The Private Lives of Objects

At Milan Design Week, Flexform launched two new collections under the theme ‘The Private Lives of Objects’. Born out of the idea that there are objects that inhabit a space as opposed to occupying it, the indoor and outdoor collections each have their own sense of beauty. With ‘The Private Lives of Objects‘, you step beyond the visible to explore the secret narrative that binds people to the things around them. The materials used were influenced by the philosopher Martin Heidegger’s “being in the world”, translated into wood, metal, and cowhide. The collection is viewed as  an interweaving of relationships – work, affections, roles, language.  Materials cease to be surfaces; they become traces. A sofa does not simply occupy space – it holds the echo of conversations, noting absences and returns. We do not possess furnishings; we coexist with them, in an equilibrium of almost sentimental affinities and vestiges that, over time, acquire value.

In this new collection, the narrative opens to a plurality of voices: from Antonio Citterio, the designer with whom Flexform has shaped its brand identity through more than 50 years of collaboration, to Patrick Norguet and Fumie Shibata, and to new partnerships with Sebastien Herkner and Monica Armani.

For the indoors collection, users were invited to look at how design becomes a daily rhythm. The indoor collection was created to accompany the time of living: generous volumes, measured proportions, depths designed for true comfort. At its core, artisanal know-how refines every detail. Tailoring is evident in the stitching, in the calibrated tension of the upholstery, in the balance between structure and softness. Savoir-faire is not ornamentation, but method: a patient attention that transforms technique into perceptible quality. The materials ranged from warm woods, tactile surfaces, and sophisticated upholstery. The sofa is a place of rest and return; the table measures distances and brings them together. The seats support with precision, the sideboards organise discreetly, the surfaces absorb light and reflect it back. Each element is designed to endure in everyday life. A notable release is the Quincy Sofa by Antonio Citterio, with its organic shapes and sinuous curves.

For the outdoors collection, the brand looked at objects  that live outside the home as well and must engage not only with the inhabitants who use them, but also with the sky, the wind, and the changing light. Shapes are sleek – resilient without becoming rigid – products of the artisanal mastery and technology that Flexform invests in every detail. Woven elements, one of the company’s many areas of expertise, convey strength while retaining lightness and elegance. These furnishings become presences that live with us and for us – a table invites togetherness; seating offers a place to pause and scan the horizon. A notable release is the Margheri sofa by Monica Armani, inspired by the Belle Epoque. The outdoor collection amplifies the landscape and lives in harmony with nature. Beyond function, the outdoors becomes an experience of the elements.

The installations at Via della Moscova and at Chiostro Sant’Angelo marked the thresholds of this story. Between the embrace of indoor spaces and the breath of the outdoors lied an invitation to observe this hidden life.

Find out more about Flexform here.