Room for imagination but for tradition too, all strictly according to the rules of contemporary living. From side tables that light up to cabinets that look like paintings on canvas, by way of ottomans, modular pot-holders and 1930s style writing desks, we’ve chosen the most interesting (as we see it) furnishing accessories shown at the last Milan Furniture Fair.
Planck, B&B ITALIA (on cover)
Three round tables with lines and materials in common but each has its own unique concept and personality. Their Piero Lissoni describes them thus: “The Planck side tables are shaped like large lozenges, or drums if you like. The smallest is a kind of tabouret into which we have placed a light. It’s rather magical and can also become a lamp.” They have a semi-transparent glass top and a lacquered base in satin or glossy colors or with a rosewood effect finish.
Soft Corners ottomans, CASSINA
Three types of ottomans have elements that fit together like they’re forming a stone wall. All components can be taken apart to be repaired or replaced, a requirement of Cassina LAB‘s philosophy. For this collection, the company drew on the creative imagination of Linde Freya Tangelder, founder of the design studio Destroyers/Builders in Antwerp. The frames’ core is plywood, the padding is polyurethane with a percentage of polyols from biological sources, and the upholstery is in fabric and leather from the Cassina Collection.
Nòs, CECCOTTI COLLEZIONI
The Tuscan company is (re)introducing a classic interior design by Gianfranco Frattini. The reissue is part of a new line to rediscover icons of traditional design, primarily in wood. Available in three versions – standard, with a rolltop and three drawers on the top as well – the Nòs (“walnut” in Milanese dialect) writing desk is given a fresh, modern interpretation here, while staying true to its original function
Andon, DePADOVA
The low table, design by Nendo, is available in a round or square version and can also become a lamp through the frame that lights up to shed light on everything surrounding it. Conceived primarily for the outdoors, it comes with a fully waterproof coating, and a black enameled lava stone or white pitch stone top. It is based on the Japanese tradition of sleeping and sitting on the floor and experiencing the home “from below” as well.
Drift, ELIE SAAB
The sinuous form of the lines along with the surfaces and reflections cast by light has a beguiling effect, almost as if it were velvet to caress. Elie Saab and the architect Carlo Colombo started from this concept when developing their new Maison collection, which includes Drift, a cabinet that suggests the dynamism of dunes shaped by the wind with a special liquid metal finish standing out on its doors.
Earl, FLEXFORM
The Earl family of storage units, designed by Antonio Citterio for living and dining areas, consists of elegant, sleek furniture, such as a low unit with drawers and a tall cabinet with hinged doors. They share clean, geometric lines — whose simplicity does not equal simplification but sophistication — and different proportions and intended uses, from TV cabinets to sideboards and cabinets.
Soda, GALLOTTI&RADICE
This design is the first collaboration with the multidisciplinary design studio Draga & Aurel, the fruit of in-depth research on materials, especially on glass. The glass is cast, texturized and pigmented with an age-old artisan technique that allows for an extensive array of colors and nuances. The cabinet’s circular shape, framed by a light wooden structure, seems to rest like a work of art on an artist’s easel.
Vanity Edward, GIORGETTI
Special attention was paid to sophisticated processes and materials with an eye always on sustainability. Giorgetti’s new collection gives a nod to the past while thinking of the future as evinced by this Edward vanity from Dainelli Studio with its supple shape and soft lines. Equipped with a mirror and storage compartments, it has a 1930s style but is absolutely contemporary.
Aero D desk, LIVING DIVANI
A clean, minimalist design, perfect for the home-office. The Aero family from the Shibuleru studio has a new member, the new Aero D writing desk, the latest expression of the concept first launched in 2016. Aero D gives a fresh clean-lined interpretation of the needs of contemporary homes: “The basic idea is that our surroundings inspire what we do and how we do it. A design that is simple and easy to appreciate inspires desk work because you have to know what you are doing. Then you’re happy,” explains the founder of the San Francisco creative studio, Lukas Sherrer.
Pocket tray, MERIDIANI
Designed by Andrea Parisio for Meridiani, this tray has a wooden structure and magazine pocket and is available in black stained oak veneer finishes, light, almond, matte or glossy lacquered, adapting perfectly to any setting (including with the new René sofa also by the Meridiani). Fine craftsmanship and organic forms are the stars of the entire collection, rendering these pieces of furniture like works of art, without neglecting functionality and rationality.
Hevea, PEDRALI
Hevea pot-holders were designed to bring nature into our rooms and are the fruit of a new collaboration with the Italian-Brazilian designer Victoria Azadinho Bocconi. Made up of a central steel “stem” and hooked polypropylene pots, it can adopt different configurations depending on their number and position. This lets Hevea fit discreetly into interior settings and makes the small plants the true stars. It’s also available as a Hevea Partition, a three-column pot-holder to create green walls in public spaces, and Hevea Ice Bucket which doubles as an ice bucket.
Maori, PORADA
This wall-mounted console with a pewter gray metal structure and solid Canaletta walnut wood top was designed by Essetipi for Porada. it is part of a collection that brings a fresh, contemporary eye to the fine Italian furniture tradition, returning to the iconic lines of the 1950s, quoting great designers of the era, such as Franco Albini, Ico Parisi, and Ignazio Gardella.
Diamond, RIFLESSI
For these new mirrors, Riflessi uses stainless steel sheets for the first time in its furnishing. This creates a remarkable aesthetic effect from its treatment with nanoceramics, which both reflect light in a special way and have antibacterial and anti-fingerprint properties. In addition to the colorful brightness of steel, the new natural marble surfaces also stand out, with a lot of veining and nuances, for the tops of the tables, coffee tables, and sideboards, including Rosso Levanto, Sahara Noir, Calacatta Oro, Verde Alpi marble, and Patagonia and Cristallo Imperiale quartzites.
