For Das Haus – Interiors on Stage at last week’s trade fair imm Cologne, Italian designer Luca Nichetto unleashed a bright, leafy show home, marrying Scandinavian simplicity with Italian charm.
Luca Nichetto took inspiration from modernist architecture in California, the art of the Japanese masters and the buildings of Carlo Scarpa to create an eco-friendly environment that blurs the divisions between inside and outside.
In Luca Nichetto’s “Haus”, plants appear as an integral element of the architecture and interior design: they sit in the exterior walls, the louver-like structure of which provides plenty of space for light and plants and, inside the house, take on specific functions that improve the indoor climate. In the form of big plant pools, planted courtyards and integrated terraces, they fill the interior with greenery, allowing its architecture to stage the interplay between indoors and outside.
The simple architecture of the “Haus”, which has been designed using natural materials and colours and creates a rather reserved impression, provides the setting for the furnishings, most of which are Luca Nichetto’s own designs. The project is enjoying wide-ranging support from the mostly Italian manufacturers in this respect. In addition, there will be a whole series of products and prototypes specially designed and produced for “Das Haus”, as well as items loaned from Nichetto’s artist and designer friends who support his vision of living in close touch with nature. “I wanted to be able to create the atmosphere of a connection to nature while fostering a sense of intimacy at the same time. I want to live in a modern home, but I also want to feel at home,” says Luca Nichetto, describing a style of living that many people can identify with. At the same time, his design largely dispenses with enclosed spaces: “I like the idea that the furniture gives the space its function.”
Luca Nichetto is famous for doing things his own way. In 2006, he founded his own design firm in Venice, opening a second studio in Stockholm in 2011. His company develops designs for everything from sofas, chairs, office furniture, lamps and carpets all the way to glasses, vases and kitchen accessories. He is widely regarded as one of the most sought-after young designers in Italy and collaborates with a multitude of international brands, including Bosa, Casamania, Cassina, De Padova, Established & Sons, Foscarini, Fratelli Guzzini, Glass Idromassaggio, Globo, Italesse, Kristalia, La Chance, MG Lab, Moroso, Offecct, Tacchini, Venini and Petite Friture. With his plans for “Das Haus”, Luca Nichetto wants to pursue his growing interest in sustainable design and explore the possibilities of living in close contact with nature.
Images courtesy Constantin Meyer; Koelnmesse.
Copy by imm Cologne
