EN HOW DID YOUR COLLABORATION WITH IBEBI BE-
GIN, AND HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE JOURNEY
SO FAR?
TC
The meeting with IBEBI happened thanks to Elena and Mi-
chael of Stormo Studio, who have been following the company
as Art Directors for a few years. In this process of updating and
repositioning the company, I was contacted with a direct brief:
to work on a modular seating system for public spaces and of-
fices. A multi-voiced dialogue began between me, the Art Di-
rectors and the company, even before starting to work on the
first ideas. First, we tried to align ourselves on a common ap-
proach to the project, trying to establish a relationship that
could then be the basis of any subsequent work. At that point,
working on the proposed concepts and subsequent advances
was something natural and relatively quick, until we got to the
first prototypes in which the idea, until then discussed on paper,
was verified together in real life. There was a frank and sincere
approach to the project, in which the many voices in the field
managed to find a common conclusion. This is what happens
in companies that implement, in an intelligent and healthy way,
collaborations with external professionals, knowing that they
are mutual resources for each other, and that a good final re-
sult is given by comparisons rather than impositions.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT AND THE
STORY BEHIND ITS CREATION?
TC
From the very beginning, the aim was to insert charac-
terising elements into the design of the object, trying to match
the aesthetic characterisation of the system with a general
systemic efficiency, not only in terms of production but also in
terms of finishing, storage and assembly. We tried to achieve
the greatest possible customisation with the smallest possi-
ble number of elements. The idea of having a “beam”, not only
aesthetic but also functional, as the backbone of the system
was the conceptual starting point of Modus. In fact, everything
else develops from the central beam, from the support feet of
the seats, to the accessories, from the small complements, to
the armrests and backrests. Modus is an “open” system; some-
thing that can not only take on different configurations de-
pending on the specific project, but that can grow over time,
following the evolution of the company, implementing the el-
ements from time to time, responding to the market and the
evolution of public and workspaces.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF
WORKING SPACES? ARE THEY EVOLVING, AND HOW
SIGNIFICANT IS DESIGN IN SHAPING THESE ENVIRON-
MENTS?
TC
The topic of workspaces is very complex and constantly
evolving; we have gone from a Cartesian and cubical setting
of individual workstations to organic open spaces, without any
hierarchization and differentiation. We have come to under-
stand that neither of the two extremes works, and now we are
trying to hybridize the various approaches by modulating the
public and the private, the organic and the rational. The pan-
demic then gave a further jolt by accelerating and sometimes
overturning all the reasonings on the necessity and meaning
of physical presence in the place of study and work. Design,
as a receiver and re-elaborator of contemporaneity, has the
task of entering this debate by giving shape and substance to
new behaviours by supporting, implementing and trying to pro-
pose new readings and new scenarios starting from the fur-
row of the ongoing discussion. Design has always given shape
and substance to imagined scenarios and where the debate is
denser and more complex, it has more freedom of movement
and proactive impetus.
SPEAKING OF THE MODUS SYSTEM, WHAT MAKES IT
UNIQUE AND SETS IT APART?
TC
The possibility of customization, despite the low number
of elements, is the strong point of Modus. There is also anoth-
er aspect that makes me very happy with the final result of the
project and it is something that we have tried to aim for from
the beginning. Despite its modularity and versatility, Modus
remains a piece of furniture with a language far from the cold
and functionalist one of many modular systems. The intention
was to create a product that would appear "finished" in each
of its configurations, avoiding it always looking like something
incomplete or part of a larger system. For this purpose, some
pre-figured configurations are provided, but the system also
allows the creation of completely customized solutions. Fur-
thermore, to ensure a truly autonomous design, it is planned
an integration with a battery, which makes the system com-
pletely independent.
HOW DOES SUSTAINABILITY INFLUENCE YOUR PRO-
CESS AND THE PRODUCTS YOU DESIGN?
TC
As a Designer, my approach to sustainability always de-
pends on the customer with whom I develop a project. It is
something that we designers must be able to "handle" but that
must already be implemented by the companies we come into
contact with. In this case, the commitment was to keep all the
elements separable and disassembled, thus managing to sat-
isfy customization, disassembly of the elements, more efficient
and less cumbersome storage. When we talk about sustaina-
bility, we often forget the whole process to simply talk about
manufacturing material. A sustainable approach is instead an
approach that considers all the phases of a product's life, from
production to distribution.
HOW DO YOU APPROACH BALANCING AESTHETICS
AND FUNCTIONALITY IN YOUR WORK?
TC
The debate on form and function has been going on since
the dawn of this discipline and I believe it has now exhausted
its meaning. We have finally understood that a project cannot
ignore both concepts and that a good project is at the same
time beautiful, well-made and functional. Considering only one
of the two concepts gives life to lame projects that last the time
of a season. The dialogue between the players in the field that
I spoke about at the beginning, in which each one brings their
own know-how to the process, is what gives life to projects in
which the aesthetic and functional components are so amalga-
mated and metabolized that it is impossible to separate them
and identify their boundary.
COULD YOU SHARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES AND
REWARDS OF WORKING IN THE DESIGN INDUSTRY?
TC
Personally, I do this job because of the visceral connec-
tion I have always had with objects; therefore, the reasons for
the satisfaction I feel in designing, seeing realized and then
using what I create can be distant or not coincide with their
commercial success. The greatest difficulty is always trying to
remain objective about one's work, giving space to criticism
and welcoming error as an opportunity.
TELL US SOMETHING UNEXPECTED ABOUT YOU.
TC
During the fairs where my products are presented, I keep
an eye out to spy on the reactions of people who see and use
for the first time the products I have designed.
12
13
SPACE
The IBEBI Magazine
N. 06
March 2025
|
Designer
Tommaso Caldera, MODUS
