Timeless is the name of the collection full of new developments by Annibale Colombo, presented at the Salone del Mobile and including two lines: Kong collection by the designers Alberto Pozzoli and Alex Bocchi and the Italo collection by the architect Carlo Bimbi. The name indicates the fact that the offerings draw on the tradition of a company with two centuries of history: it was back in 1812, in fact, that Filippo Colombo founded the business in Brianza and began to make fine furniture for the Milanese bourgeoisie of the day. From generation to generation, the crafts workshop became an industrial facility, without losing the taste for handmade excellence and uncompromising quality.
In the modern headquarters at Novedrate, with an area of 8000 sqm, workmanship and technology meet to produce classic and contemporary furnishings of extraordinary elegance and refinement. Techniques of inlay work and carving at the highest levels, precise interlocks, smoothed and polished finishes made with age-od gestures, for the manufacture of furniture that conveys all the charm of one-of-a-kind pieces. The wood varieties utilized come only from reforested zones. The colors and finishes are all strictly natural. The surfaces are polished with shellac and beeswax.
The Kong collection stands out for the workmanship of the lateral borders in solid Canaletto walnut, converging towards the corners to touch and create the legs of the tables, for example. The joint is made with a curvature that generates an open zone, “Kong” in Chinese. The gap becomes a characteristic feature of the table itself, in contrast with the full solid wood and marble.
Emptiness becomes a design factor, on a par with other materials, in pursuit of harmony and balance, combining oriental aesthetics with the fine craftsmanship typical of the collections of Annibale Colombo. The range covers the Kong table, the Achille chairs, the Ecuba etagère and the Didone console; the materials that play with the harmonious lines and contrasting juxtapositions are Canaletto walnut and white Carrara marble.
The new lines of the Italo collection designed by Carlo Bimbi – who has made many successful collections for Annibale Colombo over the years, always with elegant, exclusive designs – are in tune with technological innovation. One example is the Michelangelo table, with a special ultra-light base in curved marble, combined with a platinum-finish structure. The particular workmanship of the marble provides a very sturdy but also super-light curved structure.
The Romeo table, on the other hand, stands out for the crafting of the curved base, with a series of 34 slats of solid Canaletto walnut for great strength combined with lightness and exceptional looks. The same family, apart from the Michelangelo table in the round or rectangular versions, includes the Romeo table, the Giulietta chair, the Rosalina sideboard combining Canaletto walnut and rosewood, the Lavinia chair and the Leonardo sofa, also in Canaletto walnut, the Triangolo side table, the Parlato low cabinet, the Raffaello and Bembo tables in Canaletto walnut with Rainbow onyx top. Moving to the bedroom zone, Carlo Bimbi has created the Donatello bed with a minimalist style, for use together with the Amedeo dresser, the Sandro bedside table, the Artemisia desk and the Talia wardrobe, again in Canaletto walnut.
