CALLIGARIS - 90 YEARS OF ITALIAN DESIGN

It is said that the sign of pure, restless delight is doing more with less. That’s Calligaris, as it has been for decades. For 90 years, the iconic Italian brand has invigorated the global furniture industry through products that have struck home with resounding frequency, creating enduring trends and business success that is oft spoken of and admired by many a furniture maker. And that was evident, in its own measure, at Milano this year as well.

Calligaris Tables & Chairs 

 Calligaris produces dining tables, chairs, coffee tables, storage solutions like cabinets and shelving, lamps, a range of accents and accessories, and much more. Apart from new furniture concepts, there are also new designs and fabrics. Vintage style meets contemporary shapes and bold colours, engendering the sensations of familiarity and freshness simultaneously. The new collection is a combination of qualities that Calligaris was originally founded on, mixed with new ideas that work for the future. The long-standing core essence of the brand has been married to a contemporary style through a mix of materials - natural wood, leather and marble, and Calligaris’ stand-out palette of colours. This adds a new dimension to its high quality designs by tapping into current trends. The ability to mix and match these elements allows the customer to make choices, whether bold or subtle, and design their own unique look to create the atmosphere and space they want.

 The Calligaris orientation to customers has always been to offer a choice in decorating a home, turning even the simplest of rooms into a fun, contemporary and colourful interior. Whilst Calligaris prides itself in offering modern, functional furniture, all of its products can be worked into existing schemes or combined to create new and avant-garde looks that reflect personal taste - the freedom Calligaris offers is unrivalled.

   Contemporary and elegant in equal measure, with the top taking a gentle curve, the Moving dining table is unique. The motion mechanism, which is conceptually akin to a telescoping system, is such that it offers three possible lengths from the same table, while the legs always stay at the ends. And reducing or expanding the length of the table happens in just one fluid motion.

 

A reinterpretation of the already famous Calligaris chair, the New York presents a whole new idea in stylish, compact seating. There are five new colour concepts - five frame colours (including the colours of the year - sky blue and mustard yellow) coordinated with five upholstery fabrics. The fabric is a blend of leather and microfibre, and is teflon-treated, while the key design effect is the wire frame that runs exposed even around the backrest. Match is the name given to Calligaris’ new multi-piece coffee table design. The tops are made of a quartz conglomerate with a marble effect, the tone of which can be light or dark, with the legs in ash wood. What’s nice is that these can be stacked together to create striking shapes, adding functionality to its elegant style.

Yet another clever innovation is Factory, the cabinet system that’s designed out of clean lines and touches of colour. The legs and defining horizontal bar come in select colours while the body, top and fronts come in natural ash or smoke. These lead to combinations that break away from traditional furniture, in both muted settings and colourful ones. The back support legs are closer to the centre and hence unseen, making for a partial suspension visual effect. The Division modular shelving system has been cleverly designed to function either as a wall unit or as a free-standing unit, making a great library or multi-use cabinet. The system is made of a thin, white, lacquered frame in two shapes, and a set of colourful metal containers can be slipped into random shelves to make it (and the room) come alive.
Innovation is a constant at Calligaris. The effort to build a thinner, longer dining table led to the Heron - a dining table that goes up to 2.8 metres, supported by only 4 slender legs at the ends. The tabletop is a wood-metal-wood sandwich, which ensures that there is no bending, and comes in an ash finish. SS