Giving new life to furniture: adapting them after a move

Giving new life to furniture: adapting them after a move

Facing a move means turning your life around, renovating your home and introducing new furnishing accessories.
Beginning to pack, you make a natural selection of the objects to take with you, recognizing for each their own emotional value.
Many times, this process also involves the world of furnishings, which accompany the owners in this moment of transition.
Giving new life to furniture also means renewing the context in which they are inserted, managing to adapt them in terms of aesthetics and functionality to the new environments.

Adapting furnishing to a new context

When the furnishings are custom designed, their conformation responds to the needs of the customers, perfectly matching with the architectural context in which they are inserted. In doing this, a strong link is born between the rooms in which they are inserted and the shapes, proportions and mechanisms of use of the furnishings.
This would suggest an indissoluble bond between the two components, which would break when the furniture undergoes a relocation.
It is absolutely not said!

In fact, among the potential of custom-made furniture there is a flexibility factor that allows us to give new life to furniture by making few changes.
These make it possible to transform the general imprint of the furniture in order to adapt it to the new context both in terms of aesthetics and functionality.

A perfect example are the adaptations made to these furnishing extrapolated from an apartment between classic and contemporary. Let’s discovery this apartment among transformed furniture and new additions.

The kitchen: increases the work space and storage volumes

The kitchen certainly represents the beating heart of a home.
In the case of this apartment between modern and contemporary, its conformation was born from a natural reading of the architectural context in which it was inserted.

The corner development made it possible to exploit the side part with service columns with anthracite gray lacquered MDF doors.
These are equipped with column ovens on the right, pantry with removable trays and a central compartment for the free-standing refrigerator. The front is made up of lower volumes with large drawers and service doors and upper wall units in a brilliant white Lacobel.

The new arrangement has provided additional useful space for the overall dimensions. Being able to use additional space on both sides, the most natural solution was to exploit the remaining gaps with additional volumes.
On the right, we provide a service column which houses a modern wine cellar accompanied by a door with height-adjustable internal shelves.

On the opposite end, the main problem arises when the worktop is made of natural stone, which has undergone a chromatic change over the years.
To avoid incurring a visible difference between the added part and the existing one, a wooden top was thus created. It also acts as a cutting board for preparing meals. An element that not only solves an aesthetically weak point, but also provides a functional solution.

giving-new-life-furniture-kitchen-move-cupboard-modify
modern-kitchen-front-view-counterop-natural-stone
side-view-kitchen-undertop-sink-white-lacobel-cabinet
kitchen-countertop-detail-natural-stone-white-lacobel-back-surface
kitcehn-service-columns-wine-cellar

The living area: a new contemporary aesthetic

To equip the living area, we recovered the furniture made in 2006.
The choice of colors was already avant-garde at the time. Even in a contemporary reworking they can adapt perfectly, resulting elegant and current. The TV cabinet in glossy anthracite gray lacquered MDF alternates flap doors with service drawers, whose recessed handles give visual lightness.

In this case, giving new life to furniture means adapting them to the new context in which they are inserted, managing to exploit the flexibility of the same.
Small changes have been made, mostly considered maintenance. Re-lacquering where necessary or remaking of structural parts.

The same approach was then applied to the service hanging columns, which are made up of doors in the upper part and small drawers in the lower part. Their new position side by side allows them to welcome guests introducing them to the living area and, at the same time, create a visual divider from the more intimate dining room.

give-new-life-furniture-living-room-tv-cabinet
detail-top-MDF-shiny-laquered-dove-gray
open-drawers-flap-door-tv-cabinet
flap-door-recessed-shaped-handle-tv-cabinet
modern-living-room-design-tv-cabinet
give-new-life-furniture-living-room-tv-cabinet-shiny-laquered
service-cabinet-living-room-drawers-door-shaped-recessed-handle
shiny-laquered-doors-dove-gray-recessed-shaped-handle
modern-living-room-furniture-cabinet-shiny-laquered

Children’s bedrooms: new tailor-made solutions to exploit architectural voids

The sleeping area houses the two small bedrooms whose conformation alternates architectural voids with important structural elements.
A tailor-made solution was therefore designed in both rooms in order to include all the necessary furnishings without sacrificing practicality and visual freedom.

For the first bedroom it was therefore decided to take advantage of the basement that leads to the mezzanine area to equip it with a shaped wardrobe.
Since the room is intended for a child, the dimensions and heights necessary for the clothes have certainly facilitated the design. Despite having little space available, taking advantage of the inclined height of the basement, it was still possible to create a double-height wardrobe with alternating shelves with fixed hangers.
The wardrobe is accompanied by a standing alone chest of drawers which is also used as a support surface.
The large one and a half bed is inserted in a niche. The latter used in the depth to fix shelves with hidden lighting.

In the second small room, the depth of the niche is useful for a certainly wider wardrobe. Full-height doors with push opening accommodate fixed tubulars, drawers for linen and shelves for folded items to satisfy the needs of a young girl.

shaped-wardrobe-basement-niche
service-drawers-bedroom
recessed-handle-shaped-detail-drawers
internal-wardrobe-composition-shap-bedroom
detail-hanger-shaped-shelves-wardrobe-bedroom
detail-shelves-integrated-lighting-bedroom
niche-bed-girl-illuminated-shelves
giving-new-life-furniture-niche-bed
shaped-niche-wardrobe-push-opening
interior-composition-wardrobe-bedroom-niche
internal-tubular-hanger-shelves-closet-bedroom
drawers-handle-hollow-inside-cabinet

The master bedroom: a wardrobe like new

The master bedroom is best equipped with a large wardrobe with sliding doors placed parallel to the bed.
Its linear aesthetic combined with spot ceiling lighting allows at the same time to hide its grandeur.
The result is a capacious and functional volume which, in the aesthetic impact of the room, tends to disappear while giving character and elegance.
Relocated from the old house, the different internal height has led to a reduction in height which has thus made it possible to better adapt to new environments.

The composition of the wardrobe comes from a natural division into three departments, corresponding to the division of the sliding doors.
On the outside, the double-height hanger houses removable glass shelves in the center. These are particularly suitable for storing folded shirts using the external sliding mechanism to reduce the internal height between the trays.
In the central compartment, the large linen drawers are accompanied by a pair of shelves for folded items and hangers in the upper part.
The left compartment instead houses a double hanger to accommodate long dresses and coats whose greater height compensates for the reduced space reserved for folded trousers and skirts.

master-bedroom-wardrobe-open-tray-extractable
animation-opening-wardrobe-internal-composition-giving-new-life-furniture
internal-composition-wardrobe-hangers-pull-out-trays
detail-trays-removable-glass-wardrobe-bedroom
detail-trays-removable-glass-wardrobe
internal-wardrobe-double-hanger
internal-composition-wardrobe-hangers-drawers

Giving new life to furniture does not only mean rejuvenating it and making changes to its aesthetics. The bespoke design allows you to create furnishings that are versatile and able to adapt to new environments. Restoring a balance between aesthetic conformation in relation to the room and functional needs becomes the main goal.

If you want to deepen the theme of furniture flexibility, we suggest you this article in which series furniture and tailor-made solutions help each other!

Contemporary Pop Style: young and bright environments

Contemporary Pop Style: young and bright environments

From Pop Art to interior design in its historical and contemporary meaning, the Pop style is characterized by dynamic and fresh interiors. Iconic objects, saturated and bright colors define fresh and youthful environments that are always current.

Giving a sparkling touch to the Pop-style home is quick and easy… let’s see how!

Pop interiors

example of a room in a pop style, with a strong color point and geometric references in black and white.

The origin of Pop Art

The style of furniture that we know as Pop and its contemporary meaning derive from the artistic movement developed in the United States. Born in the second half of the fifties, it knows its best period of development in the subsequent sixties and seventies.

These are the years of the economic boom and the rise of unbridled consumerism as a consequence of an ever greater economic well-being of society.

The name pop art is the abbreviation for “popular art”, which emphasizes the strong relationship between the new artistic current and “popular” objects. The goal of Pop Art is precisely to stage the consumer society by adopting an almost ironic meaning.

Desecrating the courtly conception of art by comparing it to objects extrapolated directly from mass society. In doing this, the expressive language used directly takes up the same expressive forms of the consumer society. The result is a vision of the artistic work perceived as a commercial product.

Advertising, television, cinema and supermarket shelves, the new temples of consumerism, become the subjects of works of art. Among these, Warhol’s famous Campbell sauce cans, whose graphic design is taken directly from the advertising prints of the time.

The bright colors and their full shades are taken up by the heroes of cinema and entertainment reproduced in cartoons, comics and serigraphs. After the resilience of war and the vision of a world in black and white, the colors of the new well-being invade society, rapidly changing its values.

Warhol, Lichtenstein and the other pop art artists tell this revolution through the symbols of the consumer society. The provocation itself becomes a force of consumerism, like a frame from which it is impossible to get out.

roy lichtenstein pop art
keith haring pop art

The expressive language of Pop Art between serigraphs and cartoons: Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring are among the best known exponents

oldenburg cadorna

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Ago e Filo, Milan

Andy Warhol Campbel Monroe

Andy Wahrol is definitely the Pop Art artist par excellence, with his illustrations of the Camper Souce and the reproductions of the face of Marilyn Monroe

Design icons

The improvement of the company’s economic conditions allows the purchase of products that are not only functional but also purely aesthetic. The design of furniture and home interiors adapts accordingly by changing shapes, materials and values.

Precisely for this reason, in those years, Industrial Design, intended as a serial production of elements, had the apex of its development. The increasingly conspicuous demand of the company satisfies the manufacturing industry which responds with new, impactful and original objects.

The designers of the time best express their creativity by experimenting with new materials. Experimenting with alternative manufacturing techniques also allows them to shape the material to better convey the design idea. The many icons of Design, especially Italian, that still crowd the collective imagination date back to those years.

These also become the characterizing element of the interiors, giving them an eternal and whimsical character. Some examples are the Vitra chairs designed by Verner Panton, the Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio, the trolleys by Joe Colombo and all the products of a nascent Kartell.

ettore sottsass Milan interior

Paradisiartificiali Studio, Tribute to Ettore Sottsass, Milan

pop material icon design

Plastic and plexiglass are appreciated for their ductility and material expressiveness in the Pop style. The design icons are characterized by bright colors and soft shapes.

Sacco chair
Joe Colombo
Kartell

Here are some icons of Design: Zanotta’s Sacco armchair, Joe Colombo’s Boby trolleys and Kartell modular units revisited in a modern key with new pastel colors and innovative textures.

Pop Art in house interiors

For a Pop Art style décor, the first to lead the chorus are the bright and lively colors. Especially chosen in their saturated and bright colors, they completely exclude the use of shades in favor of full colors. The importance of visual coherence between the different rooms of the house is reflected precisely in the use of well-balanced colored hues.

The furniture inside the rooms does not exceed in number but rather stand out for the fluidity of the shapes and the chromatic choice. The choice to place iconic design objects is appreciable. Pieces of furniture that have marked history.

Compared to the Boho style, this choice of antiques, however, is not aimed at abundance but is limited to a few significant pieces. One of the most famous examples is the Mouth-shaped sofa by Gufram, inspired by Marilyn’s lips. Its strong visual impact and its iconicity make it the protagonist of the rooms to the point of being enough to define the stylistic imprint of the entire room.

bedroom colors graphics
living room icons drawings

A bedroom inspired by the design of the Memphis group designed by Jannat Vasi. On the right: a Pop-style living area amidst colorful furnishings and minimal graphics

bedroom pop style minimal
living room pop style

Carpets, fabrics, stylistic shapes and chronatic choices respond to a balanced overall vision in the Pop style.

The Pop style is recognized for the choice of plastic materials and resins, which exploded in use and experimentation in those years. The flexibility and ductility of these materials allow the designers to have the maximum artistic expression, managing to produce series furniture with original and fluid shapes.

To these is added the plexiglass, appreciated for its transparency that assimilates it to the noblest glass, but extremely resistant. To enrich the Pop-style interiors, paintings and decorations whose graphics are directly inspired by the world of comics and screen printing.

These stand out among colored walls, sometimes covered with wallpaper with graphics characterized by abstract and hypnotic lines, also used in the choice of carpets.

pop icons design graphics

Minimalist graphics and furnishings with bizarre shapes, including colors and products of the Pop style

The pop style according to Modulor: the contemporary variant

The grit and character of the Pop style is certainly appreciable for dynamic interiors and young personalities. Its highly characterizing expressive charge applied to contemporary interiors sometimes risks creating environments that, when experienced daily, tend to “tire”.

For this reason, the variant in our projects always tends to contain the Pop imprint of some elements within the home furnishings. Few elements that, in terms of shapes and colors, lead back to the freshness and creativity of this style, but blend perfectly with neutral and contemporary interiors.

Combined with the brightness of white furnishings and environments, they are also able to further enhance themselves, becoming stylistic icons of home furnishings.

pop art house corridor pop art
living room pop details

A Modulor creation on a project by Studio MILO in a contemporary style with refined Pop details: from the choice of the paintings, to the precious carpets by CC-Tapis passing through the living area in perfect Pop style

pop living room

A few details in chromatic uniformity are enough to give grit and character to an interior: walls and furnishings of this creation give a decisive touch while remaining balanced overall

pop kitchen

Our project of Omelette table with rotating yolk flanked by red Pantone chairs and a kitchen in black and white.

Bergamo industrial attic

A brightly colored Smeg refrigerator and an artfully crafted table complement a linear kitchen in this splendid Bergamasco Loft.

The Pop style in its traditional and contemporary meanings responds perfectly to strong charisms. A little eccentric and certainly very creative personalities, who do not, however, give up balance and stylistic elegance. Far from being chaotic, the well-balanced Pop style instead expresses a stylistic and conceptual refinement, as well as a passion for visual art forms.

Optimizing spaces with functional furniture: a studio apartment in Milan

Optimizing spaces with functional furniture: a studio apartment in Milan

A studio apartment in the suburbs of Milan able to optimize the available space with functional furniture. The choice of materials expresses simplicity and naturalness, to make the bespoke interiors of this welcoming apartment contemporary.

living-room-studio-apartment-open-table-position-optimizing-spoaces-with-functional-furniture
studio-apartment-with-furniture-to-optminize-space-01

A cozy looking studio apartment in Milan

We have already addressed the issue of living in small spaces with this minimal style apartment in the heart of Milan. After a few years, the need to optimize spaces has not lost interest but has instead increased the demand for functional furniture. The example of this studio apartment in the suburbs of Milan best expresses the concept of practicality combined with a natural aesthetic line.

Starting from the original structure of the apartment, the renovation project began primarily with the spatial organization of the rooms. The entrance, working as a filter, acts as a pivot for the management of internal flows. From the front opens the view of the kitchen, essential but well equipped, which visually communicates with the loft living area where a large bed is located.

On the left of the entrance is the anteroom, equipped as a closet with service wardrobes. From here, direct access to the bathroom with a large glass shower and sink area with service cabinet.

equipped-columns-shelves-and-doors-living-room-optimize-spaces
equipped-wall-detail-furniture-to-optimize-spaces
living-room-desk-furniture-to-optimize-spaces
kitchen-access-with-full-height-doors-to-optimize-spaces
side-view-kitchen-with-windows-on-living-room-optimize-spaces-with-furniture

Furniture designed to optimize space

To make the most of the available space, the furniture of this studio apartment has been custom designed by obtaining service rooms from structural voids and architectural constraints. The best example is certainly the creation of the under-stairs compartment with doors and push-pull trays useful for arranging objects of various sizes. In fact, starting from the modularity of the risers and treads of the access ladder to the mezzanine, doors are created with a vertical reading whose opening takes place via push pull. Depending on the need, each internal compartment takes up the space of two or more steps, equipping itself with additional extractable volumes where necessary. From this perspective, the dining table can also be in a resting position, attached to the equipped wall of the TV area and used as a desk, or moved to the center of the room to accommodate other diners.

Even the equipped wall, to gain additional service space, is made up of three distinct modules, the sides of which are slightly inclined. The shaping of the different elements allows an optimal management of the architectural corners, also creating a greater sense of welcome.

The architectural void then becomes the new design theme, equipping cavities and niches with shelves and open compartments. This is the case, for example, of the main pillar, incorporated in the dividing structure between the kitchen and the living area. The lower part houses internal shelves accessible through a door with push opening, while the upper part consists of exposed shelves in the niche.

under-stairs-equipped-closed-doors
under-stairs-equipped-open-doors-to-optimize-spaces-with-furniture
living-room-studio-apartment-milan-natural-material
front-view-equipped-under-stairs-compartments
kitchen-doors-to-organize-spaces-drawers-furniture-to-optimize-space
electrical-tower-down
eletrical-tower-up

Functional but also conceptual steps

Another focal point is the anteroom, which from an environment required by law also becomes a useful space for the storage of cleaning products and service cabinets. Drawers and doors with height-adjustable internal shelves are used for the products storage of different sizes.

Even in the bathroom, the design of the furnishings in order to make them functional gives life to a large and bright environment. The change of flooring marks the transition not only physical but also conceptual and visual to a more intimate and reserved environment. The front view on the window offers ample natural lighting, diffused throughout the room thanks to the choice of materials. The glass closure of the shower minimizes the aluminum details, while the large mirror attached to the service cabinet expands the perception of space.

Optimizing the space in the bathroom means taking advantage of all the service cavities: an example is the open oak cabinet under the window. The service shelves for toilet paper and small personal hygiene products in wooden finish in fact obtain their space on the side of the radiator, without however being oppressive. Small accessories such as the pull-out towel holder enrich the functionality of an aesthetically simple and clean bathroom cabinet. Simple and authentic forms are thus valued.

equipped-anteroom-service-cabinet
optimize-spaces-with-functional-anteroom
contemporary-bathroom-gray-furniture-to-optimize-spaces
contemporary-bathroom-glass-door-shower
bathroom-studio-apartment-milan-optimize-spaces
glass-shower-bathroom-contemporary-gray
shaped-furniture-wood-bathroom

Natural colors and materials for a contemporary studio apartment

The practicality of the furnishings is not only found in their composition and spatial arrangement, but also in the choice of materials that characterize them. For horizontal surfaces, the choice fell on oak, a natural wood par excellence with great resistance and workability characteristics. Its aesthetic line with warm veins makes it welcoming and transmits spontaneity and tradition. From the parquet floor to the kitchen top and shelves of the open compartments, its presence becomes the touch of authenticity of the stylistic line adopted. For the vertical surfaces, on the other hand, the canvas bilaminate was chosen, whose warm but neutral tones make it delicate but incisive at the same time. Among the major advantages of this material, it certainly has high resistance combined with a very affordable price. Its finish also makes it soft to the aesthetic impact and textured to the touch, expressing attention to detail.

detail-LED-light-stairs
detail-canvas-bilaminate-doors
bathroom-countertop-basin-design-tap
detail-customed-bathroom-furniture

The renovation of this studio in Milan involved all levels of reading of the project. From the planimetric distribution of the rooms to the choice of materials and finishes. The choice of functional furniture allows you to optimize spaces by providing environments that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also practical and easily livable.

Architectural voids and structural elements hide great potential, just look at them with creative eyes!

To see other examples of small rooms optimized in spaces with functional furnishings, you can take a peek at this minimal style studio apartment or at this shabby chic style creation

Classic style: Elegant and welcoming

Classic style: Elegant and welcoming

The Classic style is typical of an elegant, spacious house, capable of transmitting feelings of welcome and warmth without appearing severe. Those who choose the classic style certainly love retro-flavored furniture, wood with its inlays and oversized upholstered sofas.

Classic Living room

a Classic living room with upholstered sofas and armchairs, elegant chandeliers and large curtains.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CLASSIC STYLE

Although the years fashions are passing quickly, the Classic style can be defined timeless. Recognizing himself for his inspiration from the noble houses of the past, he refers itself precisely to that ancient luxury. This style is synonymous of elegance and often also the declaration of a certain socio-economic status and a certain type of taste.

Great attention is given to the authentic beauty of the furniture and finishes rather than functionality or technology. Two factors are therefore important to furnish in a classic style: a large space to devote to furnishings and accessories and no limits of budget. People who choose the classic style often have a passion for fine antiques and a very spacious house ready to welcome them.

 modern classic living room

a living room in Classic Modern style, more minimal but equally elegant.

BETWEEN ARCHITECTURAL CONFORMATION AND INTERIOR DESIGN ELEMENTS

In the Classic Style’s architecture there is no shortage of columns with capitals, sometimes not structural but a simple pretext of aesthetic refinement. Stuccos, vaults, ceiling moldings and frescoes find their best expression. Another key element are the chandeliers, usually in crystal and clearly visible in the center of the rooms. Art is very important for classic-style homes, an inevitable touch of class. Very large paintings seem to transform domestic interiors into museum spaces, or many squares of various sizes crowd an entire wall as if they were the scenography of “The Best Offer”“The best offer”. There is no shortage of statues or sculptures, both for the outside and for the inside.

When we talk about classic style it is good to underline that we are referring to a world of interior design that embraces different influences, eras and traditions. Think of the imperial, rococo, baroque and all the currents that define the taste of tradition. Of all the facets known throughout history, the most popular one in the world of interior design is the Modern Classic. We could define an extremely chic and refined Modern Classic, comparing itself in certain aspects and interpretations to the Luxury style.

boiserie white
boiserie gray

both for the Classic and Modern Classic styles, the Boiserie are fundamental.

MATERIALI E COLORI

Wood always prevails and is usually “solid”, recognizing itself for physical and visual prominence with important thicknesses and large surfaces. In fact, at the design level, the tops and backs of bookcases and furniture tend to be tall and wide and most of the time with a characterizing profile or elaborate decorative details. Noble woods such as mahogany, oak, cherry and beech prevail.

Then there are wooden elements such as chests and cupboards which, as for the Boho Chic style, are indispensable. The materials combined with wood are noble and luxurious, such as marble for the floors or even for the kitchen and bathroom countertops, glass for the doors of cupboards and dividing doors, precious stones for small decorations, porcelain for knick-knacks, sanitary ware and sinks. The lines of the furnishings are never essential but rather sophisticated. An example are the closing doors of the furniture, usually embellished with a central band that is broken or in relief.

The pieces of furniture abound without leaving anything to chance. From the Country style it inherits coatings and boiserie. The wall in its architectural essence is forgotten, covering itself with decorative elements capable of characterizing it. For this reason, wallpapers are very popular and the decorations alternate complex details with small and refined textures.

Even the fabrics of the curtains, usually in silk or fine cotton, are enriched with decorations and large draperies. There is no shortage in the living area as well as in the bedroom velvet cushions and fine carpets, preferably antique Persians.

The sofas are padded and oversized. The meaning you want to convey is precisely that of opulence and hospitality.

Leather is the most used material for sofas, which however also know the alternative in precious velvets. The classic-style houses transmit warmth thanks also to the light colors of the walls, others to the warm white, which we at Modulor identify with the classic 9010, light dove gray, cream and beige are welcome. These colors go very well with wood, highlighting it and helping to create a feeling of warmth as a whole.

classic style materials

The Modulor selection of colors, textures and furniture references for the Classico moodboard.

THE MODERN CLASSIC STYLE

The Modern Classic style follows all the characteristics of the Classic style but differs for its essentiality and linearity. We could define it elegant and refined but without exceeding. The choice of wood in the Modern Classic style is recognized for the finish: almost never natural, but much more frequently dyed. Thus the stylistic features of the furnishings are emphasized, in particular the banding and also the shells and shaped profiles. Unlike the Country or Shabby Chic style, the varnishing of the wooden furniture is not done “by hand”, that is leaving the mark of the brushstroke visible which makes them so handcrafted, but with a flat-color matt lacquer that even hides the vein. The range of colors expands and is dared with bright and modern colors, both for the lacquering of the furnishings and for the walls. The wallpaper as well as the paints characterized by particular colors, favor more geometric and contemporary decorations.

gray modern classic kitchen
green modern classic kitchen

Two examples of Modern Classic style kitchens with variations in the chromatic choice.

THE ROOMS OF THE HOUSE

The Living Room is the most important part of the house, precisely because it is the place of conviviality, where time is dedicated to guests and to oneself. For this reason, its dimensions are often important, reflecting the privileged role played by this environment. Since the contemporary houses have ever smaller rooms, to maintain an important living room, a single open space environment can be created by also incorporating the dining room. The resulting environment will thus be used in a part as a dining area, equipped with a large table with important chairs, even better if padded armchairs, and the relaxation area will find space on the side. To characterize the latter, large sofas combined with upholstered armchairs with a retro taste. The classic style does not include island sofas, but prefers classic conformations accompanied by matching armchairs, even better if in leather.

Classic Living room

A Classic Modern Living Room.

The kitchen is elegant and simple; it is a space used only for the preparation of meals and not for its consumption. Essentiality is the key word for this. As with the Country style, appliances tend to be hidden, usually leaving only the oven with its characteristic steel knobs exposed.

classic kitchen creamy
classic kitchen cupboard
classic kitchen creamy

A Classic kitchen part of a Parisian style project.

In the bedroom you can play with the headboards, very important to which you combine antique furniture, such as a chest of drawers with decorations and inlays or a petineuse with mirror.

One of the characteristics of the classic-style bedrooms is precisely the presence of a cabinet dedicated to make-up and evening preparation, together with large mirrors and majestic wardrobes. ​

classic room beams
 classic room wooden chest of drawers

Refined headboards characterize this Sicilian villa with a classic taste.

In the bathroom it is better to prefer a beautiful freestanding white ceramic bathtub instead of huge and ultra-technological shower heads. A wallpaper on a wall or antique paintings cannot be missing.

The entrance, or in many cases the corridor that leads from the main door to the majestic living room, must live in harmony with the rest of the house. For this a small low cupboard with drawers and a mirror with a precious frame can be the winning card.

classic entrance

The entrance of an elegant Milanese apartment.

The Classic style and its modern meaning are suitable for rigorous characters, lovers of aesthetics and its traditional refinement. It perfectly marries personality lovers of the past, attentive to details but with an excellent overview. The classic style interior setting is almost scenographic. A style that loves beauty and the arts in all their expressive forms.

Adapting standar furniture with tailor-made solutions

Adapting standar furniture with tailor-made solutions

Custom-made furniture and stardar products belong to two different worlds, bringing with them a large repertoire of solutions and projects. Each has great strengths and opportunities, but both also know their weaknesses. Sometimes it happens that these two worlds come into contact, helping and supporting each other. After all, it is well known: unity is strength!

bathroom-luxury-standard-furniture

A master bathroom with elegant series furniture.
On the side, made-to-measure valances hide the support rails of the curtains

Standard and customed furniture: eternal rivals? Not at all!

It is common belief that standard furniture and custom-made solutions are ruthless competitors. Nothing true!

In fact, these are different realities that provide valid project proposals to customers, offering them a market capable of satisfying every request. Tastes, needs and desires of customers often interface with intrinsic constraints.
These include: budget limits, production restrictions, delivery times, availability and variety of alternatives.
Within the world of furniture design and production there are in fact an infinite number of secondary aspects that define the strengths, but also the limits of each company.

We can imagine the world of furniture as a range of parameters, at the extremes of which lie the cardinal principles of the two worlds.
On the one hand, standard furniture at super cheap prices capable of destroying any competitive market.
Its philosophy is certainly linked to a democratization of design that exploits large industrial production to contain prices and make its products accessible to all.

At the opposite end, a niche market, linked to the concept of “exclusivity”, chosen for its impossibility of identical reproduction and the opportunity for customization.
The choice of this type of furniture is linked to a feeling of privilege in its availability.

Between these two opposites there are the infinite number of companies that experience design on a daily basis.
Embracing the entire range of the market in this sector would be impossible and counterproductive, leading to poor results both for the manufacturer and for the customer himself.

It necessarily follows a specialization in the type of products and an identification of the reference target.
Precisely for this reason, standard furniture and tailor-made solutions cannot be considered competitors because they embrace different philosophies, targets and production systems. Their relationship is instead collaborative and mutually supportive, making the most of the potential of each party.

inpho-graphic-furniture-market

Potential and constraints of standard products

One of the main advantages of series furniture is the vastness of the market to which they belong.
This makes it possible to satisfy the tastes of each customer, providing a wide choice of solutions and variants. To this is added an economic advantage deriving from the optimization of production.In fact, by exploiting the industrial production and the repetition of the pieces, it is possible to optimize the production phase in the best possible way, managing to contain costs. This also implies an ever more careful precision and improvement of the single elements.

On the other hand, this specific reproducibility limits the scope for intervention and customization. The world of mass-produced furniture works in reproducible and combinable “modules”.
Customization consists in knowing how to combine the individual elements and organize them in a different way, but it certainly does not allow for specific product customization as in custom-made furniture.

So here are island, peninsula or monobloc kitchens that take on different shapes depending on the environment in which they are inserted.
However, these find their first obstacles when there are architectural constraints or special requests from customers.
Customization does not cover all levels of furniture reading.

This is where bespoke design comes in, offering its attention to detail and custom design.

spa-room-standard-furniture
customed-mirror-spa-sink-standard-furniture

When standard and customed furniture meet each other: a full-height shaped mirror fits into a SPA context with scenographic furnishings from important manufacturers

Works of tailor-made workmanship: a contemporary style kitchen

Where the supply of standard furniture reaches its limit of customization, the flexibility and spirit of adaptation of bespoke furniture comes into play.

An excellent example of this, is this luxury-style house distributed over three levels.
The maintenance and collaboration with Modulor involved different rooms.

First of all, the kitchen, consisting of a wall equipped with full-height doors on the right side of the access and a central island with a design hood. Precisely in this last element, the volumetric composition of the furniture provides a large surface that can be used as a worktop, but it prevents its use of meals.
In fact, by equipping the worktop with doors and lower drawers, it could not be used as a support surface for quick meals, as it did not provide adequate space for the user’s seat.

Finding tailor-made solutions in this example meant creating a lateral niche in the volume of the island. In this way, even with a not very wide depth, it was possible for customers to find the right space to sit comfortably while keeping their legs perpendicular to the structure. A comfortable snack bar for 2/3 people that does not give up on a work surface and support surface.

island-kitchen-adaption
standard-island-kitchen

An important island kitchen modified with tailor-made solutions: a niche has been created in the lower volume in order to use the worktop also as a support point for the consumption of quick meals

The sleeping area between secret passages and princess bedrooms

Even in the sleeping area, custom-made design has found ease to express its experience and personalization.

The classic-style bedroom is characterized by the presence of an important bed with drapery and padded headboard with a fairytale look. Taking advantage of a lateral architectural niche, a desk with wall unit and shaped shelves was inserted in order to make it an integral part of the spatial configuration.

The custom-made desk top is accompanied by a chest of drawers with bands that also acts as a load-bearing element.
This is accompanied by a wall unit with a molded door and shelves in matt white lacquered MDF that reflect the boiserie.

Even the bedside tables take up the style of the bedroom with handles in customed sheet metal in the shape of butterflies.
The side service bathroom illuminates the room with a glossy white tile wall cladding, crystal shower and pedestal sink with custom wall mirror.

classic-style-bedroom-princess-bed-standard-furniture

Every princess’s dream bedroom hosts an important bed with drapery and padded back

details-princess-bad-padded-back-drapery
details-bedside-tables-girl-bedroom

Details of a small bedroom from large-scale distribution: upholstered draperies and backrests perfectly match bedside tables with shaped sheet metal handles

customed-desk-bedroom
classic-style-bedroom-customed-desk

The desk in the niche takes up the classic style of the boiserie paneling through door moldings

detail-molded-door-bedroom
detail-white-laquered-shelves-bedroom

Shelves and doors in white lacquered MDF in warm tones for this classic style desk

customed-mirror-standing-sink
customed-mirror-standard-standing-sink

The made-to-measure mirror accompanies the classic style design pedestal washbasin

Always in the upper floor, takes place the walk-in closet, whose orange tones give a touch of character and freshness to the room while remaining elegant and impressive.

A retractable mechanism is hidden inside the side structure.
What apparently looks like a support bench hides a flap door with a system of internal channels that allow dirty clothes to be brought directly to the laundry area. This internal conduit channel is also intercepted at the level of the living area through the opening of a door on the external front of the kitchen. What apparently seems to be part of the molded boiserie is transformed into a storage point for the tea towels which, using the internal slope, are taken directly to the laundry.

standard-furniture-walk-in-closet-leather-finishes

Composition of a walk-in closet with elements in series: on the sides hangers and shelves covered in orange leather, in the center a chest of drawers in textured bilaminate

walk-in-closet-flap-door

The side wall of the walk-in closet with shelves and hangers.
On the right, the small service bench hides the channel that leads to the laundry

detail-flap-door-walk-in-closet
molded-boiserie-open-door

Left: the folding door mechanism from which the conduit for soiled garments starts. Right: the door incorporated in the boiserie that intercepts the path for the kitchen products.

Industrial style: from the raw soul to the professional mark

Industrial style: from the raw soul to the professional mark

The industrial style has increasingly characterized the interiors of recent years, becoming the emblem of an authentic and essential lifestyle. From its traditional rustic meaning, it then meets the refined and contemporary variant, influenced by luxury finishes and lines.

Especially in the reality of custom-made kitchens, the raw and traditional mark has given way to modern conformations, inspired by professional cooking solutions. Functionality and efficiency become the keywords for an essential and modern style.

Alba apartment 04 industrial style

Iron bookcases with wooden details enrich this industrial-style relax room designed by Locatelli Partners and made by Modulor

The industrial style in its historical evolution

To trace the origins of the Industrial Style we have to move overseas, more precisely to New York. We are in the postwar years, when in the 1950s, the demand for low-cost housing flowed into the reuse of abandoned spaces. The strong stylistic imprint linked to these environments, gives rise to a real fascination for industrial archeology.

The iconographic references of the time, contextualized in the world of art and cinematography, accentuate this stylistic movement, increasingly introducing the perception of the architectural wreck as a scenario of everyday life.
An example of all, is Andy Warhol’s Factory, a studio for his works during the boom years of Pop Art.

From the American metropolises, the new style was then moved to small local realities and landed in Europe during the 1980s.
Trends from the new continent are enthusiastically welcomed by the great revolutionary cities of London and Berlin.
It is no coincidence that London was the protagonist of the Great Industrial Revolution, from which setting, the industrial style drew on the development of new domestic scenarios.

The subsequent spread to the remaining countries of Europe and World coincided with the simultaneous need to reduce land use.

Andy Warhol Factory

Andy Warhol in his factory, a film icon in the successful years of Pop Art

industrial style materials

Metals are the protagonists of the industrial style, matched with raw woods, concrete and industrial resins

The charm of the industrial style in its architectural concept

The industrial world as a reference point for the domestic reality was well assimilated by the culture of the time also due to its revolutionary breath.
The industry has in fact marked a breaking point with the traditional, especially for the social changes that the revolution of the late 19th century has introduced.

The industrial style enhances the “architectural wreck”, bringing a romantic vision of the passage of time on buildings.
The reuse of industrial spaces thus favors functional architectures, transforming the structural elements into focal points of interest.
Pipes, concrete pillars, large windows with metal frames, exposed bricks and peeling walls are elements to be carefully preserved.

industrial attic Bergamo 05

In this attic, the exposed beams and traditional walls represent the stylistic signature of the interior

 traditional rustic loft

Large windows, exposed brick and metal structure for this rustic loft in Kyiv.
Photograph: Andrey Avdeenko

Between exposed systems, materials and floors ..

From the point of view of spatial organization, the open space and large ceilings certainly play a fundamental role: free-plan spaces characterized by the lack of vertical partitions, even better if set up to take advantage of the large heights.

The myth of the Loft is born, in which the functional organization of domestic interiors revolves around the exploitation of double heights.

By keeping the skeleton of the infrastructure on view, the system design components become synonymous of authenticity and strongly characterize the space.
The floors are mostly rough, with concrete or industrial resins, while the lighting takes place from the large windows. These maintain their industrial setting with a metal frame and vertical partitions, absolutely abolishing curtains or sunshades. Artificial lighting takes place through rough-looking exposed fixtures, certainly made of metal and in most cases through visible suspension structures such as rails or tie rods.

furniture and colors industrial style

Color references and furnishings in typical industrial style

Alba apartment 09

The large wooden table gives warmth to this kitchen

The contemporary meaning

In its contemporary meaning, the industrial style meets two different variants.

On the one hand, taking back its natural spirit, it marries the vintage interest by adorning the space with antiques and a strong traditional imprint.
With this in mind, wrought iron wall clock appears while metal chairs different from each other are combined with the inevitable solid wood table.
Even better if it is reused from an old workshop so that it keeps traces and signs of use on its surface.

living room industrial loft

A prestigious industrial loft with black waxed iron furnishings reflects the architectural context in which it is inserted

kitchen industrial loft

A kitchen entirely covered in steel for this New York loft

Professional kitchens as a source of inspiration

On the other hand, the inspiration of increasingly functional and equipped industrial kitchens forcefully enters the common imagination. Just think of the quantity of television programs that every day offer us steel worktops with an island structure and industrial hoods with a strong stylistic imprint.

From the reality of industrial kitchens, it draws the trend that could be defined as “luxury” of contemporary industrial style. Combined with marble or retro-painted glass, contemporary industrial-style kitchens are clad in stainless steel. Equipped with state-of-the-art appliances, they favor functionality and highly resistant materials.

However, even the contemporary industrialist does not renounce a warm and welcoming interior. So, the wooden dining table or the leather design armchair characterize the space, giving warmth and elegance.

Alba apartment 05

Professional kitchen is the world of inspiration for materials and types of this Piedmontese kitchen

industrial luxury apartment 04

A kitchen between industrial and luxury style, enriched by the marble top and shaped profiles of the handles

essential steel kitchen

The island structure is the most common type for industrial kitchens

Functional and extremely practical, the Industrial Style is aimed at decisive personalities who are always on the move. Its simple lines matched with highly resistant materials make it practical and eternal, without giving up a touch of traditional warmth.