Here is our selection of top pieces from the stands of Imm Cologne 2019, partly anticipating the Salone del Mobile di Milano
As an international furniture fair, Imm Cologne is the reference point for North-Central Europe and certainly a focal point for the international interiors trade. The 2019 edition was visited by 150,000 people from 145 countries, with 52% international traders. Traditionally, Cologne ‘opens’ the year for the furniture sector and paves the way for the new trends of the Salone del Mobile di Milano, from 9 to 14 April 2019. During our tour we particularly focused on the booth of the best brands of Made in Italy, aware of their well-established international vocation. Here you can find the Top Ten of designdiffusion.com:
Elegante is one of the 9 sofas presented in Cologne by Natuzzi Editions. As suggested by its name (‘elegant’ in Italian), it is a refined piece of soft furniture that recalls the interiors of the famous cars of the Fifties. In addition to sofas, the Puglia-based brand with an international vocation has presented for the first time dining tables and beds. The wide range of the new offering confirms the power of the ‘made in Natuzzi’ style.
With the expansion of the Apsara line of modular seats, designed by Ludovica+Roberto Palomba, Giorgetti confirms its propensity to outdoor spaces as comfortable and elegant as the interior ones. Terraces, gardens and yachts become open-air living spaces, with furnishings made of high-performance materials, to which Giorgetti adds an exclusive touch and sartorial details.
An undisputed master of woodworking, Riva 1920 took part in Imm Cologne 2019 with Vitrea 1 e 2, designed by Gabriele and Giuliano Cappelletti, which is up to the brand’s fame. As a multifunctional storage unit, with doors that can be opened at 90°, it can be equipped internally to meet different needs. Full-height LED lights make it a piece also suitable for displaying valuable objects. Furthermore, Riva 1920 presented in Germany the low Pandora Glass storage unit, by the same designers, and the fun Geppo stool/storage unit, designed by Marco Baxadonne, an element carved into solid scented cedar wood, in line with the style of the company.
The Bay outdoor sofa, designed by Nipa Doshi & Jonathan Levien, has a deep seat that invites to total relax in the open air. Along with an armchair and a pouf from the same collection, it is among the new products that B&B Italia presented at Imm Cologne. The Bay line, in polypropylene, reinterprets traditional braiding in natural fibers that give lightness as well as a vintage and contemporary look at once.
Lema took to Cologne its unique lifestyle, focusing on customized modular systems, the brand’s core business. In particular, the composition (in the picture) that combines the Selecta hanging bookshelf, ‘rovere carbone’, with the Naica wardrobe, designed by Cairoli & Donzelli, with coplanar doors, in the ‘larice moka’ finish , has been very appreciated in the Lema booth designed by Piero Lissoni. A strong sign of Lema identity made of innovation, manufacturing heritage and expansion into global markets.
The Echino series of low tables, designed by Sebastian Herkner, perfectly expresses the know-how of Zanotta as a historic design brand; they consist of three-layered blown glass legs and a 4 mm thick top in steel sheet. Along with the Tusa armchairs designed by Roberto Dordoni, they are among the new products unveiled by Zanotta on the international stage of Imm Cologne 2019.
Bold and nonconformist, the latest sofa Finn, designed by Twils Lounge R&D is also available in more subdued colors. Finn is inspired by Scandinavian design and the underlying idea is to offer maximum comfort in a small space. It is characterized by large and soft backrest cushions that can be positioned to achieve optimal comfort. As a modular system, designed by the Research & Development department of Twils living division, it includes a chaise longue, a daybed, a footrest and an armchair.
MDF Italia wants to celebrate, starting from Cologne, the tenth anniversary of two revisited icons, the Flow Collection, designed by Jean Marie Massaud, and the Tense table, designed in 2009 by Piergiorgio and Michele Cazzaniga. In particular, in the Tense Material Intarsia (detail in the picture) the two designers present it with a marble dust coating (in addition to wood, stone and brass) with inlays inspired by Kandinsky’s Point and Line to Plane theory.
For the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus, Walter Knoll reminds us he contemporary character of the Weimar school with minimal furnishings such as the low sideboard The Farns, designed by Eoos, a tribute to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and his legendary Farsworth House, the prototype of all glass buildings. With glass, light and mirrors, this sideboard stands out at the center of the room but it is extraordinary also when it is wall-mounted. After all, the history of the Knoll family is indissolubly linked to the revolutionary design movement of Bauhaus.
Contemporary classic: for Selva it is fundamental to combine a timeless mood that makes interiors cozy with modern comfort and details. As in the Liam armchair, displayed at the Selva Home stand at Imm Cologne 2019, where trendy finishes from grey-silver oak to ‘golden concrete’ enriched with textures were presented. In the brand’s collections, artisanal values and traditional styles meet modernity, as in the desks with cable raceways. [Text Lucia Bocchi]
