Giorgio Armani Presents New Casa Collection
● Installed at the Armani/Silos exhibition space, the furniture is displayed in striking sets according to themes and recurring references of the brand.
MILAN — Giorgio Armani's aesthetic is unmistakable, but the designer chose to emphasize his precise style and mark on the interior design segment with an exhibition of some of his classic Casa pieces together with newly created items during the Salone del Mobile.
Installed at the Armani/Silos exhibition space, along with a tribute to Logo Lamps, first conceived by the designer in 1982, the furniture occupies scenographic sets according to themes and recurring references of the brand: The 1930s, with an Art Deco spirit — much beloved by Armani — and the 1940s; Far Eastern inspirations, from China and Japan in particular; travel, and the world of nature.
"In recent years, I have focused on the essential aspects of my style lexicon. In design, as in fashion, I feel the need to reaffirm the founding elements that define the Armani style," the designer said. "This exhibition, devised to mark the return of the Salone del Mobile in attendance, is a way of traversing my aesthetics in its salient aspects, highlighting connections, suggestions and references. For the first time, I am using the spaces of the Silos to create an exhibition that offers an immersive and emotional experience in the Armani/Casa world.”
Soothing images of flowing water set the tone in room dominated by a Morfeo bed, with a suspended structure, upholstered in teal silk. The colors of water are captured in the rugged texture of shagreen on the Stendhal secretaire and the Antoinette coiffeuse with a concealed interior.
As he continues to pursue his research into sophisticated materials, Armani presented tabletops and desks adorned with mother-of-pearl mosaic tiles or shells.
Japan and China, respectively, are echoed in the Club bar cabinet with its lacquered surface, which reveals an unexpected interior upholstered in jacquard silk with a fan design, and in the Jylia chairs in lacquered wood.
Armani has always been attracted by flora and this season, the bamboo is the backdrop of a wood screen in thinly ribbed paulownia, and is it a key element of the Sharon chair and the retro Suite valet stand.
A bold set is dedicated to the tiger, which is also the feline of the current year in the Chinese zodiac. The curved Renoir sofa is upholstered in the São Paulo fabric reminiscent of the animal's coat, although not represented literally.
Blending new technologies with local tradition, the Pascal armchair is inspired by the seats of early 20th-century ocean liners, but it is enriched with resin and methacrylate elements.
Armani dedicated a space at Silos for accessories, such as the Scarlett leather travel blanket holder, with shoulder strap and metal hooks for canisters, or the Secret bathroom storage unit, both cylindrical and swiveling, made of canneté-effect wood, and a backgammon set. With an eye on sustainability, fabrics scraps from previous collections are used for placemats, pillows and storage boxes. Surprisingly, Armani also presented a wooden sled, and croquet mallets and training ball.