older's scarpette + carolino bring fun and joy to milan's nilufar depot

A COLLECTION BY OLDER FOR NILUFAR CONCEIVED TO BEAT DULLNESS

danish/italian design studio older brings fun and joyful new designs to milan’s nilufar depot. dubbed scarpette & carolino, the new collection sees a round wooden seat built with three legs in solid iron, powder-coated pillar, and a serving wagon designed as a tool to transport breakfast, lunch of dinner around the house.

‘we were in tuscany in christmas 2020 when the italian government announced a new lockdown, leaving us stranded at letizia’s parents house,’ morten thuesen, one half of older, told designboom during the press preview. ‘an artist himself, letizia’s father allowed us to play at his workshop where we began fantasizing with the idea of creating new friends to join us in this new type of solitude we were forced to endure.’

images by daniele iodice unless otherwise stated

LEFTOVER MATERIALS AND THE PANDEMIC GAVE RISE TO THE COLLECTION

the scarpette & carolino collection by older presented at nilufar depot was born from a playful approach, where the duo was inspired by the leftover materials and scrapped iron they found in the studio. after welding, cutting, and painting, the objects began to come to life, emerging from the scraps.

‘as lockdown isolation is a lonely affair, our idea was to create a small series of friends to bring us company and warmth, somewhat along the lines of geppetto and pinocchio,’ older continued.

conceived to beat moments of dullness, the objects boost bright colors inspired by flag colors — those they were missing. ‘flags represented a way of traveling in our heads and being able to go to imaginary destinations. all the color combinations are based on small artworks we were drawing while imagining we were traveling.’

the carolino serving wagon was initially designed for the studio in milan to bring food and drinks back and forth. ‘we wanted to create something that had a pleasant appearance combined with a childish language. just because we wanted to take away some seriousness to the period we were living. we always say that if we can make people smile, we have accomplished what we want.’

scarpette, or little shoe in italian, is a round wooden seat with three legs in a solid iron, powered-coated pillar. the bottom of each leg has been cut, ripped, and welded together to give the impression of a foot, hence where its name comes from.

the setup at nilufar portrays the same energy of the pieces, showcasing a warm, comfortable and friendly atmosphere. both pieces were exhibited as sculptures and in use, communicating their reason to exist while at the same time finding new friends.