Space, material, and function transmitted into designer furnishings that are both essential and iconic. Produced under the artistic direction of Nicola Gisonda — Italian architect and designer who, amongst his other design projects includes the Officine del Volo, which, thanks to a skillful and conservative renovation, brought Milan’s former Caproni di Taliedo aircraft manufacturing facility back to life. Read more about his creative furniture inspired by nature, art, and architecture.
Mentemano, a Milanese company producing furniture and accessories, is the result of the same lucid, entrepreneurial style and well-established professional experience in the world of design. This furnishing brand surveys Milan’s furniture design scene and aims to develop its own approach to product design that is manifested in the enhancement of quality and attention to materials and details.
Mentemano: a name that leads one to reflect. “Is it the mente (mind) that guides the hand to create a piece of furniture, an object that satisfies a function, or is it the mano (hand), that provides the stimulus to the mind for the realization of a design?”
The furnishing products of this Italian brand, feature a strong architectural matrix which is expressed through precise construction that can be traced in the details and materials. The construction details are reduced to the essential and constitute a distinct hallmark that can be seen in every product, almost becoming a functional decoration.
These products, designed by the architect Nicola Gisonda, dialogue with each other and define the space through their presence and identity.
Among these furnishing products are Less, a solid wooden cabinet, available in both open and closed versions, with a frame which – as if it were an architectural construction – evinces an evident support structure; Keplero, a table composed of two surfaces connected by a dynamic composition of tubular elements; Spider, archetypal wooden table with four legs arranged in a way that creates an unexpected, evocative effect; Bosco, the bookcase inspired by trees; Grimilde, a versatile console desk with clear and clean lines that give lightness to the element; Caleido, colorful tables for every use.
New designer furnishings with a strong identity that moves beyond momentary design trends, the result of continuous research aimed at experimentation and investigation, exploring an elegant, sober, and recognizable stylistic signature.
Less + More, Inspired by the Architect Mies Van Der Rohe’s Concept “Less Is More”
This design focuses on a subtractive process; the material is subtracted from an imagined covered cabinet until one finds its supporting structure. That structure, characterized by the linearity of a frame with a square section, becomes a simple, precise geometric design that outlines its shape. This underlines the architect Mies Van Der Rohe’s concept “Less is more”, which expresses a well-known minimal poetic form that arrives at Less through a creative process always searching for simplicity. Its self-supporting structure is typified by minimal, linear elements – rounded at the extremities where the joints meet. There are only two legs and they are at the front of the cabinet.
The material chosen was solid wood that, thanks to its grain, gives strength, character, and value to the frame. Two versions were designed: an open version, more customizable, comes with two horizontal surfaces and can be enhanced with your choice of accessories.
More: two boxes or one tray of different dimensions, also available in a closed version with two drawers that are still well delineated and distinguishable. A transversal piece of furniture that will harmonize with interior spaces in the living room, dining room, and even in the sleeping areas of the home.
The Keplero Coffee Table – Satellite System for the Relaxation Moments
A dynamic composition of strong lines, a well-defined design: these are the hallmarks of the Keplero coffee table, a coffee table consisting of two floors connected by a dynamic interweaving of tubular elements. Like a planet and a satellite that orbits around it, the coffee table features two surfaces of different dimensions. Two circular indentations are lightly milled into the surface of the tabletops to create two additional ‘satellites’ and stylish space to collect your personal objects. The powder-coated metal base is constructed from the intersection of slender, tubular elements, and those with a rectangular section to form an airy, geometric drawing that changes depending on your point of view.
It is always monochromatic; the same color is applied on the legs and the tops in order to create continuity between the design elements. White was chosen, the color that brings peace and mental freedom, an elegant, classic color, an evergreen that is well suited to any type of environment and furnishing style. When there is a need for lightness and light-heartedness, surrounding yourself with white furnishings can help you find new energy and make your home environments brighter and chic.
The hue, the functionality, and the sophisticated details make Kepler a versatile side table or coffee table, ideal for both the living room and the bedroom. The painted metal base is made up of thin tubular elements intersected with rectangular section elements to form a light geometric design, always different depending on how you look at it.
Spider, Wooden Table with Legs Arranged in a Way that Creates an Unexpected, Evocative Effect
The design of this wooden dining table is characterized by marked lightness and attention to detail creating multiple suggestions. Structural volumes and geometries are the results of technical and aesthetic focus that is inspired by a concept of authentic elegance. Attention to detail is revealed in the rounded angles of the legs and top of the Spider table. This detail is enhanced at the point where the table legs and the top meet. This seemingly unstable juncture creates the suggestion that you see the table floating. Taking up the idea of a spider’s legs, the legs of this ‘Spider’ are arranged so that each one emerges from a different side of the table as if they were chasing each other.
Bosco, the Bookcase Inspired by Trees
Bosco is a designer bookcase inspired by nature, trees, and their thin and stretched branches, but coherently intersected perspective and graphic. The feeling of lightness of the matt black powder-coated metal structure is emphasized by the five CDF shelves that give a pleasant geometric order.
Grimilde, a Versatile Console Desk to Decorate Every Room of the House
Grimilde is a versatile console desk with clear and clean lines that give lightness to the element. The designer console desk consists of a structure made of painted metal rod and lacquered wood tops. The two subplanes are instead characterized by a digital print. Grimilde is completed with a storage console that houses a removable mirror. Great as a desk but also as a make-up workstation in the bedroom or in the bathroom, house lobbies, or entrances.
Caleido, Colorful Tables that Refer to the Vision of a Kaleidoscope’s Drawings
A combination of curves defines Caleido which has a structure made of steel to form three double legs. The support surface, with a circular shape, is made of lacquered wood and is characterized by digital printing. The design project refers to the vision of a kaleidoscope’s drawings. The product is available individually in both dimensions or in pairs – two different tables to decorate every room of the house. It’s possible to customize the color scheme by choosing from the available colors.
Presented for the first time at the Fuorisalone 2019 in Milan, Italy, the Bosco bookcase, Grimilde console, and Caleido tables are part of the Super collection of Mentemano, composed of furnishing accessories such as tables, chairs, coat racks, desks, mirrors, and screens with elegant and minimal lines that combines different materials to make work and home environments more dynamic, emphasizing aesthetics and functionality.
The realization of Mentemano products is entrusted to artisan and industrial workers who guarantee the maximum quality and the indistinguishable character of Made in Italy. Furnishings that, despite being attentive to trends, have an identity that lasts over time and never go out of fashion.
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