Downtown Design
redazione 20/12/2021

Collectible objects

From coffee tables to benches, stools to consoles, the most refined and artistic design demonstrates the value of handmade crafts

Hard to pigeonhole, in constant dialogue with art, collectible design enhances the homes of its fans (and others) with one-offs, custom items and limited editions. The focus is on quality, not quantity, and the story of the creative process makes each object unique. The interpretation of materials and their nature allows designers, artists and other creators to generate works that have both function and captivating looks. Grabbing attention at new dedicated fairs and events.

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Made as a one-off with the Métaphores textile firm of the Hermès group, the O wall cabinet by Jacobsroom Editions has soft, rounded forms. The structure makes it suitable for all the spaces of the home, from the living area to the bathroom and the bedroom. The inner space is hidden by two doors, enhancing the image and inspired by the structure of Renaissance altarpieces.

The studio CTRLZAK has designed the Agaxa stool for JCP Universe (a brand of Jumbo Group), stemming from the contamination between human creativity and that of nature. The metal structure is covered by multiple layers of leather worked by hand, with various pieces of pony skin to create chromatic shadings, making the stool a precious object.

The collaboration between Scapin Collezioni and Elena Salmistraro has generated the New Atomic Age collection, including the Ione bench with a marble top and sophisticated resin inlays to create graphic effects and neo-tribal references, with circles, lines and orbits.

The console by Fornasetti, with the “Facciata Quattrocentesca” decoration, is a storage cabinet in screen-printed wood, lacquered by hand. The architectural charm that has always been one of the atelier’s strong points, thanks to its forms and the precision of the design, becomes more contemporary in this piece.

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The creativity of Faïencerie de Charolles and the designer Baptiste Lanne leads to CLAPOT, an extremely contemporary table lamp with an organic and poetic form. A crafted ceramic piece, where the smooth surfaces trigger a contrast with the sculpted textures.

Draga & Aurel take inspiration from the materials and style of architectural New Brutalism for the new Golia tables (on cover) in Transparency Matters, a capsule collection of one-of-a-kind pieces made by hand that play with the contradiction between two apparently incompatible materials, resin and concrete. The concrete surface has a particular effect generated by corrosion using sea salt, accentuating the rugged character of the material. By contrast, the thick resin, available in different mineral colors, is smooth, with vivid luminous depth.

The name tells the tale of this table designed by Federico Peri for Nilufar Gallery. Anello means ‘ring,’ as in the signet rings of the ancient Romans. The form is reinterpreted in a contemporary way, using the stone with its fossils as a decorative feature, while the burnished brass simulates the oxidation of the material as a clear sign of the passage of time.

At EDIT Napoli, the international fair for design editions, Studio Irvine presented the Fusto Coffee Tables I II III for Forma&Cemento, made of concrete and based on classical architecture, where the top is supported by a column with a faceted surface to create games of light and shadow.

Another exhibitor at the fair, LI-AN-LO Studio presented the Jonas Coffee Table Bronze, a table without joints, where the legs – like mushrooms – grow through the glass top, which has three holes for the supports.

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