with a structure in solid wood – suggesting
of materials, joining the leading role of wood with the precious qualities of noble materials like marble, leather and metal. In the living area, the structure of the New Cosmo sofa, for example, stands out for the triangular cross-section of the solid wood, in ash or Canaletto walnut, and for the borders embellished with metal in gold, bronze or chrome finish, or with black coating. The New Victor family of cabinets features doors with an exclusive geometric pattern,
TAYLOR bookcase
NEW VICTOR cabinet
accents in metal, wood and marble. In the bedroom zone, the protagonist is the Alba bed, whose double headboard is enhanced by the use of different materials. The back headboard unveils a refined wooden core around which to fasten cowhide cords by hand, in a vertical arrangement, granting a sense of dynamism and lightness. Alba as the previous products are designed by Castello Lagravinese. The Taylor bookcase
IFDM 64 April 2021
the design of the 1960s with its curved, restrained organic forms – covered in the finest soft leather. Aurora also stands out for its well-gauged thicknesses, and for the extreme lengthening of the legs, which become a forceful architectural sign thanks to the presence of delicate metal accents. www.operacontemporary.com
LUCE BY JOE COLOMBO www.trep-piu.com
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LINDA-X washstands and bathtub
IPALYSS washstand & JOY mixer
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he vision of Ideal Standard is to “improve the life of our clients,” and the way to achieve this, in partnership since 2018 with Palomba Serafini Associati and with Roberto Palomba in the role of Chief Design Officer, is to study the society as it continues to evolve, redefining the concept of modern living, working to create a perfect synergy between impeccable functioning and aesthetic harmony. In the light of these considerations, the Atelier Collections represent the latest contribution to design culture. The approach of Ludovica and Roberto Palomba for Atelier Collections is based on quality, intuitive and inclusive design that makes it possible to create combinations using ceramics, furnishings and faucets, while offering maximum personalization. The Conca series of washstands is the first range of Atelier Collection products: it takes its inspiration from the original line designed in 1972 by Paolo Tilche. Starting with the iconic washstand, the designers have beveled the
The eternal value of design LINKING BACK TO ROOTS AND GREAT MASTERS, WITH THE ATELIER COLLECTIONS BY PALOMBA SERAFINI ASSOCIATI, IDEAL STANDARD CONNECTS THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF DESIGN
corners to modernize the model, with a squared, minimal design in tune with the latest trends, while conserving the unique, sophisticated character of the piece. The Extra washstand, a simple block with a slim border and precise edges, represents a break with the tradition of curved ceramic forms. Its lightness and simplicity make it ideal for contemporary and minimalist bathrooms. It combines perfectly with the Blend range of bath fixtures and the Conca and Joy lines of mixer taps. The Blend Curve fixtures, with their neutral, rounded design, and those of Blend Cube, with a squared form, include the revolutionary AquaBlade® technology that boosts cleanliness and hygiene, making the series suitable for residential, commercial and healthcare projects. Conca and Joy are two lines of mixers, the first featuring a squared design with an ultra-flat body and a slim, slightly curved handle, while the second offers a solution with a timeless cylindrical form, whose smooth continuous surfaces are easy to clean, preventing the formation of deposits of germs and limescale. The mixer faucets, in the washstand and bidet versions, include an ecological aerator for five liters per minute, permitting reduction of water consumption. The Atelier Collections also include Linda-X, a new entry for 2021, composed of a range of washstands and an elegant bathtub with ultra-light, clean, minimalist design, also thanks to the use of Diamatec®, a technology patented by Ideal Standard, which permits the creation of very slender ceramic lines, as small as 3 mm but exceptionally strong. Thanks to its base of limited size, the washstand can be mounted with an
CONCA washstand & mixer
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EXTRA washstand
overhang, also on cabinets of small depth. A solution that adapts even to small spaces, to meet the needs of modern lifestyles. The Ipalyss series of rectangular ultra-slim washstands is also made with the same revolutionary ceramic material, offered in the historic matte-finish Ideal Standard colors. Photo © Carlo William Rossi + Fabio Mureddu
www.idealstandard.it
Ad. Merendi & Vencato Di. Victor Tarasi
LIBERA Marco Merendi & Diego Vencato
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PALOALTO IBOX walk-in closet
The highest levels of contemporary living
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everly West Residences is a luxurious residential complex developed by Emaar Properties, already the proprietors of the famous Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall. The complex is on one of the main boulevards offering direct access to Beverly Hills. The five penthouses, from the 18th to the 22nd floor, have breathtaking views scanning all the way to the ocean. The interiors are ample, measuring over 760 sqm, in keeping with the design codes of a concept of extreme prestige, which takes on expressive impact and identity in the sartorial approach Made in Italy of MisuraEmme products. The Brianza-based company confirms its bespoke attitude with extraordinary versatility, formulating spaces with a contemporary, essential and at the same time refined language, to respond to the taste of the clients, giving them a “dream made to measure, suspended in the sky.” The Crossing living system (designed by
THE PRESTIGIOUS PENTHOUSES OF THE BEVERLY WEST RESIDENCES OPT FOR A CONTEMPORARY LANGUAGE AND SARTORIAL PROWESS MADE IN ITALY, WITH CUSTOM CREATIONS BY MISURAEMME
the architect Mauro Lipparini) and the Urban living system (designed by the architect Iriam Bettera) give the large, luminous rooms a sense of unique visual lightness, reinterpreting the traditional role of bookcases in configurations that adapt to the architectural space. Thanks to the possibilities of combination of shelves and counters, the modular solutions permit free design of walls with dynamic and – if so desired – colorful compositions. The PaloAlto Ibox walk-in closet designed by the engineer Gianni Borgonovo transforms the bedroom zone into a total ‘transparent’ vision of pure, refined volumes. Stemming from the interaction between two systems already contained in the collection, the closet stands out for its hinge that permits installation of the doors in a classic wooden upright, or in a framework – opening up to 180° – generating infinite compositional options thanks to the wardrobe-closet coordination. The countless intersections between the
CROSSING system CROSSING system
support structure and the various surfaces produces functional spaces with multiple internal equipment, like chests of drawers, suspended elements, object caddies, jewelry compartments, trouser hangers and all the storage solutions for everyday objects. The bedroom zone becomes a place in which to experiment with new juxtapositions of design and materials, granted by the wide variety of luxurious finishes – ranging from glass to technomarble, from the noble grain of wood to metal – and the rigorous lines of the London, Narcisse, Milano, Brillanta and First wardrobes, enhanced by sophisticated LED lighting built into the frame to convey a delicate atmosphere of remarkable class. www.misuraemme.it
IFDM 68 April 2021
Convivial architecture THE B SOLITAIRE LINE BY BULTHAUP BECOMES THE CENTER OF DOMESTIC SPACE AND CONVIVIAL EXISTENCE, WITH ITS LINEAR DESIGN AND NATURAL SPIRIT
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o develop interior architecture in the world of kitchens with innovative solutions of high-quality design. While this is the constant mission of Bulthaup, the b Solitaire line is a natural development of this path. In the context of the kitchen, this table – the heart of the program and of convivial life itself – becomes the catalyst for enjoyable moments, with its simplicity, “architectural” lines and warm, welcoming atmosphere.
B SOLITAIRE line
Privacy or socializing
www.bulthaup.com
the complete range contributes to create ‘work scenarios’ that are open but livable, functional and safe, flexible and connected. With six different sizes, from XXL to S, the Acoustic Rooms balance needs of socializing, which are more pressing in recent times, with the necessity of privacy and concentration, safeguarding the sense of community and connection between people and ideas. A protected oasis with a modular structure in square or rectangular form, with a height of 240 cm; the ceiling and internal walls are made with MDF 4akustik sound-absorbing panels, which guarantee excellent reverberation reduction. The internal lighting is built into the ceiling, like the ventilation system.
THE BOX-IN-BOX LINE BY FANTONI ADDS MOVEMENT TO THE WORKPLACE AND FINDS THE NECESSARY PSYCHOLOGICAL AND FUNCTIONAL MIDDLE GROUND BETWEEN LOW DENSITY AND HIGH TRAFFIC
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hile utilization of the architectural and real estate heritage of office buildings and headquarters is increasingly combined with a focus on human resources to improve wellbeing and performance, the Acoustic Rooms developed by Fantoni represent a new key of interpretation of space: by ‘shrinking’ the architectural box on different scales,
This identity is the result of fine craftsmanship: the top is in solid oak, resting on a framework of matte black anodized aluminium. The line also offers matching benches, featuring naturally tanned leather covers, and open cabinets: extractable shelves and grilles placed at variable heights offer room for small and grand ideas.
www.fantoni.it ACOUSTIC ROOM
Upgrade for Centimetro AMONG THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS FOR 2021, LEMA PRESENTS AN EVOLUTION OF THE “ARMADIO AL CENTIMETRO”
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ARMADIO AL CENTIMETRO wardrobe
he name means “wardrobe by the centimeter,” offered by Lema as a way of providing personalized solutions for any space. The new insertion, in 2021, of framework sides raises the potential of the system to greater heights. Three new internal and external structural elements open the way for a new dialogue between pure storage and domestic architecture. The project is extremely contemporary in character, thanks to the development of a set of aluminium frames, one internal, the other external, available in two finishes: bronze and sand. The outer back is closed
IFDM 69 April 2021
by a glass panel, which can be replaced by a traditional melamine back, offered in three transparent finishes, as for the enclosing side: transparent extra-light glass, reflecting bronze glass and gray smoked glass. For the façade, the framework side can contain any type of hinged door offered in the catalogue, and the theme of opening brings us to another new feature: the Anta Dandy hinge in the 180° version. All the way to the Open version, without doors. www.lemamobili.com
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A game of interlocks THE NAME OF THE TORII COLLECTION BY MINOTTI TAKES ITS CUE FROM THE GATES OF SHINTO SANCTUARIES IN JAPAN. THIS IS THE DETAIL DEPLOYED BY NENDO TO ADD CHARACTER TO THE LEGS OF SOFAS, SEATS AND TABLES, BRINGING AN ARCHITECTURAL TOUCH TO NEW FURNISHINGS
TORII collection
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arrating the Torii collection coordinated by Rodolfo Dordoni with Minotti Studio, the Japanese designer Nendo talks about visual lightness, referring to the way the horizontal parts rest on the uprights, creating a structure so support upholstered or flat volumes. The collection by Minotti includes sofas with high or low backs and a linear, rounded shape, inclined sofas of different depths, armchairs, lounge chairs and dining chairs, ottomans, low tables and a slim oval console. With all these available items, it is easy to create a living area by playing with their combinations, generating visual harmony and bringing a totally Japanese atmosphere into the home. The repetition of the metal structural detail triggers the
www.minotti.com
A Totem display in your living area
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eparate, but not too much: Euromobil presents Totem, a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf-system to define and organize various spaces, to hold books and objects, and display memories. But that’s not all: Totem is a flexible and versatile solution, ideal for creating and carving out a corner of the home for home-working, study, and long-distance education, which can be personalized and accessorized with various shelves, compartments, tops, and desks, elements which can be freely added to create and develop the composition most suited to the available space and intended uses. A multitasking structure based on a pole that
image of the “Senbon Torii, the wooden colonnade that forms a galleria composed of 1000 vermilion torii gates,” Nendo explains. Particular care has gone into the development of the backs. The slim back of the sofas is crossed by quilting with vertical staves and piping in eco-leather and econabuk along the perimeter of the padding. The back of the small chair, in the Torii Nest version, features woven leather, based on the image of Vienna straw. Certain elements conclude the base with a marble surface, used as a small table, which thanks to the careful study of the proportions and thicknesses goes perfectly with the seating. Leather magazine caddies with metal details enhance the seating models, along with the small decorative disk in the form of a button-jewel, which seems to hold the back in place. The collection also offers the Torii tables, with the same metal structure as the sofas and chairs. The marble top can also reach a diameter of 120 cm, and the tables come in various heights, with matte polyester finish, in glass or in wood.
EUROMOBIL PRESENTS TOTEM, THE FLOOR-TO-CEILING BOOKSHELF-SYSTEM TO DEFINE AND ORGANIZE VARIOUS SPACES, TO BE CONFIGURED AND COMPLETED WITH SHELVES, COMPARTMENTS, AND DESKS, PERFECT FOR HOME-WORKING AND STUDY ARRANGEMENTS
runs from the floor to the ceiling, which can be positioned at the center of the room and even fixed to the wall, a totally new concept with the possibility for LED lighting to embellish and emphasize its silhouette, making it shine, even in the dark, like a scenic presence that becomes the feature element of the living area. A product available in the new Wood Canetè finish, a texture featuring a light, three-dimensional effect offering luminous vibration, and a tactile surface that’s pleasing to the touch, decorated with small slats available in the colors Brown and Black. www.gruppoeuromobil.com IFDM 70 April 2021
TOTEM bookshelf-system
studio leonardo sonnoli – ph. Beppe Brancato
Natuzzi Italia invited 8 designers to join the Circle of Harmony, giving rise to a collection that is a unique design blend, and a homage to the Mediterranean lifestyle.
united for harmony.
Deep collection designed by Nika Zupanc, captured in Puglia with PJ Natuzzi.
www.natuzzi.com
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Soft weaves and ‘interrupted’ lines
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JANUS ET CIE AND PAOLA NAVONE TOGETHER AGAIN FOR A THIRD, NEW COLLECTION OF OUTDOOR TABLES AND SEATING: CHOPSTIX
ubergine violet, peacock green and pepper gray are the colors of the new Chopstix collection designed by Paola Navone for JANUS et Cie, a ‘velvety’ palette that makes the appearance of the woven material chosen by the designer for the seats in her third line of furnishings for the California-based company – after Strada and Dolce Vita – even ‘softer.’ With a structure in aluminium treated with the special JANUScoatTM, both the armchair and the side chair offer a harmonious place to sit, in which the macro-weave of the handwoven olefin takes on a pleasant tactile effect, linking back to age-old weaving techniques with contemporary comfort and allure, a distinctive feature of Paola Navone’s work. In the Chopstix collection, the chairs become the perfect companions of two different dining tables. The 221, with an oval top measuring 221 cm, or the 219, an asymmetrical modular model that permits doubling of the length (438 cm) by juxtaposing two tables. The tables have terrazzo tops in a more luminous Luce Bianca Grande pale composite, or the darker
Grigio Tetra – a clear reference to Mediterranean design sensibility. The aluminium base features a game of shifts in the alignment of the horizontal parts – hence the name of the whole collection, Chopstix. Confirming the company’s excellence in
design and manufacturing, the armchair has recently won the Red Dot Award 2021 in the Product Design section, inside the category of garden furnishings. www.janusetcie.com
CHOPSTIX collection
In search of depth A TROMPE-L’ŒIL EFFECT CREATED BY SHIFTS OF PERSPECTIVE AND TONE, IN THE CHIRICO CARPET DESIGNED BY CHARLOTTE TAYLOR FOR ILLULIAN
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CHIRICO rug
alking on the Chirico carpet by Illulian means entering a surreal vision of classical architecture. The London-based architect and artist Charlotte Taylor takes her inspiration from the buildings of Ricardo Bofill, Xavier Corberó and Richard England to create a complex, otherworldly space on the soft surface of the rug, prompting the observer to discover a third dimensional in an otherwise two-dimensional surface. The effect is also sustained by the delicate chromatic choices, masterfully applied. Two qualities are available – Gold 100 in wool and silk, and Platinum 120 which is the most exclusive line, featuring the use of wool and silk of the highest quality, spun by hand with extremely complex workmanship that generates very striking ‘sculpted’ effects. The custom-made service, a strong point of the brand, makes it possible to have an absolutely bespoke carpet, choosing colors, designs and measurements. Also for this reason, the rugs are ideal for
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any situation, from residences to contract projects, but also museums, showrooms, hotels, restaurants and solutions for the nautical sector. Chirico is part of Limited Edition, the exclusive line created thanks to collaboration with artists, to create intriguing contaminations of design with other fields such as graphics, architecture, sculpture, fashion, photography and television. www.illulian.com
The Versace lifestyle enters the home VERSACE HOME UNVEILS THE FIRST THREE PIECES OF ITS 2021 COLLECTION: THE VERSACE VENUS ARMCHAIR, THE GODDESS SOFA, AND STILETTO CABINET, FURNISHINGS THAT RECALL THE CLASSIC PRINTS AND SYMBOLS OF THE FAMOUS FASHION HOUSE
VERSACE VENUS armchair
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he iconic Medusa, gold, black leather, bold color combinations, enchanting forms. The 2021 Versace Home collection features all the attitude and energy typical of Versace. But there’s something more: the baroque style, the rich and opulent decorations, the prints and symbols that made fashion history, are now revisited in a contemporary key and merged into the world of furniture.
A new creative vision that further enhances the brand’s DNA and expertise thanks to the partnership between Versace Home and Lifestyle Design, the Italian division of the American company Haworth Group, in charge of the development, production, and distribution of the brand’s furniture line. The first three pieces embodying the spirit of the new collection are now unveiled: the Versace Venus armchair, the Goddess sofa, and Stiletto cabinet, three furniture items characterized and united by the brand’s unmistakable design, unique style,
STILETTO cabinet
and manufacturing savoir-faire, in fashion just like in furniture. The first, the Versace Venus armchair, with its soft black leather covering, is a tribute to Versace ready-towear and accessories with its asymmetrical
silhouette embellished by a shimmering zip on the back, adorned with a plate depicting the famous and magnetic Medusa, and finishes in gold-plated steel recalling the brand’s inclination for hardware. The Goddess sofa is an ode to Versace’s sensuality, with its curved lines recalling the emblematic leather jackets, available as a two- or three-seater, modular with central or side element, chaise longue and pouf. Lastly, the Stiletto cabinet, a genuine example of expert craftsmanship, in lacquered wood and extra-clear laminated glass, featuring clean lines lit up with colors and designs: the front doors are in fact decorated with a selection of Versace prints, such as Virtus, Jungle, Medusa Amplified, and Trésor de la Mer. A precious storage element embellished with yet another detail, a true delight for enthusiasts of this brand: knobs with the Medusa logo, which add the final, exclusive touch to this product. www.versace.com
GODDESS sofa
Bizarre creatures on the table
A FANTASTIC PLACE WHERE EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE, THE ARCADIA COLLECTION BY GINORI 1735 IS INHABITED BY LITTLE CREATURES THAT BRING HAPPINESS AND DREAMS
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hey flit lightly over white porcelain – flowers with eyes, plants with whiskers, seahorses, angels and devils, all created by the fashion designer Orazio Stasi for the Arcadia collection by Ginori 1735. These asymmetrical compositions remind us of the fruit and flower decorations of the late 1700s, while the ‘total gold’ decoration that embellishes the place markers and fruit plates with colorful textures (in tones of black, pink and aquamarine) links back to the ancient art of agate burnishing. The Arcadia collection is composed of 24 table, tea and coffee items. The decoration is a decal in many colors applied by hand, while the outer border is made with the threading technique. www.ginori1735.com
ARCADIA collection
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Photo © Andrea Ferrari
The new normal of outdoor cooking NORMA IS THE NEW OUTDOOR KITCHEN PRODUCED BY RODA AND DESIGNED BY RODOLFO DORDONI. A DYNAMIC STRUCTURE THAT COMBINES REFINED DESIGN WITH HIGH PERFORMANCE
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NORMA kitchen
with Ilve, an Italian company specialized in the production of professional kitchens for domestic use, Norma is a summary of the authentic, shared values of two Italian firms: a focus on ‘beautiful and well-made’ and an accent on personal wellbeing, with the commitment to improve the quality of time spent in a domestic setting. The elegant profiles and high performance make
this a complete kitchen. The independent structure makes this model adaptable in limited outdoor spaces, or larger areas with more variegated furnishings. The freestanding island, made in the distinctive Smoke color of RODA, contains a sink block in AISI 304 stainless steel grafted into the durable top in Lapitec® with a structured finish. The peninsula offers an extension of
Imperceptibly technological Photo © Tommaso Sartori
FLOS OUTDOOR EXPANDS ITS RANGE OF LIGHTING ELEMENTS FOR OUTDOOR SPACES, DESIGNED TO BLEND INTO THE NATURAL CONTEXT
POINTBREAK lamps
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ot just lighting fixtures, but elements capable of blending perfectly into an outdoor context, following the natural rhythms of flora and fauna. These are the new creations of the Outdoor Spring 2021 collection by Flos. Families of coordinated lighting devices punctuate the open-air ambience, balancing aesthetic elegance, low environmental impact and the most advanced technologies (like the new anti-corrosion treatments). Among the new offerings, In Vitro Unplugged stands out, as the latest addition to the elegant In Vitro family of outdoor lights created by Philippe Starck for Flos Outdoor. It is a glass lantern, rechargeable and portable, with a handy fastener in soft-touch orange silicone to facilitate movement into any location – though designed for outdoor use, it is also ideal as an indoor lamp. The head conceals a luminous disk, an ultra-flat circular LED light source, whose glow is captured and spread by an empty sealed capsule in borosilicate glass, creating a magical volume of light. An absolutely new entry, on the other hand, is Pointbreak by Piero Lissoni: a family featuring exceptional technology and essential but sophisticated design, starting with the original super-
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the work area, which lengthens to form a suspended counter that can also be used for dining. The hob with a triple crown and five gas burners exists on its own with respect to the other units, and can be placed on fixed feet or wheels for easy movement, also to be stowed away below the peninsula worktop. www.rodaonline.com
Photo © Tommaso Sartori
he Norma model like a mobile set of components for informal, convivial life, in a kitchen that thrives on a sense of rediscovered social contact in a carefully coordinated outdoor area. As a new development for Roda, Norma opens the path for the company in the world of cooking, providing a natural complement to the outdoor context. The new openair kitchen designed by Rodolfo Dordoni combines minimalism in its forms with dynamism of its functions, becoming a place of experimentation, technology and design. Created in collaboration
IN VITRO UNPLUGGED lamp
circle form (halfway between a square and a circle), with light emission at 360°. Conceived as a technological candle, it is ideal for gardens, plazas, parks, public and residential spaces. The great variety of models, available in various diameters and sizes, all offer the soft, delicate light of Pointbreak, an almost imperceptible presence designed so as not to interfere with the setting, if not in a sensual way, becoming a reliable point of reference along a path. www.flos.com
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Manual knowledge IN THE TESSA ARMCHAIR DESIGNED BY ANTONIO CITTERIO FOR FLEXFORM, THE HIGH LEVEL OF MANUFACTURING QUALITY CONVEYS ALL THE COMPLEXITY OF SIMPLE THINGS
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TESSA armchair
very detail of construction reveals the great complexity that lurks behind an appearance of simplicity. The Tessa armchair narrates this expressive capacity of forms, designed by Antonio Citterio and made with exceptional skill by the artisans of Flexform. Highly specialized craftsmen, utilizing expertise passed down through generations, making complex, heterogeneous parts into a linear, essential whole. The very concept of Tessa reflects all the ingenuity of a structure in polished mahogany, with seat and back in cowhide and refined stitching on the back.
The cowhide and wood have been selected to meet the highest standards of quality and sustainability. The excellence of the materials and the working processes have an impact not only on the durability of Tessa, which brings lower environmental impact, but also on its timeless aesthetic. An aesthetic that in keeping with the company’s philosophy has to follow canons of sober elegance, tactile and visual comfort, and coherent design. www.flexform.it
All the shades of cold THE REFRIGERATION LINE OF SIGNATURE KITCHEN SUITE OFFERS HIGH-TECH DEVICES, EXCEPTIONAL DESIGN, FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS AND RELIABILITY, NOW ALSO IN FREESTANDING VERSIONS. LIKE THE FRENCH DOOR OR THE VINO CANTINA SERIES
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omposed of built-in or freestanding modules for cooling, freezing and wine storage, the Signature Kitchen Suite collection for the conservation of food stands out for its high technology and striking image based on painstaking macro- and micro-design, and great flexibility that permits configuration of different personalized combinations of spaces, solutions and operative areas. The top of the line is the built-in French Door refrigerator, ready for paneling with the same finishes as the kitchen, or with doors in stainless steel. The unit
offers a versatile internal space with three separate compartments, for total capacity of 486 liters. The two-door refrigerator (from 0° to 6°C) has interiors in glass and stainless steel, three shelves brightened by the LED True-Illumination™ system, two drawers with telescopic guides and soft closing, 6 removable door bins in ABS, and a chilled water dispenser built into the internal side wall. The convertible drawer can function as a refrigerator or a freezer, automatically setting to the same temperature as the upper or lower compartments, thus boosting
VINO CANTINA wine cellar
FRENCH DOOR refrigerator
storage space. As an alternative, it can be independently set to four different temperatures: -1°C (meat and fish); 1°C (chilled beverages); 3°C (prepared foods); 5°C (cool wine). The freezer drawer (from -16° to -24°C) incorporates an automatic ice-maker containing up to 2.3 kg of ice cubes. With zones regulated to different temperatures and humidity levels, and a dedicated evaporator, the Vino Cantina wine cellar, built-in or with paneling, is available in two widths, 60 cm (113 750ml bottles) and 45 cm (71 bottles) and equipped with a Linear Inverter compressor to make the unit extremely quiet, reducing vibrations to a minimum. IFDM 76 April 2021
The natural beech used for the 10 shelves adds stability and functions as a natural regulator of internal micro-climate, while the glass door shields against UV rays, to avoid harming wines with light. The Smart Knock door technology activates the internal lighting, with two knocks, for a view of the bottles without opening the door. All the products of the food conservation series are also presently available in the freestanding version with lateral paneling, applied to the individual product or to a combination of different refrigeration units. www.signaturekitchensuite.com
Photo © Max Zambelli
In dialogue with nature AN OUTDOOR COLLECTION THAT CREATES A SOLID BOND BETWEEN MAN AND NATURE. STANKAR, FARNESE AND AMINTA ARE THE NEW PRODUCTS PRESENTED BY VISIONNAIRE, DEVELOPING ITS IDEA OF GLOBAL DESIGN FOR PSYCHO-PHYSICAL WELLBEING
CASA PISCINA project
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ife according to nature’ is the slogan chosen by Visionnaire for the presentation of the new outdoor collection for 2021. Contemporary man needs to have a closer relationship with the environment, especially in this moment when the planet is in danger. This is why the company has conducted research on living spaces, raising environmental standards and put-
ting an accent on factors like orientation, natural ventilation and thermal efficiency. One example is the Casa Piscina (housepool) project created in collaboration with the architecture firm Rizoma, on the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. This is a private home with the characteristics of a professional therapy center. This project led to reflection on the fact that the more related with are to nature, the more our sense of wellbeing is increased. How can this mechanism be set in motion? Through the presence of water, greenery, and the study of solar exposure, ventilation and orientation. The aesthetic aspect becomes a value capable of creating regenerating spaces, such as those furnished with Visionnaire products from the outdoor collection for 2021. The Stankar family, with strong ties to the world of fashion, is made by La Conca and composed of a sofa, an armchair, a rocking chair and a low table. The structure
in cord, using natural hemp and lurex, is inspired by espadrilles, whose soles are made of the same material, for defense against summer heat. The low table combines the cord structure with a circular top in volcanic stone. The protagonist of the Farnese daybed designed by Samuele Mazza is another natural material, the black rattan of the main structure, supported by elegant feet. An example of precious workmanship applied to this material derived from Calamus Rotang, a climbing palm widespread in tropical and sub-tropical zones. The daybed is completed with a parasol canopy surrounding the headboard. Aminta is the seat designed by Giuseppe Viganò, perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. The project develops the idea of steel tubing that creates a skeleton for a chair with a removable padded cover, for use in the home, while the outdoor version calls for a throw cushion with a circular form. The Sveva chaise
longue is also ideal for the living room or the garden, again designed by Viganò, with a form inspired by the waves of the sea, and a cover in white Sangallo lace. www.visionnaire-home.com
STANKAR armchair
Ancient wellbeing, contemporary comfort YOKU SH IS THE LATEST CREATION OF EFFE, COMBINING A SAUNA, A TURKISH BATH AND A SHOWER IN A SINGLE SPA AREA
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he internal space is warm and welcoming, essential and rigorous. The exterior, wrapped by vertical elements in natural wood, conveys the sensation of being immersed in nature: hence the name, referencing the Japanese branch of natural medicine known as shinrin-yoku, of “forest bathing.” The Yoku SH mini-spa by Effe (designed by Marco Williams Fagioli) is a solution that combines
sauna, Turkish bath and shower, generating surprising effects of wellbeing. The distinctive feature of the system is the presence of large smoked glass windows, set back from the front; in the Yoku S/SH version, the façade becomes a large open “bookcase” that helps to insert the spa into its surroundings, while boosting the level of internal privacy. There is also the D/SH version with a wooden door on the sauna side, or the G/SH with a glass door on both sides (sauna and hammam). www.effe.it YOKU SH mini-spa
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Dressing the home THE SARTORIAL APPROACH OF MERIDIANI CREATES INTERIOR DESIGN PROJECTS MADE TO MEASURE FOR THEIR USERS. THE NEW EMILIA, TERESA AND TERESINA SEATING MODELS PROVIDE A GOOD EXAMPLE WITH THEIR ELEGANT PERSONALITY
armrests and seat are in cowhide, fastened to the oak structure. Both seats can be enhanced with a pocket for objects, an optional for the padded versions and built into the cowhide versions, for handy storage of
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aterials and an appealing range of colors are the factors applied by the designer and art director Andrea Parisio for the new Meridiani collection, tailored down to the smallest details and stylistic touches. Emilia is a model that conveys a sense of essential lightness; its structure in solid wood has been designed with rounded forms and lines. The back stems from the extension of the two back legs, and is completed with a soft line that embraces the user. The version in wood provides a contemporary
magazines, books, blankets, tablets or small items. The pocket can be placed to the right or left, or on both sides. www.meridiani.it
TERESA armchair
look, while the lacquer finish adds a more elegant, refined touch. There are two types of seats: one is padded, available with covering in the fabrics and leathers of the collection; the other has a cowhide shell. The collection also includes Teresa and Teresina, an armchair and lounge chair in solid oak, created in the ‘soft’ and ‘kuoio’ versions, depending on the materials. In the first case, Parisio has chosen the softness of upholstery covered in fabric or leather, enhanced by special double-ribbed stitching. In the second case, the back,
EMILIA chair
Speed of transformation FOR TWO OR FOUR PERSONS, BUT ALSO FOR MEETINGS WITH LARGER GROUPS, WITH CURTAINS, WITHOUT CURTAINS, IN DIFFERENT FORMS AND CONFIGURATIONS: THE PAVILION O MODULAR STRUCTURE BY KETTAL RESPONDS TO ALL NEEDS
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y now we are all aware of the fact that the workspace needs to be reinvented. Now we need to understand how to do it, and Kettal, with Pavilion O, offers a very valid solution, because it not only transforms spaces, but also does so through an agile organizational structure that keeps pace with the changes of our time. Pavilion O, designed by Kettal Studio, consists of a structure in aluminium with which to combine various materials like glass, wood and fabric. It can be enhanced by practical accessories like shelves, screens, slates and display cases. The entire demountable structure, for rapid installation, is also ready to channel wiring and to work with various functional tools.
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Its modular nature permits creation of infinite configurations of offices and workspaces, for easy, quick modification in the future. It is possible to create meeting rooms for two or four persons, all the way to spaces for 8 participants. The form can vary, producing a more rounded, open hub, or a setting with sofas for lounges and reception areas. Click & Work is the unique Kettal configuration system that permits transformation of spaces into true ecosystems of style. From wall to wall, or corner to corner, the options for creating adaptable workspaces are practically unlimited – and the fundamental factor is speed of transformation. www.kettal.com
Japanese style DEBUT OF THE NEW ESSENTIAL WALLPAPER COLLECTION FOR 2021 IN COLLABORATION WITH STUDIOPEPE. INSPIRATION MADE IN JAPAN FOR WALL&DECÒ
KOMOREBI wallpaper
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all&decò continues to produce aesthetic surprises. In January the brand launched the Contemporary Wallpaper 2021 collection, in a completely novel way, through a virtual museum, the WeMU | Wall&decò Experience Museum, a digital invention for the occasion. Now the brand is back with an exclusive presentation of a new collection, created in partnership with Studiopepe: Essential Wallpaper 2021 offers five new patterns – three by the designers Arianna Lelli Mami and Chiara Di Pinto, two by the art director of the company, Christian Benini. A collection known as “essential” due to its aesthetic language, but also featuring intriguing touches thanks to its accentuated 3D design. These virtues are the result of the workmanship
that goes into the entire range: skillfully hand-finished plates bring out the stucco coloring and the natural effects; the deep reliefs sculpt the surfaces, enhancing walls with unusual ton sur ton architectural elements. The main inspiration for the wallpapers – Ashi, Ha, Hikari, Komorebi, Yoku – comes from the Japanese tradition, which has influenced the development of the various patterns: “We observed the fascinating manual skills of folded paper, typical of Japanese culture – the designers explain. – The names have meanings directly linked to traditional techniques. The idea was to start with a sheet of paper and make it come alive through the three-dimensional effects of folding.” www.wallanddeco.com
Sensorial surfaces
based in Bra, developed by starting with its surfaces. The new Premium Collection fits into this scenario: 208 decorative effects, combined with 23 exclusive finishes. The collection is divided into five families: the essential solid colors of Colorsintesi, the natural tactile effects of Legni (woods), the versatility of Pietre (stones), the intriguing contaminations of fabrics, oxidations and cements of Fantasie, the luminous glow of Metalli (metals, for vertical application). The material dimension of Premium is then interpreted in various finishes by Arpa, as Alevé, Flatting, Kèr, Losa, Luna, Mika and Urban.
THE PREMIUM COLLECTION OF ARPA INDUSTRIALE: A SELECTION MADE IN ITALY OF HIGH-QUALITY SURFACES FOR INTERIOR DESIGN
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aw materials are a clear focus for Arpa Industriale, the manufacturer for over 60 years of panels with HPL technology, and the creator of the innovative Fenix®, a high-tech material that has revolutionized interior design. Architecture, interiors, healthcare, yachting: the destinations for the Arpa collections are various, and lead to an even wider range of expressive possibilities for the company
HIKARI wallpaper
www.arpaindustriale.com
PREMIUM COLLECTION, HPL surfaces
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The material that creates THE SKILLFUL USE OF VARIOUS MATERIALS LIKE THE WOOD OF THE EXTERNAL BOX, THE FABRICS, THE CUSHIONING AND WOVEN CORDS, GIVES RISE TO THE ARGO OUTDOOR COLLECTION DESIGNED BY PS+A PALOMBA SERAFINI ASSOCIATI FOR TALENTI
ARGO collection
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ARGO love seat sofa
he studio Palomba Serafini Associati wagers on a selection of innovative materials, geometric lines and various types of workmanship to create the Argo outdoor collection, whose name refers to the wooden vessel sailed by Jason and the Argonauts through the Greek islands, in search of the Golden Fleece. Wood is the material of the box, with sides enclosing cushions and comfortable, abundant seats. Apart from the elegance of the lines and forms, Argo offers maximum personalization, with a modular sofa capable of providing everyone with their own space, made to measure, to create the preferred outdoor setting. The new Talenti collection includes sofas, tables, chairs, cots and ottomans, and reflects the Umbria-based company’s ability to work with wood, aluminium and fabrics, creating masterpieces of craftsmanship.
The cushioning of the three-seat sofa, with its large seat, is made with padding in quick-dry foam. The runners make the sofa seem to float over the ground. The same characteristics apply to the Love Seat for moments of relaxation, with feet curved on the outside, and an armrest and back produced with a handmade weave of synthetic cords. The fabrics utilized for the collection stand up to weathering, while the external structure is made with innovative Accoya wood, a material with exceptional physical and mechanical virtues, for great durability in contact with water, earth and other substances. This wood has been utilized for the entire collection, including the dining tables, available in different sizes and shapes, and the coffee tables that respond to all spatial needs. www.talentisrl.com
Retro atmospheres LEATHER, COWHIDE, MENSWEAR FABRICS COMBINED WITH SOLID WOOD. THESE ARE THE MATERIALS OF WARM LIVING, USED BY GIANFRANCO FERRÉ HOME TO CREATE A METROPOLITAN MOOD AND VINTAGE STYLE
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PHOENIX armchair & MATRIX tables
very detail, every color, every type of material selected – everything has a role to create a particular atmosphere inspired by the Fifties. Gianfranco Ferré Home presents The Warm Living with the Phoenix sofa that becomes a protagonist, thanks to its ample forms and original reinterpretation of the classic roll-arm sofa, also in the armchair from the same line. While the sofa, with an armrest and back slightly angled outward with an oval shape, is covered in cowhide with elegant exposed stitching, the armchair embraces the user with its forms and
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its warm Prince of Wales fabric covering. As opposed to these soft lines, the Matrix tables seem to float thanks to their light form and essential structure, with finishing in black chrome and movable tops covered in natural cowhide with stitched borders. The puzzle is completed with a final element, the Franklin chair, which creates a warm, enveloping atmosphere with its Pied-de-Poule cover, thanks to the bronze tone of the fabric and the fine wood of the structure. www.gianfrancoferrehome.it
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#Your Wellness space PADOVA HEADQUARTERS | ITALY MILANO ARCHITECT SHOWROOM | ITALY PARIGI | FRANCE BARCELLONA | ESPAÑA PORTO | PORTUGAL
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Under the sign of art TWO NEW BESPOKE COLLECTIONS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO SAHRAI’S EXTRAORDINARY PRODUCTION. A TRIBUTE TO THE INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTISTS SAMUELE MAZZA AND CHRISTIAN HETZEL
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he new collections of Sahrai carpets on view in the showroom on Via Manzoni, Milan, are true works of art. A heartfelt tribute to the artists Samuele Mazza, Italian, a desire with a past in fashion who has made a name in the world of interior design, and Christian Hetzel, German, known for his minimal works. The foundation concepts of Sahrai – creativity, experimentation,
MOMA 05 by Samuele Mazza
research, design, innovation and sustainability – are harmoniously blended with the permeating theme of nature, together with an accent on color, applied in a skillful but extremely different way. The 6 carpets designed by Samuele Mazza within the Designers Selection Collection spring from a sense of freedom one feels when immersed in nature and its spaces. Influenced by his origins in Sicily, which he likes to depict in is works, and by the abstract artist Mark Rothko, whom he admires, Mazza amplifies vivid tones and combines them with geometric aspects. Gold, lemon yellow, blue, ice gray and violet burst forth. The colors of the sky, the sea, the infinite shadings of natural light, invade carpets full of contemporary
GOLD IN SAND NO. 2 by Christian Hetzel
Living in connection with nature PRATIC PRESENTS THE FIRST BIOCLIMATIC PERGOLA WITH MIRRORED WALLS, A STRUCTURE THAT MERGES WITH THE LANDSCAPE TO EXPERIMENT A NEW WAY OF LIVING EN PLEIN AIR
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iving in osmosis with nature until almost disappearing in one’s surrounds: Pratic presents Connect, the bioclimatic pergola with mirrored walls that blends in with the landscape, reproducing the ever-changing beauty of the panorama on its very surfaces. A patented design allowing total relaxation en plein air in complete privacy and
comfort: the Spy Glass panes offer a perfect view of the outdoors, but make the interior invisible from the outside, while the walls in tempered glass, certified by the Giordano Institute for their resistance to air, wind, and water, guarantee utmost insulation. The pergola combines bioclimatic design with home automation technology: the covering, with its aluminum louvers adjustable from zero to 140 degrees, or even retractable, adjust the sunlight, heat, and ventilation, and can be controlled via voice commands with Amazon Alexa and Google Home; in case of rain, snow, or strong winds, the louvers automatically close thanks to the weather sensors, thus protecting the space below and conveying the rainwater through a perimeter guttering system hidden in the uprights of the pergola. Connect can be supplied in custom dimensions up to a size of 5.5x7 meters, or composed with multiple modules featuring personalized finishes and accessories such as glass walls in the mirrored or fumé version, the aluminum structure in a selection of colors, Raso vertical drop shades, Led Line dimmable perimeter lighting,
CONNECT pergola
Spot Lights or Quadra Lights inserted in the louvers, and the Set platform to resolve any slopes or uneven surfaces.
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www.pratic.it
simplicity, all made in the completely biodegradable Tencel fiber. The 8 projects of the Tranquility collection, inspired by Christian Hetzel and inserted in the Artists Selection Collection, are the offspring of the large abstract paintings that have made the artist so popular in the world of contemporary art. We see the same minimalist expressive power, based on the concept of ‘less is more,’ and the same source of inspiration: nature, represented with discreet colors and textures without contrasts. The dominant hues are delicate blues and grays, with varying degrees of intensity and warmth, along with brown, gold, and the countless tones of the sunset. www.sahrai.com
people&OPINIONS
Emanuela Frattini Magnusson FOUNDER of EFM DESIGN text by Veronica Orsi
THE DAUGHTER OF GIANFRANCO FRATTINI, ARCHITECT WHO CONTRIBUTED TO WRITE THE HISTORY OF ITALIAN DESIGN IN THE 1950S AND 1960S HAS INHERITED HIS PASSION FOR DESIGN, AND AN APPROACH WE MIGHT DEFINE AS BOTH ETHICAL AND PRAGMATIC. LIKE HER FATHER, SHE MOVES FLUIDLY “FROM THE SPOON TO THE CITY,” BUT HER GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES ARE IN MILAN AND NEW YORK, WHERE SHE FOUNDED HER MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIO EFM DESIGN, AND WHERE OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS SHE HAS GAINED EXPERIENCE WITH MOMA, BLOOMBERG AND RELATED COMPANIES. TODAY, TOGETHER WITH HER BROTHER, SHE DEDICATES A DIGITAL HISTORICAL ARCHIVE TO HER FATHER, WITH WHOM SHE TOOK HER FIRST STEPS IN THE PROFESSION: A CULTURAL PROJECT THAT HAS LED TO VARIOUS REISSUES OF HISTORIC PRODUCTS, IN COLLABORATION WITH ITALIAN COMPANIES. WE HAD A ‘VIRTUAL’ CONVERSATION WITH EMANUELA FRATTINI MAGNUSSON, ZOOMING FROM HER HOME IN NEW YORK The new website on the architect Gianfranco Frattini, containing the digital version of his historical archives, has just been completed. What are the goals? My brother and I had decided to implement this project some time ago, since we have the responsibility for the safekeeping of this archival material: we wanted to organize it and make it accessible. The first step was to put it online with a dual function: for reference and information, but also as a tribute to our father’s work. He is known for several design pieces, but his range of projects was actually much wider. The goal is to publish his whole career, from product design – furniture and objects – to interiors and architecture. The potentialities are infinite:
the digital archive becomes a document open to all those who are interested in knowing if a piece they own, or want to purchase, may be a work that can be attributed to Gianfranco Frattini; for us, it is an opportunity to interact with the world of vintage, and with those who distribute the historic pieces. People often contact us with images of products we do not have in the archives, because not everything was documented (there are surely prototypes or pieces made for projects that no longer exist, but the furnishings have survived, or still exist in photographs). We can offer an informed opinion about authenticity based on what we know about the history, methods and aesthetics of our father. IFDM 84 April 2021
Has this process led to recent reissues in collaboration with contemporary design brands? The web development has been parallel and independent from reintroductions. We have been contacted directly by the companies, such as Tacchini, Poltrona Frau, Acerbis. For us, a cultural operation began in a spirit of tribute to our father’s work. Tacchini approached us in 2014. They had discovered the lounge chair which would be reintroduced as Agnese at a vintage dealer in Brianza; they asked us if it would be possible to put it back into production, and this fruitful collaboration is continuing to this day. A couple of years ago architect Marco Romanelli, a close friend who recently passed away as well as a great expert on design
history, suggested a reissue of the Albero bookcase as part of the Icons collection which he had created for Poltrona Frau. This was the first piece reintroduced by the company, followed by the Turner bookcase and, last year, by the Kyoto table, offered in black as well as beech, finishes with which the piece was conceived in the 1970s: absolutely timeless. How will the archive project evolve? We have a big project in the making: we have been contacted by an agency, based in Denmark and the United States, that represents archives of historic designers; they have recently begun to work on a part of the archives of Charles & Ray Eames, and for us they will focus on new partnerships. Our father has such a vast range of products, which are still very contemporary, and it will be a great satisfaction to see them come back to life in projects designed today.
In the collections of companies and interior design, we are seeing more juxtapositions of historic and contemporary items. Why is this happening, in your view? I think it is the natural continuation of phenomena that already existed. If we look at Artek, Vitra or Knoll, certain pieces by Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, Charles & Ray Eames, have never gone out of production. They are classics that have survived since the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, and they are still utilized in many projects. In a certain sense, they have paved the way for the rediscovery of other designers, perhaps less famous but equally representative of their time. So companies are turning to the archives of that period to find products to reissue. Another reason is a changed cultural climate. Today we live in a much more fluid and eclectic world than in the past decades, when design canons were more rigorous and everything had to comply with a certain style or aesthetic. As always, what happens in interiors is influenced by other cultural areas like fashion (though design has much longer cycles than fashion’s seasons): today it is normal to wear a Gap t-shirt with a Prada skirt, or a vintage dress with a contemporary jacket. We are much freer in our acceptance of combining different periods, styles and materials. This also reflects in interiors: there is the desire for personalization, for the insertion of unique things. Speaking of contaminations, you are an architect who by training and experience exists halfway between Milan and New York... Exactly. In cultural terms I grew up in Italy: I graduated in Milan, worked with my father during my studies, and then briefly with Matteo Thun; I learned the profession in that period, a context in which architects in Italy were more involved with the mental path of design, without Photo © Federico Villa
What are the factors that go into a reissue? There has to be a cultural and intentional affinity with the manufacturing company: those who contact us, or turn to the archives of other historic designers, are undoubtedly interested first of all in the value and protection of design heritage. The originality of the piece has to be maintained, but I also think that certain modifications, that can be dictated by technology or today’s changed functional needs, would have been agreed to by my father. The Sesann sofa, for example, was originally very low: with Tacchini we have raised it by two centimeters, a factor that does not change the image, but makes the piece more comfortable and usable. Today’s upholstery uses different types of foam that are more durable and ecological; and it is important to conduct research on finishes and fabrics. These are aspects that make products more up-to-date and therefore livable, without altering the original intent of the design.
MAESTRO table by Acerbis, design Gianfranco Frattini
BOALUM lamp by Artemide, design Gianfranco Frattini
TURNER bookcase by Poltrona Frau, design Gianfranco Frattini
worrying to much about specializing in a certain scale or typology. I worked in London for a couple of years, and then in the States: when I arrived in New York I had no clients, so I began to make my own products, promoting them at trade fairs, and started working with MoMA; then came the first commissions, and more projects for interiors and product design. After about 20 years of experience, I effectively often acted as creative director, until the opportunity came along to work for Bloomberg as Global Head of Design. After that experience in recent years I have collaborated with Related, a real estate development firm responsible for the Hudson Yards project in New York. As this is how I was educated I have tried to shape my work in a way known here as a “design studio.” In America the big split is between architects who do “core & shell” and those who do interiors: I don’t agree with this distinction, because when you think about a building you should envision it as a whole, considering its use in order to shape the interiors. This way of thinking is changing, fortunately, and many large architecture firms now have interior design departments. You took your first steps in design together with your father. What did you inherit, in professional terms? My father always said that he was not interested in shaping a project according to a preconceived notion, but simply started with the idea of doing the right thing for that particular program. I believe this approach has remained with me. Together with the attitude of looking at large and small scales in the same way, recognizing that both are fundamental, and one influences the other. My father’s generation grew up with the motto “from the spoon to the city,” and for me it is still valid. Photo © Andrea Ferrari
PROPELLER collection by Knoll, EFM Design
Photo © Andrea Ferrari
AGNESE armchair by Tacchini, design Gianfranco Frattini
SESANN armchair by Tacchini, design Gianfranco Frattini
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minotticucine terra poured cast bronze design claudio silvestrin
Photo © Virginia Bettoja
people&PROJECTS
INTERVIEW WITH
ELENA SALMISTRARO text by Veronica Orsi
Trained as an artist, followed by studies in fashion design and product design. This is the background that has made her “a designer in the fullest sense of the term,” always in pursuit of expressions that can channel all of her abilities. Elena Salmistraro is now one of the most outstanding personalities of design Made in Italy, who
believes in experimentation and relies on creativity that draws freely on life and emotions. With hyper-decorative results. Thanks to this hybrid yet identifying approach, her career has rapidly extended into prestigious and equally varied collaborations: Apple, Disney, Vitra, Lavazza, Alessi, Bosa, De Castelli, Cc-Tapis. And more to come.
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people&PROJECTS
What guides your creative activity, for the most part? Definitely emotions. When I began drawing, I felt the need to put my emotions, my needs, my necessities down on paper, first, and then canvas. I had no aspirations or aims, it was just a need, which over time has shifted and become a job. Growing up, I realized that my drawings were increasingly oriented towards the description of spaces, places made of objects and imaginary creatures. Elements I have learned to encode, to strip down, to deconstruct, then reworking them to make something concrete and real. It has been a long journey of intellectual and professional growth. Getting acquainted with ceramics has helped a lot, gaining in-depth knowledge, shaping the material, enabling a three-dimensional visualization of what I experienced previously only on a sheet of paper. This was a fundamental passage, and today I try to repeat the same process with other materials too. One of the priorities of my work is to be able to communicate, to express myself, to portray emotions through materials. What are your biggest inspirations? I am also thinking about the anthropomorphic or animalesque forms that often recur in your works. It might seem banal, but the real inspiration is life itself. I am not ashamed to say that the idea has to be sought in what surrounds us, in what is closest to us, because in the end it is what we know best, what we can narrate, resolve and investigate. The inspiration can come from a film, a book, a piece of music, a person or a personality we particularly admire. There are no limits, no rules to define what becomes the starting point, the input, the stimulus of design research. Personally, I let myself be transported by a documentary and a journey to design the Primates, but I have also addressed my design mentors in the Most Illustrious collection. I was moved by the story of a family of artisans in the Marches when I designed Lisetta and its embrace, and I had fun narrating my daughter’s smile when I designed Greta, the bag for UpToYouAnthology. Obviously the next project evolves and changes, depending on needs, materials and costs. It is always a long process, constantly evolving.
1. A tribute to the art of weaving and its origins, Lisetta is a chair designed for Bottega Intreccio, in a dual version with different heights for the back. The idea of transmitting warmth and empathy guides the design: the result is a seat of great formal and aesthetic lightness, to enhance the craftsmanship behind it.
2. The Chimera of Greek mythology provides the decorative inspiration for a collection of ceramics, of the same name, created for Cedit. Four graphic themes for a family of large slabs featuring an innovative technique of workmanship on the ceramic surface, capable of creating indented or protruding decorations. For tactile and visual effects of extraordinary impact.
Your use of color is a distinctive feature, never banal, often with daring combinations: what is its value for you? Color, in my view, is a fundamental factor in design, which can bring out characteristics or flatten them completely. There is no doubt that a good project will still be a good project, but skillful use of color can make the difference, taking it to another level of complexity and expressive impact. I should mention that all my projects begin in black and white, also in the first prototypes, which we make as monochromes. The colors and decorative features are addressed in a second phase, precisely in order to emphasize the volumes and forms already made. The choice of colors is often dictated by the story, the mood we want to assign to a given project. In practice, I use color in the same way I use drawing, seen as depiction, embodying precise characteristics aimed at granting the design a deeper spirit. You work with many different materials – ceramic, rattan, fabrics – each with a wealth of types of workmanship: is it more about crafts or technology? Or both? Absolutely both. I like to navigate in the middle, mixing, making hybrids. I have never believed that craftsmanship excludes technology, or vice versa, because I have never seen then as conflicting elements. I believe we simply have to learn to make every single aspect as well as possible, considering the pros and cons, not looking only at costs, which is reductive and embittering. On the one hand technology helps us to get beyond certain limits that effectively do exist in crafts, for example in the exchange between three-dimensional models instead of two-dimensional drawings, but at the same time craftsmanship offers a level of detail, quality and uniqueness that would be hard to achieve through mere technology, as in the case of decorations, cutting or stitching. I don’t like negations, contrasts, oppositions, so I believe it is always better to interact, to communicate, to establish a dialogue, which I think is a fundamental approach, the only one that can create real evolution. Do you think interior design should take on a more open, “contaminated” perspective? It depends what you mean by interior design. In the case of private residences, I think a lot depends on who will live there. I have often entered apartments designed and furnished
3. The temporary installation “Antechamber of Dreams” created by Elena Salmistraro for IKEA (in the store at San Giuliano Milanese) is a mixture of contemporary style and energetic imagination. A concept designed for the bedroom zone of a young creative globetrotter, where the Nordic design of the brand is immersed in a poetic, symbolic setting.
4. “The idea came by chance, while playing with my daughter: a small cylindrical kaleidoscope convinced me to enclose an infinity of colors inside a perfect shape, a circle.” This is how the designer narrates the inspiration and concept of the Greta bag created for the fashion brand Up To You Anthology.
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perfectly by excellent architects, which nevertheless have no link with the personalities and the essence of the inhabitants. For public spaces, on the other hand, I believe we have to make the visitor have a different experience – the place should have a unique, concrete character. In rough terms, I believe it is more about uniqueness vs. standardization. I don’t believe people who propose universally valid formulas, to be endlessly repeated. Every place has the right to be thought out and conceived in its own particular essence. Regarding the project “Antechamber of Dreams” for IKEA: how did this collaboration come about, and what do the results set out to represent? “Antechamber of Dreams” was a lot of fun, a project proposed to me by IKEA Italia. For the first time, an IKEA store made displays in the space in collaboration with an external designer. The request was obviously to narrate IKEA from a different vantage point. I studied the various catalogues, trying to connect the different elements in my own way, and after finding the ploy of a young graphic arts student to connect the story to the installation, I had fun mixing elements with almost surreal characteristics, with bright, lively colors, creating a sort of visual distortion. It was great to see this multicolored, almost psychedelic space, with a big face on the wall created by using mirrors and bookcases, and a ceiling full of white spheres, like clouds, in contrast with the surrounding settings, made in the classic IKEA style, namely in the most rational way possible. What new developments will you be presenting this year? New collaborations? Everything is rather slow this year, companies are having trouble planning things in the situation of uncertainty. With Capellini we have just opened a new installation in the store on Via Santa Cecilia in Milan, where we have approached the theme of “Amor Fati” in relation to design and the company itself. A narrative of images that will also be visible online. My Urban Minerva will be arriving soon to keep Topolino company, again in collaboration with Bosa and Disney. Many projects are still on stand-by for almost a year, waiting for a chance to do an official launch. Another new initiative will be my collection designed for a fashion brand… but I can’t add anything more, for the moment.
5. Primates is the collection of ceramic vases designed for Bosa. Reinterpreting the friendly animistic character of antique pottery of the Roman era in a contemporary way, the designer brings out the delicate relationship between human beings and apes. The vital force of the animal emerges through colorful textures and details.
6. The Space Escape collection of carpets designed for Moooi is a story of the unknown, of escape from everyday life, a future beyond the atmosphere, beyond the end. All enclosed in an aggregate of citations, non-forms, irregular contours, lively colors, like new primordial life forms.
7. In the installation “Amor Fati”, Elena Salmistraro interprets the world of Cappellini (hosted in the Milanese showroom of the brand), presented through the hyper-decorative language of the designer, in a story about the concept of ‘love of fate’ as a solution with which to cope with the unexpected conditions of existence.
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rising TALENTS
New voices, outside the box
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ome already have a number of creations in their portfolio, while others have only recently appeared on the international stage. What they share, besides remarkable creativity that sets them apart from the field of young designers, is a personal pathway that is just beginning, and promises to yield brilliant results. Keep an eye on these
rising talents as they freely move through the discipline with a taste for experimentation and contamination, while keeping faith with fixed points like technology, sustainability and tradition, carefully blended. Though the usual showcases have been lacking over the last year, there are many alternative digital venues and prizes, to recognize their talent. Imagination knows no limits!
Photo © Amy Bartlam
USA
Stephen Kenn Last year he won the Edge Award organized by the LA Design Festival, but his career in furniture design began well before that. Stephen Kenn Studio opened its doors in 2011 (Beks Opperman is the co-founder, and also his wife) with a specific focus on home and travel: the fundamental background was Stephen’s previous experience designing travel bags. In the passage to interiors he continued with the same approach to single materials and the curiosity to create simply formulated objects that serve a purpose. This can be seen in the Inheritance Collection, where curiosity in design and research on materials form a winning combination. This seating line brings the usually inner structure of sofas to the outside, making it visible; the belting on the back and sides replicates a WWII Swiss Army ‘mule belt,’ utilized to strap provisions onto pack animals.
GERMANY
Dirk Vosding “The design is reminiscent of clamp-on lamps for bookcases, but with way more charm – a small, simple but subtle product that looks equally good as a table lamp or bookend on a sideboard or bedside table.” These are the words of Eva Marguerre, in the name of the whole jury of the Pure Talents Contest 2021 of imm Cologne, to accompany the second prize assigned to Dirk Vosding for Elina, an original transformable object that functions as a bookend when closed. If the glass disk inside is slowly removed, it creates a light source around the books and becomes a reading lamp. ITALY
Matteo Stucchi From the context of Milan, Matteo Stucchi stands out as a designer under 30 whose resumé already lists a series of collaborations Made in Italy – Sitap Carpet, Jannelli&Volpi, Meroni&Colzani, NOW Edizioni, among others – with new items slated to debut at the next Salone del Mobile. Balancing rigor and imagination, his design is guided by emotions; the products have a graphic approach that exploits different materials or decorative patterns. The Etna coffee table is a good example: games of geometry, full and empty zones, functions and interactions between materials, all in the simplicity of a small complement for the living room. IFDM 90 April 2021
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rising TALENTS
UAE
Nada Abu Shaqra The platform is that of Tanween, the intense program of growth for innovative young designers, part of the wider-ranging cultural project of Tashkeel that aims to generate fertile ground for the growth of contemporary art and design in the UAE. The emerging name is Nada Abu Shaqra, a freelance architect and interior designer, who in this context has created the Hisn Chair, made with terracotta parts on a steel structure and ample padding for the seat. The piece is inspired, in its materials, by Arabian vernacular architecture, investigating traditional forms and the spaces they are able to create. UNITED KINGDOM
Mac Collins A design approach that investigates and celebrates the intrinsic beauty of materials, while at the same time adding personal and cultural narratives. Pursuing this concept, Mac Collins, a British designer of Caribbean origin, uses design to explore his own identity. The importance he assigns to materials is clear in the project submitted for “Discovered,” the platform organized by the American Hardwood Export Council in partnership with the Design Museum to focus on new generations of designers, asked to create an object in response to their experience of a world sorely tested by the pandemic. Mac Collins has made the Concur seat in American red oak, as a place for thinking and reading.
BRAZIL
Luiza Guidi Winner of the Pure Talents Contest 2021 held by imm Cologne (with an exceptional virtual prize ceremony), Luiza Guidi stole the show with her Maya Collection, a family of lamps composed of a minimal luminous LED frame; applied to the wall on one side, the lamps can be moved with a simple gesture as if they were doors opening onto a new dimension. Side by side, they create sculptures with emotional games of light and shadow. “Beyond problem solving, I create for the poetic experience. I tackle difficult topics with a light approach and my designs consequently follow the same direction.” With Brazilian roots, Luiza Guidi is now based in Holland.
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ITALY & HOLLAND
Frase We discovered them last year at the Stockholm Furniture Fair, and this year they were among the nominees for the Pure Talents Contest of imm Cologne. Francesca Giulia Poli and Seppe van Heusden work under the name of Frase. She’s Italian, he’s Dutch, and they form a balanced package of strengths and weaknesses: the result is pure, harmonious, durable design. Furniture, lighting, accessories: the starting point is always that of local materials, proximity of production, sustainability. As in the Lab collection, which combines metal and glass, both sustainable materials but opposite in physical appearance, to give rise to a series of perfectly cylindrical containers. USA
Lenny Vuitton His name appears in the first edition of the Emerging Designer Residency, a pop-up studio (open till June) made by NYCxDESIGN in partnership with ARTSTHREAD at Hudson Yards. In a sort of museum set-up, four young creative talents will formulate unique products whose design process will be visible to the public throughout the span of 13 weeks. Lenny Vuitton will expand his portfolio with a new carpet, based on his amusing, very colorful paintings, along the lines of an intense contamination between fashion, interior design and decoration. SWEDEN
Bang Universe
Photo © Mattias Hamren
“Design for us is energy, both giving and receiving. Bang Universe is constantly looking for new worlds, and we challenge ourselves by trying out new colors and concepts, regardless of it being a spatial environment or a product.” The Bang Paper Collection fits perfectly into this ongoing research by the studio founded by Theresia Svanholm, who is also its art director, presented at the digital edition 2021 of Greenhouse, the well-known showcase for up-and-coming designers of the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair.
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arch&INTERIOR
PAUSE/STOP/ LIVE text by Alessandra Bergamini
FROM INTERIOR DESIGN TO THE CREATION OF A PLACE TO LIVE THAT IS ALSO ‘INTERIOR’ – NOT A SIMPLE PROCESS, BUT ONE THAT IS POSSIBLE
T
o replenish and interiorize space, stopping time. Goals that seem possible in these residences of varying architectural character and geographical location. Part of an intense urban plot, or solitary in the natural landscape, they have been designed as private islands of peace and beauty. Perfect hideaways for ordinary everyday living or extraordinary breaks, they offer all the necessities and pleasures of continual indoor-outdoor interchange, an openness that can be physical, with large gardens and furnished terraces, but also one of viewpoint, with panoramas on the ‘world.’ To connect the beauty of inhabited space with the appeal of the natural or manmade landscape. To have the privilege of stopping time in a private, inner location, made to measure in terms of furnishings, structure and worldview.
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Forest Knoll Residence 1471 Forest Knoll Drive, Sunset Strip, Los Angeles, USA Developer: Viewpoint Collection Architects: Standard Architecture Furnishings: customized by Minotti Los Angeles & MASS Beverly; Henge, Expormim Photo © Mike Kelley
While the view remains the same, very long and cinematic over the city and the ocean, the architecture of this residence is completely different from the many others that populate Beverly Hills. By updating the sloping shape typical of barns of American rural areas, the architects opted for a repetitive composition – inspired by that of Louis Kahn’s Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth – which juxtaposes three parallel volumes with gable roofs, connected by internal staircases. With façades that are almost entirely windowed and double heights, each of the three volumes houses the different environments of the residence, with spacious night and day areas and spectacular views. The connection with the outside is essential, accentuated by using natural light and a wooden covering with a golden hue, which also covers the ceilings in the central volume. The travertine floor and pivoting windows smoothly extend the open-plan spaces of the first floor toward a large lawned patio and various furnished areas, as well as the trapezoidal-shaped swimming pool. The interior and exterior furnishings were selected and customized by Minotti Los Angeles and MASS Beverly in order to adapt to the very open spaces, positioned to create numerous functional “islands”, more or less formal, from the foyer to the kitchen, from the lounge and conversation zones to the dining areas. Contemporary furnishings and accessories, in cream, white, and gray tones, but also a careful selection of vintage pieces and works of art.
Casa Dama
Rome, Italy Architects: Bomori Architetti Furnishings, lighting and finishings: Acqua Blu, Antrax IT, Artemide, Bisazza, Caesar, Carimati, Casa Mood, Cassina, Ceamit, Ceramikada, Cini & Nils, Falmec, Floorgres, Flos, Gessi, Marazzi, Nemo lighting, Mutina, Rab, Rexa, Riflessi, Sangiacomo, Schuco, Tubes, Vitra, Zanotta Photo © Federico Villa
With a view of the park of Villa Torlonia, the building from the early 1900s has returned to its original residential function thanks to a radical renovation. “The choice of ‘dressing’ the building in a new white garment is intended to reinforce, with a bit of arrogance and vanity, the desire to stand out in the surrounding urban context, for a youthful look that displays all the architectural lines, the signs of time, effects of light and shadow, the overhanging volumes, solids and gaps of a body that returns to form under the sun.” Inside, the residence is organized on various functional and visual levels, generating new views and mutable perspectives. On the piano nobile the heights permit the use of lofts to emphasize the vertical thrust and expand the living space, while a cube of blue IFDM 95 April 2021
wood is set into the center of the plan. Here a sliding door closes to reveal the kitchen, or opens to grant access to the iron staircase leading to the loft. The bedroom zone, on a lower level with respect to the living area, features a custom piece that functions as a wing and displays the storage elements, while concealing the doors leading to the bedrooms and bathroom. Facing the large terrace, the living area blends with the outdoor space, thanks to two large openings. “The high point of the journey is on the sundeck with a view of the trees in the park. The perception is that of being on a level parallel to that part of the dense, chaotic city. Continuity of greenery, a view from above, a sense of detachment from the city, are all factors that become tangible.”
arch&INTERIOR
Seen from the garden, with Lake Ontario in the background, in the area of Scarborough Bluffs, the transparent façade of the house epitomizes the relationship of indoor-outdoor interchange. Beyond the swimming pool and the outdoor dining area, the large windows offer immediate perception of the two-story interiors, with a full-height volume that frees up space for the living zone, displaying the central staircase and the chandelier-installation that ‘fills’ the height at the location of the main entrance. Still on the ground floor, a light screen of oak slats forms the passage to the dining area and the kitchen,
entirely paneled and organized around a functional island. Along with the white of the walls and ceilings, the dark metal of the glazed structures and the typical grain of Statuario marble, oak is the connecting element of the entire residence, used for the external façade, the floors, the stairs and the large dining table. The staircase leads to the nighttime zone with three bedrooms on the first floor, but also to the roof, transformed into a terrace, by request of the owners, to further boost the indoor-outdoor interaction. From the interior, the garden and the terrace, the view of the lake and the landscape is fully exploited.
Fishleigh Drive Residence Toronto, Canada Architects: Taylor Smyth Architects Contractor: Arthur Ross Furnishings and lighting: Bocci, Bonaldo, Montauk, Pallucco, Tech Lighting Photo © Doublespace Photography
Bohemian Paradise, 90 kilometers north-east of Prague. Integrated into the green meadows, the garden is an important element of the project, conceived as a “landscaped park” that combines several functions. From the terraced green zone on the most sloping side with stone retaining walls, to the wilder vegetable garden, to the rigorous and formal context of the green roof and access parterre to the upper floor. Here are the study and guest rooms with separate access and large windows overlooking the landscape. The floor below, partially hidden in the slope yet invaded by natural light, hosts the main environments, which coherently keep the clean lines and rational spaces, matched appropriately by both custom-designed furnishings, such as the wardrobes and tables, and by designer pieces by masters of international design, like Charles and Ray Eames for Vitra, Eero Saarinen for Knoll, Alberto Meda for Alias, Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia and Maxalto. Strong colors were chosen such as black and white, in mutual contrast or as a counterpoint to the natural, wood and stone tones used in the wall and floor coverings, a distinctive trait of the project that can also be observed in the external facades.
Villa in Vlastibořice Czech Republic Architects: SIAL Architects and Engineers Furnishings: Alias, B&B Italia, Knoll, Maxalto, Vitra Photo © BoysPlayNice
In the gently sloping location, the villa, with a volume that is partially underground, finds a perfect connection between interiors and exteriors, between an architecture designed with elongated, minimalist, clean lines, and a garden that complements the nature of the terrain. The “solitary” residence enjoys the landscape and nature that make the area a famous tourist destination known as IFDM 96 April 2021
on the other hand, is the flight of steps in dark concrete rooted in the courtyard, which cuts diagonally across the three levels of the cube and then ‘penetrates’ the flat roof. From the small garden with planters, the maxi-stairway becomes an antithetical element of physical and conceptual separation/connection on the inside, serving the three floors and the various rooms and functions. The residence contains two families and three generations, of which the older couple occupy the ground floor, while the younger couple with a daughter inhabit the second and third floors. Along the diagonal of the internal steps, service spaces are concealed, such as the bathrooms and a true stairwell, while the parallel lines of the three levels host living areas, kitchens, bedrooms and studios, as well as storage zones. The dark concrete of the stairway also breaks up the rarified minimalist décor, where large panels ‘conceal’ and emphasize a few essential
Stairway House Minato City, Tokyo, Japan Architects: Nendo Photo © Takumi Ota, Daici Ano
In the Stairway House is on the widespread scale of the dense urban checkerboard of Tokyo’s residential districts, with a white cube closed on three sides and completely transparent in the front facing south, to capture natural light and ventilation and to expand into the garden that occupies half of the available lot. The disorienting ‘off-scale’ element,
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furnishings – tables, chairs, beds – selected for their clean forms in the non-color of black. The true ‘decorative’ feature remains the greenery, that of the many potted plants and of a persimmon tree that already stood on the site, conserved in the project of total transformation.
arch&INTERIOR
There are also vast outdoor areas with different forms and functions, like a panoramic terrace with an infinity pool and lounge furnishings, a lush garden with age-old olive trees, cooking and dining zones bordered by walls in dark wood and shaded by a teak gazebo. Certain structures inspired by the work of Joan Miró and Japanese architecture have been specifically created for the villa and become
Casa de Agosto Sotogrande Alto, Spain Architects: THESET Furnishings and lighting: Andreu World, CTO Lighting, DCW Editions, Dedon, Delta Light, MDF Italia, Meridiani, Menu, Nahoor, Serge Mouille; kitchen, doors, cabinets, wardrobes bespoke on design by THESET Atelier Outdoor sculptures, fireplaces and dining table pendant lamp: THESET Atelier Photos © Ignas Maldus Immersed in the bright Mediterranean brush and gathered around the original patio, following a complete renovation Casa de Agosto becomes the modern version of a colonial complex typical of rural Andalusia, the cortijo. Conserving the dense architectural courtyard structure, the architects have interpreted the type with functional, balanced and luminous internal spaces, creating a more complex relationship with the outdoor zones. The inner courtyard has become a contemporary patio, rigorously refurbished with a meditative atmosphere, with traditional paving in limestone, technical lighting for chiaroscuro effects on the walls, and works of art that combine metal with a light source. fundamental parts of it, placed not only on the patio but also in the access court and the entrance hall. The décor and the furnishings are pure, luminous and comfortable, in neutral tones combined with metals and dark wood as geometric elements of definition and contrast, such as the casements, the kitchen furnishings, the fireplaces, shelves and tables.
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first season available on indeho.com an original series
Photo © Alessandra Ianniello
people&PROJECTS
INTERVIEW WITH
FEDERICO PERI text by Veronica Orsi
An aesthetic language visually identified with a “trapezium with beveled corners”: Federico Peri likes things to be linear, a trait that set him apart from the outset, as it sets apart the Bauhaus style he so admires. But in his path of evolution – and of rapid success – he has become
“gentler” due to new experiences and materials, rapidly leading to a delicately sinuous poetic. He applies it to interior panoramas and worlds of furnishings – with brands like Baxter, Wall&decò, FontanaArte, Purho Murano, Salviati, Nilufar – where he finds and brings inspiration.
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people&PROJECTS
Milan - Paris - Milan: your debut has been a pathway of contaminations. What have been the most important stimuli, that are still with you today? Having completed my studies at the IED in Milan, I received a study grant, a residency for artists in Paris. So I moved there and found a place to work, to design, and at the same time I have my first work experience, inside an architecture studio. I would have stayed in Paris, but I felt the need for different stimuli, especially in the area of design quality. I had the chance to interview for a job with Claudio Saverino, of the studio Vudafieri Saverino Partners, who had been my teacher, and with whom I was still in contact. They hired me and so I came back to Milan. With their team, we focused on interior design, which was also my background, especially for retail fashion stores, with lots of custom furnishings. This made a difference, after which I opened my own studio in 2010-11, and then when I began to work on product design in 2014. It all began when Nilufar Gallery “discovered” you at the Fuorisalone… Exactly. In 2015, after a positive experience the previous year on the Ventura Lambrate circuit, where I showed my first pieces, I returned to the Fuorisalone with new ideas: Nina Yashar of Nilufar Gallery saw my work and acquired the entire collection I had made over the last two years. That was the start of a collaboration that continues today, creating custom items for the gallery. I was and I still am very enthusiastic about this: Nilufar was I gallery I had been watching since my college days! So 2014 and 2015 marked a turning point in my career, when I began to put more emphasis on product design. Until today – now I focus more on interiors than on products. The products you create for Nilufar are stylistically distant from those you make for design companies: are these two different approaches? Working for the gallery, I have more freedom to interpret and to represent myself, because there are no marketing constraints. Sometimes companies ask for artistic expression, but in other cases they want a certain type of product, and you have to work on a specific brief. Obviously
1. In the Calici collection realized for Salviati, the project emphasizes the preciousness of the material almost as if it was exposed on a pedestal and highlights a contemporary attitude, making the product easily declinable to different aesthetics by replacing the colored element.
2. This is the first collection designed by Federico Peri in 2014, observing and revising the world of the industrial furniture: objects that usually used far from the “noble” environments of the house, adopt a new connotation through the use of precious materials and thanks to their handmade feeling. Now in the Nilufar Gallery catalogue.
there is also the economic aspect: with companies you have to stick to a budget and optimize production costs, while with galleries there is more openness, since we are talking about limited editions (usually 20, 30 pieces at most) or custom pieces. So each product has its own story. Finally, there is the question of materials: I focus in different ways on different materials, depending on the counterparts. If I am designing for FontanaArte, the main material is glass. For Baxter, it is leather. The gallery, on the other hand, isn’t tied to specific materials, so the results depend on what you are creating in that particular moment. Has there been a stylistic evolution in your work, since the early phases? In general, I always seek clear lines, and to make the material speak for itself, with respect to the design. Not by chance, the combination of styles I love, and from which I take inspiration, is that of the Bauhaus and the Viennese Secession. But I do believe there has been an evolution. In my first works the main material was metal (it still is, but initially it was more dominant). This is because I grew up in contact with my family, and my grandfathers had a factory that made industrial shelving, where I spent a lot of time in my childhood, playing, utilizing the pieces of metal I found there. The first products I made were all connected with this material, because I knew it better than others. Metal leads you to ideas that are very rigorous, clear, squared, made of tubing and flat surfaces: so it is a terse, precise style, like the world of the Bauhaus. Now, I think that approach still exists in me, but having experimented with other materials like glass or leather, and the fabrics of upholstered furniture, I have shifted towards slightly rounded form (though they are not organic, which is a concept to which I don’t relate). So I am in a phase in which I mix a delicately soft part with a more rigid, precise part that has been in my work from the outset. So what is your favorite material today? Metal still tops the ranks! But lately I am working a lot with blown glass, going to the glassworks in Murano, also thanks to collaborations with Salviati, Purho Murano and sometimes Nilufar: it is a material that offers
3. In the collection presented by Baxter in September, the Stone bed designed by Federico Peri is an outstanding item. A slight curvature has been applied to the padding of the sides (raised from the ground by brushed brass-finished metal feet) and of the headboard, which in the modular version is expanded and can contain a bedside unit with built-in lighting.
4. The designer has now enriched the Incisioni Collection by Purho Murano with two new table lamps: Haute and Petite. Created in two sizes — the larger Haute designed as a rechargeable lamp, the smaller Petite with cable — the two new lamps press forward with Peri’s research around the theme of glass engraving.
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endless possibilities, also in terms of colors and shadings – though it also has big limits, such as sizing, weight or feasibility, because blowing a sphere of 60cm in diameter is quite a feat. I like it because it calls for an instinctive gesture: you can also design a product on paper in the studio, but when you reach the glassworks and meet with the craftsmen, or if you want to change a detail on the spur of the moment, the material forces you to make an immediate decision, otherwise the glass gets cold and you can no longer shape it. What new developments will you be presenting this year? At the start of the year, we had a preview of the 2021 collection of Wall&decò, for which I designed three wallpapers; and we have just presented two lamps created for Purho Murano. Other news will soon be arriving with Baxter and Nilufar. And a boutique hotel is now opening in the center of Milan, for which I’ve done the interior design: Amabilia Private Suite. Could you tell us more about this project? I can’t wait to complete it, because it is a real gem, just four rooms, facing the cathedral. When they asked me to do the interiors, the client did not have a clear direction. Given the great location, I thought we should narrate something about Milan. As if to say: “This is Milan, and then there’s the cathedral, right outside.” So each room has a theme, with a very similar basic structure that differs in terms of colors and materials: La Scala, referring to the theater; Monte Napoleone, with fashion affinities; Aperitivo, not as in happy hour but as a serious Milanese social ritual, in cognac tones; and Triennale, a tribute to design and its history in Milan – which means a sofa by Cassina, a Flos lamp, a chair by Gio Ponti. You range from product design to interiors: what have you not worked on thus far, something you would like to tackle? I would like to do a line of clothing. I began with interior design, now I focus more on products (though there are many typologies in this field I have not yet approached), but clothing is away from my pathway thus far, so it fascinates me and makes me curious.
5. Part of the 2021 Contemporary Wallpaper Collection by Wall&decò, Zen is a project characterized by material and natural references. It represents a view of the outside through full-height doors opening out onto an imaginary garden.
6. In 2017 Peri began working with FontanaArte, with the Galerie family of lamps (a product that made him a candidate as “best designer debut” at the Salone del Mobile Milano Awards 2017). The Fontanella lamp is a natural continuation of the work with this company. Glass, marble, metal and cowhide are combined in a spirit of maximum lightness.
7. The Belt furniture collection designed for Baxter takes its name from the belt placed around the back: a distinctive graphic sign, for the armchair and the sofa, which adds linear rigor to a product with ample upholstery.
Photo © Studio Rocci
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evolved RETAIL
FLEXIBILITY IS THE NEW NORMAL CONCEPT STORES THAT TELL BRANDS’ STORIES Stay at home means that many people have started to refurbish their homes, looking for new beautiful ideas and paying attention to the quality and sustainability of the products. There are new emerging needs: a more interest in solutions for working from home, for flexible and modular furniture with multiple configurations to allows different activities, like relax, sport and leisure, the desire for bold and colourful pieces and for indoor&outdoor ideas, to live en plein air as an extension to the home. Worldwide, there is a clear shift to the contemporary and modern furniture styles, particularly among the new generation, the clientele is well educated about design and loves the international brands and the famous designers. A step toward normality.
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1. LIVINGSPACE (VANCOUVER) ROSS BONETTI, OWNER “Vancouver is consistently listed as one of the world’s most desirable cities for liveability. We have a large international clientele that is well educated about design and the Italian brands we carry at the store. With the pandemic, we saw our clients have a real focus on their homes and sales increased by 30%. Our clients are buying quality and have a great interest in our international name brands, the luxury brands are very popular in sophisticated muted fabrics and rich woods. We have enjoyed our suppliers’ creativity in presenting their new collections virtually, like Minotti, who created Minotti TV, a full television studio to present their new pieces in the highest quality; we have been comfortable buying and presenting the collection to our clients. Talking about large projects, Vancouver’s hot real estate market cooled in 2018 but has seen huge gains in sales through 2021, we are currently working on three large tower units.”
2 2. SCHALLER (BOGOTÀ) KEVIN SCHALLER, CEO “We are busy as usual, on November last year we opened the new Minotti flagship store, before we opened Molteni&C flagship store, and we will open in 2022 a new building where to promote design. In Latin America people generally buy from local manufactures, so our mission is to educate the consumers to design. We are not a furniture store, but a place to build relationships with our clients, I try everyday to make empathetic, Hispanics like to be specials, I want to know my clients, have a coffee IFDM 104 April 2021
with them, be emotional. We tell the stories behind the Italian brands, their heritage, we have to touch the people hearts, it is a matter of living well, not only about brands. Our clients are more residential, high-end consumers, we do also contract, recently we have done 50 kitchens Dada for a building, the VIP lounges for Avianca airlines, we worked on a big residential project by the architect Richard Meier in Bogotà, and on another by Richard Rogers, we are working with the Embassy of the Middle East in Colombia and on several residential buildings.”
3. THEMART (CHICAGO) BYRON MORTON, VP OF SHOWROOM LEASING Eleven new companies will open their showrooms in theMART, while other major brands have confirmed their presence at NeoCon: “We’re back! NeoCon 2021 will be especially exciting because it will likely be the first time the commercial interiors industry has gathered in person since COVID-19 began. While we’ve faced many of the same difficulties as the rest of the world, our business has remained strong. Our showroom partners have remained strong and many, especially those in home furnishings, have thrived throughout the last year. We are confident in the future of theMART, our showrooms, and NeoCon. We believe that retail and the workspace will return to a sense of normal. Especially for furniture and high ticket items, the product needs to be experienced in person. The workplace will return to its former importance in the lives of individuals and the cities they live in, supporting local businesses, restaurants, and hotels alike. The purpose of the workplace may change, from every day grind to a place where people connect, collaborate, and participate in the culture of their company.” 4. ARAM STORE (LONDON) DANIEL ARAM, MANAGING DIRECTOR
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Photo © Veerle Evens
“The domestic market is pretty good, people are investing in their homes. The contract last year was terrible, this year came quite strong. Our clients are end-users, interior decorators, architects, our market is 50 per cent domestic and 50 per cent contract. Our customers ask for less minimal, more colours, they usually know what they want, they choose icons and new products, they mix&match brands, from classic to contemporary, and we fit perfectly their tastes because in our store we generally mix furniture from different brands. We can divide our offer in three big areas: classics, commercial like modern design, and new brands that we want to promote; we like to promote the new names that brings us something special. Talking about large projects, we have many but actually I can’t speak about them; we are working on hospitality, like restaurants and hotels, products for the shopping centre Westfield, business schools, last year we did the restyling of the Royal Opera House.”
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5. DESIGN POST KÖLN (COLOGNE) FLOOR VAN AST, MANAGING PARTNER “Design Post in Cologne is a showroom and a platform for design-related industries, our role is to connect people, knowledge and ideas. During the year, visitors tend to be from the region, and around events and fairs, they come from all parts of Germany, from neighbouring countries and beyond. Unsurprisingly, there is more interest in solutions for working from home and many people have started to refurbish their homes. If we look at it in a more abstract way, we think the bigger theme is flexibility. Our needs are constantly changing, and we as a society are being challenged enormously. This calls for sustainable solutions that incorporate flexibility into the entire cycle of the products and environments we design. At the moment, we are finishing our new Patio space designed by Bessau Marguerre, MBSY is furnishing the Workspace and most of the brands are redesigning their presentations. We hope to be able to open our doors for larger gatherings in June, and for the end of September, we are planning a multi-day event. We will also have our 15th anniversary; we hope we can celebrate this in September.”
evolved RETAIL
6. MASS BEVERLY (LOS ANGELES) MARY TA & LARS HYPKO, CO-FOUNDERS As homes became a cross-functional space for work, exercise, day care and entertaining spaces, we saw a sustained interest for the flexibility and adaptability seen in modular furniture with multiple configurations. For example, as clients travel less, their primary residence must meet more needs. Such as, an efficient and comprehensive kitchen that serves daily to a larger number of people; a dining room that now is used daily - similar to an experience at a restaurant; a closet that can secure valuables as well as store a larger volume of personal belongings; an outdoor space that must encompass a larger amount of entertainment from eating, to children areas, to fun. We also find sustainability is an increasing trend with the purchase of quality goods that can be enjoyed for a longer period of time. Our clients are looking for the best, the most beautiful. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work with very discerning clients and some of the best brands in the world. Our showrooms receive monthly shipments of new collections, create inspirations and revolve them constantly in order to bring a mini-Salone del Mobile experience to our clients. We miss the Salone del Mobile which is typically when new collections are unveiled. As the year unfolds, we hope to share the new collections in person. 7. GALLERY DESIGN (RIYADH) TAREK H. SINNO, CEO In the modern era, individuals have developed a strong sense of identity. Contemporary is often confused with opulence, our approach to contemporary is very much about telling the curation story, forming a sense of authenticity and creating timeless, sophisticated and smart interiors. Attention to details is what sets us apart from the competitors. Trend shift in design has transformed end user’s style. They have become more inclined towards contemporary furniture approach emphasizing on rigorous linearity, soft paddings and full volumes. Over the years Gallery Design have created a firm reputation at an international level through our commitment with the suppliers and providing our end users with a modern contemporary lifestyle in diverse design segments. Gallery Design was originated in 2006 and over the years we have managed to establish a smooth itinerary in our organization that entails kitchens, living, bedroom, offices and accessories. Ultimately, we offer variety, innovation, sartorial details and versatility. We take pleasure in showcasing the latest Milan Fair collection from our suppliers each year. There are multiple events held the umbrella of Gallery Design. Visitors range from Architects, Designers, VIP clients, Royal Family and ambassadors.
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8. INTERIORS FURNITURE (DUBAI) RAED DIBS, GENERAL MANAGER The demand has seen an increase in purchases amongst some clients and a drop amongst others due to the uncertainty of the global economic situation. Nevertheless, the UAE government has been extensively supportive in helping companies. Although there is still a niche market that looks for classical and neo-classical furniture, there is a shift to the contemporary and modern furniture, particularly amongst the new generation. Our international suppliers are our strategic partners, we chose them based on the name, reputation, designs, quality of products, customer service and prices. Each part of the world has its own exhibitions’ timings during the year. For example, we’ve just started to receive new orders made in November-December 2020, and the rest will be received by June. We are very cautious and choose not to conduct any functions with large gatherings of people in the same location, we are very active on socials and the digital sphere where our new collections are introduced regularly. At the moment, we are working on several villa projects and on hotels.
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Business Concierge An innovative service for architecture studios, interior designers, general contractors, designers, buyers, developers and companies. Thanks to our experience and competence in the Projects & Hospitality interiors sector, our global contacts and our presence on the ground in strategic markets, is able to offer a Business Concierge service targeted at professionals wishing to become part of the network and gain access to business opportunities. We can provide services including target market identification, consultancy, meeting organisation and B2B presentations, with the aim of instilling mutually beneficial relationships capable of satisfying business objectives.
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design DISTRICTS
The trade fair calendar resumes
Photo © Abracadabra Studios
AFTER MONTHS OF HESITATION, CANCELLATIONS, POSTPONEMENTS, DIGITAL, PHYGITAL OR SOCIAL VERSIONS, THE WORLD OF TRADE FAIRS IS FINALLY STARTING TO GET BACK IN MOTION, REFORMULATING A CALENDAR OF INTERNATIONAL EVENTS THAT WILL ONCE AGAIN BE CONDUCTED IN A PHYSICAL LOCATION WITH PHYSICAL PRESENCE (THOUGH NOT ENTIRELY). WITH A FOREMOST ACCENT ON HEALTH AND SAFETY, SECTOR FAIRS ARE GETTING READY TO RESUME, ONCE AGAIN IN THEIR ROLE AS A SHOWCASE FOR DESIGN EXCELLENCE
CANNES YACHTING FESTIVAL 7-12 September Cannes, France
NEOCON 4-6 October Chicago, USA NeoCon is back. The dates have been announced for the October edition (4-6), unveiling new products of over 500 exhibitors and showrooms specialized in workplace, healthcare, hospitality and public spaces, hosted at theMART. The theme for this edition is “Designing Anew,” tracing a red thread through the initiatives and conferences of the upcoming program. One must is the Best of NeoCon 2021, the official awards for the most outstanding new products of the companies taking
part in NeoCon. There are many collateral activities: Art on theMART – the largest permanent public art projection program in the world – transforms the 2 ½ + acre river-facing façade of the building into an illuminated canvas that features moving-image artwork nightly AprilDecember (this year projection is called “Astrographics”, and emerged from a partnership with Chicago’s Adler Planetarium); Designing a Better Chicago – a collaborative initiative organized and supported by NeoCon® and theMART, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and the Design Museum of Chicago – will present its second annual Design Impact Grant Program in 2021.
Photo © courtesty of Salone del Mobile.Milano
Each year the Yachting Festival accommodates an eclectic offer of 10 to 45-meter in-water boats and under 10m on land. These boats are sailing or motor boats, monohull or multihull, with hard or semi-rigid hulls. More than 140 units are new products and previews displayed in both of Cannes’ ports. For over 40 years, the Cannes Yachting Festival has kicked off the sailing season: so the edition in
2021 is being eagerly awaited, from 7 to 12 September, split between two locations, at Vieux Port (one of the oldest harbors on the French Riviera, at the edge of the city center of Cannes) and Port Canto (on the other side of the Croisette). The former is for motor boats, while the latter is for sailing vessels. Don’t miss the Concours d’Élégance, an exclusive parade held on the beach during the festival, which combines the allure of boats with that of the members of their crews (11 September). The Luxury Gallery completes the exclusive offerings of the event: an exhibition area for luxury, crafts and lifestyle, located inside the Palais des Festivals.
SALONE DEL MOBILE .MILANO 5-10 September Milan, Italy “An edition in an unprecedented guise, focusing on the new developments, technologies and projects of companies.” This will be the next edition of the Salone del Mobile 2021, scheduled for 5-10 September. In the meantime, we are told that “the project of the event for 2021 will be assigned to and coordinated by an internationally renowned curator and will attempt to reinforce ties, relations and concrete actions with the economic and IFDM 108 April 2021
social fabric that acknowledges the central role and importance of Salone del Mobile. Milano.” Inside the event, “exhibitions and thematic itineraries will be combined with displays of the products and new creations of the last 18 months: all in dialogue with the new, original digital platform which will be presented soon.” After the uncertainties of recent months, Claudio Feltrin, President of FederlegnoArredo said: “We have overcome a major challenge: to offer large and small companies, representing the fabric of the chain of production, the best showcase to promote and enhance international excellence and Made in Italy. Now we will proceed in this direction, as always in close collaboration with the City of Milan.”
MIPIM 7-8 September
MIPIM confirms its dates: 7-8 September, in Cannes. Established in 1990, MIPIM is the real estate event to meet the most influential players from all sectors of the international real estate industry. It brings the entire value chain together and gives unrivaled access to the greatest number of development projects and sources of capital worldwide. This special two-day networking and conference event will give MIPIM’s global community the
first opportunity this year to reconnect in-person through high-level talks, an exhibition area and networking to create valuable new business opportunities. Among the theme areas of the program in this fall edition: People, responding to the increasingly integrated needs of all users of urban space; Planet, building a low-carbon future and a circular economy; Performance, achieving financial returns on a local, national, global level. Not to be missed: the MIPIM Awards 2021, honoring the most surprising international projects.
Photo © V. Desjardins / Image&Co
Cannes, France
CERSAIE 27 September - 1 October Bologna, Italy
NY LUXURY DESIGN FAIR 9-12 September New York City, USA The world of luxury takes the stage at the Javits Center in New York: from 9 to 12 September 2021, the first edition of NY Luxury Design Fair opens, with an innovative vision of exclusive quality, featuring up-and-coming designers and highly acclaimed brands. A dialogue that reveals the universe of the sublime An evolution of the former Architectural Digest Design Show, the NY Luxury Design Fair opens its first edition in the fall, unveiling excellence in residential
Fiera di Bologna looks forward to hosting Cersaie, the most important trade fair for the world of ceramics and bath furnishings, from 27 September to 1 October 2021, marking the return to the physical version of the event. One absolutely new development for this 38th edition is Cersaie Digital, which will be online for three weeks – from 20 September to 8 October. The same range of exhibitors will participate via web, to support their activities at the fair. In the spotlight, the Italian and
international world of contract furnishings, with a special space organized as a gathering place between supply and demand: the Contract Hall at Pavilion 18. The fulcrum of this hub will be Archincont(r)act, the exhibit format initiated in 2019, spreading over more than 2200 square meters, with a focus on architecture firms on an international level, operating in various fields and sectors of real estate: each studio can expand its exhibit contents and create a mockup – in concept form – on the theme of outdoor spas.
design, in a dialogue between emerging talents and famous international brands. An unusual design experience for the high end of the market, produced by theMART Chicago, an innovative hub in the sectors of technology, design, culture, art and media. “We are collaborating with new and returning brands, as well as industry and media partners, to develop the fair into a marquee international design destination,” says Susan McCullough, Senior Vice-President of theMART. Inside the magnificent steel and glass structure designed by I.M. Pei, adjacent to the new Hudson Yards in Manhattan, carefully selected companies will display their finest wares, including furnishings, lighting, accessories, carpets, fabrics, kitchens, bath furnishings and more.
DOWNTOWN DESIGN 8-12 November Dubai, UAE Held to coincide with Expo2020 Dubai (starting on October 1st), a few weeks after its opening, this is an exclusive platform in direct contact with the international audience. The new edition of Downtown Design, a trade hub in Dubai that brings together high-level international brands,
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designers from the global scene and regional talents. From 8 to 12 November at the d3, the event also hosts the boutique showcase of Downtown Edition, a gallery for limited editions and bespoke design. The framework for the leading design appointment in the Middle East is the Dubai Design Week (8 – 13 November), a carousel of installations, cultural events, pop-up stores, digital experiences, across a wide range of disciplines, including design, architecture, art and lifestyle.
design DISTRICTS
MAISON&OBJET PARIS 9-13 September Paris, France
HOSTMILANO 22-26 October Milan, Italy The world of HoReCa looks forward to a “live” gathering at Fieramilano, from 22 to 26 October 2021, through its most outstanding event, HostMilano. This 42nd edition promises to be even more interesting thanks to the parallel iteration of TUTTOFOOD, the fair of reference for the food and agriculture ecosystem. To create business opportunities and broadcast developments in the sector, the event is organized to focus on various emerging trends: from the Internet of Things to energy savings, green sensibilities to the circular
Maison&Objet, the key appointment in Paris for home fashions, confirms its program at Paris Nord Villepinte from 9 to 13 September, at the time of Paris Design Week which happens from 9 to 18 September. During this long period of standstill, the fair has worked extensively on the MOM (Maison&Objet and More) platform, reporting over 2.7 million visits per year and over 2000 registered brands, including 1500 brands that have already made reservations for the September event.
The desire to get back into the fair and meet professionals has meant that most of the habitual visitors have already confirmed their presence as well. There will be three modes of activity of Maison&Objet, as explained by its director, Philippe Brocart: In, Off, On. The first is the real fair, which for 5 days allows visitors to catch up on trends in the field of design, furniture, home décor and crafts. The second, Off, is in the city, with Paris Design Week, promoting creativity and young talents. The third is ON, meaning online, with the MOM platform, where the brands showing at the fair can broadcast videos of the new collections and booths for those who cannot make it to the physical event.
economy, security to hygiene, rethinking formats and spaces for the use of new materials and new approaches in the world outside the home; all the way to prioritized concepts of “safety and quality” in terms of both products and settings. Always an ideal market for business, the upcoming edition of HostMilano will be enhanced by another tool, that of the Fiera Milano Platform, a new initiative for the entire community of the chains of supply and production addressed in this context. Once again, the pavilions of Rho Fiera will welcome the SMART Label Host Innovation Award, a context open to all “innovative” companies, in collaboration with POLI.Design Consortium of the Milan Polytechnic, with the support of ADI - Associazione Italiana per il Disegno Industriale.
DESIGN SHANGHAI 3-6 June Shanghai, China China returns to full swing with a trade fair calendar featuring appointments bearing the trademark of Clarion Events. The season kicks off with Design Shanghai in June, followed by Design China Beijing in September, and concludes with Design Shenzhen at its debut in December. Held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center last November, Design Shanghai has expanded its display area by 25%, preparing to IFDM 110 April 2021
welcome exhibitors and professionals from all over the world. At center stage, the Contemporary section is flanked by areas for Kitchen & Bathroom, Classic and Luxury, all the way to the innovative installations scattered in the space, with conceptual and immersive offerings: the protagonists for 2021 include Chen Min Office with Neooold, Kinney Chan with Taste of Design, Peng Zhao with The Seesaw Roundtable, and ORIA presenting Touch.
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agenda SAVE THE DATE
Follow IFDM at the major international trade fairs SEPTEMBER
NYCXDESIGN | DESIGN DAYS May 13-18, 2021 New York (USA) www.nycxdesign.com
BRERA DESIGN WEEK September 4-10, 2021 Milan (Italy) www.breradesigndistrict.it
LUXRE May 15-16, 2021 Digital www.theluxuryrentalsevent.com
FUORISALONE September 4-10, 2021 Milan (Italy) www.fuorisalone.it
BIENNALE ARCHITETTURA May 22 - November 21, 2021 Venice (Italy) www.labiennale.org/it/architettura/
SALONE DEL MOBILE.MILANO September 5-10, 2021 Milan (Italy) www.salonemilano.it
INDEX + HOTEL SHOW DUBAI May 31 - June 2, 2021 Dubai (United Arab Emirates) www.indexexhibition.com www.thehotelshow.com
HOMI September 5-8, 2021 Milan (Italy) www.homimilano.com
JUNE DESIGN SHANGHAI June 3-6, 2021 Shanghai (China) www.designshanghai.com SAN FRANCISCO DESIGN WEEK June 7-13, 2021 Digital https://sfdesignweek.org/ HOSTYS CONNECT June 28-30, 2021 Nice (France) www.hostysconnect.com
JULY COVERINGS July 7-9, 2021 Orlando (USA) www.coverings.com
AUGUST HD EXPO August 24-25, 2021 Las Vegas (USA) www.hdexpo.com
MIPIM September 7-8, 2021 Cannes (France) www.mipim.com FURNITURE CHINA September 7-11, 2021 Shanghai (China) www.furniture-china.cn CANNES YACHTING FESTIVAL September 7-12, 2021 Cannes (France) www.cannesyachtingfestival.com MAISON&OBJET PARIS September 9-13, 2021 Paris (France) www.maison-objet.com SALONE NAUTICO September 16-21, 2021 Genoa (Italy) https://salonenautico.com LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL September 18-26, 2021 London (United Kingdom) www.londondesignfestival.com DESIGN LONDON September 22-25, 2021 London (United Kingdom) www.designlondon.co.uk
Photo © Evan Dion
DESIGN CHINA BEIJING September 24-27, 2021 Beijing (China) www.designshanghai.com
Las Vegas has gained a special place among the cities that attract design addicts, particularly those interested in hospitality design, thanks to the annual event HD Expo. From product to project, trends to business, the fair offers an immersive experience in the hospitality dimension. New developments, innovative and sustainable materials that respond to the needs of clients: these are the ingredients of a recipe that produces talks, happenings and initiatives each year, involving companies, sector professionals and curious visitors.
CERSAIE September 27 - October 1, 2021 Bologna (Italy) www.cersaie.it
MONACO YACHT SHOW September 22-25, 2021 Monaco www.monacoyachtshow.com
DUBAI DESIGN WEEK November 8-13, 2021 Dubai (United Arab Emirates) www.dubaidesignweek.ae ICFF November 14-15, 2021 New York City (USA) www.icff.com Photo © Mc-Clic
MAY
Since 1991, the Monaco Yacht Show (MYS) has played host to an important international fleet of superyachts available for purchase or charter. MYS also presents a selection of companies connected with the yachting and luxury market. The booths are for producers and designers of superyachts, yacht brokers and suppliers of tenders, nautical gadgets and toys, luxury brands, high-end automobiles and motorcycles, helicopters and private jets. Four days for a unique experience in the world of superyachts, at the docks of Port Hercule in Monaco, to discover present and future trends.
WANTEDDESIGN MANHATTAN November 14-15, 2021 New York City (USA) www.wanteddesignnyc.com
DECEMBER DESIGN MIAMI December 1-5, 2021 Miami Beach (USA) www.designmiami.com
OCTOBER DESIGN PAVILION October 2021 New York City (USA) www.design-pavilion.com NEOCON October 4-6, 2021 Chicago (USA) www.neocon.com HDE October 5-7, 2021 Alicante (Spain) www.hoteldesign.ltd DECOREX October 10-13, 2021 London (United Kingdom) www.decorex.com SIA EXPO October 13-15, 2021 Rimini (Italy) www.siaexpo.it HOSTMILANO October 22-26, 2021 Milan (italy) https://host.fieramilano.it FORT LAUDERDALE BOAT SHOW October 27-31, 2021 Fort Lauderdale (USA) www.flibs.com
NOVEMBER BRUSSELS FURNITURE FAIR November 7-10, 2021 Brussels (Belgium) www.furniturefairbrussels.be DOWNTOWN DESIGN November 8-12, 2021 Dubai (United Arab Emirates) www.downtowndesign.com
IFDM 112 April 2021
A global forum for design that brings together the most influential collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics from around the world to celebrate design culture. The world’s top galleries gather to present furnishings from the 20th and 21st centuries, lighting and art objects. The galleries alternate with Curio zones, cabinets of curiosities created by designers, curators and gallerists. Design Miami/ creates collaborations between designers and institutions, with a fine program of conferences about design, architecture, art and fashion. ART BASEL | MIAMI BEACH December 2-5, 2021 Miami Beach (USA) www.artbasel.com DESIGN CHINA SHENZHEN December 9-12, 2021 Shenzhen (China) www.designshanghai.com
JANUARY IMM COLOGNE January 17-23, 2022 Cologne (Germany) www.imm-cologne.com MAISON&OBJET PARIS January 21-25, 2022 Paris (France) www.maison-objet.com
FEBRUARY STOCKHOLM FURNITURE & LIGHT FAIR February 8-12, 2022 Stockholm (Sweden) www.stockholmfurniturelightfair.se
INTERNATIONAL HOSPITALITY EXHIBITION
22–26 OCTOBER 2021 fieramilano
NEW SHAPES OF HOSPITALITY #BetterTogether
host.fieramilano.it
