PLACES | FNWG and Tonolo Selezioni

I have been asked often where my passion for Scandinavian design comes from and why the atmosphere and interiors of our home are so Nordic. Undoubtedly, both my personal preference for essential, meaningful living and the research I carried out at the Architecture Faculty in Venice shaped my way of understanding design and space. But, it was the possibility to discover Nordic design and share this growing affection with very passionate people that planted the real "seed" in my heart. 

So, here I am, sharing with you one of the "great roots" that made me fell in love with Scandinavian design, many years ago.

Everything happened in this store, not far from my parent's home in Italy, where I used to spend lot of time observing the objects of classic brands like Marimekko, Iittala and Normann Copenhagen almost 15 years ago.

In a way, Tonolo Selezioni was my personal Scandinavian Design museum, with private talks about the meanings and concepts behind the design of the selected pieces. The conversations with the small gang that used to come around the store shaped my understanding of design, sometimes more than the lectures at the faculty. Nobody wanted to teach me anything, so there was no preconceived route to take and my imagination could wonder freely discovering concepts, functions, shapes and materials.

Still today, Federica - the owner - carefully selects the objects that she presents in the shop and creates some of the most refined still life and stylings I have seen. The selection has enlarged during the years and includes new design brands, like Hay, Vipp, AndTradition. It also embraces design in clothing, being one of the few stores in the area having Marimekko dresses. Italian brands are also present with labels like Album di Famiglia -  outstanding children clothing - Some Beautiful Items or 10notforsale, a curated collection of hand-blown glasses that challenge our idea of nature.

Most of the times, inspirations and possibilities come from the most unexpected places. But I have always found that where there is a great passion and this is shared freely, something special always grow. At least, this has happened to me.

All pictures © facing north with gracia

PLACES | Typo meets food in Italy

 

This Friday I take you to Italy  to see one of the latest additions to the scene of Turin, a place where design interlaces with the world of taste in a series of unexpected cross references.

"Alla lettera" restaurant is located in one of the city's most lively square, Piazza Bodoni, a name surely familiar to many graphic designers as the square is dedicated to the inventor of the famous font. The location inspired both the name of the premises and the design of the place, which is an homage to the world of typography and, therefore, to the shape of words (in Italian "alla lettera" means "literally" but also "to do things with precision and accuracy"). 

As stated by the architects, "Cooking and graphics are two worlds with similar project dynamics. The exhibit theme of the premises comes from this parallelism: the use of the ingredient typeface in any graphic or physical form, by creating elements from scratch or re-using existing elements. Moreover, at a time when the publishing industry is abusing of the food culture to sell, why can't a pizzeria use editorial language to connote its own spaces?" 

Therefore, it came naturally to use the Bodoni font to create the company logo and playing with the different graphic variations of the letter "O" as a reference to the restaurant main product, pizza. The experimenting relation between design and kitchen doesn't stop here but involves every aspect of the place that, in this way, comes to have a dual level of understanding: a first level of purely expressive attraction and a second with additional information and references.

To me, the restaurant  also manages to express part of the character of Turin itself through the strong industrial design language used throughout the restaurant.

Photography: Sandro Rizzo
Via yetmatilde studio, with thanks.

 

Renai & Renai

 

Renai&Renai is an Italian company based in Conegliano, Treviso, that operates in  the communication and photography realms. Alongside the styling work for companies like Doimo and Bontempi, they also offer beautiful locations for shooting used by some of the most renowned Italian agencies. I collected some images among the many available on their website to show you some of these spaces. First series belongs to a styling by internationally renowned Studio Pepe.

Via Renai & Renai, with thanks.