Gli Oggetti — Zhuang Desk
In Chinese ‘zhuang’ means to protect something precious. The collection of Zhuang containers designed by Neri & Hu for Poltrona Frau consists of a series of stackable treasure chests with a minimalist and ultra contemporary design. The Zhuang containers can be used freely in the various areas of the home or office to store both valuable objects or everyday items. They consist of two circular and oval stackable boxes covered with a saddle-leather lid. Each of these consists, in turn, of a stack of four trays, which can be pulled out one by one, held together by the brushed aluminium base in matt natural brass. The collection is completed by two large trays in the same shape and a set of three office accessories: a multi-purpose holder, a pen holder with ruler and a working pad. All containers in the Zhuang collection are made from solid Canaletto walnut, carved from a single piece by numerically controlled machinery and finished with a Cuoio Saddle Extra leather belt in the colours Carbone, Cammello or Tortora. The saddle-leather is embellished with very fine stitching with slightly contrasting yarn and the branded Poltrona Frau logo. Part of the lids of the Zhuang office multi-purpose holder and pen holder is fixed in position to protect the contents while the mobile part is equipped with a metal clip that acts as a handle. A metal support at the base of the pen holder can be used as a ruler. Thanks to magnets inserted in the wood, the ruler remains perfectly in position when it is replaced. The working pad is made from a double layer of Tortora-coloured saddle-leather. When open it can be used to work on with a laptop, also extending far enough to be used as a mouse pad. It closes like a book to become an easy-to-transport document holder. It is embellished with metal clips to make it easier to open.
About Designer | |
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Neri & Hu |
Mr. Neri
received his Master of Architecture at Harvard University and his Bachelor of
Architecture at UC Berkeley. Ms. Hu received her Master of Architecture and
Urban Planning at Princeton University and her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture
at UC Berkeley. Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu are the Founding Partners of
Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, an inter-disciplinary international
architectural design practice based in Shanghai, China, with an additional
office in London, UK. Neri&Hu works internationally providing architecture,
interior, master planning, graphic, and product design services. Currently
working on projects in many countries, Neri&Hu is composed of
multi-cultural staff who speak over 30 different languages. The diversity of
the team reinforces a core vision for the practice: to respond to a global
worldview incorporating overlapping design disciplines for a new paradigm in
architecture. Neri&Hu are named Maison & Objet Asia Designers of The
Year 2015 and Wallpaper* Designer of The Year 2014. In 2013, they were inducted
into the U.S. Interior Design Hall of Fame. Their practice was the 2011 INSIDE
Festival Overall Winner, won AR Awards for Emerging Architecture in 2010 by
Architectural Review and one of the Design Vanguards in 2009 by Architectural
Record. Other than architectural professionals, Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu have
been actively involved in teaching and research. They have been invited to
speak, exhibit and judge for many prestigious events and programs all over the
world. Lyndon Neri and Rossana are also founders of Design Republic, a retail
concept store based in Shanghai that offers a unique collection of products
created by the world's best design talents, Besides award-winning architecture
and interiors, Neri&Hu have designed products for brands including
including Classicon, Fritz Hansen, Gandia Blasco, JIA, LEMA, MOOOI,
Nanimarquina, Parachilna, Poltrona Frau S.p.A., Porro, Stellar Works,
Wallpaper* Handmade, Meritalia, BD Barcelona Design, neri&hu, among many
others. In 2015, Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu were appointed Creative Directors
of Stellar Works. |