forms of life
Italy may conjure in the minds of many the ornate grandeur of its Renaissance art and architecture. Yet in the birthplace of Bernini and Michelangelo, furniture design nowadays looks much different. The celebrated designers of today have an uber-modern streak, and the 37-year-old Veneto company Cattelan Italia is a proficient purveyor of this mode.
Of note from its extensive repertoire are the statement tables – exemplars of the company’s knack for blending minimalist, geometric lines with warm Italian luxury.
This aesthetics finds expression in the water-thin profile of their table tops, made from two kinds of Marmi ceramic that mimic the lavish grain of marble. The Calacatta finish is milky and mottled, with cool shades of white, light grey and the occasional blush of brown. Alabastro juxtaposes linear striations with fluid, cloud-like ones, in a contrasting palette of soft whites, leathery browns and stormy greys.
These finishes can be found on six lines, some designed by Paolo Cattelan, son of the company’s founder Giorgio. The Skorpio, Eliot and Giano dining tables employ the fine tabletops on a grand scale, but never fail to look lightweight and chic. All three counterpoint their minimalist tops with bold pedestals; Skorpio’s is an airy angular weave of lean metal planks, Eliot’s pared-down A-frame and Giano’s singular solid cone with a mid-century flair.
