ALIAS / MILAN INTERNATIONAL FURNITURE FAIR 2008 |
Alias, an Italian company, has its headquarters in Grumello del Monte in the province of Bergamo. Since 1979, it has been producing furniture and objects for the home which, through their unusual features, have played an important role in the development of Italian made furnishing culture and on the international high quality design.
Designers and company are united in creating objects that speak a simple, direct language, have essential shapes and are truly innovative in practice. Every designer co-operating with Alias has a different education, training and background, but if you take a look at the firm's production range as a whole, you cannot fail to notice its intrinsic coherence. It makes all Alias projects look up-to-date, able to cut through time, above and beyond fashion.
Designed for experiencing private terraces and gardens as well as public outdoor areas and parks with comfort and elegance, Alias ensembles for the Outdoors transfer new, transversal designs of chairs, tables, chaise longues, poufs and sun loungers outside. Technology and materials research give the outdoor collections handiness and resistance to atmospheric agents, without any need to give up personality, attention to detail and comfort. In addition to the lightweight aluminium and the resistance of polyester mesh, for the Outdoor collection Alias has chosen the appeal of teak wood, the formal orderliness of sheet steel and the elegance of fabric coverings.
This year at the Milan International Furniture Fair 2008 Alias presents the following products:
Ghisa, design Riccardo Blumer with Matteo Borghi
The historical and material charm of cast iron in an originai ultra-contemporary re-interpretation. This iron fusion, a widespread teature in urban furnishings in the leading modern metropolises, can only be cast, forging an unbroken link with the past. Alias is reproposing this historic material in a highly contemporary language.
The Ghisa design, that is made from lamellar cast iron, is an extremely flexible modular seating System and has been designed for urban and residential furnishing in places where people gather together outdoors. It is theoretically infinite and adaptable to any situation - around trees like a fence, a structure snaking through lawns and gardens, or a wave-shaped structure between lamps, fountains and people, or simply a bench and a single seat. The basic module is a closed-frame structure which defines the ergonomie profile, along which 11 tapering ribs of progressively varied widths shape the seat and back.
The System is designed with mirror-image modules, so that it is possible to create straight seating with alternating backs, semi-circular, circular orwave-shape compositions.
Laleggera, design Riccardo Blumer
Alias presents an important extension of the Laleggera collection with the introduction of three new items: Laleggera dormeuse, Laleggera chaise longue and Laleggera armchair. Three new interpretations of the concept of lightness experimented in the Laleggera chair, the first item of the collection, awarded the Compasso d'oro prize in 1998. An icon-piece, displayed at the New York Moma, at the Centre George Pompidou of Paris and at the Milan Triennale.
This practical, resistant and stacking chair combines visual and structural lightness thanks to the innovative material used to make the 'gliders': wood injected with polyurethane foam. The same material and the same pure lines are back in the new pieces, designed to be cosy, ergonomie and practical.
Dehors, design Michele De Lucchi with Philippe Migro
The new Dehors collection, it is designed to create an ideal "garden living-room", inspired by nature and the irregular shapes of plants. In particular, the supports deviate from the usual lines but nonetheless create a solid framework in which each counterbalances the other.
The result is a wavy structure that abandons any claim to architectural rigour but offers an unexpected degree of comfort. It welcomes a naturalistic form of architecture and introduces a new and dynamic logic of comfort. The wide, asymmetrical seats invite the body to adopt an extreme variety of positions, from the most formal to those that encourage greater relaxation. This is an aggregate System of Dehors dormeuse, Dehors fauteuil and Dehors sofa. Three pieces blend harmoniously with green spaces, creating an atmosphere of refined relaxation.
Teak, design Alberto Meda
Once again Alias develops and expands one of its successful collections, with the aim of providing a System that is increasingly complete and functional. The three new items, Teak lounge chair, Teak chair and Teak armchair, are in tune with the philosophy underlying the entire project. The lightness of the die-cast aluminium structure treated to outdoor use is combined with the elasticity and ergonomie qualities of teak lists.
The wheel-mounted sun lounger can be stacked thanks to a back that can be folded completely fiat and badjusted in various positions. The armchair and small chair are created using the same ergonomie principles used in the chair without armrests: the teak lists are thinner in the lumbar area and on the chair seat to give greater elasticity and comfort. The three new proposals are available with an aluminium structure in white and light grey.
Open chair, Open table, design James Irvine
Irvine chooses stainless steel as his only material, enhancing its minimal characteristics, lightness and strength, for the new outdoor System Open System. The designer plays with the suppleness of this metal, moulding the soft and sinuous profile of the chairs, which are easy to stack and manage, and have comfortably wide seats.
The shell is made from steel sheeting and the structure in tubular steel. Besides allowing the rain drain off, the bevelled holes on the chair seat and back create a texture of striking simplicity and decorative impact, which reappears in the tables. The latter, available in two round sizes, are made from steel sheeting. The entire System is specially treated for outdoor use and can be spray-painted in various colours.
Plein Air chair, design Alfredo Häberli
The chairs in the outdoor collection reveal a new range of colours. The completely white version is refined and eye-catching, both for its tubular steel structure and its upholstered finish.
Minerva, design Alfredo Häberli
This is the elegant new interpretation for indoor use of two furnishing elements from the collection. Armchair and pouf are proposed here in leather. The upholstery in non-woven polyester fabric available in various weights gives a pleasant sense of softness and increases the level of comfort. The cover is strengthened by the inclusion of a light, ultra-resistant nylon fabric. The leather is aniline-dyed and available in white, black, bordeaux and dark brown. Armchair and pouf are also available in variations with load-bearing structures in chromed steel rods and tubular steel, combined with Kvadrat "field" fabric.
Legnomobile, design Alfredo Häberli
The new furnishings feature the formal language of the "legnoletto" collection, which outstrips the conventional concept of the bed, and introduce a modular System where each element can be dismantled and interchanged. In this way Alias continues to pursue its design strategy which, starting out from the concept of great intuitive strength, has developed increasingly varied and complete collections.
Segesta Table, design Alfredo Häberli
The new table conjures up the same lightness and softness of line found in the Segesta chairs, and forms a natural partner. The rounded surface, in the same shade of white as the chairs, is made from "Plexicor Degassa®", a special blend of noble polymers. The structure, made from tubular steel, is available in two different finishes: textured white for internal use only, and stainless steel for outdoors. The feet have the same formal look as the chairs.
Selinunte Stool, design Alfredo Häberli
A stool available in two different heights, for use together with the Selinunte chairs, echoing their extreme neat lines and formal lightness. The shell is made from solid plastic material (technopolymer). The structure, in bent tubular steel, is available in chromed steel, grey stove-enamelled or textured white, and in two different heights.
Alias
Via dei Videtti, 2
24064 Grumello del Monte (BG) - Italy
Tel. +39 035 4422511
Fax +39 035 4422590
www.aliasdesign.it
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