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“Materials" have forcefully entered the contemporary design scene, starring in performances that focus on both the symbolic and substantive significance of the materials that "human objects" are made of.
Material Spirit. Unveiling the intimate spirit of materials
19 October 2023
From art to design to the most common goods in our homes, we see signs of a transformation that (like never before) has made materials a resource not only to be safeguarded, but to be known, loved, and placed at the center of design. This trend has developed constantly over the past few years and relates to the profound, progressive interest in materials from esthetic, functional, and experimental perspectives. A practice that reveals itself through objects, artifacts, and architectures in which it is the material itself that defines the contours of the project, far beyond its functional and esthetic properties, which seem utterly insufficient to define the profound character of material reality. Innovation therefore starts directly from the material and its vitality, exploring its intrinsic characteristics, always respecting and emphasizing their nature and history. It starts with the material, each time laying it bare to further develop and expand on a new creative language that is in tune with it.
Founded in 2018, Vaust is a design studio in Berlin that won the 2020 Wallpaper Design Award engaged in interior design, architecture, and art through a distinctive esthetic language derived from a focus on pure materials. In the case of the seven works of Total Exposure, aggregate concrete blended with brushed polished aluminum maintains the materials’ rough, primal strength while transforming the objects into designer products with a poetic, artistic spirit: coffee tables, a room perfumer, vases and floor sculptures.... The objects draw inspiration from the simple, solid lines of Brutalist architecture, combining rough-hewn and washed aggregate concrete as previously used in Cold War-era city buildings.
The Monk Chair, made of charred cork sheets, was recently presented at the 2023 Lake Como Design Festival as part of the Contemporary Design Selection. The seat was created by Belgian designer Cedric Etienne, known for the original creative philosophy behind all his works for which architecture and philosophy have equal weight in conception and design. Together with Studio Corkinho, a small team of interior designers, the designer searches for the essentiality and purity of materials that led him to the discovery and use of cork, which he considers a noble, contemporary material with value far beyond that of mere paneling. In fact for Cedric, "if we listen closely to the spirit of architecture, its voice guides us to return to the essence."
Boost Natural by Atlas Concorde
In partnership with the architect Matteo Brioni, the Boost world has been enriched with Boost Natural,porcelain tiles inspired by raw earth in neutral, dusty tones. With this collection, Atlas Concorde continues its search for the essence of materials with a focus on raw earth, which, as Brioni says, "has the ability to bring beauty to contemporary architecture." The collection's harmonious use of color, texture, and application allows the deeper nature of the material it is inspired by to shine through.
Per un’azienda o un retailer considerare la tendenza Material Spirit, significa puntare su:
- Materia come cuore del progetto: estrarre dai materiali elementi sempre diversiper raccontare nuove storie con i progetti di prodotto o di architettura
- Essenzialità estetica: considerare l’estetica come l’espressione di una essenzialità più intima e profonda, a partire dagli aspetti materici o formali
- Nuovi linguaggi creativi: studiare la materia per conoscerne gli elementi da trasformare in un linguaggio creativo
- Emozionalità ancestrale: suscitare emozioni attraverso la materia, attrattive ma anche respingenti