Designed by Vincent Van Duysen, this is Living Box by Molteni&C – an item of furniture that has become domestic architecture.
The purpose of this exercise was to achieve an interesting and innovative object regardless of the scale used. “Very architectural and referring to the world of Gio Ponti, Living Box is distinguished by its different use of materials and its refined details. Very present and graphic, it’s steeped in the tradition of Italian craftsmanship and it’s definitely a key piece in one’s living room. Many small details make the product one of a kind, for instance the combination of materials, the internal built-in lighting, and so on,” says Van Duysen.
That is the case of Living Box: starting from a typically architectural project such as a building, a stage for concerts and conferences or a monumental space, Vincent Van Duysen reduced its scale transforming it into a household object with particular features and the possibility of new uses.
Living Box was conceived as an independent item of furniture, usable in any room of the house, but mainly suitable for the living room. Despite its reduced size, it retains the rigour and monumentality of the building it derives from, accentuating its details by means of quality materials. Living Box is a low, but large doorless rectangular container, in which the outside and inside contrast with each other via the use of different materials.
The top features marble and different woods, specially arranged to decorate the surface. The whole is enclosed within an iris and pewter frame, thread-like if seen from above, but forming a thick profile surrounding the inside space if seen from the front. The top can be fitted and integrated with trunking, useful for facilitating connections of any kind between multimedia equipment, TVs or lighting equipment. The rest of the top can be left free or used to display artistic or personal ornaments.
The inside space recalls a “magical cave” and features numerous surprises. The woods used, including Eucalyptus and the new Sunrise Oak finish, are the facing materials used, and which completely envelop and mark the perimeter.
Suffused lighting is provided by LEDs. The inside space is completely free and devoid of sharp corners thanks to special curved corner-covers. If the open solution does not fit the purpose, one or more sober and elegant sets of drawers can be added.
For more information visit https://www.molteni.it/ap/
