Modern Furniture Company Blog

VIVA ITALIA (07/11/12)

Few would dispute the suggestion that the Italians are the world trendsetters when it comes to furniture design – or indeed, any type of design, be it for the catwalk, the road, the gallery or the home. Gucci, Valentino, Michelangelo, Leonardo de Vinci, Prada, Versace, Ferrari, Armani...the list of famous Italian names and labels that date back over centuries goes on and on, with each instantly depicting an individual image of style and beauty, be it one of subtle chic, cool sophistication, or extravagant glamour.

So what is it that puts Italy a cut above the rest? Stereotypically, the Italians are renowned for their obsession with looking good; in their country, a huge importance is placed on fashion – even the uniforms worn by the Italian police all carry the Valentino label. But when it comes to analysing the Italians’ success in the world of art and design, there has to be more to it than just what we see on the surface.

Perhaps the answer lies in “La Bella Figura” – that revered philosophy that is so crucial to the Italian way of life. For this quest for “the beautiful figure” extends far beyond a yearning for visual beauty alone: perfect comportment and behaviour are key to this concept, thus highlighting the notion that, for the Italians, beauty is so much more than skin deep.

Interestingly, Milan, the city at the heart of Italian design, is also known as “the window on the world” and the “moral capital city”. Certainly, when we look at the furniture, clothes, architecture, sculptures and other forms of art that emerge from this location – and from Italy as a whole – it is as if each has been imprinted with its designer’s cultural values and way of thinking.

When we look at Italian furniture design in particular, this concept becomes glaringly obvious. Not only are these items aesthetically stunning but they are also of the highest quality, and extremely comfortable and functional to boot. With the strong lines and textures typical of Italian fashion, each merges traditional values with modern expression, combining visual and inner beauty in the most simple yet dramatic – and thus utterly Italian – way. Classical elegance combined with an almost exotic creativity captures the past whilst shedding light on the future, expressing the true self as only the Italians know how.