ICONIC ELEGANCE AND “TOTAL LOOK”: THE LATEST TRENDS IN FINISHES
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ICONIC ELEGANCE AND “TOTAL LOOK”: THE LATEST TRENDS IN FINISHES

THE LATEST FINISHES FOR 2022 ON SHOW DURING MILANO DESIGN WEEK

ICONIC ELEGANCE AND “TOTAL LOOK”: THE LATEST TRENDS IN FINISHES

Finishes are the final phase of the construction process – the last piece of the complex puzzle that is an architectural or interior design project. But they’re also the element that informs our first visual impression of a space. And their quality and style can add prestige to a room, placing them in the luxury product category. Based on the products on show in June during Milano Design Week 2022, the latest trends are indeed towards prestige and sophistication, with finishes made of quality materials with elegant textures aimed at achieving compositional harmony between floors and walls. All the products on show also revealed a close eye on sustainability.

 

Finishes in three dimensions with FLOOR LANDSCAPE by Monica Armani for CP Parquet

A project, a vision, a design experience – Floor Landscape grew out of the idea that any space, whether it’s in the home or part of a hospitality premises, is always three-dimensional and, therefore, a composition of horizontal and vertical surfaces. This capsule collection by Monica Armani for CP Parquet isn’t so much a product as the result of the designer’s insight into, and empathy for, the brand. It’s an authentic vision that draws its most significant values from the panorama of Italian culture and then translates them into designer-quality timber finishes.

The designer focused on four stories from four Italian cities Milan, Florence, Venice, Corvara – with the history of each of these magical places providing the inspiration for the different color combinations, materials, shapes, and patterns. The result is four different worlds of amazing beauty that also reflect the culture of the firm, which focuses on large projects and tailor-made solutions.

 

Wallpaper and carpet combinations in the Milano Collection from Instabilelab

Excellence and exclusivity both describe the two new lines from Instabilelab. Milano Collection: Velluto is an elegant wallpaper, while Carpetia Royal is a selection of rugs created for genuine effect. This collection was created for the company’s first trip to Salone del Mobile and, with all ten of its designs, it reflects the haute couture approach that is the unmistakable hallmark of Instabilelab.

Velluto is an elegant wallpaper that recalls the gentle textures and touch of velvet. This new offering distinguishes itself from other wallpapers in the way it enhances walls and rooms, creating an elegant, surprising appearance. The carpets in the Carpetia Royal line are extremely soft and have a glossy sheen. They’re aimed at buyers looking for the highest standards of quality and appearance. Available in rectangular and round designs, and a range of sizes, these distinctive floor coverings have a strong expressive power that defines the personality of the rooms in which they’re used.

 

>>> It’s through light that we learn about the world: read about the lighting innovations for 2022 on show during Milano Design Week.

 

Carrara Sagevan marble combined with gold leaf in Metamorfosi

My mind leads me to speak now of forms changed into new bodies: O gods above, inspire this undertaking (which you’ve changed as well) and guide my poem in its epic sweep from the world’s beginning to the present day.

- Ovid, Metamorphoses

Inspired by Ovid’s famous narrative poem, the new Metamorfosi collection expresses the changing dialogue between the essence of materials and the genius of humans. This exclusive and totally original composition has been created with Calacatta, one of the finest Sagevan® Carrara marbles. It includes tables, tiles, paneling, and ornamental plates for interiors, in which the veining of the marble interweaves with engraved faces, hands, and symbols, transforming them into something new and different. These images, created by designer, architect, and illustrator Vincenzo D’Alba of the Kiasmo group, recall ancient paintings. They’re produced using an engraving technology developed in the workshops of Carrara. The images on the tiles, wall panels, and ornamental plates are then embellished with gold leaf, painstakingly applied by hand.

Vincenzo D’Alba – Kiasmo Group:

“The Metamorfosi series grew out of a desire to create a collection of signs, figures, and icons linked together by the rigid yet unpredictable character of marble. The images are crisscrossed by the veining of the marble, which tells the ancient story of its metamorphic origins. Searching for perfection on this surface means preserving its natural appearance through an interaction between sign and design that encapsulates the coinciding of opposites.”.

 

SpaghettiWall: white-on-white wallpapers designed by Gian Paolo Venier

Pure materials and the shadows they cast are the subjects of a series of explorations into color carried out by SpaghettiWall as they’ve studied white as the ultimate creative challenge and the absolute color, the sum of all the others. Wassily Kandinsky was referring to these properties when he described white as “a silence full of possibilities.” As the key element of this new range of wallpapers, white not only opens up previously unexplored design possibilities but also totally reinterprets the idea of wallpaper, which traditionally uses a rich palette of patterns and colors. The creative project, dubbed So White, involves a printing process that creates a three-dimensional effect through an intriguing interplay of shadow in completely achromatic subjects. The result is profound, delicate, and elegant, expressed through a series of geometric and nature-inspired patterns. The first offering from the project is the White Brush Collection, designed by Gian Paolo Venier, who says:

“The inspiration for this collection was memories of how they used to write numbers and words on the windows of fishmongers in lime, but also the splendid architecture of the Mediterranean. The gestures of the brushstrokes and the mellow density of the white transform the wall into a soft, three-dimensional world, in which light interacts with the material and shadows are deliberately highlighted.”

So White is an evolving project that focuses on the space between graphics and materials. The white-on-white patterns are printed on a new high-performance textured material dubbed Skin, which is also available in the washable Cleaning System version.

 

>>> Discover the latest outdoor furniture featured at Salone and Fuorisalone 2022

 

Legacy by Alpi: a new sustainable life for “lost” timbers

At Salone del Mobile for the first time, ALPI presented new collections that reveal the firm’s ability to reinvent wood, continually expanding the boundaries of research. The result of a study of the material, environmental awareness, and an ongoing dialogue with designers, the highlight of this year’s range is the Legacy Collection, a project that embodies the philosophy of the company.

The collection is the work of company art director, Piero Lissoni, who drew his inspiration from a selection of “lost” timbers – including ebony, Honduran mahogany, teak, and rosewood – that nowadays are in scarce supply or whose use is even illegal. Their distinctive appearance has led to a high demand for these timbers over the years, causing serious deforestation problems. With this unique and sustainable collection, ALPI has used eco-friendly alternatives to those no longer available in nature, giving them a whole new life. Piero Lissoni carried out in-depth research with the company’s R&D department to obtain composites with veining and colors faithful to those of the genuine timbers.

Piero Lissoni explains:

“Imagine in 2022 being able to use teak, mahogany, ebony, and rosewood – all lost timbers that absolutely must be protected – and using them in different ways. I can’t imagine a future of design without these exceptional materials, but of course they must be interpreted and processed in new ways. We’re using products that come from tradition but we’re moving them into the modern age.”

 

The iconic luxury of Zambaiti Parati’s new collection for Philipp Plein

The Philipp Plein Italian Luxury Wallpaper by Zambaiti Parati collection is the product of collaboration between Italian firm Zambaiti Parati and Philipp Plein, the iconic fashion brand with experience in both interior design and furniture. The collection combines the technological innovation, tradition, and typically Italian approach of the former with the farsightedness and ingenious creativity of the latter. It’s characterized by elegance, luxury, iconicity, and Italian quality, all elements that attract customers to step inside the intriguing world of Philipp Plein. In designing the collection, Philipp Plein drew its inspiration from the fabrics and materials it uses in its clothing and fashion accessory lines, with animalier and material effects. A tropical line has also been created with floral patterns, as well as a line with geometric patterns based on the company logo.

With artisanal care and enormous technical skill, the experts at Zambaiti Parati then worked on transferring the textile pattern to upholstery and finally adapting it to meet the technical requirements of wallpaper. The result is a sophisticated design that gives each wall covering a unique elegance and whose relief effects can be appreciated directly on the wall. The collection has a large assortment of digitally printed decorative patterns that incorporate the brand’s most evocative hallmark images.

 

Tecla by Marmo Arredo with Stefano Boeri Interiors

Chiglia and Tecla are the latest products from Marmo Arredo, both the result of a creative synergy with Stefano Boeri Interiors. They’re the initial results of a collaborative project that focuses on the essentiality and functionality of materials to spark new ideas for contemporary projects and sustainable development. This ambitious project grew out of a desire to show how quartz is a material with multiple uses and to promote innovative, sustainable solutions that can generate value over time. Tecla is a modular, glue-free, customizable furniture system that uses an elegant, essential design to enhance the appearance of the material itself.

The quartz wall paneling takes its name from Via Santa Tecla, the street in Milan where, at number 3 and just a stone’s throw from the cathedral, the new Marmo Arredo Milano showroom has opened. The showroom itself offers a look at the huge variety of possible uses of the brand’s signature materials. On a 46 foot (14 m) wall in the basement, the new Tecla system is on show in a range of different finishes. And there are innumerable patterns and effects to choose from, including gloss, opaque, three-dimensional, and so on. The display wall also features modular containers with the same texture as the wall panels that can be integrated into projects in several forms.

Credits

Please refer to the individual images in the gallery to look through the photo credits

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