Apr

The best collaborations in Italian High-End Furniture Design

High-End Furniture design has a lot of influence from the Italian style. Today we’re bringing you a couple of examples of some successful collaborations that resulted in some very interesting furniture projects. These are a couple of partnerships that have had Italian influences, either because of Italian designers, Italian brands or an application of the Italian style as a whole.

Antonio Citterio and Vitra

Antonio Citterio was born in the Italian city of Meda in 1950. He opened his own studio in 1972 and completed his degree in architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1975. Between 1987 and 1996, he collaborated with Terry Dawn to design many buildings across Europe and Japan. In 2000, Citterio and Patricia Viel formed a multidisciplinary office for architecture, interior design and graphics.

In addition to his collaboration with Vitra, Antonio Citterio works in the industrial design sector with companies such as Ansorg, Arclinea, Axor/Hansgrohe, B&B Italia, Flexform, Flos, Hermès, Iittala, Kartell, Maxalto, Sanitec (Geberit Group) and Technogym. He has received numerous awards thanks to these cooperations, including the Compasso d’Oro in 1987 and 1995.

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Phillipe Starck for Cassina

French designer Philippe Starck has created a collection of furniture for Cassina that have been upholstered in Apple Ten Lork, a vegan fabric. A total of 16 pieces designed by Starck for Cassina, including the Volage EX-S sofa, redesigned with thinner armrest, the Privè collection and the Caprice and Passion chairs, have been covered with Apple Ten Lork.

The fabric in question is one of a number of apple skin materials manufactured by Italian company Frumat and comes in white, orange and black colourways.

Patricia Urquiola and Coalesse

Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola lives in Milan where she runs Studio Urquiola, a firm that focuses on exhibitions, art direction and architecture. Prior to starting her own company in 2001, she managed the design group Lissoni Associati.

Over the years, Urquiola has worked with many well-known furniture houses, including Moroso, De Padova, Agape, B&B, Alessi, Driade, Foscarini, Kartell, Flos, Molteni and Artelano. She has received numerous design awards including A&W Designer of the Year and Design Prize Cologne.

Marcel Wanders and Natuzzi

The renowned international designer, Marcel Wanders, collaborated with Natuzzi Italia for the Agronomist Collection, originally inspired by the Puglia landscape, architecture, and lifestyle. For NYCxDESIGN, the collection got a makeover inspired by Gotham City, the fictional alter ego of New York City.

The collection includes the Furrow sofa, the Barrow coffee table, the Crate cabinet, and the Peacock carpet. For NYCxDESIGN, New York’s annual design event, the collection got a makeover and took on a new identity inspired by Gotham City, the fictional alter ego of New York City.

Nate Berkus and J.J. Martin

Editor and shop owner J.J. Martin has teamed up with Nate Berkus to refinish a series of vintage chairs, which Berkus sells his 1stdibs storefront. Martin, the creative brain behind whimsical-chic retailer LaDoubleJ, matched the seats, which range from the 1970s folding sets to midcentury armchairs, to clothing and accessories in her collection.

It’s not just the ’60s frames that are storied; their patterns are re-creations of vintage prints spanning the 20th century. In Martin’s own words:

“Each of our 20 chairs is a midcentury Italian original. All have been hunted down by our team in Milan and lovingly re-covered in new polished-cotton fabric printed with a vintage pattern from the Mantero Seta silk archive. The designs were originally used for fashion from the 1920s to ’90s, but do wonders to jazz up the aura of a ’60s chair today.”