The Akari Light Sculptures (1951) by Isamu Noguchi are a series of luminaires, handcrafted from traditional washi paper by Japanese artisans. ‘The harshness of electricity is thus transformed through the magic of paper back to the light of our origin – the sun.’ (Noguchi)
Recurring geometries, combinations of figures. Marble and marmorino plaster: comparison and dialogue. The collection is completed by a linear listello tile with the motif of a sequence of vertical rectangular blocks, which can be combined with the slabs to further enrich compositions involving continuous ceramic surfaces cladding.<br /><br />"Another reference is the use of Italian marbles on the verge of extinction, rare marbles such as Rosa Valtoce, the marble used in Milan Cathedral."<br />Cristina Celestino Cristina Celestino's smartphone contains a folder of images entitled "Milan". Photographs that are more like notes. Photographs of architectural features, materials or details of shapes encountered by chance during a walk, but they cannot be described as merely a vague "source of inspiration". This filing system, created in response to a fleeting instinct, is an integral part of the method of work adopted by the architect and designer, who starts off without preconceptions "“ or "free", as she puts it before drawing inputs from a vast world of references, from Hermès scarves to the works of the great Masters (in the specific case of Policroma). This accumulation, partly spontaneous and party the outcome of in-depth historical knowledge and study, naturally activates a process of synthesis and personal interpretation common to all Cristina Celestino's output.<br /><br /><br />The wall covering collection designed for Cedit was no exception, although in this case the designer was dealing with a project with variable dimensions, reaching up even to the architectural scale. In her own distinctive way, she combined a variety of references. Adolf Loos's passion for coloured types of marble, and Cipollino in particular. Carlo Scarpa's angular metal frames and Marmorino plaster in Venice. The French fashion house's square silk scarves. The entrance halls of Milan palazzos, Gio Ponti, the city's Cathedral. All expressed in the designer's own language: well balanced geometrical forms, subtle colours (shades similar to those of Scarpa himself), an effortless, almost restrained, playful elegance. The mood is that of the homes of the enlightened bourgeoisie who shaped the history of Milan, Celestino's adoptive city and an endless source of inputs. She has worked its interiors, including some of the least expected a 1928 tram, the historic Cucchi confectionery store hybridising her own style with the existing context. An imitative effect which is also the key to the meaning of the new Policroma collection: the marble varieties replicated using the Cedit technology are all from Italian quarries that are virtually "worked out". This revives an increasingly rare material as a "living" presence, in a different form which makes no claim to replace the natural original. Quite the contrary, Celestino immediately states her intention to imitate, by combining marble and Marmorino plaster in some variants with a contrasting frame (a typical feature for her, just as it was for Scarpa), and evoking the centuries-old marble-imitating scagliola plasterwork with a contemporary formula.<br /><br /><br />The types of marble chosen are central to the project's character. Verde Alpi, a favourite with Gio Ponti and often found in Milan entrance halls, features tightly packed patterning. Breccia Capraia, still found in a very few places in Tuscany, has a white background with just a few veins. Cipollino, in the special Ondulato variety in green and red, is patterned with spirals. Rosa Valtoce, on the other hand, was used by the "Veneranda Fabbrica" guild to build Milan Cathedral. It is an iconic stone with dramatic stripes, popular in the past; it is now sourced from one very small quarry in Piedmont which has been virtually abandoned.<br /> The many different elements that make up the Policroma collection all reflect the importance of craftsmanship to Cristina Celestino's design style: the modules can be freely mixed and combined, for example to create a concave or convex semicircle, or for the large-scale replication of small features initially conceived as trims, functional details transformed into a dominant motif.There is a return to the theme of the interior, a large or small protected space, conceived as suspended in space and time yet also reassuring and protective. It is designed through its coverings in a stark yet not minimalist way, with intelligence and with no overreaching artistic ambitions. An understated space and an extremely stylish declaration. In Milan style, of course.
An elegant side table with two planes, connected through a graphic leg for a modern expression. Pull the Relate Side Table up to a sofa to use as a hot desk or place it in any space to hold various objects.
HIRAY takes metal, one of the most important materials for the greening of the Kartell catalogue, and uses the welded wire process to shape it. The result is an essential and functional product that is nevertheless rich in emotion. Metal wires form well-defined yet lightweight structural parts of the collection’s chair, chair with arms, bistro table, armchair, divan and side table. The various articles come in white, Bordeaux, black and green.
Blast is a side-table (available in square or rectangular versions with rounded corners) with transparent base and tops. The design is a development of the Sir Gio table, with the opportunity to associate and combine different coloured bases and tops. The central core of the base is available in chrome or copper metallic finishes.
A completely transparent small side table in the perfect size: 40x40x40 cm. Colourful, practical, safe and functional, Jolly is a versatile and fun side table.
Rotate’s unassuming appearance belies its highly functional design. Created to fulfil a wide variety of purposes – from an office trolley, to a bedside table or bathroom storage unit – this asymmetrical piece can be inserted into any space. To ensure maximum adaptability, it sits on discreet wheels to facilitate quick and simple manoeuvrability from one location to the next.
Sitting within the larger In Between series, this lounge table carefully echoes many aspects of the In Between chair, from its gentle curvature to the outward splay of its legs. It is available in two heights and comes in three finishes: black lacquered oak; oiled oak; and smoked oiled oak.
The BK16 side table was designed in 1959 by Danish architect and professor Bodil Kjær. Part of a collection of beautifully crafted indoor-outdoor furniture in solid teak, its Cubist-inspired form echoes other designs in the series, all of which have a clean-lined and geometric quality. Perfectly proportioned to match the height of the collection’s lounge chair, the BK16 side table displays the same superior craftsmanship and striking simplicity that underpins the entire Indoor-Outdoor Series.
Tables. Base in Cristalplant®, composite material based on polyester and acrylic resins, loaded with minerals and mass pigmented. For the version 2575, tempered, extraclear, acidated plate glass top painted in the shade of white or made of white Carrara marble only matching the matt white base; or Sahara Noir marble top, with stain-resistant clear matt polyester protective varnish, matching the matt black varnished base. For the version 2576, clear plate glass top, matching the matt white base or black glossy lacquered; or smoky grey plate glass top only matching the black glossy lacquered base.
Bedside table with drawer. Graphite painted steel frame. Handle in graphite painted aluminium. Drawer in medium density fiberboard veneered with natural oak or varnished grey or white.
Small table. Steel frame painted in the shades black or white. Tops available either in white Carrara marble, in black Marquinia marble or in Emperador marble, with stain-resistant protective varnish, in clear matt polyester.