Poliform's new collection – designed largely by Emmanuel Gallina and Jean-Marie Massaud, who have collaborated with the brand for many years – exudes a unified design language with an unchanged color palette but small changes in shape and texture that indicate new perspectives and habits...

Poliform’s latest pieces are in a familiar palette of colours and have timeless appeal, but material updates and new details make the collection relevant to our current living preferences

Poliform is bringing timelessness up to date | Novità

Poliform’s latest pieces are in a familiar palette of colours and have timeless appeal, but material updates and new details make the collection relevant to our current living preferences

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When it comes to our interiors, quirk and novelty don’t cut it anymore. 'Classic' and 'timeless' are more the lexicon of responsible design. Longevity – in terms of both taste and wear – is what’s sought to satisfy the environmental call for reduced disposability – since disposability is something which often comes with cutting corners on quality and short-lived hype.

This emphasis on longevity plays into the hands of some of the stalwarts of Italian design, who have built their houses on exquisite, ageless silhouettes, elegance and refinement of craft and materials. It might not have the stop-the-press appeal when a new product is launched, but tends to put detail under the spotlight since it’s in details that we spot subtle updates.

Jean Marie Massaud, who has designed for Poliform for many years, has created new pieces that sit comfortably together.They include the Brera Sofa, Kaori armchair and the Mush coffee table

Poliform is bringing timelessness up to date | Novità

Jean Marie Massaud, who has designed for Poliform for many years, has created new pieces that sit comfortably together.They include the Brera Sofa, Kaori armchair and the Mush coffee table

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Newness in the detail

Poliform’s new collection is a case in point. Designed for the most part by Emmanuel Gallina and Jean-Marie Massaud, who have worked with the brand for many years, there is consistency in the design language. The colour palette remains the same and the general ambience is untouched but small shifts in shape, craft and texture point to new outlooks and habits. ‘We must always remain consistent with what our style is, so there is this continuity,’ says Poliform’s Marco Spinelli. ‘But there is innovation because, with our research and development centre, we always aim to find new materials and new technologies – we never stop.’

The emphasis for the Brera Sofa is on combining understated elegance with supreme comfort. Its modular make up allows for a linear arrangement, or a curved profile, which suits larger spaces

Poliform is bringing timelessness up to date | Novità

The emphasis for the Brera Sofa is on combining understated elegance with supreme comfort. Its modular make up allows for a linear arrangement, or a curved profile, which suits larger spaces

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The call for comfort

Take the Brera sofa, kingpin of a new series by Massaud. There is nothing radical in its linear, architectural silhouette – unless you consider the nod to contemporary tastes which sees it offered in a curved version for larger spaces. But the comfort factor is raised, with new technologies and fabrics upping the ante, and couture details are to be found in the stitched leather details. ‘It’s a reflection around what we expect from a sofa,’ says its designer, Jean-Marie Massaud. ‘Firstly, it is a place to share, to live, a friendly place. We wanted to propose a sofa that was very classic in a way but very modern in the way of living. It’s this simple alchemy or balance that mixes very up to date mood and energy with an elegant and calm vision.’

The Curve chair is the new made-to-last classic from Emmanuel Gallina. Inspired by nature and lightweight, it teams well with the other new pieces. Seen here with the Brera, Mush and and Hima screen

Poliform is bringing timelessness up to date | Novità

The Curve chair is the new made-to-last classic from Emmanuel Gallina. Inspired by nature and lightweight, it teams well with the other new pieces. Seen here with the Brera, Mush and and Hima screen

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A focus on flow and finish

In recent times our pressing desire has been for ease and comfort, which these pieces reflect, along with flow; our multi-tasking spaces need to meld together seamlessly, and to this end, Brera is not only a modular sofa whose shape can mould to your space, but also a bed. It is complemented by the new Kaori armchair – all curves and volume, a line of tables called Mush, in a variety of shapes, sizes, heights and materials (among them are fine, hand-crafted tops in black elm and also in glossy verde lepanto). There’s also his solid wood Ube stool, inspired by a coco de mer, the Hima screen, made from woven rope which defines and partitions space, and the Japanese-inspired Aiko sideboard, with floating shelves and doors in a choice of black elm, wicker-effect wood, or laminated glass. ‘The materials are the protagonists,’ says Spinelli. ‘Wood leather and glass, they are very warm, high-class materials.’

More artistic flourishes are seen in the exquisitely carved black elm stool, Ube, whose shape is inspired by the coco de mer, and the solid Nara bench and console, all designed by Jean Marie Massaud

Poliform is bringing timelessness up to date | Novità

More artistic flourishes are seen in the exquisitely carved black elm stool, Ube, whose shape is inspired by the coco de mer, and the solid Nara bench and console, all designed by Jean Marie Massaud

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Taking a leaf from nature’s book

The Curve collection by Gallina, meanwhile, is distinguished by its thoughtfulness. It lifts its forms and fluidity from nature to bring a sense of wellbeing to the home. ‘For the Curve armchair, we have tried to lighten the entire structure and reduce the number of parts in the seat and backrest to a minimum,’ says the designer. ‘The chair's great comfort has still been maintained. There’s a handle on the backrest that you can see from behind. There is a desire to make space more pleasant, to make it warmer and ultimately to make it more liveable.’ In the furniture family is also a dining table which comes with the option to combine wood, marble and leather within the structure, Curve also extends its reach from the dining and living spaces into the bedroom with a bed.

The upholstered Yume bed, designed by Massaud, is timeless, but material lightness and leather insert details inspired by the fashion world bring the piece firmly into the present

Poliform is bringing timelessness up to date | Novità

The upholstered Yume bed, designed by Massaud, is timeless, but material lightness and leather insert details inspired by the fashion world bring the piece firmly into the present

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While the latest from the Italian furniture greats may not break the mould of preciously-crafted, durable design, examine the details, and you will find a host of nods to modern mores.

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