As usual, Cologne is the first appointment of the year for design. The German city plays host in its districts and above all at the Koelnmesse fair facility, home of imm cologne, to companies specialized in the world of design, including many Italian firms that will take part in an iteration the organizers have described as ‘more emotional’ and updated in the layout of its spaces. Alongside the Pure section – composed of the segments Pure Architects, Pure Editions and Pure Atmospheres – there is now the Home area as well.

This too is subdivided into three microcosms: Home Scenes, for lifestyle ideas; Home Settings, on intelligent, versatile and modular solutions for contemporary living; and Home Sleep, on the bedroom zone and wellness. The vast range of offerings focuses primarily on the evolution of living spaces. Updates that change the boundaries of areas, with an impact on many families of furnishings, from chairs to large upholstered pieces, as seen in the displays of many of the brands taking part in the fair.

UPHOLSTERED SEATING SYSTEMS PROTAGONISTS OF IMM COLOGNE

Minotti and Rodolfo Dordoni play with fluid lines and soft volumes in the Lawson seating system, composed of a modular sofa, a lounge chair and dining chairs. Gordon Guillaumier chooses the path of asymmetry for the Jermyn sofa, designed for Lema: a creation of contemporary style featuring elegant velvet covers. For the occasion, Giorgetti has enhanced the Skyline composition by Carlo Colombo with two new products: an island end element and a new corner table.

Giorgetti, Skyline by Carlo Colombo
Hall 11.1 | Stand D011 C010

Lema, JERMYN by Gordon Guillaumier
Hall 11.3 | Stand P010 Q019

Minotti, LAWSON by Rodolfo Dordoni
Hall 11.2 | Stand L010 M011 – Hall 11.2 | Stand L020 M021

PLAY OF CONTRASTS

 

The red thread that connects the large upholstered pieces and the armchairs is represented by the alternation of materials to create a fascinating game of contrasts. The Jorgen chair (which conserves the identifying vintage character of the brand) designed by Roberto Lazzeroni for Baxter alternates leather and fabric coverings with a base in wenge-stained ash, culminating in feet available in satin-finish brass, hand-brushed burnished metal or satin-finish nickel-plated metal. Federica Biasi has designed Sophie for Gallotti&Radice (completed in the living area proposal by the 5th Avenue wooden cabinet by Marcello Pozzi), a voluminous armchair with a metal structure that embraces the covering, available in fabric or leather.  Poli, the armchair made by Antonella Digirolamo for Natuzzi also has a structure, in this case metal, that wraps around the welcoming shell. The back covered in cowhide is the main characteristic of Ade, the seat by Daytona enveloped in a soft, generous form, where the leather or fabric cover descends to the leg in matte black ash wood with a foot in satin-finish brass.

Baxter, Jorgen by Roberto Lazzeroni
Hall 11.1 | Stand E011 D010

Natuzzi Editions, Poli
Hall 10.1 | Stand B010-B030

Sophie by Federica Biasi, Gallotti&Radice
Hall 11.1 | Stand D021 C020

Daytona, Ade
Hall 11.2 | Stand L049

LIGHTNESS AND PERSONALITY

Lightness and personality are the key terms in 2020 when it comes to chairs. Examples can be seen in the offerings of Desalto, Moroso and Calligaris. The first wagers on the Strong collection designed by Eugeni Quitllet (table and seating), featuring a continuous form and sinuous curves. Curves – this time inspired by Futurism – are also the main factor in the Modou collection by Ron Arad, as well as being inserted in the M’Afrique series by Moroso: furnishings that break away from traditional schemes, applying elements belonging to the fields of dynamics and kinetics. The forcefully minimal design of Vela, the chairs created by e-ggs Studio for Calligaris, expresses character that jibes well with any type of space, from the office to the contract market, as well as the home. In spite of over 200 years of history, Thonet stays young and in step with the times: Marco Dessí, a designer based in Vienna, has created the modern 520 upholstered armchair, taking inspiration from the Café Thonet concept, reinterpreted in a contemporary way. With its elegant lines and minimal use of wood, the Colonial Chair by Carl Hansen & Son reveals Ole Wanscher’s insistence of creating a timeless, light aesthetic. High-quality material, ingenious construction and ideal proportions ensure that the chair is a sustainable furniture piece that can be passed on from generation to generation.

Thonet, 520 by Marco Dessí
Hall 3.2 | Stand E021

Modou by Ron Arad, Moroso – Photo © Joel Matthias Henry
Design Post ColoniaDeutz-Mülheimer-Strasse 22a

Desalto, Strong by Eugeni Quitllet
Hall 11.1 | Stand F027 E026

Calligaris, Vela Chairs by e-ggs Studio, Balance Table by Pio e Tito Toso
Hall 10.1 | Stand E010

Carl Hansen & Søn, Colonial Chair by Ole Wanscher
Design Post

 

FROM IMM COLOGNE TO DESIGN POST

 

Not just the living room: Cologne is about design 360°. Many of the exhibitors are specialized in bath furnishings, in a perspective on the domestic landscape as a whole. Agape has turned to the Brazilian studio MK27 to create DR, a rectangular washstand counter with a built-in marble top (the company is on hand at the Design Post, the former station now at the service of the furniture sector). An essential image and clean lines are also the earmarks of Binario03 by Antoniolupi, where milling marks the longitudinal extension of the cabinet, taking on a leading role in the overall impact.

antoniolupi, Binario 03
Hall 3.2 | Stand D024

Agape, DR by Studio Mk27
Design Post ColoniaDeutz-Mülheimer-Strasse 22a

THE TOTAL LIVING OFFER IS COMPLETE

Listone Giordano, BETWEEN by Alexander Brenner
Hall 4.2 | Stand B010 C009

The total living panorama of the German event is completed by Listone Giordano. In the design of the Between flooring by Alexander Brenner the material takes form in a precious texture that is light at the same time, offering a key of interpretation for interior design solutions and architectural systems.