Modular Structure

I moved home many times, and each time I was shocked by the amount of furniture that had to be replaced or discarded. Leaving in London I have been seeing flytipping everywhre. And despite I appreciate the availability of well designed furniture, at an affordable price, I find it very hard to accept the a great amount of perfectly fine furninture being discared with such ease in every corner of the city.

This project was also an opporutnity to reconnect with with my family business, as my grandfather was a carpenter and I grew up feeling the smeel of wood all around me.

The project is inspired by “tubi innocenti” (scaffolding tubes), a design that combines industrial modularity with sustainable furniture. The joint is made only of 4 differnt elements, including nuts and bolts, and allows to compose complex structures without the need for screws or damaging the wood.

In this way , the structure can be adapted, expanded, modified, according to the changing needs of the user. Eventually the wood can be reasused for other purposes, as it the posles and shelves are are not impacted by holes or unnecesary cyts or screwmarks.

All components are also being designed to be extremely easy to produce, limiting the waste of materials. Their simple geometry allows them to to be efficiently stored and transpoted.

Beside its technical advatages, I wanted to design a piece of furniture that is beautiful to look. I opted for essential geometric shapes with a quirky and organic feel, reminiscent of both Italiand Japanese design. My goal was to create a design that is not connotated by a trend, that has elements of uniqueness and creativity, that could last for generations.

The wood I have selected are birch for the the poles, blockboard for the shelves, and fir wood for the laquered joints. The plates are instead lasercut brushed stailess steel.

The colour palette is deeeply inspired by my love for japanese desing and culture - white and orangy-red palettes are associated with the natural texture of the birch wood.

Designed during the pandemic out of frustration with furniture becoming a disposable good, often abandoned when people move homes, I created this modular structure inspired by “tubi innocenti” (scaffolding tubes).

This modular system was patented in 2022, and I am now looking for partners that can help me scale and commercialize the project.