Funeral House

Funeral House

by | May 23, 2022 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, WORK IN PROGRESS

The Funeral House was recently inaugurated in Bergamo, a solemn but at the same time intimate and delicate place, intended to give the last farewell to loved ones.

Funeral House entrance

THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE PLACE

The structure, built within the urban context, becomes a living and integral part of the community with its strong stylistic and architectural connotation.
Given the nature of the large spaces, the feelings transmitted are one of tranquility and protection, with lounges dedicated to meditation and sharing.

There is a Laical room and a Room for the ceremony for the delivery of the ashes and Private rooms.

Laical Room
Funeral House private room

The lighting plays a fundamental role, it comes both from the outside, slightly obscured by smoked glass, and from the inside, expertly designed so that it is punctual but not excessive.
Round ceiling lights in the corridor part are flanked by sophisticated design chandeliers at the entrance and in the rooms.
All the light is dimmable to ensure that moments of wakefulness and intimacy are distinguished from others as the day progresses.

light details
ceiling wall lighting

Onyx-effect tiles are the material protagonists of the environment, covering most of the full-height walls.
These are combined with the soft gray stoneware on the floor and the dove-gray upholstery for the Laical Room.
The decorative fil rouge of all the rooms is walnut declined in the form of floor-to-ceiling slats. These are found in different points of the structure, marking its visual rhythms.

Funeral House entrance

A dedicated space has been created for children with a library made up of titles selected by Ursula Gruner for age groups.
This sweet thought for the little ones can be a valuable help to accompany them in understanding the importance of that moment.

space for children
books for childrens

OUR WORK

We took care of some of the furnishing elements of this imposing structure.
Mainly of the two executive offices, whose goal is to make them operational and functional while maintaining overall elegance and a sense of lightness.
Since the entire Funeral House is very characterized in terms of elements, colors and materials, a very neutral project was opted for.
In fact, the furniture, which has the same delicate color as the walls, disappears inside the two rooms and serves only as a logistical support.

big office

Doors and drawers hide folders, files and all the bureaucratic aspect of the structure, leaving only two light tables with a bronze structure in sight.
Here is another example of an office with a similar table structure but in stainless steel finish.
In the smaller office, the furniture from the niches develops in an equipped lateral extension that reaches the table, remaining at its side with a chest of drawers and internal shelves available.
The piece of furniture where the desk rests can be accessed from the side, next to another tall shelf unit.

small vertical studio funeral house
smal studio lateral
details corner

In the second office, larger than the previous one, the furniture is developed in a U shape, using the niche of the large window as the largest equipped surface.
Here, in the center, there are drawers and doors with internal shelves, while the two side becomes an extension and display case for small marble objects and cinerary urns.
The representative table with bronze painted iron structure and medium gray top in Linoleum is positioned exactly under the spot lighting from the ceiling.

big office
details expo
details table bronze funeral house

Inside the Private rooms, small storage cabinets equip the room without visually invading it.

drawer units in the funeral house niche
drawer units in the farewell house niche

The consoles and tables of the rooms are based on our design, which have been skillfully made in painted folded sheet metal. The design concept was to obtain a light, load-bearing and unobtrusive structure. The console features two side legs with an inverted X structure, in which the narrow rectangular section of the structure changes its axis and is combined with the wide one. This allows for visual movement by varying the perspective of the element. An elegant slab of onyx-effect stoneware has been recessed into the top of the console, on which the Book of signatures will be placed. The same structure, combined with two “cross” side defines the low tables. The base of the latter recall the one of the consoles while the top is made in a round and thin sheet metal. As the color of both a slightly bronzed dark brown, which recalls the fixtures and finishes of the structure.

leg's console
consolle lateral

THE INAUGURATION OF THE FUNERAL HOUSE

The presentation of the Casa del Commiato was also innovative and interesting. The first access to the public was in fact crowned by a short but intense exhibition, Wish You Were Here. Here the works of 23 artists dealt with a delicate theme such as death, in empty and not yet furnished rooms. “An intimate and spiritual journey of the analysis of absence but also an attempt to crystallize and make eternal that extraordinary emotional tension that originates from the pain of loss, transforming it into a regenerating force. Through the powerful connotation of the place, the artists’ works resonate with the themes of infinity, beyond, melancholy, tension and desire, ensuring that even a painful concept such as absence can become a positive engine of creative production “. (cit. Gabriele Salvaterra) In the Laical Room an installation by Noemi Mirata shows a dying body give way to a new plant life, which rises upwards. On the back screen a video of Elisabetta di Sopra in which the gestures in caring for a life that is born and one that goes are repeated.

Noemi Mirata, La fisica dell’oltre Elisabetta Di Sopra, THE CARE

In the front La fisica dell’oltre Noemi Mirata. Video installation Elisabetta Di Sopra, THE CARE 

At the center of the large corridor is the work of Martina Cioffi made of raku ceramic. The sculpture tends to evoke a powerful nature, mixed animal and vegetable, creative and fruitful.

Martina Cioffi, Shape-shifting #1
Martina Cioffi, Shape-shifting #1

Martina Cioffi, Shape-shifting #1 

In the smaller office the dreamlike work of Lorenzo D’Alba, in which two alien creatures find their natural habitat in empty space. In the larger office, the photographic series by Lidia Bianchi in which the memory of her father is mixed with Pierpaolo Pasolini’s thoughts on fireflies, a sign of the loss of an original nature, naivety, and amazement.

Lorenzo D'Alba
Lidia Bianchi

Lorenzo D’Alba Echinus and Lidia Bianchi Sono Tornate le Lucciole

These are just some of the installations of the exhibition that developed within all the rooms of the Funeral House. The inauguration took place between 25 and 28 March, exactly two years after the first lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which especially hit Bergamo and prevented many families from being able to greet their deceased with dignity. After two long years, Generali Onoranze Funebri and the Centro Funerario Bergamasco open a place, in the heart of the city, where death can find space and be included in life.

BLACK IRON IN FURNITURE

BLACK IRON IN FURNITURE

by | Apr 7, 2022 | LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA, STYLE TIPS

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.

THE FURNISHING OF A TAVERN IN A CONTEMPORARY STYLE

THE FURNISHING OF A TAVERN IN A CONTEMPORARY STYLE

by | Jan 31, 2022 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, LIVING THE HOUSE, PRIVATE APARTMENT, STYLE TIPS

The interior design of the taverns with the passage of time requires small retouchers to return to their original beauty and allow the owners to rediscover that desire to fully living the space. Here the case of a tavern adapted in a contemporary style.

Modern wooden table tavern

THE TAVERN

The tavern is a home environment that risks not to being exploited to the fullest, especially if it is used as a second living area. However, what makes it different from the traditional living area is an intrinsic intimacy that makes it the most welcoming place in the whole house. How many people immediately think of the tavern when they have to organize a dinner with friends? Or when they want to enjoy a bit of tranquility, how many of them are isolating themselves in the company of a good book in their relaxing corner? Precisely for this reason the tavern can be elected as the most convivial and intimate place in the house, although its furniture must always be functional and in line with the other environments.

Kitchen tavern table lights

the living area connects to the kitchen, an equipped floor divides them.

FIREPLACE

As already mentioned in the article dedicated to Hygge, a fireplace or a wood stove are elements that can best convey warmth and intimacy; usually the fulcrum of the environment in which they are located are the perfect places to spend time chatting with loved ones and a hot tea or a good glass of wine in your hands. In the case of this renovated tavern in a contemporary style, a large fireplace becomes the focal point of the entire living area. It also acts as a connecting element between the living area of the apartment, located on the ground floor, and the exit to the courtyard. The terracotta floor take up the choice of keeps the materials of the rest of the house. This also covers the raised base, becoming both a seat and a support surface according to the different depths. A large cushion makes it even more comfortable to use, welcoming a comfortable reading corner.

fireplace e higgelig

THE DINING AREA

In front of the fireplace there is a large heat-treated oak table with warm veins and a simple and linear aesthetic structure (which we also find in this creation), with a light base in anthracite painted iron. Surrounded by lovely mustard-colored armchairs, it is able to liven up the environment and ready to accommodate up to 12 diners. To emphasize the warmth and intimacy of this environment, three pendant lamps mark a visual rhythm with their diffused and soft light. The new lampshade in a pure opal white amplifies the general brightness of the environment.

table lights in the living area
detail of the armchairs
drapery detail

Details of the mustard eco-leather armchairs and double venetian blinds with gray “drop” decoration downwards.

THE KITCHEN

The kitchen changes position compared to the original plan and is an extension of the living area, facing the dining table with an equipped worktop, which can also act as a support surface. The floors, recovered from the originals in Rosso Verona marble, very distinctive and decisive, blend well with the terracotta floor. To stand out and at the same time make the marble more sober and elegant, the furnishings of the entire kitchen, as well as that of the entire tavern, are in a light gray with cold tones. The handles are invisible for the wall units, shaped to measure for the tall unit in the center while, as regards the base of the wall units, reinforced with an aluminum profile matching the color of the lacquering.

lateral kitchen
handles details
handles details
kitchen snack

The kitchen with its colors and the details of the different handles.

THE RELAXATION LIVING ROOM

In the same finish as the kitchen, to maintain stylistic continuity, the TV cabinet in the relaxation lounge has also been lacquered, which is positioned in the most intimate and hidden part of the tavern. Reupholstered with a bright orange fabric, the sofa features cushions and backrests with refined pandance textures. The living room can be glimpsed at the entrance to the tavern, on the left, through glass shelves that cross the space to arrive, shaped, at the supporting column, painted anthracite like the legs of the dining table.

living room relax
textile details
zona relax
tv cabinet

THE FURNISHINGS OF THE TAVERN AT THE CONCLUSION

Furnishing the tavern means knowing how to convey sensations such as the sense of warmth, well-being and intimacy. It is important to develop the main elements in stylistic harmony with each other and in line with the rest of the apartment. If a tavern is dated and is left as such for too long, it risks losing its charm and becoming a second home cellar, in which stored unused objects.

tavern entrance

HYGGE : THE DANISH WAY TO HAPPINESS

HYGGE : THE DANISH WAY TO HAPPINESS

by | Nov 15, 2021 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, LIVING AREA, LIVING THE HOUSE, PRIVATE APARTMENT, STYLE TIPS

To have Hygge at home it is necessary to give it that sense of warmth, well-being and intimacy that perhaps it lacks. It is well established that living better in the home environment not only makes us feel better but makes us appreciate our daily life more till making us more happy.

intimate Hygge Living room

a warm and welcoming Hygge living room.

WHAT IS HYGGE?

A survey has identified in the Danish people the happiest in the world and in the Hygge its recipe for happiness, which is why it is so fashionable and more and more people try to steal its secrets to obtain a better psychophysical well-being. However, giving a meaning to the Danish term Hygge is not easy, it is linked more to an atmosphere and an experience than something tangible. It is the feeling of being at home, protected from the world and safe, conversing about the big or small things in life with friends or enjoying a cup of hot chocolate alone in total relaxation. Due to their specific social-cultural-economic conditions, the Danes spend 71% of their free time at home, which is why Interior Design is essential to experience the Hiemmehygge, or the Homemade Hygge. But what are the keys to success for having a more Higgelig home?

modern Hygge living room
Vintage Hygge living room

two Higgelig living rooms, one more modern and the second more vintage.

WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF THE HYGGELIG HOME?

LIGHTS

The lights are fundamental in the Hyggelig house, soft and “alive” like those of candles, many and everywhere, together with excellent artificial lighting.
In fact, the Danes have a real obsession with lamps, they choose and strategically place them inside the house.
They prefer design lamps, such as the PH lamp by Henningsten or the Panton VP Globe by Verner Panton capable of diffusing a soft light which is however reflected by the structure of the lamp using in combination with bulbs with low and warm voltages, on 1800 K.

moodboard Hygge style

Moodboard of the Hygge style, from the lights, to the furnishings and colors.

HYGGEKROG

In the Hygge headquarters, that is our home, a Hyggekrog could be the strategic point dedicated to pure relaxation, the area of a room where you like to snuggle under a blanket holding a book and a cup of tea.
It can be near a light source, like a window, or next to a warm place, like a wood-burning fireplace.
This love for confined spaces or real “dens” has been with us since we were children but has an ancestral origin. Sitting in a Hyggekrog makes us feel safe away from any potential threats, allowing us to relax.

dedicated Hyggekrog in wood
Hyggekrog obtained from the side windows.
minimal Hyggekrog

Three different Hyggekrogs: one specially designed to the side of the light source and two instead obtained as window / glazing work, one richer and the other more minimal

FIRE

A fireplace or a wood stove are just as Hyggelig, as well as being a source of warmth and comfort, the sinuous movement of the burning logs relaxes the view and the area around the fireplace becomes convivial, a place to spend time with loved ones and accentuate the intimacy of home life.
In the large living room of this contemporary-style villa, the sofas look out at an angle to a side wood-burning fireplace that warms the room without becoming the protagonist of the scene.

Moder Hygge Living room
Intimate fireplace corner
Details fireplace and cushions

The corner coexists on the side of the fireplace and some finishing details and accessories.

MATERIALS

The main material is wood, in floors, furniture and even in small household items.
Wood makes us feel closer to nature and this is exactly what we want to bring into the house.
In fact, there is also a green corner or just leaves, nuts, twigs, anything that makes us feel in the midst of nature.

Hygge green veranda

The smell of wood and its being a soft and lively material makes it simple and natural, just like the concept of Hygge itself.
Here a mountain apartment entirely covered with a splendid heat-treated and natural brushed larch.

living room in larch wood
corridor with high wooden paneling
cozy bedroom

Tall wooden boiserie are accompanied by a modern fireplace and other wooden elements such as the kitchen table and the backrests and bedside tables in the sleeping area.

BOOKS

If you think about relaxation and intimacy, you also think about the pleasure of reading, if the house is Hygge there will be shelves full of voluminous books. All books are in fact Hyggelige, but the classics written by authors such as Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë or Charles Dickens must occupy a special place among the shelves.

In this modern Milanese kitchen we could define this space dedicated to cookbooks very Higgelig, folders overlap each other but remain available to experience a different form of relaxation, the peace and gratification of well cooking.
If Hygge were a person, its could be a cook, who approaches life by understanding the value of a good meal in pleasant company.

Kitchen and books Higgelig

Books crowd this small corner dedicated to good food.

THINK OF TOUCH

As initially specified, Hygge is an experience that involves all our senses, including touch. In fact, the materials that inspire positive sensations when touched are also very important, a soft wool or even a hot ceramic cup.

Small colorful accessories, such as the famous Kähler vases, cups, blankets and pillows must not be missing.

Home with ceramics and green
pillows and blankets Hygge

Here are houses with blankets, soft pillows and ceramics./p>

THE BEST PERIOD TO PRACTICE THE HYGGE

The best time of the year to enjoy Hygge is about to begin: when the first cold arrives, winter is coming and the days are getting shorter, you feel the need to stay at home more.
This is the right time to prepare your “Home Sweet Home” to be warm and welcoming in the coldest season of the year.

What to do after having furnished it? A nice supply of warm sweaters and socks to put on and a nice playlist of songs to listen to while lying on the sofa.

Furthermore, a nice selection of films ready to be seen or a photo album to bring back old and pleasant memories cannot be missing. And above all… lots of sweets, a nice glass of wine, herbal teas and hot chocolates to be enjoyed in peace near your own home.

Enjoy Hygge everyone!!

Hygge book and tea