The flagship store of via Durini, completely renovated by Fabio Novembre and his studio by means of an architectural project celebrating the culture and ambience of Puglia, shall serve as the setting where visitors can discover – from Monday, June 6 to Sunday, June 12 – the new products, as well as a special selection of the brand's iconic pieces in a new version, enriched by the new eco-fiber collection of upholstery, 100% sustainable.
The project by Novembre is designed to make the furnishings stand out, but also to create a memorable encounter with the brand and its founding values: Mediterranean flair, design, harmony, Italian character, innovation and comfort. The heart of the project is the central area, an ideal square surrounded by the iconic lights typical of the Apulian culture and defined by a series of arches which recall the traditional architecture of the region; the space hosts a multi functional lounge available for meetings with customers and for the virtual 3D experience.
Different environments grow around it, with one open and fluid setting which allows continuous flows between the spaces: the sets - four dedicated to the living area and three to the total living proposals – that evoke the typical elements of the Apulian landscapes, the farms, the olive trees, the warm light on the sea. The Circle of Harmony - Second Life concept is also expressed through two special projects: the photographic exhibition TRE(E)PIDATION by Giampaolo Sgura in the new showroom and the evocative sit-specific installation Germogli (Sprouts), envisioned by Marcantonio for the courtyard spaces adjacent to the showroom in Palazzo Durini Caproni di Taliedo, shall be on public display Wednesday, June 8 and Thursday, June 9.
The Circle of Harmony – Second Life furniture collection
Second Life is the new concept collection within The Circle of Harmony, the project born in 2019 to establish an ideal space which accommodates various creative interpretations of Natuzzi Italia's DNA. Following the reflection on the future launched by the last two collections The Circle of Harmony (2020) and The Circle of Harmony – Live the Transition (2021), with Second Life Natuzzi Italia reflects further on the concept of sustainability in the broadest sense possible. The Circle of Harmony – Second Life thus represents a third chapter in this narrative, a reflection regarding a theme with serious modern-day implications: how to orient the production of furnishings toward a level of sustainability which is consistently more coherent and definitive."Second Life is the concept of the newest collection, a notion guiding the hand of the designers we've collaborated with which embraces our skillful artisans and is so universal that it ideally accommodates everybody," explains Pasquale Junior Natuzzi, creative director of the company. "The goal is to bring life to a more informed design and production process. Creating a timeless beauty capable of crossing time itself. A collection of targeted pieces designed to last a lifetime, with the green idea of reducing pollution, creating materials that get to live an invaluable second life: recycled, reused, rethought; objects where functionality and aesthetics coexist in perfect balance. To live a second life in harmony, at last."
Terra Pouf - design by Marcantonio
Marcantonio, in his second collaboration with Natuzzi Italia, is challenged with designing a pouf: a smooth piece of upholstery, a statement piece representing the synthesis of the new Natuzzi design philosophy ushered by Second Life and based on the need to reconsider the world of furniture with greater awareness, taking into account the materials, the process, and the context. The result is Terra pouf, a project designed to have zero environmental impact, a chamfered form, rounded lines, and a softness evoking the shapes of an olive on the red soil of Puglia. The ends of the seat and the backrest are connected by light straps which create an unanticipated circularity and underlie the entire project.The inner core of the product, without structures and frames, is made of recycled polystyrene, considered one of the most recyclable and circular materials; the upholstery is available in the Water range - the sustainable fabric resulting from the collaboration with the Dutch textile innovation studio BYBORRE - and in the new the eco-fiber collection presented by Natuzzi at Milan Design Week, whose main characters are Gaia and Origami.
Adam Sofa - design by Marcel Wanders studio
Marcel Wanders studio, at its fourth collaboration with Natuzzi Italia, presents a collection with a focus represented by the Adam sofa, born from the desire to integrate sustainable materials with a timeless design inspired by Puglia, the region representing the brand's roots and symbolizing that Mediterranean lifestyle that the brand sports worldwide.To create the Adam sofa, Marcel Wanders studio has made a significant journey in the brand's history and style. The result is a sofa with a modern casual style which makes visual and sensory comfort its distinguishing feature. Adam is a reinterpretation of the Natuzzi style, as well as the archetype for future sofas, furniture that gets to live a "second life" because it is capable of lasting over time. The name Adam is an explicit reference to the archetype's central idea: an example of a new approach to style and comfort for Natuzzi Italia. The wooden base gives the sofa a natural, handcrafted appearance, while the large seat and backrest cushions, with their soft, rounded lines, are upholstered with Ecolympha by Olmo polyurethane made up exclusively of natural and biocompatible materials. Comfort is expanded by a series of manual mechanisms which make it possible to adjust the position and angle of the armrests and the headrest.
Eco-Fiber coverings collection
The Second Life concept is also expressed in the new collection of sustainable coverings presented by Natuzzi Italia. Following the 2020 launch of the collaboration with the Dutch textile innovation studio BYBORRE, which gave rise to the collection of Water fabrics – made with a thread that combines the highest quality of wool with recycled PES – this year, the brand presents a series of new fibers designed to attain the maximum positive impact on the environment and on man: Gaia and Origami.Gaia is an experimental vegan fiber which strikengly reproduces the texture of the leather: the extreme innovation of Coronet, a company that produces technical materials with a high focus on sustainability, meets Natuzzi's artisanal excellence in leather processing creating a complete and harmonious fusion between tradition and modernity. The Coronet material, thanks to Natuzzi's unique experience in this field, undergoes a process similar to tanning, producing an eco-fiber upholstery with a unique touch that represents a new and revolutionary page in the company's long history.
Origami is a fabric primarily made up of paper fibers – an ecological and sustainable product which is 100% natural – joined to a nylon-flocked chenille fabric on the back. Natural and resistant, with the feel of linen but a more pastel effect, Origami has intrinsic fire-retardant qualities thanks to the paper that does not combust, but rather immediately becomes ash, a characteristic which also makes its disposal sustainable.
TRE(E)PIDATION - photographic exhibition by Giampaolo Sgura
The tragic Xylella epidemic that has been infesting the Apulian olive trees in recent years, killing millions of specimens, affected by rapid drying, is the theme around which the photographic exibition TRE(E)PIDATION by Giampaolo Sgura revolves, presented in the main hall of the new Natuzzi Italia flagship store in via Durini.Sgura, one of the most known and talented fashion photographers on the international scene, has been asked by Natuzzi Italia to produce 3 iconic images of olive pictures to celebrate the beauty, strength and energy of the ancient Apulian olive trees and fix in the memory a landscape that risks disappearing forever and with it a part of the history and of the Mediterranean culture. Being Apulian just like Natuzzi, Sgura is particularly linked to the territory and decided to set his project in the Piana degli Ulivi, between Ostuni and Monopoli, the last olive forest in Puglia and the only area in the world with the highest density of ancient olive trees critically endangered by Xylella over the last few years.
"I enthusiastically accepted Pasquale Junior Natuzzi's invitation to collaborate on this project", says Giampaolo Sgura. "The love for our land, Apulia, unites us and it is imperative for us to support activism in safeguarding a unique natural heritage”.
The project was created to turn the spotlight on this theme, still fairly unknown in Italy and in the world, and at the same time give actual support to fight the xylella epidemic: from 6 June it will be possible to buy 3 photographs by Giampaolo Sgura through the website savetheolives.com - each shot available also in a limited edition - and the proceeds will be donated to the Save The Olives association, the first NGO to have activated awareness and fundraising projects to support scientific research against xylella.
Germogli Installation by Marcantonio
To celebrate the concept The Circle of Harmony – Second Life, Natuzzi Italia has entrusted the artist and designer Marcantonio with an evocative, picturesque installation in the courtyard of the Palazzo Durini Caproni di Taliedo, which houses the brand's showroom in Milan. The goal is to spread to the visitors the spirit of the Circle of Harmony, a croassroad of experiences, influences and creative blendings.Based on the idea of rebirth and aiming at emphasizing the narrow link which connects us to nature and the environment today more than ever, Marcantonio decided to transform one of the most significant courtyards in the center of Milan into a fairytale-like world where gigantic sprouts shoot from the ground, or better said, from the earth. Covered with a reflective golden surface, the gigantic sprouts (almost 4m tall) reflect the sunlight, imitating nature on the one hand, and on the other the classical and Renaissance decorations in which plant elements represented life and rebirth.
Germogli represent a tribute to the union between man and nature and, at the same time, focus the spotlight on an urgent problem facing olive groves in Puglia which requires incisive action: Xylella. This pesty bacteria causes substantial problems in olive groves and risks compromising crops across Europe.
Natuzzi Italia Showroom - via Durini 24, Milano
June 6, 2022 - press day, 10.00 am – 8.00 pm
June 7, 2022, 10.00 am – 5.30 pm
June 8 – 12, 2022, 110.00 am – 8.30 pm
Germogli Installation
Natuzzi Italia Showroom – Palazzo Durini Caproni di Taliedo Courtyard – via Durini 24, Milan
June 8 and June 9, 2022, 10.00 am – 10.00 pm
Natuzzi Italia on ARCHIPRODUCTS
