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Unveiling the Living Box design to be displayed at the Milan Design Week, Italian company Molteni&C Dada shared official previews of the contemporary piece of furniture. Starting from the concept of a typical architectural project such as a building, a stage for concerts or a monumental space, Vincent Van Duysen realized one of the most iconic pieces of the 2022 Collection, designing an item of furniture that derives from a real architectural structure, thereby turning it into domestic architecture, is a path that many architects and designers have followed with success. The purpose of this stylistic exercise is to achieve an interesting and innovative object regardless of the dimensional scale used. This dimensional shift often leads to designing new types of furnishings offering innovative functions.
“Very architectural and referring to the world of Gio Ponti, Living Box is distinguished by its different use of materials and its refined details. Very present and graphic, it’s steeped in the tradition of Italian craftsmanship and it’s definitely a key piece in one’s living room. Many small details make the product one of a kind, for instance, the combination of materials, the internal built-in lighting, and so on,” says Vincent Van Duysen. Living Box was conceived as an independent item of furniture, usable in any room of the house, but mainly suitable for the living room.
Despite its reduced size, the product design retains the rigour and monumentality of the building it derives from, accentuating its details by means of quality materials. The top features marble and different woods, specially arranged to decorate the surface. The whole is enclosed within an iris and pewter frame, thread-like if seen from above, but forming a thick profile surrounding the inside space if seen from the front. The top can be fitted and integrated with trunking, useful for facilitating connections of any kind between multimedia equipment, TVs or lighting equipment. The rest of the top can be left free or used to display artistic or personal ornaments.
The inside space recalls a ‘magical cave’ and features numerous surprises. The woods used, including Eucalyptus and the new Sunrise Oak finish, are the facing materials used, and which completely envelop and mark the perimeter. Sunrise Oak is like the revisitation of a classic theme reinterpreted with a contemporary taste, without excluding accents of warmth and tactile softness. The new finish, featuring a very light shade skillfully achieved by our expert cabinet makers, is further enhanced by the particular way in which the wooden furniture is irregularly brushed according to a time-honoured process reinvented in a modern key.
Suffused lighting is provided by Leds. The inside space is completely free and devoid of sharp corners thanks to special curved corner covers. The space created in this way allows any type of object to be displayed at will. If this scenographic solution does not fit the purpose, one or more sober and elegant sets of drawers can be added, with an iris and pewter, or a wood finish and featuring a sober and elegant design. These occupy the free space, concealing what is useful but preferably not visible. The sets of drawers are self-standing and can be placed in any part of the room, giving rise to multiple configurations: small architectural items within a larger shell.
The system is completed with a technical Tape container designed to meet the specific requirements linked to the world of video – HIFI equipment.
STIR takes you on a Milanese sojourn! Experience Salone del Mobile and all the design districts - 5vie, Brera, Fuorisalone, Isola, Zona Tortona, and Durini - with us. STIR’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2022, Meanwhile in Milan showcases the best exhibits, moods, studios, events, and folks to look out for. We are also excited to announce our very own STIR press booth at Salone del Mobile - Hall 5/7 S.14, Fiera Milano RHO.
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