elena salmistraro addresses multifunctionality in posidonia collection for natuzzi italia

ELENA SALMISTRARO ON HER POSIDONIA COLLECTION FOR NATUZZI ITALIA

for its 2022 collection the circle of harmony — live the transition, natuzzi italia presents an array of new products designed by elena salmistraro. titled posidonia, the collection recalls the sea and the milan-based designer’s bond with it. 

‘when I started this collaboration with natuzzi we talked a lot about puglia, as the company is very much linked to its territory,’ elena salmistraro told designboom in puglia. ‘I did not know this region very well, as I only went there as a small child, so I decided to work on something I knew better: the sea.’

on the occasion of the london design festival 2021, the collection is on show at natuzzi italia’s tottenham court road store.

THE COLLECTION ADDRESSES MULTIFUNCTIONALITY

for the second year in a row, natuzzi italia’s chief creative officer PJ natuzzi has invited diverse designers with distinctive profiles to design products for to puglia-based company. for the circle of harmony — live the transition (read more on designboom here), the designers were entrusted with translating our new reality needs into furniture. wellness, multifunctionality, home office and micro living were the pillars of the collection which expresses a new type of harmony that highlights balance. 

posidonia is elena salmistraro’s answer to PJ’s request: a collection that addresses multifunctionality with a common thread that lies in the aesthetics of puglia’s mediterranean sea. ‘I referenced the seabed and posidonia, a kind of alga you can find everywhere and therefore also in the mediterranean sea. I got inspiration also from anemone, corals, and seashells. and in fact, many of these shapes and elements can be found throughout the collection. the sea has been an extensive source of inspiration in my practice, and with posidonia I was able to broaden it by adding the seabed.’

elena salmistraro, as well as sabine marcelis (read more on designboom here), faced the need to design flexible furnishings capable of overcoming the boundaries of the interiors. from the calilla sofa which is an innovative recliner, to lophelia, a piece that combines a floor lamp with a bookcase, salmistraro’s collection is all about harmony and multifunctionality. ensis, an armchair, joins the array together with puperita, a puff that extends any seating object. the collection also comprises a mirror, a portable lamp, cushions, a set of trays and a rug.

when asked about her idea of balance, the italian designer told us that, ‘harmony is equilibrium, is balancing the weights. in music, to have the perfect composition, one has to balance sounds, but it is so also in design and that’s what I try to do every day. the aim is to balance all the different element to have the perfect composition.’

‘in the calilla sofa one can find organic shapes which are a direct inspiration from the movement of the algae in the sea,’ continues salmistraro who collaborated with dutch textile designer BYBORRE (read more on designboom here) in the fabric used to upholster the furniture. the fabric, ‘which reproduces corals, anemones and the movement of the waves,’ has been woven from a blend of fine wools together with recycled PES, making it extremely strong and durable.

‘I met PJ in a very challenging moment, which was the time of the first lockdown in italy, so our first meetings were mainly virtual,’ salmistraro concludes. ‘then we finally met, and he explained to me his project for natuzzi. of course, I knew the brand and I was aware he was doing something disruptive, but at the same time linked to the tradition of the

company. and I was happy to take this challenge becoming part of this beautiful family, which is the natuzzi family.’

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project info:

name: posidonia

designer: elena salmistraro

designed for: natuzzi italia

part of: circle of harmony — live the transition