On the occasion of the Milan Design Week, Giustini/Stagetti exclusively presents two limited edition furniture pieces by Konstantin Grcic: DAYBED and WALL.
Entitled Ceci n’est pas un mur, the show at NFQ ironically makes reference to Magritte’s famous painting of a pipe which is known to be an image of a pipe and not the object itself. By referring to Magritte, Grcic provokes us to question our perception of the objects that surround us.
Both projects, DAYBED and WALL, extrapolate the classical format of furniture to the scale of micro-architecture. The pieces not only furnish a space, they each create a space in their own right.
The DAYBED is designed as a self-contained cell for reading, studying and contemplation— much like a renaissance studiolo. The mattress is placed inside a wooden box which is defined by a rectangular platform and two adjoining sides. The wall at the head of the mattress contains a small window with a ledge that projects outwards. The inside of the longitudinal wall features a wooden drawer and a shelf. The latter expands into a small desk area, which cantilevers to the outside of the box. It would be used by pulling up a chair. The DAYBED’s main structure is made of saw-cut oak veneer which is laid in a special pattern. The mattress is covered in a natural-coloured wool bouclé fabric, giving the piece warmth and tranquillity.
WALL is a big free-standing structure which consists of three modules in different length—A (one meter), B (two meters), C (three meters)—that can be stringed together in a multitude of configurations: ABC, BAC, CAB and so on. At first glance, WALL recalls the scaled-up model of a high-rise building. The open structure develops on multiple levels, including intersecting vertical and horizontal planes that create open and closed areas. Elements might resemble a staircase, a supply shaft, a window. WALL could be a bookshelf, but given its big size and formal diversity, it can be used in many ways, depending on the person’s needs or creative imagination. WALL is made in wood; it is hand-painted in grey such that the individual brush strokes are visible. Its colour emphasizes the piece’s architectural character and solidity.
With both works, Konstantin Grcic returns to the material he used at his professional beginnings: wood. Konstantin did an apprenticeship at the John Makepeace School for Craftsmen in Wood, in Dorset, England. These forming years laid the foundation for Konstantin’s master’s studies in industrial design at the Royal College of Art—and, ultimately, led to his work for industry. Throughout his career, craftsmanship has remained an important point of reference for him.
