Italy's largest furniture house introduces an innovative collection that reveres the elements... and wait 'til you see how it's shaping up!
photos courtesy of Natuzzi Italia
One of the great highlights of my life (thus far… as I’ve still got a whole lot of living to do) was my honeymoon in Italy.
A few standout moments: all the people unflinchingly smoking cigarettes under the “No Smoking” sign at Milan Malpensa Airport (not because I condone the behavior, but because I do love a devil-may-care attitude... considering I often have one myself); a darling Murano glass desk lamp I picked up in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square (my kids broke it into pieces years later but luckily I found a brilliant antique restoration specialist who magically glued it back together); a whole Lloyd Webber’s worth of cats crawling on tables and rooftops as we dined seaside in Positano (I used to hate cats, but after somewhat begrudgingly adopting one. he’s brought me mostly joy and sometimes I let him sleep on my head); and shoes. Lots and lots of shoes. My new hubby and I did quite the damage on the streets of Florence to the tune of Bruno Magli, Prada, and Ferragamo. (The shoes lasted. The marriage not so much.)
Yes, back in the day I was a little more Carrie Bradshaw than Kelly Wearstler – my passion for interior design would come later. But oh man… if I knew then what I know now, I would have spent a lot more time ogling sofas than stilettos when in Rome (or in this case, Milano).
Anyone who knows Italian furniture design knows Natuzzi. Founded in 1959 by Pasquale Natuzzi, Natuzzi S.p.A. is Italy’s largest furniture house and arguably the best-known European lifestyle brand in the upholstered furnishings sector worldwide. So, what’s new with Natuzzi?
Glad you asked.
On the recent occasion of Milano Design City, Natuzzi presented in its flagship store on Via Durini a preview of its 2021 collection: “The Circle of Harmony”. The spherical shape symbolizes a quest for balance and perfection, but for Natuzzi, the circle also represents an ideal inclusive space. How beautiful of a concept is that!
Natuzzi flagship, Milan
Natuzzi enlisted eight designers for this creative endeavor, and each was tasked with translating the identity of the brand; specifically, its relationship with the spirit, elegance, and harmony of Apulia. Apulia, a.k.a. Puglia, is the southern region of Italy that forms the country’s “boot", and the pristine Mediterranean waters along which its coastline stretches are an unreal shade of turquoise (Wait… PTSD flashback to my groom insisting, deadly serious, that the glowing Blue Grotto of Capri is a hoax.
I should’ve divorced him right then and there.)
Apulia (Puglia), Italy
But I digress. And... we’re back to the water.
Joining the ranks of such phenoms as Claudio Bellini, Maurizio Manzoni, Paola Navone, Mauro Lipparini, and others of their ilk, Dutch textile innovation studio BYBORRE created a new fabric collection called WATER for Natuzzi. Inspired by the undulating waves of the Mediterranean Sea, the textile is made with a yarn that combines high-quality wool and recycled polyester (rPET).
Ok, so real quick here… why that’s significant is that recycling polyester saves on the energy it takes to make it in the first place, and also, any recycled plastic that’s used to make fibers instead of bottles - which could potentially wind up as ocean trash - is a very good thing. Boom. A clear and present demonstration of Natuzzi’s commitment to environmental preservation.
“By thinking about the future of people and the planet, BYBORRE and Natuzzi are finding new ways to create quality, custom, and sustainable fabrics,” says Borre Akkersdijk, CEO and co-founder of BYBORRE.
Borre Akkersdijk, CEO and co-founder of BYBORRE with Pasquale Junior Natuzzi, Chief Creative Officer of Natuzzi
Available in five colorways, the “Water” family of fabrics is luxurious in both look and feel in addition to being extremely durable. For Natuzzi’s 2021 collection preview, Water was applied on pieces by several of the afore-mentioned designers, and…
Infinito!
The Infinito sofa, created for Natuzzi Italia by one of the most fascinating (and dare I say smokin' hot?) Italian designers of the new generation, Marcantonio, takes its inspiration from the looped mathematical symbol of infinity. It’s a powerful shape that everyone loves… both for what it represents, and how lyrical it is.
infinity symbol
artist Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba, courtesy of MARCANTONIO
Constructed with a tubular metal sculpture and softened with elastic polyurethane padding, Marcantonio’s ingenious design offers maximum comfort and a stunning aesthetic.
And when upholstered with a Water textile by BYBORRE, in any of its five hues, Infinito, much like Apulia itself, is even more so a thing of beauty.
To inquire about the Natuzzi 2021 collection, or to purchase, visit: natuzzi.com
