Nilufar Gallery 2024

The Sgraffito marble tables collection explores the essence of primitive art - namely stone inscriptions. Drawing inspiration from the ancient practice of etching, Mancuso has methodically and meticulously carved thousands of marks into the soft organic curves of solid marble, exploring the movement and dimensions of this noble material. Thousands of small etches, filled with black paint, form a fur-like pattern, imbuing the surfaces with a lasting trace and dynamic sense of movement and energy. This intricate design not only reflects the mastery of human craftsmanship but also celebrates the inherent beauty of natural materials.

Nilufar Gallery 2024

The experimental Sgraffito lamps are a one-off lighting pieces embody a captivating fusion of artistry and craftsmanship, brought to life through a chaotic yet harmonious composition of bronze rods, resembling three-dimensional brushstroke etchings. Mancuso’s sketches of intersecting lines are cast in bronze in a foundry, to create a framework of negative space. The pieces are then transported to Venice, where glass is blown inside the bronze frames to create stunning bulbous, unexpected shapes, expressing the role of happenstance at the heart of the creative process.

Nilufar Gallery 2024

The strata brass vessels embody a fusion of lost wax casting, 3D printing, and painting. The creative process unfolds through numerous steps, illustrating the gradual evolution of the concept and the layered nature of the design journey.

The construction features a complex form of layers, emerging from the integration of various shapes and culminating in an intricate design made tangible through 3D printing. The 3D-printed piece is hand-painted using melted wax, contributing to its textured finish. The final artefact is cast in brass using the lost wax casting method, and meticulously finished with assorted patinas to emphasise the layered complexity of the vessel.

Nilufar Gallery 2024

Stria delves into the dynamics and imprints left by the sweep of a brushstroke on paper, transforming these intricate and unpredictable marks into tangible shapes. This transformation, achieved through the age-old terrazzo technique, embeds marble and coloured concrete to mirror the singular and irreplaceable motion of the brushstroke.

Marble pieces are meticulously sculpted with an angle grinder to modify and curve their edges, creating gaps that are subsequently filled with coloured concrete. The technique creates unique patterns, echoing both layered brushstrokes and the natural layering found in ancient rock formations.

This artistic approach is realised across two creations, a bench and a dining table. Each unique and distinctive piece is a testament to the gesture’s significance and critical role of human interaction.

Nilufar Gallery 2023

The spindle collection explores the use of industrial glass to create a playful effect of optical illusions.

Cylindrical shapes of fluted glass are superimposed in opposite directions creating a hypnotic play of colours and patterns that varies according to the point of view.

The name of the collection comes from the tool used for spinning and twisting fabric threads around a wooden spike, just as the glass elements roll up around the tubular stainless steel structure.

The light source is skilfully integrated into the central structure which, like a backbone, keeps the glass suspended and hides the technical elements.

The collection consists of five products with the following functions: floor, table, sconce, floor-to-ceiling and suspension, all with integrated dimmer adjustment.

Nilufar Gallery 2024

A series of coffee tables presents further exploration of marble via the process of drawing, whereby Mancuso layers shapes on top of one another, like a draughtsman sketching out a body in fluid ovals to find the right form.

The soul of this collection lies in the uniqueness of each composition as it comes to life from preparatory drawings - unique gestures which form infinite possibilities and unexpected results. The uncertain and somewhat frenzied lines take on the colour of natural stones, the overlaps reveal themselves to allow a glimpse of an abstract composition of opposing elements.

Nilufar Gallery 2022

Acquario investigates the transposition of the natural world to the domestic. The collection is composed of a side table, grand dining table, lighting, a console and wall mirror, all of which resemble fictitious species of corals and invented aquatic plant life.

Ranging in shade from indigo blue to turquoise green, the discs’ mottled coloring, meant to evoke the skin of imagined aquatic flora, is derived from chemical reactions that take place whilst being fired. The tables surfaces are made of blue-tinted glass placed atop soil and melted down to conform to the rough earth. Up close, the bubbling effect resembles the frothy surface of a restless sea.

Nilufar Gallery 2021

Arcoiris is a physical experiment in harnessing light. In his latest collection for Nilufar, Andrea Mancuso captures the way a beam bends as it passes through a prism or droplet of water, splitting into a bow of vibrant colours. The phenomenon is captured in a series of lights and objects formed of curved arcs of Bianco Carrara, Verde Alpi, Giallo Verona and RossoAlicante stone, constructed to ensure minimal waste. Each element was crafted in a way that brilliantly obscures its light source, producing an ethereal effect of vivid colours lit from within — a beguiling play of light and stone.

The surreal Table, 2018

“The Surreal Table” is a project which takes the contemporary dining table as a territory ripe for exploration, an experimental yet everyday world of sensorial experience. A place poised between reality and symbolism, able to conjure up and communicate extremely meaningful values and messages.

Analogia Project explores the ritual world of antique drinking vessels through five new mythological creatures for the table. In ancient culture propitiatory acts took great inspiration from the animal world, just as wine has always been used during sacred and symbolic moments in human life. These ceremonial vessels are five ambiguous presences, five cups hybridized with animal parts, vital elements which through their dynamism and their ephemeral transparence are objects balanced between past and present. Moulded, surreal shapes, formed at the skilled hands of master glassblowers in Murano. Taking technique from the ancient tradition of glass animals to create a new ceremonial symbology. A snail, a chicken foot, the tail of a dolphin, a hedgehog and a ram with enormous horns become characters to populate the rituals of our table.

Marimar Stone 2021

Tovaglia is a series of plates and accessories in polychrome marble for the table. The iconic motif of the checkered fabric is taken as inspiration to reproduce the pattern of the tablecloths of popular Italian taverns. A precious combination of marbles is used: red Francia, rosa perlino and biancone. The checkered pattern of the tablecloth loses its rigor on the curved surfaces of the objects to expand and shrink in unexpected graphics, generating visual interferences that abstract the object from its context, challenging the immaterial qualities of the material itself on a formal level.

GLACOJA

JCP 2019

Glacoja is a project that aims to exalt the error. Hand-carved Plexiglas blocks show the material part that is defined as rough. The same surface is treated with degradé colors that give the objects a grotesque appearance..

Vase:

Methacrylate, acrylic

H 30 L 19 W 10 (cm)

Centerpiece:

Methacrylate, acrylic

H 7 L 25 W 30 (cm)

www.jcpuniverse.com

2014

The vases are the result of a collaboration with master ceramist Alessio Sarri. The aim of these objects is to explore two opposite essential elements that make our existence: air and matter, power and fragility. Pure geometrical shapes of white refractory ceramic have been exploded when still fresh. The process of making them followed an experimental methodology. Afterwards, they have been left drying and then cooked, following a traditional ceramic process.

The moment of explosion is therefore fixed in the matter. The result is a block of coloured ceramic exploded showing its intimate white texture.

Ettore Sottsass defined ‘wrong ceramic’ some ceramic pieces that he did by using unconventional materials and processes. These vases could be also defined ‘ wrong ceramic’: contrary to the standard process, they have used very relevant thickness, they put together ceramic and porcelain, they have been coloured when still fresh.

As Sarri explained, they have been making without thinking about the material’s limits but with an experimental approach, by trying, testing and establishing new cause and effect relationships.

The result shows at the same time both the matter’s heaviness and fragility.

The vases are produced by Alessio Sarri Ceramiche.

Ceramic, porcelain

Dimension varies

Unique pieces

Perrier-Jouët 2019-2020

At Design Miami/ 2019, Metamorphosis is presented in a spectacular setting that connects the House’s vineyards with its cellars and the champagnes themselves. The immersive scenography is inspired by the Epernay Maison Belle Epoque, where the ethereal atmosphere of the shadowy silence of the cellars meet the vibrant colours and light of the House’s vineyards. The installation stimulates the curiosity of the viewer and interact with them by intercepting the familiar with the unexpected. The shape of each of the 11,000 mounted ceramic pieces recalls bottles maturing in the cellars, while the palette forms an image of the Perrier-Jouët vineyard during the harvest. The collection of glasses is displayed across six alcoves, theatrically presented on stands made out of wax to recall the process of the glass making. This unique installation was realised alongside two Italian ceramicists: Alessio Sarri and Nuevoforme.

Perrier-Jouët 2019

Creative freedom and an unconventional observation of nature have been integral to Maison Perrier-Jouët since its foundation in 1811. These traits are also characteristic of Art Nouveau, a movement closely linked to the House.

Reflecting the ethos of Art Nouveau, glasses and a champagne bowl were infused with the House’s vision of reinvented nature, crafted with a remarkable degree of traditional savoir-faire.

Following the introduction of each wine described by Hervé Deschamps, cellar master of Maison Perrier-Jouët, a number of words he used to talk about the House’s champagnes have been translated throughout the creative process of Metamorphosis, these words became the inspiration to create the glass collection.

Each of the six glasses in this collection evokes the story and personality of one of the Perrier-Jouët cuvées, while also capturing the special relationship between the House and the Art Nouveau movement.

Nilufar Gallery 2018

Playing with the colors and shades of marble, surfaces turn into watercolors and objects in ponds crossed by the slow movement of goldfish. The base of the tables follows the movement of the fish, the curved brass plate overlap and approach by filtering the light between the fissures.

Table:

Marble, brass

H 75 L 230 W 115 (cm)

Limited edition of 18 + 3APs

Coffee table:

Marble, brass

H 40 L 110 W 75 (cm)

Limited edition of 18 + 3APs

Consolle:

Marble, brass

H 110 L 130 W 39 (cm)

Limited edition of 18 + 3APs

www.nilufar.com

Nilufar Gallery, 2016

A landscape picture contained in a gold frame: the natural lines of the land become curved wood shelves that remind us about a poetic panorama.
The organic wood shapes are set into brass profiles that contain them and slice the parts that exceed their invisible volume limits. Gold surfaces appearing on the wood underline this action.

Brass structure, solid walnut

H 75 L 130 W 35 (cm)

Limited edition of 15 + 3AP

www.nilufar.com

2012

Analogia #003 is an experimental project, in collaboration with Ventura Lambrate design district.

It is a temporary, site-specific installation for the art gallery that hosts the exhibition. The installation explores and re-interprets the gallery’s empty spaces by placing objects in it that connect and merge with its space. It challenges conventional spatial representations and focuses on the boundary between reality and unreality, between the moment of creative imagination and the realisation of an idea. The exhibited objects have been chosen from everyday life. They are visually evoked through the captivating inner essence of their own design. They are universally recognisable products proposed in their archetypal shape, using a minimalist visual language, seemingly bi-dimensional. The third dimension is left to be reached by the movement, observation and perception of the public which, through this sensory involvement, becomes an integral part of the installation.

Fendi, 2016

From 2015 the iconic Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana is the new headquarter of the Roman luxury house FENDI.

It is an emblematic building, a hard cube made of travertine, carved by arches, repeating themselves along its four sides. An apparently simple, yet visually strong, design that leaves a strong impression, recognizable also when it is simply sketched or schematized into a mild presence.

We have interpreted these main features and translated them into evanescent ergonomic shapes. Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana appears in the FENDI HQ in a light and evocative way, its rigid arches become sinuous, emerging and vanishing as if they were belonging to a past memory, a night dream disappearing in the morning.

Nilufar Gallery 2019

A thin sheet of curved bronze creates the structure of the Unfold collection. The material becomes impalpable like a sheet of paper wrapped around itself. The gentle curves of the base support the seat, covered in pastel-colored velvet.

Chair:

Bronze, velvet lining

H 81 L 47.5 W 57.5 (cm)

Armchair:

Bronze. velvet lining

H 83 L 41.5 W 81.5 (cm)

Bench:

Bronze, velvet lining

H 45 L 130 W 40.5 (cm)

www.nilufar.com

2013

The white tiles are the result of collaboration with master ceramist Alessio Sarri. The surfaces reproduce accurately archaeological fragments and ruins from the Museo del Castello Sforzesco di Milano, Museo Civico Archeologico di Milano, and from Musei Capitolini di Roma. Shapes coming from different times appear on the white ceramic surface recalling us that the past is still living in the present time: the space of the exhibition tells our Story, that has always been in a close relationship with Art. Virtual digital models of the archaeological artefacts have been acquired by using a cutting age technique and the prototypes have been used as ceramic moulds: it is an original project that explores the relationship between design, archaeology and craftsmanship in an experimental way.

Ceramic

H 20 L 20 (cm)

Nilufar Gallery, 2017

A family of lamps inspired to the mesmerising Luminarie, a characteristic of popular festivity from South Italy.

The discreet structures sustaining the endless bulbs become the main characters, turning into precious glowing pieces. Elegant lines outline the shape of invisible suspended architectures. The production of the lamps is entirely handmade, using the traditional technique of  hot metal bending.

Chandelier:

Brass,LED 115W, electronics (remote dimmer)

H 900 D 950 (cm)

Limited edition of 18 + 3APs

Floor lamp:

Brass, marquina marble,LED 57W,

electronics (remote dimmer)
H 210 x D 40 (cm)
Limited edition of 36 + 3AP

www.nilufar.com

Slamp, 2017

In the archetypical shape of a dome appears a Roman decoration pattern that is historically connected with the Medusa mythological figure: radial mosaics frame the epic face of the marine goddesses’ daughter. 

The pattern is developed over different layers hiding a LED lamp and reflecting the light through a delicate scheme of transparencies and colours. 

The production process, which combines contemporary technologies and artisanal techniques, represents the relationship between past and present.

Dome Large

Crtistalflex®, Metal, LED 55W   

H 40 D 75 (cm)

Dome Small

Crtistalflex®, Metal, LED 35W   

H 30 D 55 (cm)

www.slamp.com

Commissioned by WallpaperSTORE, Milan. 2017

The industrial aesthetic of Mario Bellini ex HQ is embellished by a Golden Forest, that fills the empty space underneath the skylight.

Fine lines of brass are suspended in the air, lightened from above by a natural light coming from the glass; in the evening the installation will dramatically change its appearance, receiving lights from the different level galleries.

The precious material of the installation recalls the exhibited products characterized by elegant and precious details. 

The sounds of the space (the brass rods touching each others, people steps on the metal structure, the vibrations and the echoes of the installation) have been recorded and transformed by composer Julian Frank into an enchanting ambient sound. 

www.store.wallpaper.com

Camp Design Gallery, 2016

The Bestiary pieces reinterpret the spatial values of Romanesque architecture (1100-1220 DC) and characterized by simple geometrical shapes, rounded arches and semi-spherical cupolas. This austerity is counterbalanced by the bestiary features hidden in the decoration details. Elements from the bestiary are digitally acquired and then physically embedded into the pieces.

On the surface of the hand made mirror is appearing an enigmatic face of a cat staring at us. It belongs to the decorative elements of a church from the 12th century whose authors are still a mystery. The metallic cat (made of ceramic silver) plays with the deformation of our face reflecting on it, suggesting a playful approach of the piece.

The base of the console recalls the mirror features, creating a perfect duo with it. The head of a lion is emerging from the green top, as if it was arising from a pond, passing from the past to the present. 

The carpet reproduces the fragmented traces of a mosaic belonging to a church from the 12th century. It is produced by Mariantonia Urru, master artisans from Sardinia, by using the traditional weaving technique ‘pibiones’. It is an ancient method that creates a stitching relief by twisting the yarn in a particular way. Part of the mosaic has been lost and the missing fragments/portion has been completed by ‘contemporary design, both in terms of colours, features and weaving technique.    

Mirror:

Steel, ceramic

D 105 (cm) 

Limited edition of 8 + 2AP

Console:

Steel, wood, ceramic

H 92 L 75 W 47 (cm)

Limited edition of 8 + 2AP

Carpet:

Wool

D 165 (cm) 

Limited edition of 8 + 2AP

www.campdesigngallery.com

Fratelli Boffi 2019

Oblù is a mysterious container, like a magic box it hides its use.

The elegant pear tree structure is surrounded by circular openings that reveal the underlying surface, a piece of furniture inside a piece of furniture.

The finish of the doors echoes the traditional technique of marbled paper that dyed blue recalls the color of the sea seen through a porthole.

Cabinet A:

Pear wood, metal, glass

H 75 L 200 W 50 (cm)

Cabinet B:

Pear wood, metal, glass

H 115 L 50 W 50 (cm)

www.fratelliboffi.it

Camp Design Gallery, 2016

The Pantheon - 118 and 128 A.D. - was built under visionary Emperor Hadrian, passionate lover of Greek culture and philosophy. A masterpiece of architecture and engineering, this mysterious and magical building, was designed on multiples of the number 7,fueled by centuries legends and myths like the one according to which there wouldn’t rain through the hole.

Our research has focused on the austere geometric lines of the dome that create a timeless composition.

The projection of the inner dome appears on a screen and the hole of the Pantheon rips the panels of a room divider.

The project is a collaborative effort between Analogia Project and Fabscarte master decorators who created and then hand-drawn the paper with the ancient technique of dusting used in the Renaissance for the frescoes. A prospective game deforms the projection of one of the panels, and invites the viewer to look for a point of view from which the circle back to being that, entering into a dynamic relationship with this work.

The result is a drawing deep and valuable, delimited by a brass wire that separates the world of representation from the real one.

Wood, brass, hand painted wallpaper

H 190 L 210 W 5 (cm)

Limited edition of 9 + 2 AP

www.campdesigngallery.com

Nilufar Gallery, 2016

20 sensuous brass lines reminding us of the decorations from the early past century compose the chandelier. Each couple of metal strips sustains a little sparking bud, completely adjustable and independent from the others, which allows to personalize the space illumination. 

The metal strips are directly electrified: the led low voltage allows the absence of cables giving the lamp a pure elegance, exclusively made of light and precious elements.
The result is a combination of past aesthetics with contemporary lighting technology. 

Chandelier:

Brass,10 x LED 7W, electronics

H 150 D 139 (cm)

Limited edition of 18 + 3AP

Floor lamp:

Brass, marquina marble, 3 x LED 7W, electronics
H 210 x D 45 (cm)
Limited edition of 36 + 3AP

www.nilufar.com

Frag, 2017

A leather table collection, characterised by irregular shapes, is inspired by ancient Roman streets. The smooth contours and natural colors evoke the stones of paved roads, shaped by the use in distant times. 

The elegant modular system allows to combine the elements in various ways creating always different spaces.  

Viae Large

Leather, galvanised metal

H 45 L 97 W 117 (cm)

Viae Small

Leather, galvanised metal

H 45 L 67 W 87 (cm)

www.frag.it

2013

The table is a fairy object with asymmetrical features that recalls childhood gadgets. The irregular surface seems to have a smooth consistency on which signs of a supper have been left. Depending on the light pointed on it, familiar shapes appear on the table suggesting a story happened around it.

The table  has been created in collaboration with CREA cemento.

Concrete, steel

D 100 H 75 (cm)