‘ORIGATA’ BENCH
by Nao Tamura, for Porro
One of Porro’s newest collaborators is the award-winning Brooklyn-based Japanese designer Nao Tamura. Her ‘Origata’ bench for the Italian company is inspired by the process of making kimonos (a craft close to home for Tamura, whose grandmother founded a clothing line in the 1940s). To create the traditional garment, a rectangular piece of fabric is cut in straight lines and then sewn together with little to no waste – a method replicated in the making of this bench, with a sheet of aluminium carefully cut and assembled to waste as little metal as possible. Tamura’s creations often focus on the concept of simplification, but span a variety of scales, and include a toilet block for the Nippon Foundation’s renowned Tokyo Toilet project. Her bright red triangular public convenience in Shibuya is also inspired by the traditional Japanese method of gift wrapping, from which this bench takes its name. porro.com
‘SIONA’ BAR CABINET
by Matteo Cibic, for Visionnaire
Since its debut in 2004, Bologna-based brand Visionnaire has put its stamp on the world of luxury interiors withdesigned piece that draws inspiration from ‘the avant-garde aesthetic of 1970s Italian automotive design’. Boasting bold, rounded edges evoking the era’s emphasis on fluidity and innovation, ‘Siona’ features a textured square brass base that not only provides visual contrast, but also ‘symbolises a harmonious blend of strength and refinement, mirroring the engineering mastery found in iconic automobiles of the era’.
