After tropical-pop jungles and paradises, this month we’ve been inspired by the city. Taking our cue from two big names in Italian art: the architect-photographer Gabriele Basilico – Milan presents a major retrospective on his work until 2 February 2024, ten years after his passing, at Palazzo Reale and the Triennale – and the painter Mario Sironi, featured in an exhibition at Galleria BPER Banca di Modena (until 4 February 2024).
We have thought about recreating an urban landscape on a domestic scale, playing with contrasts and earthy accents, as in the painting Periferia made by Sironi in 1922. And then geometric planes, architectural approaches, to create constructed perspectives with wallpaper.
To keep the subtle disquiet that emerges from the work of these two giants at bay, who were both fascinated and frightened by the urban dimension of modern life, we have softened our moodboard with a touch of green, which stands out amidst the furnishings and helps us to observe the whole in a different way. A bit like the dreamy gaze of Italo Calvino, in the year that marks the centenary of his birth, in Marcovaldo, or the Seasons in the City, where in the midst of factories and smokestacks mushrooms sprout up, while cats and rabbits roam.
The tile of the Roma Stone collection by FAP Ceramiche, utilized as a backdrop for the moodboard, plays an important role in the composition, because it balances the colors and creates a natural effect: a contemporary idea of the city.
A mixture of textures to form geometric and architectural structures, the Meta wallpaper by Styl’editions is a cityscape that links back to the paintings of the 20th century.
A hint of green peers out from the earthy geometry of the Long Island wallpaper from the Creative Collection Chapter VIII by Glamora.
A tribute to one of the greatest lighting designers of the last century: Gino Sarfatti and his 2097 suspension lamp by Flos. An aesthetic that balances the whole that to the ability to successfully blend different periods and styles.
Arkè from Bolzan Letti is a screen formed by an elegant combination of pure geometries, made in fabric to convey a sensation of overall softness.
Designed in 1972 by Gijs Bakker, one of the visionary founders of the group Droog Design, the GB Lounge Chair by Karakter (seen here with two paired modules) has a minimal design with a metal skeleton to shape the profiles.
The Geo ottoman created by Paolo Grasselli for Saba breaks up the overall rigor with its welcoming curves. A generosity of forms that avoids being invasive.
A central element to boost the sense of perspective: the Cymbal applique in velvet and linen from Forestier designed by Jette Scheib.
Demí Moon, created by Mirco Crosatto for Stilnovo, is a transparent dome that suggests the silhouette of the moon. We have selected it for its form, but also because it goes with the sofa: both feature black tubing, a graphic sign that becomes a fil rouge for the composition.
Storet, the chest of drawers designed by Nanda Vigo in 1994, has been reinserted in the Acerbis catalogue in 2020 in a more contemporary version, with new finishes and proportions. Here the horizontal rhythm of the drawers counters the vertical thrust of the lines of the wallpaper backdrop.
The Mateo table (designed by Vincent Van Duysen for Molteni&C) rests on a rounded base slightly flared downward. An “architectural” piece that becomes the fulcrum of the space containing it.
The Atollo lamp by Vico Magistretti for Oluce, chosen in its bronze finish, is once again a geometric factor that plays a leading role in our tableau, like a small tabletop architecture.
A contemporary reinterpretation of traditional design elements, the Adel chair created by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti for Calligaris has a back in Vienna straw: a reference to the 20th century, gracefully balancing the rigor of the overall setting.
