Rather wild, but right next to the city. With a bit of healthy naiveté. This is the aesthetic tribe we’ve chosen for our March moodboard: the Metropicalitans, a human category with the desire to transform the home into an open-air stage.
Aware of the fact that the difference between indoor and outdoor furnishing has been officially eliminated, at this point, from the rules of design, for those who have decided to follow this trend the time has come to head for the woods, shouting “Me Tarzan You Home” and filling the home with tropical palms. Even in a small apartment. They might also like to dance to a Dixieland beat, like Mowgli and King Louie in the Jungle Book which Walt Disney took from a masterpiece by Rudyard Kipling.
But the dense, lush tropical forest was not enough for us: we needed at least a hint of humanity amidst the plants, some kind of architectural presence, or our installation would have lost its urban guerrilla character.
This is just what we found in the wallpapers with ancient ruins we have used as a backdrop, and to make things appropriately dreamy – without trying to compete with the imagery of Henri Rousseau, the Doganiere, foster father of this drift of taste – we have also called into play the great Kong. Instead of clutching a maiden in distress, he has kindly agreed to light up our setting with a torch.
The rest is history, a tale that unfolds through new furnishings: pieces of contemporary design we have lit up with some strong chromatic accents, playing above all with the details. In a domestic jungle that obviously also provides all the comforts of home.
In the end, is there any need to pack your bags and sally forth in search of the tigers of Mompracem? You can take your cue from Emilio Salgari, who stayed at home but wrote stories of Malaysia, Antilles and Bermuda that made millions of people dream exotic dreams. And he never visited one of those locations, living his whole life in the Veneto and Piedmont.
For the setting:
A lush jungle with ancient ruins of lost civilizations to decorate the Amazonia wallpaper by Skinwall, a perfect scenario for a life that’s rather wild.
To accentuate the overall metropolitan effect, a sculpture in concrete (in enlarged proportion, making it become an element of set design) created by David Umemoto, a veritable work of brutalist architecture, halfway between the visions of Escher and the incredible monuments of the former Soviet Union.
A gentle polyethylene gorilla, Kong by Qeeboo is the creature imagined by Stefano Giovannoni to help to light the stage.
Atmosphere lighting with a tropical touch: the Martinique suspension lamp from the “Calypso” collection, seen here in the outdoor version, created by Servomuto for Contardi, serves to add a fashion touch to the whole.
A palette of delicate tones reminiscent of the natural vibrancy of Casalgrande Padana’s Nature collection of ceramic slabs softens the wild air of the scene.
On stage, the characters:
Mogambo is the name of a parasol that cannot be closed, with handmade weaving on a structure created by Paola Lenti. As in the film set in Africa and directed by John Ford (with Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly).
Baia is the new outdoor chair designed by Christophe Pillet for Ethimo. Covered with fabrics in neutral tones combined with details in nautical leather, though the piece was conceived for a yacht or a club on a seaside promenade it also works well with the dense vegetation of a tropical forest.
A touch of petroleum green livens up the whole: the Roy stool/table by Alessandro Mendini for Kartell is made in technopolymer, also perfect for the jungle.
A place to put things is always a plus. So along comes Heiko, the round high-density polymer garden table created by David Lopez Quincoces for Gervasoni.
Diario, a vase-pitcher in steel designed and produced by KnIndustrie, gives us a chance to add color to the set, amidst the green patterns of the foliage.
Pithy and sculptural forms with a concrete finish for the Clay table, designed by Marc Krusin and produced by Desalto.
Nanà is the latest outdoor offering of Unopiù: a chair with a distinctive conical form in handwoven synthetic fiber. A piece that would stand out nicely against a backdrop of Mayan ruins.
The Flair family designed by Monica Armani for B&B Italia has been expanded. It is now available for outdoor use; from terraces to gardens, all the way to a lodge in the savannah.
Bellhop, the portable lamp by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby for Flos, offers the right light even without wires, since we’re in the middle of the woods.
For the table, the Moon translucent bowl designed by Mario Bellini for Kartell. An idea for a romantic dinner lit only by Ixchel, the Mayan moon goddess.
