A selection of the most innovative products for the contract sector by international brands

Design Inspirations

IN THE MOOD | JEAN MARIE MASSAUD POLTRONA FRAU

A seating system developed to induce calm and tranquillity, embraced by comfort and fine craftsmanship. The horizontal geometry determines the character, emphasized by the slender poise of the feet reaching towards the center, for a sense of dynamism and lightness. The minimal, almost elementary design, with clean, essential lines, is pursued down to the smallest details to bring out the remarkable quality of the covering. Whether in Pelle Frau® or in the weaves of Poltrona Frau fabrics, the large upholstered surfaces are clad in elegance, with the brand’s typical sartorial stitching, reinterpreted in a contemporary way. The edging accompanies the contours of each piece, even including the lateral storage compartment, amplifying the sense of softness of the rounded surfaces. There are many possible combinations, with two or three-seat modules, and a 45° curved element that breaks up the rigidity of the corner configurations. The armrests can be low, medium or accessorized. A storage compartment concealed in the latter, to contain everyday useful objects, along with an extractable tray.

BOXWOOD COLLECTION | JANUS ET CIE

Meticulously handwoven around powder coated aluminum frames, this expansive collection of dining, lounge and modular sofa pieces embodies a synthesis of design, craft, and technology. As one of Janus et Cie’s Masterpiece collections, Boxwood is engineered with the finest materials available, flawlessly achieving an unparalleled level of complexity in both design and fabrication. Its rigorous structure is softened by the translucency of the weave as well as its luxurious cushions. Recently a subdued yet striking new Janus fiber option, Smoke, has been added. An alluring finish incorporating various shades of grey that can be paired with coordinating Janus fiber collections in Smoke including Amari, Rock Garden, and Rush.

ROOMS | PATRICIA URQUIOLA | CO.DE BY JANNELLI&VOLPI

The capsule collection is an investigation on surreal newspaper. Scenes and tools of everyday living becoming wall decoration, windows, table with still life, curtain, bookcase, and a green house garden populated with plants. Reflecting on the evolution of living and the relationship that binds us to our homes, the collection is developed in a series of 7 rooms in four color variations, to which two small and medium decorations are added, for a total of 9 themes. Each room is designed to be in harmony with the others. Designed to decorate entire rooms, it reproduces walls that amplify real space, without invading it, integrating as a silent atmosphere of our days.

PER SPECULUM IN AENIGMATE | DRAGA & AUREL

Per Speculum in Aenigmate is a special project which will forge a dialogue between Aurel K. Basedow’s new body of pictorial works and some of the iconic design pieces of the duo Draga & Aurel, to which he belongs. The title of the exhibition refers to a fundamental passage from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. This biblical text, on which was founded the dogmatic Christian belief regarding the impossibility of any human knowledge in relation to the divine power, has been transformed by the artists Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow into its most evocative and poetic aspect. The mirror and enigma elements refer to the fact that their work is in a perennially split state – a scission in which its simultaneous nature as furnishing object and artwork is revealed.

IVY | VITTORIO MASSIMO | LODES

Ivy features a minimalist, geometric design, made of a ring suspended from a cable, which powers a custom-made LED module. With a single or double cable, the Ivy I and Ivy V versions respond to the rising demand for flexibility in architectural and renovation projects, letting the lamp stand apart from the ceiling power source. The design is inspired by wedding rings, imagined as a necklace pendant, a simple but precious object whose value is in the perfection of its form. The name Ivy is an allusion to several lamps being grouped together with multiple intertwining, overlapping cables like ivy. With Ivy 5, several lamps are combined with double cables to create ever-varying compositions and layers.

UNAM | SEBASTIAN HERKNER | VERY WOOD

It allows light to pass through, and thanks to its particular back in woven nautical rope or gray parchment the Unam chair is light in weight, suitable for all kinds of spaces. Inspired by the works of Pierre Jeanneret, the collection combines the particular back with a padded seat in fabric or leather, and a structure in ash composed of solid wooden parts. The clean lines and authentic materials of Unam connect it to the tradition, reinterpreted in a modern tone. The curved parts of the seat provide a true embrace, making it perfect for all interiors, including restaurants. The outdoor version, known as Unam Out, is made in untreated iroko wood, with woven nautical rope for the back and a padded seat in water-repellent rubber.

PATIO | GAMFRATESI | MINOTTI

The outdoor modular seating system is conceived as a dynamic mosaic, composed of tesserae in simple geometric shapes, which can be pieced together as desired, and reconfigured to suit the available space and the mood to be created. The system offers a rich variety of sofas in different measurements and configurations, in addition to central and end units, armchairs, loveseat, and double daybeds. The design of the sofa base structure enables the back elements to be arranged in various set positions all along the perimeter, spacing out the seats with coffee tables, and complementing them with ottomans and benches. A solution capable of meeting the requirements of both small metropolitan terraces, and extensive outdoor spaces, thanks to the two depths: 83 and 98 cm. Materials are masterfully combined: the extruded aluminium base with matt finish in the shades of Ecru and Dark Brown is accompanied by steel backrests, covered in woven polypropylene cord in the same shades, according to a Scandinavian-type geometric design.

CRISTALLO ROOTS | ANTOLINI

With its unique hues and veining, Antolini’s Cristallo Roots natural stone adds refinement to any interior. Colors, shades and visual patterns that only nature can impress on a stone beguile those who see the surfaces and material beauty of Antolini’s Cristallo Roots. The new natural stone joins Antolini’s select Exclusive Collection. The natural quartz shades between gray and beige and features an intricate pattern of earth-colored veins. The stone is defined by its translucency, precisely because it’s a crystal and backlighting creates special light effects cladding the surfaces of an interior, like kitchens, open spaces or lounges, both in residential and contract furnishing settings. With materials from the best quarries located all over the world, Antolini gives architects and interior designers the chance to choose a natural stone with brown streaks adding extra quality to home and interior designs.

TURN AND TURN+ | NAO TAMURA | AMBIENTEC

Sophisticated portable lamps that blend a jeweler’s craftsmanship with the rigor of optical science. Essential, poetic forms in nomadic rechargeable objects to carry with you from room to room in any situation. Nao Tamura, who previously designed the portable work and desk lamp Turn, was inspired by natural light and the gentle, familiar lines of classic lanterns in designing Turn+. Thanks to the integrated touch sensor and two types of LED segments, a simple gesture is all it takes to adjust the light to one of four different gradations. It ranges from an intimate, candle-like glow to create a meditative atmosphere, to a more intense light ideal for gatherings and celebrations, to a restful light perfect for reading by. The exterior is made in aluminum, brass or stainless steel, while solid glass has been chosen for its diffuser.

C_BASE | PATRICK NORGUET | CIDER

It moves, it can be adjusted, utilized alone or in groups. The C-Base system offers a valid way to organize workspaces, responding to the increasingly ‘fluid’ needs of offices. The metal structure of the workstation, like that of the coatrack trolleys, has four wheels to permit easy movement, with a height-adjustable worksurface ready for multiple uses and settings in the home or office. Depending on necessities, it can be outfitted with shelves or other objects useful for working, or with small pots and planters to make the office more welcoming and biophilic. By adding a storage module at the base, the unit also becomes a compartment for objects, enhanced by a vertical partition. The designer has chosen the name C-Base to reference the innovative spirit of the first coworking facility created in Berlin in 1995.

TOUCH COLLECTION MARZOTTO INTERIORS

The Touch collection by Marzotto Interiors combines soft jacquard velvets, iridescent yarns with metal inserts, and elegant velvets, which meet jacquard fabrics in cotton, wool, linen and other natural fibers. The line of furnishing fabrics is a tribute to tactile sensations and the desire for touch, dialogue and relationships through a multiplicity of textures and material surfaces. Quality and aesthetic innovation join in Touch along with attention to environmental sustainability with the use of certified raw materials and the elimination of dyes and chemical agents.

GEEN-A | FERRUCCIO LAVIANI | KARTELL

Geen-a is Kartell’s reading lamp, supplementing the brand’s lighting range with a product designed for this specific purpose. The simple lines conceal a real sense of attitude, while the clean shape has a familiar yet intriguing effect. The piece consists of a base, a lightshade, three LED bulbs, a stem and a handle for easy transportation, while three matt-finish colours are available: white, black and brick. This is a simple lamp, just as reading is one of life’s simple pleasures.

DECOR MANIA | RUBELLI

The 2022 collection’s new designs are made with natural fiber yarns as well as technical yarns. They are printed, jacquard, and embroidered , an expression of highly varied styles, classic, contemporary, Eastern, floral, fantasy, which are suitable to furnish quite different interiors. Camilla, Madamadoré, Eliodoro, Lady Bloom, Gulliver, Derby Toile, Derbyshire Spring, Tea Cat, Magico Mexico. Each tells a story inspired by nature. They range from the other-worldly, magical atmosphere of a Mexican landscape to a graceful floral motif inspired by an 18th-century document, and a print that is a new take on Toile de Jouy enlivened with colorful watercolors.

CAPSULE LOW CABINET | LUCA BARENGO | A&B LIVING

The design of Capsule Low Cabinet is highly charismatic with an exact identity that marries technology, experimentation and the “wow factor.” The inspiration for the design is especially current, with its shape suggesting capsule pills, which in our increasingly hectic lives can help make up for nutrient difficiencies and balance our body’s functions. Made entirely of wood, they then undergo finishing with liquid metal paired with an unusual mix of straw marquetry, a meticulous, extremely fine technique for applying straw, entirely done by hand.

KOINÈ | MANDALAKI | LUCEPLAN

Elegance and purity of style characterise this set of suspension lamps named Koinè for its meaning of “shared language”, referring to its shape which offers such extreme versatility. The real heart of the project lies, however, not in the product design but in the lighting mechanism inside. This is where Koinè’s great innovation lies. A specifically created mineral lens has in fact been applied to the light source. The beam of light transmitted through the lens appears homogeneous and clear, a wide cone of light with clearly defined edges. The border between light and shade thus results as sharp, not blurred in any way. Thanks to careful direction of the light source, Koine does not dazzle, guaranteeing a strong yet comfortable light experience. The reflector is a ‘hat’ that plays a mainly decorative role. Koinè comes in 3 sizes (diameter 37, 55 and 110 cm) and 3 colours, black, white and aluminium.

SINUOSA COLLECTION | MASSIMO IOSA GHINI | NATUZZI

The inspiration comes from the rejuvenating and reassuring sensations of the Apulian landscape to celebrate visual comfort. The lines of the collection thus become features that appear moulded by a vital impulse. The Gutta table, with a round or oval top, feature a light and elegant solid walnut structure which, like a continuous line, emphasises the sinuous shapes of the design and defines its contours, starting from the foot and completing the profile of the top. The legs seem to have been shaped by their function, while the top – reminiscent of an irregular body of water that reflects its surroundings – is available in Calacatta Oro marble or American walnut versions. Welcoming and reassuring, Beat is a chair that contains and supports the seat with generous padding. Available with leather or fabric upholstery, the collection is designed to offer a seamless transition between living and dining areas in both large and small spaces.

BOXLIFE | RAINLIGHT STUDIO SCAVOLINI

“Hiding to organize” is the concept behind Boxlife project conceived by Scavolini in collaboration with Rainlight and its creative director Yorgo Lykouria. A response to the current demand for dynamic spaces that can be transformed, this complete, modular system allows for linear, corner and curved solutions where panels are at the clear forefront. They create wardrobes with retractable doors (single or double) in the kitchen, sliding systems for the living area, wardrobes in the bedroom area, and even the laundry area.

CHIRICO | ILLULIAN

The Chirico rug is a graphic manifestation of classical architecture reinterpreted through a contemporary surrealist lens. Applying signature elements of my work into a complex and unworldly space, inspired by the buildings of Ricardo Bofill, Xavier Corberó and Richard England. Playing with dimensions, contrasting the flatness of the rug by introducing depth through perspective and tonal differences to create a trompe-l’œil effect.

ZEN IDRO/HAMMAM | MEGIUS

These new products keep the minimal contour of the Zen shower, but with the added features of fixed shelves set directly in the glass, available in several sizes. The 6 mm glass has protective film, and the built-seat is Iroko wood, while the interior walls are in multiply aluminum and water-repellent laminate, a wear and water resistant material. Both models are available in corner, wall or niche options, with a central hinged door and can be installed on the floor, on a Technart Megius shower tray or any other shower tray. They are equipped with a hand-held shower, back water jets, 20x20cm multifunctional showerhead, waterfall and on-off Turkish bath button and chromotherapy (in the Hammam version).

VINO CANTINA | SIGNATURE KITCHEN SUITE

The Vino Cantina line from the Signature Kitchen Suite is a concentrate of high performance and design. The Vino Cantina collection is available in built-in and panel versions, with 2 or 3 sections that can be adjusted separately for temperature and humidity. It mixes careful attention to materials (the shelves in natural beech wood, stainless steel profiles and the cabinet glass with UV protection) with innovative technology, including the Linear Inverter compressor that makes the wine cooler extremely quiet, the Smart Knock Door (just knock on the door to activate the lighting inside), and the Smart Diagnosis system that allows you to check if it is working properly through the app. The collection is also WiFi ready to be connected to your home network and controlled remotely.