Walls Dividers and Custom Design in a Historic City Apartment

Walls Dividers and Custom Design in a Historic City Apartment

Within a historic city apartment, the renovation project aimed primarily at creating multifunctional furnishing solutions using partition walls created by using furnitures.

corridor with open and closed doors

THE PROJECT

In this phase of renewal, the challenge was to optimize spaces and create a welcoming environment. The core of the project was the implementation of double-sided partition walls, designed to serve both the corridor and the rooms. Taking advantage of the significant heights of the house, extraordinarily tall walls were created. The entrance doors, boldly in fiery red, along with the transom, left an upper space between the wardrobe and the beams, allowing natural light to filter through the large windows, illuminating both the rooms and the corridor. The depth of the elements harmoniously adapted to the pillars and the client’s needs, giving a unique identity to each space.

wardrobe with open and closed door

MATERIALS AND FINISHES

The play of reflections was achieved through the use of glossy milk-colored laminate for the dividing elements. The entrance doors to the rooms, also glossy and full of personality, appear in a vibrant fire red. The handles, essential for opening the doors with elegance, have a squared design in satin-finished steel and have been chosen for all wardrobes, creating a repeated pattern of visual elements. The interiors of the furniture, including additional ones, maintained the same milk-white tone but with a matte finish.

Here’s another realization with glossy surfaces paired with matte surfaces.

detail red door
detail shaped handles
detail internal drawer
detail open internal drawer

KID’S ROOM

The kid’s room has its unique identity, featuring a study corner with a cream-colored painted iron desk and a reflective Lacobel surface in milk color. Two side bookshelves with doors and internal shelves provide space to organize books and personal items. A wheeled bedside table, with a handle shaped in a recess, echoes the squared design of the door and wardrobe handles, adding a touch of versatility to the bed. This combination of gloss and matte creates a beautiful contrast and dynamism within the rooms.

kid's room lucid and matt
front desk
handles details
desk detail
desk detail
night table
night table handle
night table weels

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, this project has demonstrated how the strategic use of furniture that becomes partition walls can radically transform a space. Attention to design, adaptability to existing architectural elements, and the judicious choice of materials have made this historic home an example of balance between functionality and aesthetics, blending the classic with the modern and creating a unique and welcoming environment.

Here’s an example of double-sided functionality in a kitchen cabinet.

open closed double-sided sliding door

Furniture for children according to the Montessori Method

Furniture for children according to the Montessori Method

Building furniture in Montessori style means creating a child-friendly, comfortable and accessible environment. The lines that characterize these furnishings are simple and the materials are natural, such as wood.

THE MONTESSORI METHOD

The Montessori educational method is based on free activity within an environment tailored to the structural and cognitive characteristics of children and teenagers.
The function of the environment and of the furnishings that complete their spaces is to allow them to spontaneously develop autonomy in all evolutionary areas. The environment must therefore be built in proportion to the child.
It must be beautiful, harmonious and clean, it must facilitate movement and activities, while limiting the tools.
A space free of obstacles and minimal, free to be experienced independently, without the help or interaction of an adult.
Children in these environments are free to choose, create, invent and become aware of themselves and their potential in a process of self-education and self-control.
Montessori pedagogy starts from birth and develops up to adolescence with the aim of making the child not only independent, but also responsible and aware towards individual, but also social growth.

MONTESSORI FURNITURES

A fundamental prerogative of Montessori furnishings is the possibility for the child to reach the object easily and independently for sensory activities.
Then leave it free to be “called” by the object.
Furniture with an impact that is not only physical but also visual, fantastic and emotional.
Elements that become playmates and life companions where adults are guests or spectators in the environment.

BOOKSHELF

To marry the Montessori principles is this bookcase, made at child height in order to encourage the free choice of the favorite book.
All or most of the books are displayed in full view and in an orderly manner, even better if with the cover visible and not on the edge.
The shelves are easily accessible while the closed parts are designed to make opening easy and intuitive.

 Allegra Montessori Library
 Allegra Montessori Library
 Allegra Montessori Library

The “Little Cheerful Bookcase” in the shape of a house has shelves visible in the upper part and lower doors with a laser-cutted handle in the shape of a happy face.
The opening takes place precisely by inserting the fingers in the “voids” of the smiley, stimulating the touch for gripping the doors.
Internally, a shelf is available for any small items. Made of poplar wood it was subsequently painted with non-toxic water-based paints that still allow the natural grain of the poplar to be glimpsed.
All this to introduce the theme of colour, respecting the reference to nature present in the choice of material.

MONTESSORI TURRET

The Montessori turret is also called the Learning Tower.
This is essentially a wooden ladder that allows the child to stand up, in total safety thanks to the side bulkheads.
Thanks to this “elevation from the ground” all the adult furnishings, such as the kitchen top, tables or sinks, also become accessible for the child.
The latter thus manages to carry out, in complete autonomy, various actions such as brushing his teeth, hands or carrying out small household chores which allow him to acquire autonomy.
The steps of the Montessori tower also train the child in the actions of going up and down which he will have to deal with when dealing with higher stairs.

 Montessori giraffe turret

Here is our creation in the shape of a giraffe in which the second step is removable and can be raised according to the height of the child.
This turret is a useful accessory and can also be used as a stool; in fact, the child can sit on the first step and the second shelf acts as a back support.

Montessori giraffe turret detail
Montessori giraffe turret detail

An example is our giraffe-shaped creation in which the second step is removable and can be raised according to the child’s height.
A multifunctional element, it can also be used as a stool using the first step as a seat, while the second shelf acts as a back support.

MONTESSORI BEDS

The Montessori bed is mainly characterized by its height designed to allow the child to get on and off in complete autonomy.
There are no side bars to impede movement, freedom becomes a design metaphor for essential and intuitive furniture.
There is therefore no back headboard, but the mattress is rather embraced by the surrounding wooden structure.
Montessori cribs can have side bars that give them a cottage look or, as in these cases, an Indian hut.

Montessori bed
Montessori bed details
Montessori bed details

Lights, toys or possibly a sheet can be hung on the upper bar to underline the feeling of den and protection.
The vision and perception of the child inside his bedroom are therefore total visual freedom of the entire environment and his surroundings.

Montessori bed light
Montessori bed back
Montessori bed light

The bottom is rigid and breathable, becoming an excellent support for the development of the spine.
Although the Montessori bed is extremely safe, also thanks to the reduced height, a useful tip is to introduce it starting from the year of the child when he becomes independent in walking and moving.
Here is another of our articles dedicated to the safety of children in the home.

PIKLER TRIANGLE

The Pikler Triangle is a game-tool created by a Hungarian pediatrician, Emmi Pikler, based on the Montessori Method.
According to Pikler, it was important to follow the pace of development of each individual child, giving them the opportunity to move and experiment with the body and its movements in complete freedom.
In order to express their emotions, the child uses movement as the first means of communication.
For this reason, leaving them free to move and experiment is very important for growth and psychomotor development, as well as relational and emotional.

Triangol Pikler
Triangol Pikler
Triangol Pikler

Here our Pikler triangle, characterized by a triangular-shaped wooden structure which can be associated with a platform-ramp, which hooks onto the pegs of the triangle. The latter can be used by the child to climb, go up or down and in a thousand other imaginative ways.
With this tool, children learn to discover and understand the movements of their body, control and manage movements, coordinate themselves.
It favors the development of the autonomous motor sense when used to climb, go up and down, but it is also an interesting stimulus for the imagination when used as a tunnel or hut, or much more.

CONCLUSIONS ON THE MONTESSORI METHOD

Montessori pedagogy is therefore not only based on independence, freedom and respect for the child’s natural physical, psychological and social development, but also on a sense of responsibility and awareness towards the network that links every small entity to a larger macrocosm.
Children deserve spaces where they can move, play and sleep, wake up and experiment.
Sometimes we think that a newborn baby is small, vulnerable and unable to open up to the world, but that’s not the case at all.
By trusting the child, right from birth, his growth will be balanced and independent and he will feel more secure in each new step.

When a white kitchen with an island becomes a functional element of a youthful two-room apartment

When a white kitchen with an island becomes a functional element of a youthful two-room apartment

In the centre of Milan, a youthful flat is spread over two levels, welcoming a white kitchen with a functional island in the centre. On the upper floor, the elegance of total white is accompanied by a niche wardrobe with mirrored doors that amplify the perception of the sleeping area. Practical elements with linear and elegant aesthetics that define the look of the entire flat. Let’s discover together this realisation designed by architect Stefano Belotti!

Opening doors white kitchen with island

A white central island dominates the kitchen area

Upon entering the flat, with its small but practical dimensions, the view is projected onto the kitchen, the layout of which makes full use of the available height with storage compartments. Acting as a visual filter, but at the same time as a functional element for the cooking area, is the central island that echoes the white aesthetics of the kitchen.

The worktop, in matt white Corian, becomes not only a work surface, but also a convenient snack top for aperitifs and quick meals.
In this respect, the folding mechanism that allows the (future) service stools to be concealed plays a key role.
The front closure panels, in fact, rotate sideways to then be incorporated into the main structure and almost completely disappear.

white kitchen with island oven combination column
white kitchen with island wall units integrated lighting
detail Corian worktop integrated basin aluminium mixer
aluminium chain Corian top
white kitchen with combined oven island hidden door laundry area

The volume of the island consists of front-extension doors with internal drawers of different heights.
A solution that has now become predominant in the recently concluded edition of the Salone del Mobile, as well as clearly recognisable in previous editions.
The main advantage is certainly the more elegant and minimal aesthetics, in which horizontal cuts resulting from the division into drawers are eliminated in favour of a single door.

detail of internal drawers in white lacquered kitchen with island

From the wall unit to the laundry corner: functionality marries total white aesthetics

The adjoining wall unit is made up of multi-level volumetric plays.
The service columns, incorporating the built-in refrigerator on one side and the combi-oven to its right, are accompanied by compartments with hinged doors that extend across the entire upper part of the kitchen.
On the same depth level, matt lacquered doors with a dishwasher in the central area and internal shelves in the surrounding compartments.
The central area, on the other hand, is characterised by a break-out with worktop and sink, upper wall units with vertical partitioning and built-in lighting with a smaller depth.

To ensure the best functional configuration, the side wall to the kitchen and the central island accommodates a white lacquered door that covers the entire height of the room.
This conceals inside the laundry area with a washing machine and tumble dryer with columns accompanied by practical shelves for cleaning products.

The linear aesthetics are emphasised both in the choice of lighting, pendant above the white central island and LED strip lighting in the back wall of the kitchen, and also in the joining chain between the Corian top and doors below.
The material detachment through an aluminium profile becomes the horizontal reading element both for the back wall, joining the two side ends, and embracing the central island with kitchenette.

white kitchen with laundry corner island
White kitchen with island pull-out front drawer doors

A wardrobe with mirrored doors embellishes the sleeping area

On the upper floor, accessible via a white painted spiral staircase, a wardrobe with six mirror-covered doors dominates.
The rhythmic vertical division is interrupted by a single horizontal cut at the top, creating an interesting geometric subdivision in the overall aesthetics. The choice of mirrored doors on the one hand amplifies the brightness and perception of the room and at the same time enhances the overall aesthetics.

The division into six doors is reflected internally in a symmetrical composition with double central compartments accompanied by two single compartments at the ends.
Compartments with hanging tubes are favoured, but there are also internal drawers and adjustable shelves for better organisation of clothing.

If for the lower level the kitchen with central island favours a uniform white aesthetic, the sleeping area, on the other hand, marries contrasting aesthetics.
The bright exterior of the mirrored doors is in fact contrasted by the elegance of a matt black whole on which the elegant chrome hanging tubes can be seen.

mirrored door wardrobe
wardrobe mirror doors dark laminate interior drawers
Niche wardrobe with dark interior mirror doors
detail mirror cabinet doors interior lighting
two-room mirror-door wardrobe
detail of mirrored wardrobe doors in niche

The choice of a total white kitchen is always a contemporary and elegant solution. Its simplicity makes it easily adaptable to the surrounding context, whether it has a retro feel, as in this example, or contemporary pop, as in this realisation. It can also be combined with natural wood elements, such as chopping boards and snack tops, thus adding a hint of warmth, here’s an example! Or exploit plays of opacity and shine through different materials, making the room look fresh and bright, perfect for seaside homes!

Gray furniture for a masculine apartment

Gray furniture for a masculine apartment

Furniture in shades of gray is spread over the two levels of this modern apartment with a masculine imprint. From the bookcase on the ground floor to the walk-in closet in the sleeping area, the furnishings are developed in an elegant and delicate way. The dark-colored wood chosen for the parquet flooring matches the slate tiles that embrace the kitchen and bathroom areas from the internal staircase.

gray masculine apartment furniture

THE LIVING AREA MEETS THE ELEGANCE OF GREY FURNITURE

In a newly built residential context, this two-level apartment stands out in which the masculine imprint is elegantly softened by the choice of monochromatic furnishings. The floors show character in the combination of smoked oak parquet and slate-effect tiles. The floor is therefore dark, which is chromatically balanced by the walls that are tinged with white and the light furnishings that lighten and brighten the environment.

livingroom gray tones furniture

The lighting of the ground floor is combined with steps on the side of the staircase, these mark a luminous rhythm and accompany the upper floor. To embrace the living area, a full-height bookcase combines anthracite gray backs with light gray shelves in the same shade as the surrounding furniture. The anthracite gray that we find here in the lacquered shoulders can be replaced by black iron, as for example in this apartment with the same masculine soul.

bookshelf in dark gray masculine furniture
step marker
shelves detail

Neutral tones thus become the protagonists of a story that narrates elegance and freshness. Here are some other examples of furnishings in neutral colors. The sofa is a darker gray and moved by velvety fabric, which is positioned laterally at the entrance and hides a lateral extension to allow maximum comfort. Behind it, the stair handrail in anthracite gray painted metal matches the vertical shoulders of the bookcase positioned right in front.

sofa and stairs
velvet sofa detail

THE RECOVERED KITCHEN

The bioethanol fireplace, housed in an open plasterboard structure, acts as a fusion element between the living area and the kitchen. This, recovered from the previous house, is characterized by powder and wood tones and is combined with a rustic table with light aluminum chairs. The wood of the kitchen and of the table, which are a lighter tone than the floor of the living area, recall it on a material level and create continuity between the two areas.

kitchen powder and wood

THE BATHROOMS IN ANTHRACITE GRAY

Accessing the service bathroom, full-height matt white bilaminate cabinets act as a storage room organized into shelves, hangers and drawers. This light-colored anteroom creates a nice contrast and a clear break with the bathroom characterized by dark tones.

white anteroom
details anteroom

In fact, the anthracite tiles rise on the sides remaining at a height of 120cm and is combined with a bathroom cabinet in the same shade with a matte black back lacquered top. Particularly the chosen sink, in transparent glass, which seems to disappear and get lost between the tiles and the top.

service bathroom
detail sink

The second master bathroom, located on the upper floor, amplifies its masculine nature by completely covering the tiles in anthracite gray up to the ceiling beam. The bathroom is very dark but the large skylight on the ceiling perfectly illuminates the room from above. Here too there is a bathroom cabinet in shades, with the top in glossy back lacquered rather than opaque, which goes well with the reflections of the Globo ceramic sink.

master bathroom black furniture
bathroom tiles

FROM THE GRAY FURNITURE ON THE LOWER FLOOR TO THE BLACK AND WHITE CONTRASTS IN THE BEDROOM: A WALK-IN WARDROBE IN THE BEDROOM

Se il piano inferiore si impreziosisce di un arredamento sui toni neutri del grigio, If the lower floor is embellished with furniture in neutral shades of gray, the sleeping area is characterized by a more subdued contrast. The recurring theme of anthracite gray is still found in the small study corner, through a desk with a metal structure and a medium gray linoleum top. Here are some other examples of Smartworking corners where the working sphere is combined with a domestic environment.

bedroom and walk-in closet masculine furniture

Behind this, a walk-in closet develops at an angle creating a limited but at the same time functional environment. Inside the walk-in closet the hangers alternate in height while in the center a central chest of drawers with upper shelves remains available for all the folded items. On the side facing the bed, a small niche remains at the service and serves as an open bedside table useful for supporting small objects.

walk-in closet masculine furniture
inside walk-in closet
details walk-in closet

SALONE DEL MOBILE 2022

SALONE DEL MOBILE 2022

SALONE DEL MOBILE 2022

We left last September full of expectations towards the Salone del Mobile 2022 and, after visiting it, we can say that it has amply satisfied them. The central themes of this edition were sustainability and ecological transition, it was interesting to discover how the world of serial production approached them.

INTRODUCTION

If last year Milan was ready to restart and to repopulate itself, in the latest weeks we have witnessed a real migration towards the pole of Italian Design. We were able to ascertain that Milan has not only flourished again and the machine of the Salone del Mobile has begun to march at full speed but the demand, which had remained silent in the last years of restrictions, has turned out to be hungry for novelty. The streets of the city were full of people and was a long time that we have not been on crowded subways, in noisy stands talking without fear and without masks about something that was totally linked to our work. I have to admit it was unexpected but cool.

salone fiera rho

MIXED REALITIES

Spaces and objects seem to have taken on a new meaning in these years of resilience. Our habits have changed and rooted within the home, it is as if several levels were superimposed in the home space containing all the activities that were previously external, from work to leisure. Interesting and excellent starting point was Huawei‘s immersive installation: Tomorrow Living, in which new mixed-reality living scenarios are shown. Here, intelligent technology allows us to experience the home intensely, reconnecting it with nature, optimizing consumption and space in an environment that is not only more sustainable but also more habitable. In favor of a psychophysical well-being, our home does not become our cage but a circumscribed environment in which it is possible to live in harmony, with ourselves but also with the neighborhood, creating small permanent communities.

Huawei tomorrow living

SUSTAINABILITY

From a Green perspective, on the recovery of goods and raw materials without waste or unnecessary scraps of materials, objects lose their transient essence and become long-lived. Tom Dixon in his installation Twenty, in addition to celebrating the two decades of activity, reflects on the complexity of sustainable objects, showing some ideas on which the studio is working. Among these is their symbolic project, Flamecut, a chair as an example of this design theory that survives over time, which will be able to overcome plagues, natural disasters, but above all, the passage of time unchanged.

Tom Dixon Flamecut
Tom Dixon twenty

A LIFE EXTRAORDINARY

Objects not only become long-lived but are also enriched with cognitive synapses. The new AI, that we also see in the Home Smart Automation devices, responds to our every desire and becomes a real life partner. Moooi on the wave of technology and in Partnership with LG and IDEO presents in its A Life Extraordinary at Palazzo dei Tessuti, Piro, an intelligent scent diffuser. Piro is able to dance to the rhythm of music, follow you with a motion sensor, change the color of its internal LEDs and, if deemed necessary, spray a delicate cloud of perfume in the air.

Its structure is the one of a mechanical arm used for automated productions, decontextualized, covered with a shiny and colored shell and programmed to become a sentient household object. The home itself becomes an extraordinary experience in Moooi’s Vision, including soft fabrics, upholstery that make you dream and refined and elegant objects. We thanks Marcel Wanders, the founder of the brand for his ever visionary creations.

Moooi chair and table
moooi walpaper
moooi sofa

THE TRENDS OF THE SALONE DEL MOBILE

The noble themes of this year arise from questions related to the future of living. Raw materials are constantly running out and have become, especially in recent years, a source of economic speculation. The central installation at the Salone, Design with Nature, a project developed with Mario Cucinella, aims to become a table for discussions and insights on the themes of the circular economy and reuse. The city could in fact become the reserve of the future, where to find most of the raw materials useful for construction in a virtuous ecosystem.

KITCHENS AND MATERIALS

In fact, two new areas in the pavilions were created from this cue, those related to FTK, that is the new Technologies for Kitchen, appliances capable of reducing their consumption from a home automation and intelligent point of view by raising the level of their performance. The new household appliances are multifunctional and professional, even if in the kitchen is tending to hide them from the view. We have noticed that in most of the new proposals of the oven column, doors are packaged laterally in ingenious systems with hinges and side guides that in a few centimeters house the door at rest and close themselves.

hidden kitchen

Valcucine with advanced motion sensors makes the kitchen a fluid mechanism capable of closing, opening or changing functionality with simple soft hand movements.

Valcucine Mendini
Mendini closed

Instead, the working space is highlighted and is further equipped in the rear part with modules dedicated to all the useful tools in the kitchen. From the knife holder, to the spice rack, to the cutting boards, to the paper roll, everything is tidy and accessible.

equiped rear kitchen
kitchen back
closed back kitchen

The work area is well lit and characterized by non-toxic and antibacterial materials. The main material of this Salone del Mobile is Lapitec. Green, resistant to thermal shock, scratches and is also a conductor of heat, has in fact patented the first invisible hob. The use is simple: equipped with magnetic sensors and a hidden coil, by placing a special silicone pad on the top, the touch controls are activated that allow the system to be switched on from two or four burners. Without the pad, the induction hob and its controls are inactive, safe and impossible to accidentally turn on. The top therefore remains completely free, distinguished only by a display and small engravings that emphasize the full-body nature of the material. This will not only helps in cleaning operations, but also allows the worktop to be used for other activities, from food preparation to welcoming convivial moments.

Lapitec chef

Together with Lapitec there are, again for the kitchen top, ceramic and stoneware materials, with veins printed on the surface reminiscent of trendy marbles or solid colors. The finish of the materials goes from Soft touch, velvety and soft, to rough and irregular surfaces. In fact, even the new Neolith production tends to emphasize the tactile inhomogeneity of their slabs.

Neolith texture
Marble effect top

From an aesthetic point of view, the Kitchen top is presented in two thicknesses, the very thin 12mm, which was so fashionable last year, a half size of about 6cm and a 12cm which in many cases, ingeniously, is equipped with drawers containing crockery and small kitchen items. Is also nice the play created with the voids, the undertop groove of the recessed handle (always in trend) and then the departure of the front door.

equiped top
Kitchen medium top in wood
kitchen stone drawer

The internal frames of the classic-style doors have been slightly changed in honor of modernity (here an insight into the reference style). The bands become almost three-dimensional and knobs or handles disappear in favor of hidden pushes.

kitchen modern frames
frames details

NEW COLOR PALETTE, MATERIALS AND DELICATES

We rediscover the terracotta color, elected color of the year 2021 in a more delicate shade even in the Solid tops and then taken up again in the laminate or lacquered doors. The visual connection that is thus created between different materials but united by the same shade is very nice. The Blue Klein color is striking in a very strong shade used for walls and day furniture, this fades and is found, in a more delicate powder-colored version, in the kitchen. Also for the tops we find the sage green, which with the marble Verde Alpi is back in vogue and many shades of gray.

color terracotta
color dust light blue
Color Blue Kline
Silestone proposals

Anthracite gray is also introduced in the finishes of household appliances, taking the place of glossy black in the new Smeg proposals.

smeg anthracite

RIBBED AND MILLED WOOD

With its vintage soul, very elegant and established trend, it is the ribbed wood, which we are also using a lot. So wood is back but with a different dress, in uniform strips in natural or lacquered color. We found it on the doors of the kitchens, of the day furniture, in the sleeping area and also as wall paneling.

ribbed wood
ribbed wood
ribbed wood
ribbed staircase

The raw materials are then shown with textures and intertwining, the marble is milled in subtle geometries that expand the movement of the veins. The stones, on the other hand, fit together in mosaics capable of creating excellent visual dynamism.

trame di pietra
trame di pietra
trame mosaics

Even the glass is no longer a smooth and clean extra-clear crystal but is found in its fluted form, sometimes with a mirror back.

fluted glass
fluted glass

FORMS

A Salone del Mobile that looks to the past to take inspiration, both in materials and shapes. The rounded lines are back, mainly in the stand-alone furniture and in the living area, in the kitchen the snack top or the convivial table in the living room are softened.

rounded forms
rounded furniture
rounded furniture green
rounded ribbed furniture

FINISHES

Here we decree that stainless steel has lost its charm and has been replaced with many different finishes. As we have seen in recent years, the satin brass color and rose gold are the stylistic guides of the fashion industry, which, albeit indirectly, dictates the rules and also influences the world of design. In fact, we find metal profiles with these finishes in household appliances and in taps, if we do not want stainless steel we have the possibility to exclude it from any element for a valid alternative. These include the matt black, which can also be found in the matching preformed washbasins.

finishes taps

THE LOCATIONS OF THE FUORISALONE

The Salone del Mobile is also an opportunity to discover the wonderful buildings in the city center that open their doors and become an exhibition venue. Tom Dixon presented himself at Palazzo Serbelloni, while Palazzo Bovara welcomed, as last year, Elle Decor. Within the settings that describe and define the various areas through objects of timeless design. In the house we live in, objects, lamps and furnishings are arranged without apparent temporal and functional hierarchy, becoming interchangeable based on the activity carried out within it.

Palazzo Bovara
Palazzo Bovara restaurant
Palazzo Bovara Elle Decor

At Palazzo Citterio, the Maison Dior collaborates for the first time with Philippe Starck, inviting him to reinterpret the Médaillon chair, a symbol of the Louis XVI style, dear to Christian Dior.
The result is Miss Dior, an elegant chair that emphasises the lightness of aluminium in three variants, two finishes (polished and matt) and four colours, including chrome, copper, gunmetal and gold.
Here is the link to last year’s article, in which the same chair was reinterpreted by many different designers in even bizarre designs.

Dior and Stark
Dior rose gold

At Palazzo del Senato Kohler presents a world preview of a large-scale immersive art experience, entitled Divided Layers, in collaboration with one of the greatest artists on the contemporary scene: Daniel Arsham, who also created Rock.01 for the company, a 3D printed sink.

palazzo del senato
arsham

The alternative exhibition venue was instead the vault of a former bank in Piazza Affari where Pulpo‘s exhibits seemed even more precious.

Pulpo caveaux
Pulpo caveaux

STATALE UNIVERSITY

Statale University was totally occupied by over 40 projects that aim to reflect on what design could do for a better future. Regeneration, redevelopment, recovery and rebirth through eco-sustainable and dreamy installations. In the courtyards of the university, the theme of the labyrinth is chased, such as The A-maze Garden by Lissoni Associati with Amazon, or even Labyrinth Garden by Raffaello Galiotto. In the central courtyard stands the Sideral Station telescope tower, created with Whirlpool and signed by Michele De Lucchi. This is how he explained his project: «It is a tower to look up and imagine alternative visions of tomorrow. The immersive experience inside, where emotional spaces are explored, is designed to amaze and push the visitor to continue dreaming of a tomorrow worth living “.

statale main yard
statale labyrinth
statale idra
statale aula magna

HERMES, FENDI AND LOUIS VUITTON

The large space of the Pelota was, once again this year, the exhibition site of Hermes, which presented its latest collections dedicated to Home Decor. With extreme delicacy, the totems that contain the displayed elements, also divided by color ranges, are characterized by a light structure in wood and rice paper. Always the natural paper, structured in volumes of different heights, it is an exhibition venue for ceramics, leather containers and small bamboo objects.

Hermes ceramics
hermes leather
hermes small objects
hermes ceiling structure
Spazio Pelota Hermes

Fendi Casa presents its timeless home in a splendid building in Via Monte Napoleone. References to the past, new eco-sustainable materials such as bamboo, classic and modern shapes embrace each other in a sophisticated and attention to detail production.

Fendi Bar
Fendi home
fendi home details

The Luis Vuitton Objets Nomades exhibition is geared towards creative innovation, in which famous designers imagine experimental but functional furniture. The objects in the collection are characterized by an explosion of color, the beautiful Bulbo armchair by Fernando and Humberto Campana opens the collection and, during the visit, we were also lucky enough to immortalize Patricia Urquiola with her Overlay Bowl.

object nomades
object nomades louis vuitton
patricia urquiola
object nomades

THE BOLD INSTALLATIONS BY LEE BROOM, ALCOVA AND NILUFAR DEPOT

Lee Broom in the Brera Design District presented his Divine Inspiration, a series of six ethereal lamps that arise from the exploration of monumental design associated with religious architecture. A spiritual journey that transforms environments and evokes feelings of reverence and contemplation.

lee broom
lee broom
Lee broom
lee broom

Nilufar Depot presents Innesto, three floors of rich installations and a particular and exclusive type of design, which we could also define as unique. Because it arises from personal curiosity, from contamination, the appreciation of heterogeneity and the fusion of apparently distant worlds.

nilufar depot
nilufar bed

For the third consecutive year, Alcova confirms its attention to the evolutions and developments in the world of design, to offer a stimulating cross-section of it. In each room a different exhibition in which different projects alternate established professionals with young emerging talents to explore new frontiers from the point of view of technology, materials, sustainable production, social practices and any other current direction of design.

alcova portal
alcova window
alcova textiles

Interesting and inherent to the theme of reuse were the presentation of recycled materials from disused appliances.

home appliance

THE SALONE DEL MOBILE 2022 IN CONCLUSION

Production would never be with zero environmental impact, sustainability and ecological transition are therefore difficult issues to perform but at the same time interesting challenges. In the hope that we can really create a virtuous ecosystem on reuse to limit the large waste of our society, we give you an appointment at the Salone del Mobile in 2023!

BLACK IRON IN FURNITURE

BLACK IRON IN FURNITURE

Nowadays the iron and the metals that are inserted in the furnishings have been returning to their natural finish, called in jargon “raw” (raw iron is commonly called black). This brings out the material with which the product was made and its natural imperfections make it even more alive and unique in its kind.

THE BLACK IRON

The word “iron” in common parlance is usually used to also indicate low strength “iron alloys” and mild steels which have a silvery-gray appearance. Very resistant, ductile and malleable, they are distinguished by black iron which is darker, more delicate and is used exclusively for indoor structures, therefore much less exposed to atmospheric agents. To preserve it from humidity and the risk of rust appearing even in sheltered environments, black iron is usually treated in a very natural way with beeswax or transparent varnish, both solutions make it slightly brighter and create a sort of film protective.

boutique made in black iron
details black iron table
details black iron table

A Boutique realized where the concept Fil Rouge was precisely the combined black iron and material finishes

THE IRON IN THE STRUCTURES OF THE ELEMENTS

The peculiarity of polymaterial structures is that the different materials are harmoniously associated with their aesthetic and structural characteristics. In terms of resistance, what wood supports with its 2 cm, metal can do with a tenth of the thickness. This is why we like to use metals in load-bearing structures, such as the backs of bookcases or furniture. Black iron kept in its natural color can also act as a contrast with a very light lacquer or with a wood-colored essence. Below are some examples where you can see how the structure is light even if extremely dark.

bookshelf in black iron
environment in black iron
bookshelf in black iron

black iron bookcases populate the living area of this elegant apartment

Also used for fixtures in its industrial spirit, it never abandons glass in combination with room dividers, as for the kitchen below which is separated from the living area. The shaped tops of the tables and the turned legs are also in very thin black iron sheet.

black iron fixtures and tables

partitions and tables in black iron in this Newyorkers Apartment

Black iron is also often used as a “lid” for furniture, a sort of thin blanket that envelops the entire element and sometimes reaches the floor, becoming a base. An example are the doors and the column of this kitchen and in the bar cabinet below, where the iron in addition to supporting it repairs the support surface, which, like all horizontal surfaces, is more subject to wear than vertical ones.

living room bookcase iron black
Iron and lacquered bar cabinet
 iron base detail
iron tv cabinet

Two Apartment, one in the center of Milan and one in Bergamo, where black iron structures bookcases and the top of the TV and bar cabinets.

Here, on the other hand, it is used as a covering for the doors and the niche of an elegant Kitchen in Milan.

 kitchen doors covered with black iron
covered doors detail
handles in black iron

THE BLACK IRON IN THE COVERINGS

Due to its dark and irregular color, very masculine and elegant, black iron can also be used as a wall covering to create a sort of partition or portal. A portal to divide the rooms inside the house, at a symbolic level to make the user cross towards a place that will be able to express himself only when he crosses the black threshold, many times illuminated from above or sideways with LED strips. Here are some examples of portals, some inserted only in the doorway and others much more structured, with also an equipped part in which to hide some furniture at the service of the house.

lighted portals
equipped portal

Portals that act as partitions and equipped portals

Branding paneling, on the other hand, is very common in the Retail sector, for example the corners of the Tiziana Fausti shop, in which the black iron panels visible from the central space have externally the laser engraved logo of the Brand which is located inside the box used for it.

brand logo in iron
external panel black iron

Laser cutted Brand’s logo on black iron partitionsin the Tiziana Fausti shop in Bergamo

ALL BLACK

Having a furniture completely made of black iron is not only possible, but sometimes it is the right choice for certain types of environments and goes well with the rest of the furniture. Here is our realization of a niche furniture in which doors and structure, both external and internal, are covered or structured in black iron.

iron covered furniture
details black iron furniture

Here is also another example of a black iron structure with desks and tables in the same material made by Locatelli & Partners inside a church, their old operational headquarters. The contrast of the cold and dark material inserted in a context that does not belong to it, as in this case a Baroque church with warm tones and completely frescoed walls enhances the material and turns out to be a harmonious union.

THE BLACK IRON IN THE DETAILS

Black iron can also be found in small details and accessories, such as handles and frames. They turn out to be a touch of color and a detachment of fundamental material for some very clear and bright environments. The detail gives an extra touch of elegance to the environment and characterizes it, an example are these full-height handles that reflect the frame of the glass partition of this splendid kitchen made in Barcelona.

kitchen Barcellona black iron details
black iron handel
black iron kitchen details

MATERIAL FINISHES

We have previously said that the surfaces of raw materials can be non-uniform and have defects such as scratches or changes in tone in the plate. Excellent for industrial-style interiors, black iron was in fact very common in production workshops at the height of the industrial revolution, sometimes even rusty and together with oxidized brass, ceramics, knotty solid wood and antiqued glass it became the symbol of those years. This raw effect of raw materials has become a trend of companies and design and architecture studios and in recent years it is in great demand. Precisely for this reason, numerous products have been created that reproduce the textures inspired by the essences of wood, black iron or natural stones for exclusive wall coverings or home furniture. The important thing about these finishes in addition to the visual aspect are the tactile emotions capable of arousing thanks to rough and often irregular surfaces, which together are called material finishes. Together with black iron, an anthracite-colored textured paint can give a hint of color and roughness to other elements in which iron is not present but which are in the same environment. An example are these shaped shelves associated with a black iron desk with a Linoleum desktop in the same shade of gray in the center of the top.

desk and shelves
bookshelf in dark gray

THE BLACK IRON IN THE PROJECTS

After all these examples we can only break a lance in favor of raw black iron, like a dark dress that is always in fashion its use, which is both bold and bold or minimized in small details in home furnishings makes it alive, vintage and fascinating at the same time.