Adapting standar furniture with tailor-made solutions

by Giulia | Mar 20, 2021 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, KITCHEN, LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA

Custom-made furniture and stardar products belong to two different worlds, bringing with them a large repertoire of solutions and projects. Each has great strengths and opportunities, but both also know their weaknesses. Sometimes it happens that these two worlds come into contact, helping and supporting each other. After all, it is well known: unity is strength!

A master bathroom with elegant series furniture.
On the side, made-to-measure valances hide the support rails of the curtains

Standard and customed furniture: eternal rivals? Not at all!

It is common belief that standard furniture and custom-made solutions are ruthless competitors. Nothing true!

In fact, these are different realities that provide valid project proposals to customers, offering them a market capable of satisfying every request. Tastes, needs and desires of customers often interface with intrinsic constraints.
These include: budget limits, production restrictions, delivery times, availability and variety of alternatives.
Within the world of furniture design and production there are in fact an infinite number of secondary aspects that define the strengths, but also the limits of each company.

We can imagine the world of furniture as a range of parameters, at the extremes of which lie the cardinal principles of the two worlds.
On the one hand, standard furniture at super cheap prices capable of destroying any competitive market.
Its philosophy is certainly linked to a democratization of design that exploits large industrial production to contain prices and make its products accessible to all.

At the opposite end, a niche market, linked to the concept of “exclusivity”, chosen for its impossibility of identical reproduction and the opportunity for customization.
The choice of this type of furniture is linked to a feeling of privilege in its availability.

Between these two opposites there are the infinite number of companies that experience design on a daily basis.
Embracing the entire range of the market in this sector would be impossible and counterproductive, leading to poor results both for the manufacturer and for the customer himself.

It necessarily follows a specialization in the type of products and an identification of the reference target.
Precisely for this reason, standard furniture and tailor-made solutions cannot be considered competitors because they embrace different philosophies, targets and production systems. Their relationship is instead collaborative and mutually supportive, making the most of the potential of each party.

Potential and constraints of standard products

One of the main advantages of series furniture is the vastness of the market to which they belong.
This makes it possible to satisfy the tastes of each customer, providing a wide choice of solutions and variants. To this is added an economic advantage deriving from the optimization of production.In fact, by exploiting the industrial production and the repetition of the pieces, it is possible to optimize the production phase in the best possible way, managing to contain costs. This also implies an ever more careful precision and improvement of the single elements.

On the other hand, this specific reproducibility limits the scope for intervention and customization. The world of mass-produced furniture works in reproducible and combinable “modules”.
Customization consists in knowing how to combine the individual elements and organize them in a different way, but it certainly does not allow for specific product customization as in custom-made furniture.

So here are island, peninsula or monobloc kitchens that take on different shapes depending on the environment in which they are inserted.
However, these find their first obstacles when there are architectural constraints or special requests from customers.
Customization does not cover all levels of furniture reading.

This is where bespoke design comes in, offering its attention to detail and custom design.

customed-mirror-spa-sink-standard-furniture

When standard and customed furniture meet each other: a full-height shaped mirror fits into a SPA context with scenographic furnishings from important manufacturers

Works of tailor-made workmanship: a contemporary style kitchen

Where the supply of standard furniture reaches its limit of customization, the flexibility and spirit of adaptation of bespoke furniture comes into play.

An excellent example of this, is this luxury-style house distributed over three levels.
The maintenance and collaboration with Modulor involved different rooms.

First of all, the kitchen, consisting of a wall equipped with full-height doors on the right side of the access and a central island with a design hood. Precisely in this last element, the volumetric composition of the furniture provides a large surface that can be used as a worktop, but it prevents its use of meals.
In fact, by equipping the worktop with doors and lower drawers, it could not be used as a support surface for quick meals, as it did not provide adequate space for the user’s seat.

Finding tailor-made solutions in this example meant creating a lateral niche in the volume of the island. In this way, even with a not very wide depth, it was possible for customers to find the right space to sit comfortably while keeping their legs perpendicular to the structure. A comfortable snack bar for 2/3 people that does not give up on a work surface and support surface.

An important island kitchen modified with tailor-made solutions: a niche has been created in the lower volume in order to use the worktop also as a support point for the consumption of quick meals

The sleeping area between secret passages and princess bedrooms

Even in the sleeping area, custom-made design has found ease to express its experience and personalization.

The classic-style bedroom is characterized by the presence of an important bed with drapery and padded headboard with a fairytale look. Taking advantage of a lateral architectural niche, a desk with wall unit and shaped shelves was inserted in order to make it an integral part of the spatial configuration.

The custom-made desk top is accompanied by a chest of drawers with bands that also acts as a load-bearing element.
This is accompanied by a wall unit with a molded door and shelves in matt white lacquered MDF that reflect the boiserie.

Even the bedside tables take up the style of the bedroom with handles in customed sheet metal in the shape of butterflies.
The side service bathroom illuminates the room with a glossy white tile wall cladding, crystal shower and pedestal sink with custom wall mirror.

classic-style-bedroom-princess-bed-standard-furniture

Every princess’s dream bedroom hosts an important bed with drapery and padded back

details-princess-bad-padded-back-drapery

Details of a small bedroom from large-scale distribution: upholstered draperies and backrests perfectly match bedside tables with shaped sheet metal handles

The desk in the niche takes up the classic style of the boiserie paneling through door moldings

Shelves and doors in white lacquered MDF in warm tones for this classic style desk

The made-to-measure mirror accompanies the classic style design pedestal washbasin

Always in the upper floor, takes place the walk-in closet, whose orange tones give a touch of character and freshness to the room while remaining elegant and impressive.

A retractable mechanism is hidden inside the side structure.
What apparently looks like a support bench hides a flap door with a system of internal channels that allow dirty clothes to be brought directly to the laundry area. This internal conduit channel is also intercepted at the level of the living area through the opening of a door on the external front of the kitchen. What apparently seems to be part of the molded boiserie is transformed into a storage point for the tea towels which, using the internal slope, are taken directly to the laundry.

standard-furniture-walk-in-closet-leather-finishes

Composition of a walk-in closet with elements in series: on the sides hangers and shelves covered in orange leather, in the center a chest of drawers in textured bilaminate

The side wall of the walk-in closet with shelves and hangers.
On the right, the small service bench hides the channel that leads to the laundry

Left: the folding door mechanism from which the conduit for soiled garments starts. Right: the door incorporated in the boiserie that intercepts the path for the kitchen products.

← Industrial style: from the raw soul to the professional mark Classic style: Elegant and welcoming →

Industrial style: from the raw soul to the professional mark

by Giulia | Feb 15, 2021 | KITCHEN, LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA, STYLE TIPS

The industrial style has increasingly characterized the interiors of recent years, becoming the emblem of an authentic and essential lifestyle. From its traditional rustic meaning, it then meets the refined and contemporary variant, influenced by luxury finishes and lines.

Especially in the reality of custom-made kitchens, the raw and traditional mark has given way to modern conformations, inspired by professional cooking solutions. Functionality and efficiency become the keywords for an essential and modern style.

Iron bookcases with wooden details enrich this industrial-style relax room designed by Locatelli Partners and made by Modulor

The industrial style in its historical evolution

To trace the origins of the Industrial Style we have to move overseas, more precisely to New York. We are in the postwar years, when in the 1950s, the demand for low-cost housing flowed into the reuse of abandoned spaces. The strong stylistic imprint linked to these environments, gives rise to a real fascination for industrial archeology.

The iconographic references of the time, contextualized in the world of art and cinematography, accentuate this stylistic movement, increasingly introducing the perception of the architectural wreck as a scenario of everyday life.
An example of all, is Andy Warhol’s Factory, a studio for his works during the boom years of Pop Art.

From the American metropolises, the new style was then moved to small local realities and landed in Europe during the 1980s.
Trends from the new continent are enthusiastically welcomed by the great revolutionary cities of London and Berlin.
It is no coincidence that London was the protagonist of the Great Industrial Revolution, from which setting, the industrial style drew on the development of new domestic scenarios.

The subsequent spread to the remaining countries of Europe and World coincided with the simultaneous need to reduce land use.

Andy Warhol in his factory, a film icon in the successful years of Pop Art

Metals are the protagonists of the industrial style, matched with raw woods, concrete and industrial resins

The charm of the industrial style in its architectural concept

The industrial world as a reference point for the domestic reality was well assimilated by the culture of the time also due to its revolutionary breath.
The industry has in fact marked a breaking point with the traditional, especially for the social changes that the revolution of the late 19th century has introduced.

The industrial style enhances the “architectural wreck”, bringing a romantic vision of the passage of time on buildings.
The reuse of industrial spaces thus favors functional architectures, transforming the structural elements into focal points of interest.
Pipes, concrete pillars, large windows with metal frames, exposed bricks and peeling walls are elements to be carefully preserved.

In this attic, the exposed beams and traditional walls represent the stylistic signature of the interior

Large windows, exposed brick and metal structure for this rustic loft in Kyiv.
Photograph: Andrey Avdeenko

Between exposed systems, materials and floors ..

From the point of view of spatial organization, the open space and large ceilings certainly play a fundamental role: free-plan spaces characterized by the lack of vertical partitions, even better if set up to take advantage of the large heights.

The myth of the Loft is born, in which the functional organization of domestic interiors revolves around the exploitation of double heights.

By keeping the skeleton of the infrastructure on view, the system design components become synonymous of authenticity and strongly characterize the space.
The floors are mostly rough, with concrete or industrial resins, while the lighting takes place from the large windows. These maintain their industrial setting with a metal frame and vertical partitions, absolutely abolishing curtains or sunshades. Artificial lighting takes place through rough-looking exposed fixtures, certainly made of metal and in most cases through visible suspension structures such as rails or tie rods.

Color references and furnishings in typical industrial style

The large wooden table gives warmth to this kitchen

The contemporary meaning

In its contemporary meaning, the industrial style meets two different variants.

On the one hand, taking back its natural spirit, it marries the vintage interest by adorning the space with antiques and a strong traditional imprint.
With this in mind, wrought iron wall clock appears while metal chairs different from each other are combined with the inevitable solid wood table.
Even better if it is reused from an old workshop so that it keeps traces and signs of use on its surface.

A prestigious industrial loft with black waxed iron furnishings reflects the architectural context in which it is inserted

A kitchen entirely covered in steel for this New York loft

Professional kitchens as a source of inspiration

On the other hand, the inspiration of increasingly functional and equipped industrial kitchens forcefully enters the common imagination. Just think of the quantity of television programs that every day offer us steel worktops with an island structure and industrial hoods with a strong stylistic imprint.

From the reality of industrial kitchens, it draws the trend that could be defined as “luxury” of contemporary industrial style. Combined with marble or retro-painted glass, contemporary industrial-style kitchens are clad in stainless steel. Equipped with state-of-the-art appliances, they favor functionality and highly resistant materials.

However, even the contemporary industrialist does not renounce a warm and welcoming interior. So, the wooden dining table or the leather design armchair characterize the space, giving warmth and elegance.

Professional kitchen is the world of inspiration for materials and types of this Piedmontese kitchen

A kitchen between industrial and luxury style, enriched by the marble top and shaped profiles of the handles

The island structure is the most common type for industrial kitchens

Functional and extremely practical, the Industrial Style is aimed at decisive personalities who are always on the move. Its simple lines matched with highly resistant materials make it practical and eternal, without giving up a touch of traditional warmth.

Designing a smartworking corner according to Modulor

by Giulia | Feb 5, 2021 | LIVING AREA, LIVING THE HOUSE, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA

During the last few months, our daily life has been completely changed by the global pandemic.
Not only our habits have changed, from small daily gestures to the way we use services, but also the working and private world have been seen from a different perspective.
If until recently, in fact, the coexistence between home and work life was a voluntary choice of a few people, now almost all families have faced concepts such as smartworking, DAD and online meetings.

But what does it mean at a spatial level to introduce smartworking? How have customers’ needs changed to cope with this now habitual type of work?

A retro-style wooden desk with a modern equipped wall for a classic and contemporary smartworking corner

THE COEXISTENCE BETWEEN THE PRIVATE SPHERE AND THE WORKING WORLD

The change in habits and lifestyles has involved all aspects of our daily life. From simple gestures such as shaking hands as a sign of knowledge and respect or greeting each other with a warm hug, to participating in cultural and recreational activities such as shows or concerts. The changes that have necessarily been introduced have certainly upset our perception of the private sphere and relating.

Added to this is a new conception of the working world that has increasingly entered our domestic environments.
Previously, in fact, working remotely had been a choice or opportunity for a few, who deliberately knew how to relate both aspects in a single environment. Whether reserving an entire room or dividing domestic spaces with a well-defined design logic.
This is the case, for example, of this studio-home whose design has followed the principles of Feng Shui to organize the internal activities.

From a refined choice, the introduction of a smartworking corner has now become a necessary requirement. All the more so if in the same household the different users need a computer station and well isolated settings to be able to carry out online lessons or conferences on Zoom without interference.

Romantic and Shabby Chic atmosphere for this essential worktop

HOW HAVE CUSTOMER NEEDS CHANGED DURING LOCKDOWN?

The months of “confinement” between the first lockdown and the subsequent subdivision into regions according to the chromatic distinction have certainly influenced our way of living the house.
Just think of the number of hours spent at home in the last few months.

As a consequence of this, first of all, a critical vision of one’s own interiors has been introduced. Small improvements to be made, more refined aesthetic details, functional additions in each room.
To demonstrate this, it is enough to recalling the endless queues in the furniture megastores and DIY stores after the first opening in May 2020. More or less improvised solutions, which many times also involve a “self-taught” component to create greater satisfaction in the final result.

Even in custom-made furnishings, customers have followed this wave of changes with requests that could make the spaces in the home more functional. Whether it is a greater attention to the aesthetic impact or a technical improvement, it was certainly the way of seeing one’s home that changed. To all this is added the aforementioned parameter of necessity, and here is the most common request in recent months: providing a corner for smart working.

FROM THE LARGE WORK SPACES …

In our previous creations, we had already faced with study corners and walls equipped with desks to make the different rooms more functional. Surely bookcases and most of all desks have become the center of attention. In some cases, these have occupied an entire dedicated room with large and bright rooms. This is the case, for example, of this workstation with an industrial touch inserted in full-height bookcases. A linear element runs along the wall perforated by large windows providing a comfortable support and work points. To embrace the central relaxation area, bookcases with black waxed iron sides and wooden shelves. Another example is this gallery equipped as a study, which exploits the slope of the beamed ceiling to place an essential desk overlooking the living area, and a bookcase embedded in the lower heights.

The oak worktop develops along the side wall with linearity and essentiality in the industrial interior of this apartment

Equipping an attic as a study allows you to take advantage of the internal heights while respecting the brightness of the interior.
A minimalist desk overlooks the contemporary pop interior of this apartment

With the passage of time and changing needs, even the work spaces have adapted to the existing furnishings, making them as functional and essential as possible.

Among these, the classic large desks with drawers and a service bookcase. This version offers a material and chromatic combination with a masculine touch: anthracite gray linoleum top with painted iron supports. It is accompanied by a shaped shelf with black waxed iron covering that with simplicity and elegance provides a practical support for small objects or books.
On the side, a bookcase with shelves which is part of the compact structure which also includes the bed with a trunk opening and wardrobe with bridge component. The black waxed iron sides contrast with the matt lacquered MDF shelves, creating material and chromatic contrasts with a strong character.

A desk with an anthracite gray linoleun top and iron profiles defines the masculine stylistic imprint of this bedroom

Details of the bookcase and shelves in black waxed iron and matt lacquered MDF.
Material and chromatic contrasts.

TO THE SMALL CORNERS OF SMARTWORKING

The passage of time has given rise to more essential projects, which also exploit small spaces with practical and compact solutions. Among these, a support surface with flap opening attached to the existing bookcase.
The wooden shelves become the key to horizontal reading, appearing almost set between the vertical sides in lacquered MDF. Games of depth and geometry give life to a room marked by an essential visual rhythm.

The top of this wooden bookcase exploits its flap opening to optimize the space

Material details with a strong aesthetic character: the wooden shelves are embedded in the shoulders by the vertical reading in MDF

On the other hand, the solutions that take advantage of the reduced heights with rough and natural surfaces have a more romantic soul. In this example, a cherry wood worktop expresses all its material uniqueness with visible knots and a rustic profile, without sacrificing sophisticated details. However, the simple but incisive design line does not renounce practicality. For this reason, a hole has been provided for the passage of cables along the depth of the top, making it also functional for the electrical preparation.

front view cherry wood desk smartworking

Modern furnishings and natural elements harmonize in this smartworking corner with an authentic soul

smartworking cherry wood desk top details

A raw cherry wood top expresses all its naturalness

The smart working that has overwhelmingly spread in these difficult times will most likely not remain a transitory phenomenon but will increasingly become part of our life, it will become a necessary space in the home. We designers are ready not to forget it in the design phase and follow its evolutions.

← Children in safety Industrial style: from the raw soul to the professional mark →

Designing in details a customed wardrobe

by Giulia | Dec 22, 2020 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA

From the needs of the customers and the type of clothing used, the project for a customed wardrobe is born, studied in its internal configuration in the smallest details. A careful choice of materials and finishes give importance and elegance to the project.

internal configuration wardrobe man shelves detail

Studying the internal configuration of a customed wardrobe

Studying the internal configuration of a wardrobe, it is essential, as a first step, to analyze the type of clothing owned. Tubular hangers and shelves for folded items are balanced to best meet the needs of customers, making the most of the space. In fact, shirts, jackets, trousers and dresses occupy different dimensions depending on how they are folded. For this reason, it would be counterproductive to design a “universal” wardrobe.
The first step in designing a made-to-measure wardrobe is therefore to study the customer: to know their habits, tastes and needs. In the case of this young couple, the six-door wardrobe has been divided equally into two compartments: the women’s section, in which the hanger certainly prevails, but in which there are also small shelves for folded items, and the men’s section balanced between folded and hung.

Each item has its own space

The next step in the design was to study different typological variants of the wardrobe product in order to maintain a uniform line of sight in both sectors, but at the same time find the optimal solution for the internal organization of the space.

The internal layout has been designed in such a way as to respect the two divisions and keep them mirroring each other. The pair of central doors was thus conceived with a symmetrical internal division reserved for folded items.

Modulor internal configuration wardrobe proposal 01

In the first solution, extractable glass shelves are designed for folded shirts and t-shirts in order to store them in a more orderly and elegant way. In the women’s department, the hanging division allows the set of long dresses on the left side, and short dresses with folded trousers on the right side. The women’s department is completed by a chest of drawers for bags and accessories and upper shelves. The conformation of the men’s department is instead characterized by fixed tubulars for trousers folded in the lower part, shirts and jackets in the upper part.

Modulor internal configuration wardrobe proposal 02

Modulor internal configuration wardrobe proposal 03

Modulor internal configuration wardrobe proposal 04

The second solution proposed sees both components configured in the same way. The only difference is in the women’s part, where a side shelf is eliminated to accommodate long dresses. The third and fourth solutions also see the alternation of shelves and tubulars in order to ensure the double height of the hangers on one side, and a good number of drawers for underwear on the other.

internal configuration wardrobe front view woman part

The definitive conformation.

Among the various solutions proposed, after a comparison and mutual relationship with customers, the project proposal was born and then became reality. A configuration that respects the needs of each part, setting up a women’s department with hangers in the upper part that hosts dresses of different lengths. At the service of this, for greater practicality, a dark-toned side table with painted aluminum tubing that guarantees great resistance and capacity. In the lower part, a fixed tubular for skirts, blouses and shelves for sweaters and bulky items.

Modulor internal configuration wardrobe woman

Modulor internal configuration wardrobe drawers

Modulor internal configuration wardrobe man

The pair of central doors, mirrored on both sides, has a fixed hanger for folded trousers in the upper part and linen drawers in the lower part. The first of these is characterized by the presence of internal dividers and velvet bottom to keep the belts in order. In the masculine part, the upper part with servetto is dedicated to jackets and shirts, while the lower part houses fixed shelves for folded items and a large drawer on the bottom for bulky. To accompany the whole, a chest of drawers with central compartment for accessories and upper service shelf.

internal configuration wardrobe drawers with brass handles

open drawers detail internal configuration wardrobe man

internal configuration wardrobe woman hanger

Materials and finishes

Even the choice of materials and finishes reflects a particular attention to detail and a refined taste. The doors in white-stained ash are combined with handles in satin brass sheet with joint and fold system that makes them elegant and refined. The same type of handles, with sheet metal coplanar with the wooden structure, is used in the external chest of drawers, whose development follows a horizontal rather than a vertical trend. The interior of the wardrobe and the structure of the chest of drawers are in smoked oak, whose warm and soft shades perfectly match the existing natural oak parquet. A reference to brass is also present in the internal drawers of the wardrobe, with very simple but elegant folded sheet metal handles that rest on the front of the drawers. Servetti with brown aluminum finish, fixed tubulars and hinges with black color finish complete the overall view with uniformity and elegance.

Designing a made-to-measure wardrobe means thinking about an internal conformation that best meets the needs and practicality of customers. Like an item of clothing, furniture must also perfectly fit the personality of the user.

← Country style: the countryside at home Best whishes for an authentic Christmas →

Hangers that give new life to Tiziana Fausti windows

by Giulia | Nov 20, 2020 | RETAIL, CONTRACT AND RESTAURANT

The new hanging system becomes the leitmotif for the windows of the Tiziana Fausti women’s and accessories shop. Linear elements that unfold in the air supporting the products displayed with elegance and lightness.

Always in constant change

The new layout of the Kids department on the ground floor of the historic Tiziana Fausti building has also led to a series of changes in the women’s store.
The latest fitting focused on the neutral tones of pink saw the prevalence of vertical elements that underline the large heights of the rooms.
To make space for the Kids department and uniform it from a design point of view, it was necessary to move some elements. Among these, the important wall that houses the Bottega Veneta display cabinet, whose dark tones and a light industrial touch are recognizable for their aesthetics and character. The entire wall occupied by that display system has been recovered, with careful restoration work.
Designing furniture that can be disassembled and rearranged while preserving all the components in the best possible way is a fundamental requirement for retail designers.

new setting project woman department Tiziana Fausti

The new display system for shop windows

Like sinuous lines, the new tubular hangers elegantly wind their way along the various side windows. To support them, vertical profiles that develop from the floor to the ceiling.
Exposed joints allow connections between the horizontal and vertical components, making the aesthetics of the display system essential. The soft color of the paint perfectly matches the existing furnishings.
A design line that introduces the theme of horizontality, in a set-up that emphasizes the vertical read.
To move the shop windows, cylinders with a velvet top covering in different heights.

A scenographic entrance

The changes made during the new layout also involved the entrance area, which now takes on greater importance.
If in fact in the previous configuration the two accesses to the floor could be equal in aesthetics and function, now it becomes essential to keep the women’s department separate from the Kids one.
To emphasize the scenographic setting of this strategic point, three exhibition totems have been added.
Just like the existing ones, the side lighting develops along the vertical profiles, illuminating the different shelves with soft pink film.
A sort of luminous wall that identifies all the design characteristics of the women’s department: essentiality, lightness and elegance.

← A boutique dedicated to children: Tiziana Fausti Kids Country style: the countryside at home →

« Older Entries

Next Entries »