The contemporary style: the world of furniture nowadays

The contemporary style: the world of furniture nowadays

by | Jul 22, 2021 | KITCHEN, LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA, STYLE TIPS

The simplicity and elegance of the contemporary style furniture conquers the tastes of customers with its light and minimal lines. From the play of reflection and opacity to the choice of highly resistant materials, to the eye for the environment and eco-sustainable choices.
Trends in recent years in the world of interior design have a well-defined direction, albeit in constant change.

What does it mean by contemporary style furniture?

Terms such as “fashions” and “trends” are now also commonly used for the interior design sector.
It happens more and more frequently to hear about interiors in a modern style, meaning interiors with linear aesthetics, elegant and natural materials.
However, it is important to be careful not to confuse the modern style, characterized by rigorous interiors common since the 1950s, with the contemporary style.

The latter is in fact a constantly changing style, its definition changes from year to year depending on the materials, colors and design lines spread.It would be impossible, for now, to give a series of universal guidelines that can continuously identify this style. All the more so if the trend of recent years consists in a recovery of the modern style reinterpreted in a contemporary key.

So let’s analyze the contemporary style furniture that has spread in recent years, with a particular focus on current trends.

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Moodbord in a contemporary style.
High resistance materials for kitchen tops, plays of light and reflections and furnishings between sinuous shapes and iron details.

Colors and materials

Over the last few years, the trends in colors and materials for furniture have developed along different paths.
On the one hand, soft colors and natural materials emphasize an elegance that is increasingly closer to scandinavian taste. On the other hand, touches of gritty colors and a choice of avantgarde materials appears in order to guarantee excellent resistance and refined aesthetics.

If the attention to the ecological impact has certainly an increasingly topical response, it should be emphasized, however, that it is this second trend that characterizes domestic interiors. all the more so if the choice of avantgarde materials is accompanied by experimentation on new materials produced with recycled components and with a low environmental impact.
An example of this are the fabrics produced by Ikea and presented during the last Digital Design Week 2021, made with recycled fibers from old jeans and the new kitchen tops with a percentage of recycled cellulose.

Here then is that at the constant of neutral colors appear more decisive tones that vary from a light pale pink to a delicate sage green. Up to more gritty colors that in the current years have varied from mustard to teal, in widespread use throughout 2020, ending with terracotta that has every intention of invading domestic interiors during 2021.

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A sage green kitchen.
“The Bend” Residence, Arch. Rob Ryan.

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Terracotta colors have prevailed for several months in contemporary interiors thanks to their natural but decisive tone

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In this contemporary attic, a teal velvet sofa

The kitchen as a focal room of the living area

The changes in social and individual life brought about by the pandemic have also led to a different perception of the domestic environment.
The introduction of the smartworking concept has increasingly marked the demand from customers to provide angles for remote work within their homes.

Similarly, the kitchen, which has always played a fundamental role in domestic interiors, has rediscovered its centrality even more.
The passion for cooking, also underlined by the world of communication with programs and tv-shows focused on this theme, requires an ever-greater attention to the materials, aesthetics and functionality of this environment.
Here then is that the coverings of doors and drawers are equipped with increasingly sophisticated laminates.

The strength of these materials lies in the great resistance capacity and good maintenance, flanked by an increasingly refined aesthetic line. This is the case of fenix, a material appreciated for its absolute opacity which is accompanied by a softness to the touch.

As for the kitchen countertops, the principle of high resistance and excellent ductility translates into the choice of recomposed materials and innovative agglomerates. Here then is the choice of tops in Dekton and Neolith, and then move on to cheaper options such as Okite and laminated HPL.

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A contemporary style Barcelona kitchen with a Neolith Stauario top

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In this contemporary kitchen, the onyx-effect top gives a touch of grit and character, matching the soft pink doors

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The dark dekton top of this modulor work matches the chromatic choice of the matt lacquering of the doors, while the wall units in bleached oak laminate echo the snack top of the island.

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Kitchen top in Kira Natural Dekton in warm and dark tones with integrated sink in the same material.

Contemporary style furniture: 2021 trends

Already during the last Digital Design Week the new trend of contemporary design is clearly identified: the recovery and reinterpretation of the Modern Style.

For the living world this translates into the choice of sofas with sinuous shapes that emphasize important padding, accentuated by the choice of velvets.
From the immense corner sofas to which we have become accustomed in the past years, we have now moved on to more compact conformations.
Two- or three-seater sofas accompanied in case by matching armchairs or chaise longue and dormouse. The latter are in fact back in vogue, made contemporary by dynamic and fluid design lines.

On the floor, colorful carpets appear, with geometric patterns that increasingly come closer to the world of art, and shaped shapes with an eccentric inspiration. A masterful example is certainly the cc tapis production, also present in the contemporary interiors of this work between soft pink and pure white.

In the sleeping area, on the other hand, the beds increasingly equipped with a trunk structure are enriched with padded headboards, most of them with capitonné aesthetics.
There is no lack of details, especially in the bathroom but also in the living area, in iron.
This denotes the design lines of a clean and minimal aesthetic. Often combined with the choice of extra-clear glass, it creates a chromatic and material contrast of contemporary elegance.

Countertop bathroom vanity unit

In this contemporary style bathroom, a large transparent glass shower is embellished with an iron frame that reflects the chromatic choice of the taps.

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The choice of iron details for the TV cabinet in this living area denotes a contemporary elegance

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CC Tapis rugs with a contemporary design and shaped shapes.
Left: Matter of Stuff, May 2019. Right: Miniforms 2019 Catalog, Laura Pozzi Studio, Photo Alessandro di Bon

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A contemporary style living room with modern sofas reinterpreted in a contemporary key

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Some examples of trendy 2/3-seater sofas in 2021

To conclude …

The contemporary style furniture, albeit constantly changing, is characterized by well-defined design choices. It adapts perfectly to elegant and simple tastes, for souls predisposed to always remain in line with the latest trends and design products. Those who choose the interiors of their home in a contemporary style dare to choose character, even if combined with neutral contexts.

Iron furniture for a contemporary style apartment with refined details

Iron furniture for a contemporary style apartment with refined details

by | Jun 30, 2021 | LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA, STYLE TIPS

Iron details constitute the leitmotif for the contemporary style furniture of this city apartment. From the living area to the bedroom, passing through the passageways that underline the threshold of each room. In the bedroom, a walk-in closet located on the side of the entrance is a compact but capacious structure.

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The passageways: the iron portals to underline the threshold

From the entrance, the corridor unfolds, joining the living area with that night. To delimit the passage, emphasizing the threshold of each room, an iron portal with integrated lighting.
These accompany the passage between the different environments with a coating that laterally flows from the top.

A portal that visually and conceptually marks the crossing point, characterizing each room.
Recessed in the upper part there is also a LED strip able to horizontally illuminate the portal.

The choice of black waxed iron is echoed in the cabinet serving the entrance, the Metrica Console by Mogg. This is accompanied by a custom-made cabinet empties pockets entirely made of iron.

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The living area. TV cabinet and wall units with iron details

From the entrance, the iron portal with integrated lighting marks the passage to the living area.
This houses a large corner sofa that stands out against a sage green back wall. A touch of color that rejuvenates the environment making it elegant and gritty.

From the front, the furniture serving the TV is at home with a system of shelves and wall units with iron details.
A composition of solids and voids that alternates the thin thickness of the iron sheet with the more massive dimensions of the matt lacquered MDF.
In particular, the open compartments in sheet metal are laterally inserted to the wall units with drop-down opening. The doors in matt lacquered MDF reflect the stylistic line of the TV cabinet in the color.
The latter is equipped with sheet metal shoulders which, by bending at the end, become a load-bearing structural element.

An equipped niche to the side of the TV cabinet accommodates custom-made shelves for small objects or books.

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The sleeping area between the workstation and a walk-in closet created in the master bedroom

The corridor characterized by the presence of black waxed iron doors also leads to the sleeping area.
In the master bedroom the architectural conformation creates a space that allows the insertion of a custom-made walk-in closet.

Its compact but roomy layout is set on the side access adjacent to the bedroom door. Two sliding doors fit into the white MDF closing panels, denoting access to the environment.
Here the central compartment is occupied by a series of linen drawers in the lower part and shelves above.
On the sides, on the other hand, hangers are arranged using the double height to organize shirts, jackets and trousers.

The containment structure is divided into panels that create a visual rhythm and allow in one extreme to take advantage of a niche accessible from the outside. Internal shelves adjustable in height make it functional for various uses.

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In the adjacent service room, there is instead a large desk with attached bookcase. A tailor-made solution that is increasingly current in times of smartworking. The upper bookcase has MDF shelves and iron side panels that also become load-bearing elements for the desk top, inserted to form a compact piece of furniture. The care of detail is expressed in this case with the 45 ° shaping of the front of the shelves. The effect obtained is to visually thin the elements, creating stylistic modernity.

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Inserting iron furniture in your apartment means endowing the rooms with character and elegance. Versatile and practical, this material manages to combine high resistance with reduced thickness, declining in different design solutions. Furnishings able to define the stylistic imprint of the interiors, they fit perfectly into interiors in a contemporary style, but also modern, industrial and boho chic ones.

Modern style: rigorous, elegant and prestigious

Modern style: rigorous, elegant and prestigious

by | Jun 9, 2021 | KITCHEN, LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA, STYLE TIPS

The modern style links the vision of interior design to architecture, in a relationship of mutual collaboration. Between rigorous furnishings, bright rooms and a prestigious appearance, the modern-style interiors express timeless elegance.

The modern style in history: the masters of design

To fully understand the modern style, it is useful to take a few steps back in time to its historical origins.
We are between the two World Wars in a context of renewal that involves the formal plan of architecture, but also urban planning and design.

Under the classification of Modern Movement, also known as International Style, belong the currents De Stijl, Bauhaus, Constructivism and Italian Rationalism.
The main exponents are architects of the caliber of Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies Van Der Rohe, Alvar Aalto and Walter Gropius.

Starting from a strong conception of architecture as an organic structure in relation to the external context to which it belongs, the Modern Movement also sees the house for its social use and not just as a family unit. Frank Lloyd Wright with his organic architecture gives excellent examples.
Among these, the Waterfall House, designed in its architectural conformation in strong relationship with the surrounding geological and natural context. Each element is configured both on the architectural level and on the interior design level based on a strong contamination between inside and outside. In doing this, the choice of proportions based on the human figure is fundamental.

Natural materials combined with organic shapes that favor horizontality, but also harmony and brightness become the key principles of the Modern Movement. Instead, the priority need is to achieve the best functionality of the building, which can also determine its aesthetic beauty.
In doing this, the house frees itself from the unitary vision to which it was accustomed to take on a social meaning in relation to the surrounding buildings.
The extreme example is the building that itself becomes a city, as in the case of Le Corbusier’s Unitè d’Habitation.

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Eileen Gray’s E-1027 House, a modern style living room with iconic piece of furniture.

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Left: modern style living area (Photo: Andrew Pielage, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation)
Right: Fallinwater House by Frank Lloyd Wright (Photo: courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy)

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Villa Savoye by le Corbusier. The relationship between inside and outside is expressed in bright rooms and ribbon windows

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Unitè D’Habitation, Le Corbusier. The building becomes a social community by offering, in addition to the family housing units, all the services necessary for individual life.

Modern style furniture: the strong relationship with architecture

The modern-style interiors both in the course of history and in the contemporary context are based on a strong relationship with the architectural context in which they are inserted.
This is how bright environments are created. Here, the exterior constantly communicates with the interior through functional choices that also justify the aesthetics.
Therefore, windows can take on a more elongated shape and it occupy a higher position than the standard ones. This allows the entry of natural light, which will obviously be studied according to the optimal orientation of the house, but at the same time allow the inhabitants not to be seen from the outside.

The subdivision of the rooms between the sleeping and living areas is based on a logic that considers the orientation of the house and its visibility or protection from external factors.
The hearth is definitely a central point in the design of a modern style home.
A place of aggregation and socializing, it expresses hospitality and intimacy at the same time, creating a strong suggestive interior.
For this reason, in modern homes par excellence it occupies the central position with respect to the living area, becoming the fulcrum for the arrangement of the remaining rooms.

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The living area of ​​this modern style attic with the iconic chaise longue designed by Le Corbusier

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Modern style kitchen and living room with reflective materials and simple lines for this Modulor creation

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A modern living area on the bottom of which an elegant wall with a three-dimensional effect is identified

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The equipped corridors of this Modulor realization express their modernity in the choice of material.
Soft and textured to the touch and extremely elegant to the eye.

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Una cucina moderna firmata Modulor con particolare attenzione alla scelta cromatica e materica

Shapes, colors and materials between past and present

The choice of materials in a modern style also comes from the contamination between inside and outside.
Great importance is given to materials capable of enhancing the brightness of environments through their reflective and brilliant surface, even better if of natural origin.

Wood knows its maximum expression both in the traditional form of the Modern Movement and in its contemporary conception.
Chosen for its malleability and natural aesthetics, it brings the exterior directly into the home interior, also molding itself into irregular shapes. Over the years, it has also known the polishing treatments and the recent painting that make it possible to obtain reflective surfaces capable of giving brightness to the environment.

Neutral tones are favored, starting with the classic white, but colored variants are also welcome especially in the current years. In this sense, it is important to underline how the contemporary trend in the modern style prefers monochromatic colors and tone-on-tone games that opt ​​for desaturated colors.
Prestigious and elegant interiors that do not, however, give up a touch of color capable of giving character to the rooms.

The design forms abandon their rigidity and linearity in favor of simple but sometimes irregular solutions. To enrich a modern style home, the icons of Modern design cannot be missing. Here then are seats with leather padding and chromed aluminum structure with slender lines.

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Materials, finishes and aesthetics of the modern style, including upholstery in warm-colored leather and chromed aluminum

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The attention to detail of this wall is expressed in an elegant and monochromatic three-dimensional surface inserted in a prestigious Milanese apartment.
Inside there is a door identifiable by the handle with soft modern shapes.

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In the modern style of recent years, the great icons of design are often inserted in environments that are more daring, not only with neutral colors but also desaturated colors with a timeless beauty

The rediscovery of modern style

In recent years the modern style has undergone a great revaluation. The soft but rigorous shapes of the design icons of the Thirties are back in vogue in a contemporary reinterpretation proposed by the main brands.

Just think of the Five To Nine dormeuse proposal, born from the Studiopepe project for Tacchini (2020) or the Camaleonda modular sofa designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia (2020). But also, the new Pacific (project by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso) and Soriana (design by Tobie and Afra Bianchin Scarpa for Cassina) both launched on the market during Digital Design Week 2021.

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Soriana, Tobia Scarpa and Afra Bianchin Scarpa, Cassina, 2021
Five to Nine, Studiopepe, Tacchini, 2020

With its rigorous and prestigious interiors, the modern style is aimed directly at personalities who love architecture and its relationship with nature. Characterized by a timeless beauty, it is aimed at rigorous characters but at the same time open to new changes.

Contemporary Pop Style: young and bright environments

Contemporary Pop Style: young and bright environments

by | May 7, 2021 | KITCHEN, LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA, STYLE TIPS

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.

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

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

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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.

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Paradisiartificiali Studio, Tribute to Ettore Sottsass, Milan

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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

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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.

Digital Design Week 2021: our selection and thoughts

Digital Design Week 2021: our selection and thoughts

by | Apr 27, 2021 | SPEAKING OF US, STYLE TIPS

The 2021 edition of Digital Design Week has just ended on digital platforms, with the hope of seeing taken the traditional version on place in September.

The Salone del Mobile makes Milan the undisputed protagonist in the world of contemporary design, turning the spotlight on new projects, cutting-edge proposals and events capable of enhancing Italian “know-how” but also its international contamination.

We at Modulor also remotely participated in the rich schedule of talks and webinars offered on the main digital platforms … here are some of our thoughts!

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Outfitting of Fuorisalone during its 2019th edition: on the left the installation “Home sweet home” by Missoni in Via Solferino. On the right Nendo in “Breeze of light”

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Time Machine, the installation durinf Fuorisalone 2017 in the new design district of Ventura Centrale

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Time is time, an immersive environmet setted in the Superstudio’s place during the 2016 Design Week, focused on the theme of time

Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone: ​​Milan the capital of design

It seems centuries have passed since Milan, in the central weeks of April, was filled with international tourists, young emerging designers, professionals hunting for innovative proposals and university students eager for events and new product launches.
From the design enthusiast, to the sector’s professional, to the simple citizen who loves social life: the week of the Salone del Mobile has always managed to capture everyone’s interests.

One of the few events able to involve such a large audience as to transform Milan into a great “design community”.
Impossible to walk along the streets of the county seat during those days and not be involved in the beating heart of the Design Week.
Colorful graphics that identify the various districts, art installations and advertising banners with pieces of furniture just launched on the market reach every corner of the city.

The professional variant of the Salone del Mobile, in the huge spaces of Rho Fiera and even more its Fuorisalone organized in ever-changing design areas now seem an old memory. Two realities that over the years have known such success that they have become distinct entities, each with its own target audience.

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Fuorisalone, the design districts map of the 2019 edition.
On the right, the official logo of Salone del Mobile.

Digital Design Week: what is it and what changes does it make to the traditional version?

The cancellation of last year due to the health emergency and its uncertain future also for the 2021 version did not, however, stop the creativity of Design Week. The 2020 edition of the Design Week had already moved to digital channels, meeting the approval and involvement of both the realities that make it up.
Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone never as today find themselves in dialogue with each other to create a rich schedule of events.
Talks, webinars and reflections on what it means making design nowadays and on the various facets of this world. The stringent safety restrictions have also completely revolutionized the methodology for presenting new products. Physical presence is now too restrictive a possibility, so naturally the attention shifts to the digital world. In order not to stop the great design machine, the realities that have always accompanied the traditional edition of Milan Design Week have organized a digital version. Digital Design Week 2021 took place on the web platforms of Interni (historic magazine associated with the week of the Salone), Fuorisalone and Ad Italia. From 12th to 19th of April, a series of talks involving professional figures took place. From the world of furniture, to architecture, but also literature, technology, art and craftsmanship, opinions and reflections are exchanged on the contemporary themes that drive design. Furthermore, in the specific case of Interni, its version continued until 23th April, with a fixed evening appointment scheduled for 6.30 pm in streaming.

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A Marco Spinelli quote, shared on social pages of AD Italy that underlines the importance of “custom-made”. 
On the right: San Siro seat, designed by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini and launched during the Digital Design Week 2021

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Aldford table by Bentley Home – Luxury Living Group disegned by LLG Creative Team

Smartworking and a new perception of the domestic environment

Undoubtedly a contemporary theme during this Digital Design Week was the introduction of the concept of smartworking and the new domesticity.
We at Modulor have already addressed this issue, also bringing design examples from the previous months.

In this regard, the interpretation proposed by Lara Facchinetti, HR Manager of Zamperla, in the “Study” chapter of the laboratory proposed by Strategy Innovation is interesting. The theme of reflection shifts to the hybridization between work from home and office life, noting how the best working condition derives from the integration of both.
If before the working world and the private sphere were very distinct areas of our daily life, now it often happens during an online conference to witness small “intrusions”. Children intrigued by the screen and pets who have run away from their places become actors of a connection that is not only conceptual, but also physical and visual. With this in mind, the best productivity is achieved by being able to take advantage of both work contexts.
The home is identified as the environment of concentration, where one can isolate oneself from colleagues, and the office is instead an environment of sharing.

What is missing during smartworking are in fact the impromptu meetings and the brainstorming process that spontaneously arise during a coffee break.
Linked to the new needs of spatial reconfiguration, as also confirmed by our experience, the change in the perception of the working space opens in parallel.

In this regard, it is interesting to report the point of view of Marco Roversi, colleague specialized in the design of custom-made furnishings in the contract sector. In fact, if the reconfiguration of the home environment is often restrictive, and bound to changes that are not too intrusive, the workspace undergoes a radical change. It is rethought in its basic setting, making flexibility its founding feature.

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Funivia, sunspended lighting design by  Carlotta Bevilacqua for Artmide 

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6x6the modular system for office designed by Roversi

The reinterpretation of system engineering components

The continuous search for flexibility in the working place brings the contract further closer to the world of retail, used to constant changes.
The design of the architectural component then becomes a fundamental point to guarantee infinite spatial configurations.
As in the case of white boxes for the retail world, the system engineering component is reinterpreted now more than ever for its aesthetic impact.

A great example is certainly the design thinking of Davide Groppi during the talk “Living the work space” proposed by Lombardini22. The vision of the internationally renowned designer is precisely linked to the flexibility of light, which is released from the electrical system to which it belongs.
The solutions proposed over the years by the designer himself have always been designed with the desire to make light free from pre-existing plant constraints.
Providing the right light does not only mean allowing you to see the space but also to feel it.
A setting that becomes more and more scenographic with a design work that becomes a work of elegance.

The second example is the series of projects brought by architect Duccio Grassi during the talk Design beyond Matter.
A relationship between the architectural and system design components that goes beyond the level of necessity to become a project integration with the aesthetic vision.

Another issue connected to the relationship between structural needs and project flexibility is that of the exploitation of interstices, the so-called architecture in between. We have recently analyzed the potential of designing functional furniture capable of optimizing spaces and therefore we fully share the reflections of Daniele Lago, founder of the well-known mass-production furniture company.
The in-between is not only a domestic environment design issue but also a metaphor for the relationship between the brand and its community.

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Infinito, Davide Groppi

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Zara Rome, Duccio Grassi Architects.
Engeneering system and outfitting matches in a design element which disappear in the environment.

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Max Mara Tokyo Ginza Home, Duccio Grassi Architects

Sustainability and environmental impact: visions related to design

Perhaps one of the most inflated issues in recent years is certainly linked to sustainability and environmental impact.
Countless could be the visions and projects that make it the flag carrier.
From the world of design, the theme of the circular economy directly moves to the productive world, finding infinite results.

But what does it actually mean to be sustainable today?
Producing using recycled material is not always the ultimate solution. In fact, it is necessary to put the entire life cycle of the furnishings on the scales and consider their environmental impact over the years.
Here then is that the word “recycling” appears several times during this Digital Design Week.

The architect and designer Paola Navone brings her vision of recycled objects as a series of handmade products obtained from processing waste.
A vision that wants to break the mold by bringing color and joy into the projects, managing to enhance what is the local craftsmanship.

Giuseppe Pedrali, CEO of the homonymous company from Bergamo, also focuses on the regulatory aspect of sustainability.
“Being sustainable” has now become the common motto of various manufacturing companies, but how many of them actually focus on the certifications that can officially certify this characteristic? Are the production processes actually controlled and designed in order to reduce waste and affect the environment as little as possible?

Ico Migliore, architect of Migliore + Servetto, underlines how the issue of sustainability is not only linked to materials but to user behavior.

Of all the thoughts analyzed, the one that we at Modulor certainly fully embrace is the one proposed by the architect and designer Piero Lissoni during the conversation “Everything is a project” available on AD Italy.
Sustainability consists in designing furniture that can last over time

What does it mean to design nowadays? How to emerge within an increasingly large market?

We share once again the words of Piero Lissoni as the fulcrum and summary of this Digital Design Week.
The world of design now looks worldwide, what allows it to be valued is high quality and knowing how to maintain and preserve the “craftsmanship”.

While knowing the relationship to the increasingly frequent technology and the world of the intangible, it is essential to recognize the wealth offered by craftsmanship. The new model of craftsmanship, although it has lost some qualities transmitted over the years, meets new possibilities.

Knowing how to relate the ability to use hands, touch materials and interpret them with incredible technologies is the design of the future.
A less drawn and more product design. Although the very term “design” or industrial design, it would seem to live in the opposite of the concept of craftsmanship, the conjunction of these worlds is the real innovative key for the future of interior design.

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Round D.154.5, the historic armchair designed by Gio Ponti and reinterpreted in a contemporary way by Molteni & Co

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Soriana, Afra and Tobia Scarpa forCassina
On the right: Pacific,the new collection signed Patricia Urquiola for Moroso

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The Connery seating system designed by Rodolfo Dordoni for Minotti

Classic style: Elegant and welcoming

Classic style: Elegant and welcoming

by | Mar 28, 2021 | KITCHEN, LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA, STYLE TIPS

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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classic kitchen cupboard
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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. ​

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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.

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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.