NATUZZI ITALIA | Ode to comfort
Conceived as part of a project for style development, The Circle of Harmony, launched in 2020 with the aim of creating a community of designers to promote the stylistic evolution of Natuzzi Italia, Colle is a sofa designed by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group. Called upon to address the theme of comfort, that has always represented a crucial and indispensable feature of the furniture proposals from Natuzzi, Bjarke Ingels have come up with a sofa that takes inspiration from the early models by the Pugliese brand, characterised by a soft and hospitable style. The name Bao, that in Chinese means “precious treasure”, brings to this sofa a desire for beauty in the broadest sense. Generous in terms of its proportions, the Bao sofa suggests a relaxed and informal mode of use aided by the width of the seat. The soft cushion wraps around the wooden structure. while another cushion sits on the side structure and becomes a soft armrest that extends the area for reclining on.
FLOU | Like a hug
The young design duo The Touch Studio (Veronica Vergari and Timothy Baldacci) has stated its mission: “to generate emotions by making settings that create unique experiences, that touch the heart and leave an impression.” The Madame Butterfly collection they have designed – two or three-seat sofas, plus an armchair – starts from the form of butterfly wings, an archetype of lightness, transformed into an organic, sinuous line: a seating system with an essential character, where the back is without divisions, conceived to bring the warmth of a hug. Its softness is emphasized by a tubular element that encloses and borders the outer part of the back and the armrests; a detail that creates a slight rippling of the volume, defining its look and bringing remarkable lightness. A very simple, elegant gesture. Which becomes the keystone of the design.
DE PADOVA | Natural and minimalist
Designed by Elisa Ossino for De Padova, the Honoré range consists of a sofa and low tables designed for the living room. Characterised by their organic forms and rounded profiles, the elements in the collection express a sensitivity for design that takes a natural and minimalist approach. The highly original profile of the sofa results from the combination of the curved lines of the seat and those of the backrest. Soft and delicate, the backrest is defined by the circular graphic sign of a cylinder that is curved to follow the sinuous line of the seat cushion. The feet in turned wood, that raise the sofa up off the ground to give it a light and airy appearance, also highlight the attention given to craftsmanship. The series is completed by side tables with a round top that can be combined together in assorted sizes and finishes
MERIDIANI | In praise of softness
The new design by Andrea Parisio, art director of Meridiani, is a seating system with a simple, relaxing line, full of harmony. And, in its own way, subtly playful. With its beveled, rounded volumes – like stones polished over the centuries – it is a statement of comfort; at the same time, its impeccable, rigorous design is designed to cross eras and fashions without difficulty. Like those family pieces of furniture that are handed down from generation to generation. The interplay of shapes of the various elements that compose it becomes an essential form of decoration: in the sofa, the backrest evokes the outline of a transverse column supported by two large stones. Like a reinvented megalithic architecture. The Oscar system consists of a two or three-seater sofa, armchair and relax chaise. There is also a leather element, offered as an optional extra, to ideally divide the headrest from the seat.
POLTRONA FRAU | A harmonious duet
Poltrona Frau and Ceccotti Collezioni have worked together on an original collection that underlines their respective areas of know-how, in a complementary balance. The DUO Collection is the first episode of a new synergy that reflects a shared approach to design, making its exclusive debut during Milano Design Week in the context of the wider-ranging 2023 Pleasures Collection by Poltrona Frau. Designed by Roberto Lazzeroni, the DUO Collection takes its inspiration from the concept of the Italian Dolce Vita, with its carefree style, becoming the expression of the “pleasure of welcome,” of hospitality recreated through furnishing elements – for both domestic and collective spaces – envisioned to facilitate interaction and sharing. Hence one indispensable features of the collection is the presence of upholstered furnishings for the living area – like the DUO Sofa and the DUO Lounge chair – created by Poltrona Frau, seen alongside the wooden furnishings made in Tuscany by Ceccotti Collezioni: storage cabinets, bookcases, consoles, a large table and smaller tables, a lamp, a screen and mirrors. With the DUO Collection the “salons” of the 1950s return to the scene, hosting a new cultural, social and design ferment.
GINORI 1735 | New horizons
A new chapter has been added to Ginori 1735’s centuries-old history, that of home décor. With a collection, ‘Domus’, which opens up the brand to new types of objects, from table textiles to furnishing elements, many of them designed by Luca Nichetto (who had already worked with Ginori on the ‘La Compagnia Di Caterina’ home fragrance line). These pieces are joined by some highly prestigious collaborations: Barovier&Toso for the lamps, made using highly refined working techniques, Rubelli for the fabrics jacquard fabrics that pick up on famous Manifattura decorations. To this are added runners and American-style sets with napkins, developed in collaboration with Lisa Corti, and finally lead crystal and cutlery, where emotion and functionality are moulded on the table, making it unique.
MINOTTI | Revolutionary character
The Twiggy system bursts into the Minotti collections with novel appeal, full of charm, reinterpreting the ideal of timeless beauty that is always evolving in the company’s creations. A seating family – designed by Rodolfo Dordoni – with an irreverent character (like the fashion icon for which it is named), in terms of aesthetics and relationships with space. The project stems from the single chairs in the Small, Large and Deep versions, with or without armrests. These are joined by a bench, a couch and a chaise longue, which can be freely inserted in the living area as a system of components for free and easy configuration. The new language of grouping breaks away from schematic formulas, adapting to constantly evolving needs. Rigorous but extremely accommodating in its design, Twiggy dresses up in leather, nubuck or fabric; refined stitching sets the rhythm of the coverings, adding distinctive decoration that also reveals the brand’s sartorial expertise
