In yesterday's post we looked at identity, transformations and architecture. Let's continue these threads, moving onto interior design, and looking at two pieces of furniture that explore the theme of transformation.
The first piece is the convertible Galeotta armchair designed in 1968 by Jonathan De Pas, Donato D'Urbino, and Paolo Lomazzi.
Made entirely of differentiated polyurethane foam, the armchair boldly defies traditional design norms since it has no supporting frame or internal mechanisms. The armchair consists indeed of three irregularly shaped flip-up blocks that allow for three different configurations: the blocks can be extended into a chaise longue and a daybed or they can be used to create a seated or semi-reclined configuration with two different inclinations of the backrest module.
The removable fabric covering also serves as a hinge during transformation, keeping the three seating elements together and allowing for folding movement.
In the history of design, the armchair represented an innovative and groundbreaking project that contributed to a profound change in the ways of living, as it deconstructed and revolutionized the concept of the traditional armchair to introduce different ways of sitting at home. This informal, transformable and dynamic armchair embodied indeed the principle of functional design. The second piece is the folding and adjustable clothes-stand Sciangai, again designed in 1973 by De Pas, D'Urbino, and Lomazzi.
This foldable stand, characterized by a very simple yet user-friendly operating mechanism, draws inspiration from the Mikado pick-up sticks game and it's a vibrant explosion of joyful colours.
In Sciangai, each element serves as a support on the floor and, at the same time, as a holder for coats and hats at its upper end. The eight solid multi-coloured lacquered beech wood sticks that compose it are connected by a joint just above the center and, when opened, create an adjustable circumference according to personal preference and available space, resulting in a coat stand that can be expanded or reduced. Zanotta recently reissued these two pieces that stand as testaments to the power of transformative design merging creativity and practicality.
The new Sciangai 50, reissued in celebration of the 50th anniversary of this piece, is a faithful realization of the original sketch found in the studio of De Pas, D'Urbino, and Lomazzi, by Fabio Calvi and Paolo Brambilla, the new Zanotta Art Directors.
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