Young Italian Design At Formabilio

I like to think of design as a language. Similar to the linguistic equivalent, the design language tends to differ from country to country or region to region – think of Scandinavian design, Japanese design, German design. But yet the design language tends to remain an internationally comprehensible language of visual aesthetics. No idioms are necessary to decipher the meaning of design from various countries. Today I want to highlight two young Italian designs: The Antia Chair by the design  duo Alpestudio and the Tusciao Valet Stand by designer Andrea Brugnera. Both designs are produced and sold through the Italian design platform Formabilio.

The Antia Chair is a great example of the power of design – transforming a sturdy material like steel into an airy, graphic construction like this chair. The neat design seems so light as it could float, yet it is grounded by the repetitive structure of the rods of the back and seat. Another design highlight is the chair’s base: the joint legs seem to counteract the chair’s body and thus create a visual equilibrium that makes it so visually light. Designed by the siblings Luca and Alessia Perini of Alpestudio.

The Tusciao Valet Stand interprets a historical piece with a modern twist and Italian shapes. Forget times where you threw your clothes over a chair – with this valet stand you can combine form and function. Three elements in beech wood with metal rods are smartly conjoint with colourful leather junctions with snap buttons. The three wooden elements give a playful reference to Italian architecture – cubic houses of the Mezzogiorno, merlons of Italian fortresses and the pointed tips of typical Campanile bell towers – it is a little Italian voyage shaped into a wooden structure. Designed by Andrea Brugnera.

And now it’s time for a Spritz. Have a great week!