Design stimuli: four Interni photographers interpret the most innovative products

“I crossed Milan with a fluo marker, ideally tracing it over the city.”
Photos Miro Zagnoli

Soul Soft, design Eugeni Quitllet for Pedrali, a chair with sinuous, enveloping lines and a structure in solid curved ash wood; seat in polycarbonate, padded and covered in leather or fabric.

Ayana outdoor sofa by Naoto Fukasawa for B&B Italia, for two or three seats, in solid teak with natural finish, cushions with waterproof filler and fabric covers. The whole collection is based on a solid wood structure with a round cross-section, using invisible interlocks without metal bolts, but simply with wooden dowels for a more natural look.

Ripamonti, design Keiji Takeuchi for De Padova, sculptural chair with pure lines, in polyurethane foam with fabric or leather cover.

Gong Circus round tables by Giulio Cappellini, for easy disassembly, in laser-cut sheet metal with coated, screen-printed top of colored segments, in the combinations white/anthracite, pale green/dark green, orange/brick. From Cappellini.

Viola chair designed by the studio AB Concept for Poltrona Frau, featuring a game of full and empty elements for greater lightness: the solid wood of the back, in mocha-stained ash or wenge, is enhanced by a weave of 60 cowhide cords that connect it to the structure. Removable cover in Pelle Frau®.

 

“New viewpoints, thanks to the students in the masters program in photography at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts.”
Photos Paolo Riolzi

Perspective, three-seat sofa, design Sacha Lakic for Roche Bobois, based on the iconic Bubble model of the 1960s reissued by the company. Structure in spruce and plywood, quilted seat and back in double-density mousse with Orsetto Flex fabric cover. Thanks to Prof. Paola Di Bello of the Department of Photography, Brera Academy.

“The sofa, with its forceful presence and light forms, seems to float on air or get lost in a sea of water. The strange game with the bubbles emphasizes the delicacy of the figure and references its soft, ethereal appearance.” Anna Vezzosi

Romby, design GamFratesi for Porro, chair with truncated conical base in black-stained solid ash; the flared form is made in segments by hand and connected to a padded swivel seat covered in black leather.

“The body displays tribal gestures, creating lines that are deconstructed with respect to the oval and triangular contours of the chair, and establishing a profound relationship between ancestral figures and performances, a sort of Great Mother that gives birth to new life forms.” Antonio Miucci

NYNY cabinet in painted wood and Vienna straw, by Storagemilano for Gebrüder Thonet Vienna. In the irregular arrangement of the suspended geometric volumes and the chromatic choice, the work takes its inspiration from the world of 1980s graphics. Each part has a function: below, two drawers; above, two compartments with doors, including one that can be used as a desk.

“The majesty of the dimensions, the forceful forms and intense colors, link back to the Italian artistic tradition. The references to Renaissance symbolism leave room for disorienting games the charge the piece with an ethereal power, making it potentially the sole protagonist of the altarpiece.” Arianna Sollazzo

Gullwing, a table with a sculptural form by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti for Lema, with a base in bronze patina coated metal and top in reconstructed Belgian Blue marble. The base is in extruded aluminium and can be used in compositions of three or four pieces as the central support of round tables, or to make tables of different forms and sizes.

“The idea is exchange: through one of the basic features of sports – relationships – I have brought together two different worlds, to experience the Other: speaking of a table, or of the person seated at the other end of that table.” Matteo Tonelli

Tavolo by Guglielmo Poletti for Desalto, seen here in the dining version in graphite (dark gray), with legs in gunmetal obsidian. The special aspect is the visual lightness and ‘precariousness’: the corner of the top rests on a minimum area on the leg, forming a single apex.

“The artistic tradition of the 1500s meets the Metaphysical avant-garde of the 1900s. A frontal viewpoint suggests an infinite breach. The table seems to penetrate into the wall in the background, depicting the backdrop of the Marriage of the Virgin by Raphael.” Cesare Lopopolo

 


 

“Nothing is more outdoor than the night: it is the outermost place on earth. A small light suffices to pierce the darkness and to make divergence an expressive urgency.”
Photos Efrem Raimondi

Grandemare Outdoor is an upholstered furniture system designed by Antonio Citterio for Flexform, with all the functions and characteristics of an indoor sofa: rigorous forms, modular composition. The geometric volumes are without corners and rest on a platform of compact layered laminate of the latest generation, ideal for outdoor use. In the photo, the covering is in Cactus materic fabric, with lime yellow and gray threads.

Nuta stackable chair, with or without armrests, by Favaretto & Partners for Gaber, in technopolymer. Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, it comes in nine colors with a padded cushion.

Doron Hotel Outdoor, the chair by Charlotte Perriand from the Outdoor collection by Cassina, designed in 1947 for the Hotel Doron of the winter sports resort Meribel les Allues, in Savoy. The outdoor version in teak with seat in self-supporting waterproof canvas has been created in collaboration with the designer’s daughter, Pernette Perriand-Barsac.

Folio, designed by Raffaello Galiotto for Nardi, is an outdoor lounge chair made in fiberglass, to recline in two positions on a fixed base, or in the rocking version. The single shell relies on the elasticity of the resin to make the chair comfortable. Available in white, anthracite, tobacco, agave, with matte finish, it has waterproof cushions with removable covers.


 

“Spiritual connections: my vision sets out to create a personal bridge between the visible and the invisible.”
Photos Simone Barberis

Ruff, a sculptural chair designed by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso, with large arms that run along the sides of the seat. In cold-process molded polyurethane, it has an inner steel structure and non-removable fabric cover. In the photo, the Divina 100% wool fabric.

Surf, designed by Yabu Pushelberg for Molteni & C, a modular sofa with sinuous lines; the seat is built into the base with rounded forms, on which to rest enveloping and slightly protruding backs; the use of variable-density polyurethane provides correct ergonomics, while the rectilinear elements, such as the chaise longue, corners and end units, offer a range of different combinations.

Oleandro, a padded chair designed by Archirivolto for Calligaris, has been created with a particular accent on comfort and softness. The seat and back have abundant polyurethane padding with different coverings, from the coated Softer (in the photo) to Venice velvet or bouclé fabric; structure in coated metal.

Sophie Lite, designed by Emmanuel Gallina for Poliform. Chairs with enveloping lines, with or without armrests; structure in Spessart oak, removable fabric cover.

Era desk by David Lopez Quincoces for Living Divani, with graphic lines and different combinations of materials and colors. The veneered top is in wood, the sides and drawer are colored; the structure is in gunmetal steel tubing, with brass feet.