SALONE DEL MOBILE 2017
Well stored: Where to put all your things?
One of the most unpopular topics when it comes to furnishing is arguably how to skillfully store one’s possessions. For when the right spot for the dining table has been decided and the seating arranged, the tiresome question arises: Where shall we put all the stuff; the books, vases, plates, souvenirs and heirlooms? It’s a shame, in fact, because storage space is not simply a necessary evil. And how we store our belongings also says something about us. Some present their Japanese teapots as though in a museum, arrange photo books and antique first editions widely spaced on the bookshelf. Others in turn stuff their book collection, thrown together over the years, onto a far-too-small shelf – in two rows to save space. The drawers and compartments are so brimming over that most of the items disappear, never to be seen again. These people tend to favor ceiling-high fitted units that mercifully engulf everything from sports shoes to spare blankets.
The furniture industry is evidently aware of how mindsets can differ when it comes to creating order in one’s home and this year is offering a broad range of storage furniture, as is very much in evidence when wandering around the Salone del Mobile. For the home curators, De Padova, for example, offers a filigree shelving system by Studio MA/U that transforms every object into an exhibit. The minimalist “086” shelving by the Brothers Bouroullec for Cassina may not be practical, but is the ideal stage to present your favorite piece. Glass bureaus are also well suited as display cabinets in home museums. BD Barcelona for instance is presenting “Dalia” by Joel Escalona in Milan, whose wrought-iron ornamentation conceals nothing; indeed, it actually directs the gaze towards what is inside it.
For those who tend to be more chaotic we recommend inherently closed storage solutions that, in addition to the tidy impression they give, offer an additional advantage: The fronts of the cupboards, sideboards and bureaus provide plenty of space for design. With the product family “Ziqqurat” the in-house design team at Driade for instance proves that block stripes and floral patterns do not only look good on summer dresses. Spanish designer Jaime Hayon has designed the “Clown” cupboard for Ceasarstone, the manufacturer of quartz surfaces: The front of the unit is adorned by – yes, you’ve guessed it – a clown face, whose protruding ears serve as door handles. De Castelli has devoted its entire booth to the topic of storage – with various shelving systems and free-standing units. The sideboard “Elisabeth” with its pleated front by Nathalie Dewez is particularly well conceived.
Because, as always in life, most people are to be found bobbing somewhere between these extremes when it comes to organizing their possessions, the market offers an enormous range of more or less covered storage furniture that, with satin-finish glass, perforated panels or lattices, highlights the charm of almost, but not quite concealing the contents: for chaotic curators and the curatorially but also chaotically minded.
