Be / Colour! is a limited-edition capsule collection by designer and art director Ferruccio Laviani that uses colour to reimagine some of Foscarini's most popular lamps, and in the process uncovers a new side to their personality.
Foscarini and Ferruccio Laviani have worked together since 1991, first on the Orbital lamp and then Laviani expanded his role to include art director. Their collaboration runs deep and the body of work is artful and functional, underpinning the research and material development of the lighting brand. In this new capsule collection for Foscarini, Ferruccio explores a chromatic dialogue transforming key pieces within the Foscarini collection, to create a series of new interior stories by framing colour within the historical context of form.
The Be / Colour! limited edition capsule collection includes five key pieces from the Foscarini collection – Twiggy, Magneto, Binic, Bahia and Gregg – and in the words of Laviani: "Colour makes volumes come alive, allowing us to perceive fullness and emptiness: it expresses the personality of the object".
The new and colourful Twiggy lamp designed by Foscarini's art director Ferruccio Laviani. Photo c/o Foscarini.
“Just as we perceive the rooms of a home in a different way when the walls have been repainted, our perspective on an object changes when we see it in an unexpected colour or finish, making it seem novel and surprising.”
Ferruccio Laviani
The new two-tone Magneto by Ferrucio Laviani for Foscarini. Photo c/o Foscarini.
Colour! at Foscarini in Milan. Photo c/o Foscarini.
Colour adds a new sequence to the elements of Twiggy. Photo c/o Foscarini.
The Binic lamp by Ionna Vautrin is a cute, compact lamp expressed in white, green, amaranth, orange, petroleum and grey. Photo c/o Foscarini.
The Bahia resembles three stacked plates, slightly off-centre in profile and arrangement. Designed by Lucidi and Pevere for Foscarini. Photo c/o Foscarini.
The Gregg lamp by Ludovica + Roberto Palomba in amorphic shapes and just a hint of colour. Photo c/o Foscarini.
"Colour makes volumes come alive, allowing us to perceive fullness and emptiness: it expresses the personality of the object"
Ferruccio Laviani
Twiggy by Ferruccio Laviani
This work by Laviani is not just a simple variation of Twiggy, but a re-design. The lamp takes on a new personality, with the curve of the stem emerging as a gesture, the base has a new weight and the shade establishes a dialogue with the light source it contains. Together each element is read in sequence
Magneto by Foscarini studio
The new two-tone Magneto is a design that works on meaning and hierarchies: the white stem supports a black diffuser; a white diffuser is supported by a black stem. Warm, saturated hues are combined with pastel tones. A magnet connects the support stem and the light source, permitting its orientation to function like a torch.
Binic by Ionna Vautrin
A cute, compact lamp expressed in white, green, amaranth, orange, petroleum, and grey. Beyond the single colour. Laviani has reinterpreted the volumes of the lamp, separating Binic’s conical base and the spotlight. Where previously there was only a contrast of finish – shiny above, satiny below – now there is a curated colour match.
Bahia + Bahia mini by Lucidi e Pevere
Designed as three stacked plates, slightly off-centre in profile and arrangement, light runs across the surface like water on sand. In the hands of Laviani, Bahia is enhanced by colour, adding character to the whole surface of the innermost plate and the border of the outer ones. The effect adds depth to the collection.
Gregg (medium and small) by Ludovica + Roberto Palomba
At first glance Gregg has a free, organic form. It is an exercise in asymmetry. Laviani could have accentuated that particular character of the natural object, trying to make the base disappear, but instead, he did the opposite. In keeping with the essence of Gregg (top image, thrird from left), he has delved into the relationships between the parts, and rather than hiding the base he has underlined it through finish and colour – gold and graphite, glossy and reflecting light.
Foscarini is available exclusively in South East Asia from Space – Australia.
