Folie Bench, designed by Shirley van Piere for Leclettico
This brass-and-walnut bench was inspired by van Piere’s photographic experiments with mirror images—most of them shots of outdoor furniture, though her Folie is strictly for interior use. Milan-based collection Leclettico, which is showcasing the bench, was the first choice for the Dutch designer, who says founder Claudio Lorra gives more “personal attention” to his designers.
TRU, designed by Roberto Paoli for Nemo
Paoli’s lighting solution for the Cassina's Nemo brand line stood out from the Euroluce crowd precisely because it doesn’t stand out: Made from composite materials, the super-reductive lamp can be turned to cast its light on a wall, concealing the light source so effectively that it almost begs the viewer to walk around it to see where the light is coming from.
Pythagoras Chair, designed by Sander Mulder
“As a designer, I always try to produce my items cost-effectively,” says 33-year-old Dutch designer Sander Mulder. His new Pythagoras Chair—on display during the Salone del Mobile as part of the MOST exhibition—is efficiency in action: a simple kit of three parts, with a powder-coated aluminum seat and back and pyramidal legs (oak or metal, according to preference). The lightweight, easy-to-ship solution takes care of one of the major obstacles to expanding Mulder’s client base: Sometimes, he notes, “the shipping costs are more than the product.” With Pythagoras, he can cater to buyers in the U.S. or Abu Dhabi with equal ease.
Kartell by Laufen bathroom furniture, designed by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba for Laufen and Kartell
This new bathroom line—a collaboration between the polycarbonate gurus at Kartell and the furniture specialists at Laufen—began as a "Mission: Impossible," says the designer, Italian architect Ludovica Palomba. The furniture-makers wanted to work in plastic—not a material suitable, as it happens, for bathtubs. But she and partner Roberto Palomba rose to the challenge nonetheless, making everything else in the collection from tinted polycarbonate. “It’s translucent,” Ludovica says, “just like water itself.”
