This article is part of our Design special report previewing Milan Design Week.
Milan Design Week, which runs through Sunday, allows companies, collectives or designers to express a unified point of view that transcends the attractions of any single product. All the hand-carved furnishings shown by Zanat, a company in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, reflect a dedication to craft that the owners inherited from generations of woodworking family members, though different international designers contributed to the group. This is just one of many examples found through the festival of collections augmenting the messages of their parts.
A Global Get-Together
Zanat, a Bosnian furniture company led by Orhan Niksic, a descendant of generations of woodworkers, has returned to the Salone del Mobile with a dozen new products designed by eminent international designers.
Among the group is Naoto Fukasawa’s Genken console, which is named for the Japanese word for hallway and meant to signify the transition point between inside and outside a home. The tabletop evokes the outstretched arms of a welcoming host, and the storage box displayed on the surface was inspired by a seashell that hides its treasure (or in this case, house keys) within. Zanat is also introducing Mr. Fukasawa’s new Buna chair, a handcrafted piece that flows like the Balkan river of its name.
Oblong surfaces and short legs define Sebastian Herkner’s Sinja coffee table, a piece reflective of traditional low tables around which families in Mr. Niksic’s native Bosnia and Herzegovina would dine while sitting on the floor. Mr. Herkner also contributed the conical-legged Stolac side table.
Korzo, a bistro table by Patrick Norguet, departs slightly from its all-wood companions with its base of copper- or black-powder-coated steel.
The collection, which also includes a dining table and bench by Jean-Marie Massaud, and a bed (the company’s first) and night stand by Michele de Lucchi, is on view Tuesday through Sunday at the Salone del Mobile, Pavilion 24, stands L02-04; zanat.org. — JULIE LASKY
