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DESIGN ISSUE 2022
IFDM X Natuzzi Italia
DESIGNING NATURE The Circle of Harmony project expands with a third original chapter that explores contemporary themes in relation to the heritage of Natuzzi Italia
The idea arose in 2019 to grant form to experimentation on design that would put the values and traditions of Natuzzi Italia at the center of a dialogue with the most important contemporary themes. The advanced and energetic vision of Pasquale Junior Natuzzi, the creative director of the company, fostered the project The Circle of Harmony: an ideal space, halfway between physical and virtual, in which to gather different creative interpretations of the brand’s DNA, with the active participation of international designers who are contributing to shape the future of the discipline. Around this ‘round table’ different voices, styles and
viewpoints blend in a harmonious composition, wrapped in the dimension of a “family feeling”: taste, hospitality and inclusion set the tone of the project, in tune with the most authentic Mediterranean culture and atmosphere of Apulia. The debut collection in 2020 was followed by “Live the Transition,” an interpretation of the new normality that was the focus of last year. Today the accent is on nature, a safe and stimulating haven in which to discover a new harmony, to be nurtured and preserved: with “Second Life” Natuzzi becomes an advocate of the concept of sustainability and a way of living in perfect balance with the natural world.
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Second Life Nature as the maximum expression of harmony becomes the field of investigation of the new collection, for which sustainability is a key value A true “second life” for Natuzzi Italia: a more mature phase, developing the company’s philosophy in terms of an important contribution not just to the design context, but also in a wider perspective of epochal change. Constantly linked to and inspired by the culture of its territory of origin, Apulia, the brand has turned its research towards issues of sustainability, to safeguard its own heritage and – in a wider viewpoint – the natural ecosystem. Nature, with its green landscapes that fill us with serenity and energy, its absolute equilibrium, its unbridled and uncontrollable vital force, becomes the most complete expression of the concept of harmony pursued in recent years by Natuzzi in its collections and its creative collaborations. With the third chapter of the project The Circle of Harmony, titled “Second Life,” Natuzzi Italia orients its design towards an increasingly consistent and concrete sustainability. “Second Life is the concept of the new collection, a thought that guides the hands of the designers with whom we have worked, but also extends to our skilled artisans. The concept becomes universal, ideally bringing everyone together,” says Pasquale Junior Natuzzi, creative director of the company. “The objective is to give rise to increasingly aware design and production. To create a lasting beauty capable of overcoming time itself.” The result is a collection of pieces by Marcantonio and Marcel Wanders studio, conceived to last a lifetime, producing no pollution, made with materials that are going through a second life themselves, because they are recycled and recyclable (the Water, Gaia and Origami fabrics). The design blend of Natuzzi, made of form, function, materials and colors, finds a new ingredient in nature.
3D EFFECT
The collaboration with the Dutch textile innovation studio BYBORRE has generated the Water collection of fabrics. Made with yarn that combines wool of the highest quality with recycled PES, it has an outstanding 3D appearance, suggesting the movement of waves on the Mediterranean Sea.
VEGAN STYLE
Tradition and modernity combine to give rise to the Gaia eco-fiber covering, an experimental vegan fiber that faithfully reproduces the texture of leather. The expert workmanship of Natuzzi enters a relationship of synergy with the innovation of Coronet, a company that produces technical materials with a high level of sustainability.
TOTAL ECO
Composed mostly of paper fiber combined with flocked nylon chenille: Origami is the new ecological and sustainable fabric, 100% natural, with a pleasant tactile effect similar to linen. This very strong material reveals other virtues at the end of its life span, thanks to the paper that transforms instantly into ash.
IFDM X Natuzzi Italia
From the Earth to the home More than part of a collection, Terra becomes a statement piece, a key of interpretation of the “Second Life” concept that accompanies the new creations of the company for 2022. The new pouf created by Marcantonio, at his second collaboration with Natuzzi Italia, is a never-ending ode to the natural world, starting with the name. The curved organic form makes intentional reference to the memory of plump olives and the colors of the Apulia landscape; a symbolic reminder, accentuated by the game of the seat and back, delicately paired thanks to straps at the ends, heightening the playful rounded character. This soft design with an extremely welcoming volume contains all the innovation of the company in the field of sustainable materials: the inner part of the product, without structures or frameworks, is in recycled polystyrene (which is also completely recyclable, in turn), while the covering draws on the Water fabrics, the new Origami series and the new Gaia eco-fiber collection. The Terra ottoman is thus a produce with zero environmental impact, easy to insert in the circular economy, but also much more: a new way of understanding the décor-nature relationship.
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Past continuous Drawing on the past to rewrite the future. The concept behind the Adam collection is based on this dichotomy. Marcel Wanders studio, the creators of the project, have taken their cue from the history of Natuzzi Italia to give rise to this living scenario – which calls for a modular sofa at its center. An Italian history, of entrepreneurial verve, looking beyond borders, with a tenacious grip on roots, a love story with beauty in its many forms and facets, and a typical Mediterranean spirit. A history, finally, of encounters and experiences, putting humankind at the center of the corporate philosophy. Filtering these values through the creative spirit of the studio, Marcel Wanders has developed a sofa in modern casual style, with remarkable visual and tactile comfort (boosted by manual mechanisms for adjustment of the armrests and headrest). With its enveloping lines and a familiar, universal character, Adam becomes an archetype for future sofas, furnishings that live a “second life” precisely because they are able to last in time: here we can see the focus on the theme of sustainability, also based on painstaking research on materials. The airy base is made with wood, while the large seat and back cushions are filled with Ecolympha polyurethane by Olmo, composed exclusively of natural and eco-compatible materials.
MEDITERRANEAN TASTE
The relaxed, natural atmosphere of the Adam sofa also pervades the dining room solutions from the same collection: the dining and coffee tables feature that touch of craftsmanship and of precisely Mediterranean identity that is the red thread of the collection, as a tribute to the heritage and style of Natuzzi Italia. The organic forms appear again on the tabletops, rounded and curved, of pronounced thickness, in contrast with the rigorous base. The natural character of the materials – wood and stone, also in combination – suggests Mediterranean coasts; the soft touch of solid ash wood is joined by a new Lecce stone finish, made with natural and recycled raw materials: a mixture of clay, natural aggregate like quartz and sand, recycled marble dust and acrylic binders, to create a surface with iridescent marble shadings. The warmest convivial personality of Made in Italy surrounds the dining table (available in lengths of 2 or 2.8 meters), while the good cheer of Apulia enlivens the coffee tables, in a game of different heights and widths.
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The Apulian soul in Milan Milano Design Week becomes an ideal opportunity to open the “number zero” of the new Natuzzi Italia retail concept created by Fabio Novembre. The historic showroom at Via Durini 24 in Milan has been radically transformed to create a new immersive experience of the brand, through the culture, colors, traditions and atmospheres of Apulia. “We have a profound relationship with Fabio, because we share the love of our roots, and of what Apulia has taught us,” says Pasquale Junior Natuzzi. The heart of the project has become a large central area, an ideal piazza surrounded by iconic lights, formed by a series of arches that link back to the traditional architecture of the region; a place of gathering and encounters,
part excellence, the piazza contains a multifunctional lounge. All around, various settings have been installed in an open, fluid layout, permitting dynamic interactions between the spaces; the settings – four for the living area, three for total living solutions – and their materials convey a constant echo of the typical features of the Apulia landscape: farmhouses, olive groves, the warm light of the sea. “Natuzzi is the perfect interpreter to narrate Apulia to an international audience – says Fabio Novembre. – Places have a soul, and Apulia has always been a crossroads of different cultures, coexisting in harmony. We are a symbolic bridge across the Mediterranean, capable of creating unity.”
IFDM X Natuzzi Italia
To blossom again, in harmony “Second life” is not just a collection, a concept, a purpose. It becomes a true experience of life, of harmony, of regeneration, thanks to the installation Marcantonio has created in the courtyard of Palazzo Durini Caproni di Taliedo, the location of the Milan showroom of Natuzzi Italia on Via Durini. “Germogli” – this is the title of the installation – concretely embodies the spirit that has guided the company’s design research and the work of its team of creative talents. The work will be open to the public during Milano Design Week, engaging visitors in an evocative multisensory Circle of Harmony. In the open-air center of the Palazzo, Marcantonio has created a fairy-tale world where gigantic
olive sprouts rise from the soil. With their reflecting gilded surface, the sprouts (4 meters high) reflect the sunlight, imitating nature – on the one hand – and classical and Renaissance decorations on the other, where botanical elements symbolize life and rebirth. This journey in a parallel world, far from the frenzy of the city, leads directly back to the green plains of Apulia, while drawing attention to the present problems being faced by olive groves in the region (due to the spread of Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium that causes desiccation in plants, threatening the region and its economy). To rediscover an authentic, synergic relationship between humankind and the environment.
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IFDM X Natuzzi Italia