From LaMercanti BlogSubscribe Now

Italian office furniture, colors and materials: the trends of 2023

For the Italian office furniture, 2023 is marked by a few key words: essentiality, order, elegance, innovation and comfort. Design calls for clean spaces, harmony and balance.
Environments are designed to give a sense of freedom, comfort and creativity, with more airy and multifunctional spaces, and furniture, such as sofas, desks and bookcases, have soft and curvy shapes.

In the working areas, the Scandinavian style, which perfectly meets the need for comfort and functionality required, is a strong trend. This style is looking for furniture with clean lines in geometries, essential and allowing collaboration between working areas.
Fundamental is the division of the open office spaces. Entering an office, in fact, it is necessary to immediately understand which areas are dedicated to socializing and relaxation versus those suitable for individual work.
This inclusive design also places great importance on light, which should be as natural or equated with it as possible.

So the “minimal” style is the quintessential furniture trend of 2023. It is a rigorous style without superfluous decoration, which prefers practical, sober and transversal furniture of refined design, arranged in a clear order, to leave freedom of movement and give ample scope to the context. The motto “less is more” triumphs in office spaces as well as home spaces.

Colors, too, make room for freshness and dynamism to create positive environments full of vitality. Popular colors include blues and greens, which are inspired by nature, or earth-toned shades to create a more sophisticated and unusual style. Warm colors and cool colors thus create plays of tone that never tire. Sharp and contrasting neutral shades, in gradations that allow to increase the brightness of the rooms, highlighting the furnishings.

As for materials, those most in vogue this year are marble, metal and glass, which provide brightness and, above all, timeless elegance.

Of course, the quality and sustainability of materials continues to be of utmost importance in the furniture of 2023. Recycled and vintage materials are widely used, and the principle of the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is followed, especially in the production methods of furniture, which should be sustainable, ethical and certified.

Salone del Mobile 2022: many innovations for the contract sector and not only

At the beginning of June, took place in Milan the most awaited event in the world of design furniture: the 60th edition of the Salone del Mobile. After the stop due to the pandemic, it was a first step towards a new normality. For the return as a live event, the turnout was beyond expectations, a sign of quality, commitment, cohesion and a great desire to come together and get going again.

The Milan Design Week is the most important international showcase, an event that has always highlighted quality, innovation, beauty and sustainability: key words for industry professionals. As Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile in Milan, pointed out: “The Salone del Mobile has always been a catalyst for creativity and energy. It is a generator of beauty, inclusion, new opportunities. (…) A point of reference for the entire design community”.

There are always many companies to expose and make known to the world their news. Among the exhibiting brands La Palma, which has always proposed through fluid and informal environments, furnishing solutions created to accompany the ever-changing experiences of contemporary living. Awarded for its 40 years of participation in the Milan Design Week, La Palma has completely renewed its space alternating with the iconic collections, the news 2022. Among the others: the Jazz bookcase; the original and comfortable Wing Tip lounge armchair; the Foil chair and the Glove and Cross stools. Items suitable to leave different environments: waiting rooms, restaurants, airports, offices, gardens and homes.

Of course, Pedrali participated too in the international design event, presenting twelve new collections, the result of rigorous research and important collaborations with Italian and international designers. Some of these are: the sober and welcoming Lamorisse armchair; the Nolita Sofa that recalls the origins of Pedrali products and at the same time the lightness of the novelty; the Souvenir monobloc seats, colorful and suitable for any outdoor environment and also many functional and versatile furnishing accessories.

The large Arper space could not fail to host several innovations, games between transparencies and dynamic colors, harmonious shapes and versatile systems. The products presented by Arper bring out the important relationship between man and nature through durable and timeless furnishings in which lightness and simplicity are enhanced. Some Arper items have been improved by modifying their shape, materials or colors, to adapt them to new spaces and at the same time to reflect the progress made in materials and technology. The Juno chair, for example, is just one of these “revitalized” products whose design has been improved using more sustainable materials. So was born a Juno 02. lighter but no less durable and in new color variations that adapt to delicate environments with soft nuances that are inspired by nature.

The Milan Design Week brought together the international design community to present and enhance new proposals both for compact spaces or transformable interiors and for multifunctional furnishings for every environment, always quality furnishings, which find in the Salone the most important showcase. In fact, the Salone del Mobile has always been an intense week of productive exchanges about sustainability and opening up to new markets.

New office furnishing trends

This year is full of many new trends in office furnishing, a place where people often spend a large part of their day. For this reason, it makes sense to furnish it with care in all aspects, including design accessories.

One of the aspects that is given a lot of importance lately, when deciding to furnish an office with Italian office furniture is the choice of colours, which are able to influence human moods and perceptions and make working environments more or less comfortable.
In 2022, neutral tones of natural colours that convey relaxation, tranquillity and energy are making their mark. Among these is the popular olive green used for walls and office furniture, which brings a new touch to the daily routine, gives positivity and naturalness. An alternative to green is currently soft beige, which is often used as a backdrop for more unusual furnishing elements. Blue and yellow are also trendy colours in office furniture. They create a chic and refined ambience but are also energetic and positive, conveying a lot of confidence.
Many architects who design modern offices, opt for the combination of the colour white with wood to create environments with a minimal, elegant and contemporary style!

So go ahead with neutral colours that evoke natural elements, increasing the good mood in the office and consequently the productivity levels of workers, improving attention, motivation and security. This is how being ‘green’ literally and figuratively takes hold.
The colours you choose also influence the style in which you want to furnish your office. An evergreen is classic furnishing in which furniture with strong colours is chosen to create an influential and reliable environment. The modern style, on the other hand, prefers bold or softer colours to create a minimalist and refined ambience, also using cutting-edge materials, more or less expensive, that look at industrial design, with modular furniture in dark colours and metal structures with wooden tops that are both beautiful to look at and practical to use.
Wood, metal and glass are the materials that, combined or chosen individually, give an office an up-to-date look; these materials are joined by leather for the armchairs and iron accessories, which are essential for this type of office.
Materials such as wood and glass in an office, are practical and functional, and by creating simple lines give a refined look.

Whatever stylistic trend you choose when furnishing your office, it is essential to maintain homogeneity and consistency between colours and materials. Office furnishings, which are often not considered important, must instead be carefully selected to match the furnishings and create a sense of stylistic uniformity. Among the furnishing complements that fit well with any style are the office accessories by Caimi Brevetti such as: coat hangers, baskets, umbrella stands and desk accessories, designed for collective environments that stand out thanks to a design able to satisfy different demands in terms of personal taste and use. Objects suitable for small or large spaces, with minimalist or high-impact. Then there are the glass mirrors by Fiam that create refined environments, or the extravagant vases by Serralunga in the most varied colours and shapes that make work environments energetic and welcoming.

The guarantee of Made in Italy acts as a trait d’union between the different stylistic choices. The care and perennial drive for innovation and quality materials make Made in Italy something that few would give up.

Innovative surfaces with digital technology

Wood-Skin is an innovative Italian startup of architects, engineers and designers, founded in 2013 to address the need to create complex shapes for the built environment and design in a simple and cheap way.

Today, Wood-Skin is a company with an international patent that ships worldwide. It is a brand that offers innovative systems for architecture using digital production technologies through the use of digital material which is a synthesis of two wooden layers and a textile central layer. The software engraves the three-dimensional surfaces creating the desired geometries which are then joined to fabric hinges to recreate the same configuration as the digital drawing without using heavy and expensive structures.

The result is masterpieces of creativity and dynamism. Flat and rigid wooden plates can be moved and bent into three-dimensional shapes according to the predefined design. Rigid surfaces are made flexible and flat surfaces three-dimensional so they acquire volume e dynamism and even the most characteristic and inventive ideas can come true at a low price. One of the main values at Wood-Skin is the ability to evolve, change shape and take on a new life through changing configurations over time.

The Wood-Skin product was originally designed for wood (birch and okumè plywood, mdf) but today it also includes other materials such as aluminium, HPL laminates and synthetic felt. Below are the products that are currently made using the Wood-skin digital technique:

Fold Panels are 3D panels with intriguing shapes, constructed in a rectangular or square module surrounded by a strong aluminium frame that maintains the shape and makes the installation on walls and ceilings easier. Fold panels are a new type of covering that can be installed on different surfaces such as walls, ceilings, banisters, counters etc.

Mesh Panels offer a new way of designing curved, wavy and free-shape surfaces from flat sheets. Thanks to variable sizes of the pieces, the radius of curvature can get considerably narrow while maintaining its fluidity. A lot of configurations can be achieved by combining the type of texture (Basic, Classic, Decor, Digital) with the type and size of the facetings. This technology allows the construction of elegant membranes with the same look, impression and functional properties as light and flexible materials such as paper and fabric.

Tailor Made Surfaces are ‘sandwich’ sheets with variable material on the two outer sides and a textile core with high resistance. These surfaces are tailor-made to create unique products for specific projects.

In addition to innovation, Wood-Skin strongly believes in the value of sustainability and its goals include supporting local production and manufacturing, using local resources, avoiding long-distance shipments and reducing CO2 emissions.

Unique design furniture at the ADI Design Museum

Milan, which at the beginning of September will reopen its doors to the Salone del Mobile, celebrates Italian design in the round with the ADI Design Museum, inaugurated on May 26, 2021. Located in a former industrial area with a very high architectural and urban impact, it is located in the center of a strategic area of the city. It occupies a structure with a total area of 5,135 square meters, divided into spaces for exhibitions, services, the museum conservatory and offices.

The permanent exhibition of the ADI Design Museum, collects 2500 artistic projects that have marked the history of Italian design. Among these are all the objects that since 1954, every two years, have won the Compasso d’Oro, an institutional award recognized in the design world. The purpose of this illustrious award is to highlight the qualities of made-in-Italy products, but, above all, the value that design gives to the production of these products. The jury is international, it changes every two years and is made up of design experts and of the culture in general. The Ministry of Cultural Heritage – Regional Superintendence for Lombardy, with a Decree dated April 22, 2004, declared the Historical Collection of the ADI Compasso d’Oro Award to be of “exceptional artistic and historical interest” and included it in the national heritage.

Arper’s Nuur table, designed by Simon Pengelly in 2009 and winner of the Compasso D’Oro in 2011, is one of the furnishings featured in the ADI Design Museum exhibition dedicated to all Compasso D’Oro winners. Nuur is the essential table par excellence: in square or rectangular shapes, it has a single top that rests on four legs. Its style is pure but at the same time flexible. Its simplicity makes it extremely versatile and able to adapt to the most diverse functions and environments: from contract to residential; from workplaces to domestic spaces. Awarded for its extreme lightness and attention to detail.

In addition to Arper’s Nuur table, numerous objects have been awarded this prize over the years. Among these, many are office and contract furniture: Qualis armchair and Vela seat by Tecno, simple, functional, unique and sophisticated, awarded in 2016 and the Big metal bookcase by Caimi Brevetti, a formal solution studied in detail, with decisive shapes and adaptable to different environments.

The ADI Design Museum, in addition to the historical Collection of the Compasso, hosts eight in-depth exhibitions on the history of Italian design, aimed at narrating and enhancing the historical importance of the Made in Italy culture and at relaunching the country with all its historical culture, after the difficult situation due to the pandemic experienced in the last year and a half.

Exclusive products for refined clients

Sometimes architects and designers think that important Italian furniture brands are too popular. By contrast, refined clients need niche brands that others do not know. Those who choose to stand out instead of homologate win in the long run.
In the age of indiscriminate accessibility to everything, the real difference is becoming the spokesperson of exclusive images and products. Obviously, we have to combine exclusivity and fame.

Mascheroni, also known as the Italian Style Ambassador, realised many office projects in Italy and worldwide. Its clients include prestigious shops and buildings of outstanding architecture.
We recall the entire supply of leather armchairs in the Parliament of the Republic of Angola, where the President of Italy Sergio Mattarella gave an important political speech.

The exclusivity of this brand is based on the passion for beauty and high specialization of artisans, who continue to produce leather products using traditional materials and rare skills while paying attention to experimentation, formal research and outstanding product quality.
Man, passion, dream and authenticity: these are the key words of the Mascheroni brand that combines perfection, tradition and experimentation in their products to create something that will last forever. The memory and experience of the past lead to the creation of the future.

An “innovative tradition”, for example, is the Gessato stitching; a detail of great tailoring that is obtained by sewing and hitting an infinity of leather stripes. The complex execution of this special stitching expresses the craftsmanship of the Mascheroni artisans.

Nowadays, Mascheroni is one of the few companies that directly manages and controls the entire production process, ensuring absolute quality at every stage, from the selection of raw materials to manufacturing, up to customised services.

The elegance of La Mercanti in France

A few months ago Mr Gerard, contacted us for some information about the design sofa Saari by Arper.

After studying the dimensions and the finishes that this range offers, Mr. Gerard and his wife have chosen, for their home, the Saari sofa two-places in gray finish and an armchair in blue finish; both with polished aluminum legs.

A sofa that is the synthesis between the classic and the contemporary style, giving the room a sophisticated and refined elegance.

Tecno realizes the project for the Biomerieux Institute in Marcy-l’Étoile, France

Tecno, who has been designing and implementing collective spaces for years, has worked for the new global headquarters of the Biomerieux research institute, a global leader in vitro diagnostics for more than 50 years and today in more than 150 countries.

The project involved the production and installation of all partition walls according to the project of the french architects Valode & Pistre. Their work consists initially of an in-depth reflexion on the natural and human context. Following this analysis a unique project develops. They often use the white and the transparency of glass as the dominant essential features.

The W80-Biomerieux project is important both from a technical perspective, for which solutions permitting the achievement of high acoustic performance were installed, and from an aesthetic point of view, with the use of special decorative elements such as solid panels covered in coloured fabric, in more than 40 different shades. Also among the special elements there are partitions with solid panels in lacquered glass and magnetic lacquered glass.

The result is a modern partition wall that fully responds to all the structural, acoustic, customization and flexibility requirements, creating for Biomerieux a game of colors and transparencies: all in a perfect harmony and a sophisticated elegance.