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mdf italia. Permanent identity, never-ending evolution
A
Ita. p. 82
967Arch
Simplicity, research, identifia-
bility. Our partnership with
MDF Italia is the fruit of these
three key words that represent
our studio’s philosophy and
find expressive consistency in
MDF Italia. All this has fostered
a two-way partnership that
envisages the use of several of
the company’s products in
designs by 967 Arch, giving
rise to 20.Venti, a system of
desks for the office.
Clean shapes and composi-
tional lines make for a simplicity
that expresses itself in an ABC
springing from MDF Italia’s
very identity. A formal study
concealing the company’s
distinctive technical research
endowing the system with
lightweight structures – a nov-
elty in the office panorama.
Thus, the company’s own rules
were revisited and reorganised
for a product aimed at contract
furniture, wherein use, cost
and service dynamics were
also a new testing ground
for the company. Attention to
functionality, to the quality
of the materials and the balance
of the proportions also made
it possible for the range to be
expanded and suitable for the
home ambience. The result?
An iconic product featuring
sophisticated lines yet imme-
diate resonance so as to
perfectly convey the company
philosophy.
C
Ita. p. 82
Piergiorgio
Cazzaniga
I began collaborating with
MDF Italia in 2002, as a design
engineer and, for six years, also
as a management consultant.
Over the years, MDF Italia and
I have shared an interest in
investigating projects able
to make the most of technological
development to create prod-
ucts that are emblematic in
their own way, standing out for
their design. My first design for
MDF Italia, M1, was a chair with
a seamless metal base
assembled to the co-injection
moulded polypropylene shell
with no need of screws, thus
creating an easy-to-assemble
and easy-to-mount project
that allows the materials used
to be separated and therefore
recyclable. The idea of easy
recyclability is also at the core
of the Sign project, both in the
rotomolded polyethylene
version and in the steel wire
version, as they are both of
single-material design.
Ten years ago, my son Michele
and I created the Tense design,
where the same underlying
structure can be used for tables
of any size, from small to enor-
mous. Thanks to its pragmatic
design, over the years Tense
has been presented with a
variety of different finishes,
amazingly consistent with the
design itself and with the spirit
of MDF Italia. Tense is also
available in an outdoor version.
E
Ita. p. 83
Ramón
Esteve
It all started when we included
the Flow Iroko chair in one
of my Architecture designs.
The item fit in with the house
perfectly thanks to its clean
lines and the white contrasting
with the warmth of the wood,
which entails one of the most
emblematic features of Casa
Oslo. If there’s one thing that
has characterised my profes-
sional relations with MDF Italia
so far, it’s ease: everything
has flowed naturally.
Our work shares a basic prem-
ise: the search for simplicity
and harmony – of both an ob-
ject and an ambience – with
the aim of improving the user’s
quality of life. Another aspect
of the brand’s philosophy that I
fully subscribe to is the neces-
sity of viewing its materials as
part of a design. Far from con-
ceiving them as an external or
limiting aspect, an object’s
shape is the result of the rules of
its materials and of its manufac-
turing processes. What’s more,
understanding these rules
entails an advantage and allows
us to use them in favour of the
design, bestowing solidity and
reliability upon each of the
objects created by us compa-
nies and designers.
The ARPA Collection is a
reflection of this joint effort.
It owes its outward simplicity to
the contrast between the
volume of the upholstery and
the lightness of the thin strings
supporting it – a feature that
would have proven impossible
to achieve without the techni-
cal skill of a company like MDF
Italia. Ever since I began de-
signing furniture, I have born in
mind the challenge of achiev-
ing a refined yet simple collec-
tion capable of conveying
a strong personality while also
connecting emotionally with
its users. These are the qualities
that I see in MDF Italia and that
must somehow express them-
selves in ARPA.
F
Ita. p. 83
Bruno Fattorini
In the past few months, observ-
ing how the trade press has
featured several “brutalist” inte-
riors, it’s come naturally to me
to wonder how the MDF Italia
products designed by myself
and my colleagues could
favourably contribute to,
perhaps, making them cosier
and more pleasant. And thus,
with no effort or aesthetic
stretch, they almost organi-
cally fit in and interacted with
these volumes. Further cor-
roborating how the subtraction
process carried out on the
collection products has made
them truly unique, relevant and
suitable for every context.
K
Ita. p. 83
Pitsou Kedem
As an architect and designer
who has worked for over 20
years on varying scales and in
various fields, I have always
been looking for a home. When
designing furniture and prod-
ucts one seeks two things: an
understanding of the communi-
ty of users and customers and,
on the other hand, a company
and a framework that will con-
stitute a home for the ideas and
the making. A company that
will enable dreams and help
make them come true, that
will know how to dream togeth-
er, have a fruitful dialogue and,
above all, that will share a com-
mon vision with the designer.
When I first met with MDF Italia
products I felt we share the
same vision. In the meetings I
had with the owner and com-
pany employees, I realized that
we not only share a design
vision, but also the same values,
a world of concepts and, above
all, a human perception.
MDF Italia’s DNA is unique to
the entire industry. For me, its
value is precise, refined and,
despite all the upheavals that
the world of design goes
through, the company always
manages to keep the core of
the idea. As an architect, I be-
lieve in the importance of fin-
gerprinting in work, in clear lan-
guage and in maintaining a
design identity. Over the years
I have felt that at MDF Italia
I would be able to maintain my
language while designing
products for them. For me, MDF
Italia’s unique value is that
whenever I see one of their
products, I know it’s theirs.
As an architect, I strive in my
work to achieve the same re-
sult. If I have to sum up the core
of our joint work, I will say that
we make an effort to combine
the pure minimalist language
of the object, and its need to be
useful and meaningful to the
user. The company allows me
to invest in the most important
phase in product development:
in research. In the latest prod-
uct I developed for MDF Italia,
we conducted a comprehen-
sive study, which first revolved
around the needs of users,
adapting the product to the en-
vironment, and only then dealt
with visibility. The company has
extensive experience in search-
ing for unique materials, which
is used to maintain its corner-
stones: Thin, light, pure design,
sometimes almost invisible.
This situation allows me to dare
to push the design to the edge,
knowing that there is a back
and technical and engineering
support behind me.
L
Ita. p. 83
Xavier Lust
Design is a key element of the
art of living. A preferential
medium in our relations with
the environment and with
other people, it enhances the
idea of quality, intelligence
and beauty that rouses our
senses. My collaboration with
MDF Italia, a company that
produces top-quality furniture
at an international level while
respecting the environment
and ethical values, makes for a
positive interaction with the
widest possible range of peo-
ple and different cultures.
