Transcending boundaries: Our design and music connection
03.2022
An idea, celebrating different cultures and discovering what unites us, that will grow into a much broader project
Music is a universal language. While English might be the lingua franca of the modern world, we all have different levels of comprehension, and as an international design brand we are always looking at ways to better communicate our values and ideas with our customers. Just like design, music has the ability to transcend cultural and societal boundaries, speaking to all of us.
In recognition of this, we are excited to be launching a monthly series of playlists that develop further our collections and collaborations with designers from around the world. Our first playlist, curated by CEO Gabriele Salvatori for showrooms in Milan and London, is already available on Spotify and reflects Gabriele’s personal interests, especially in jazz.
Below, he explains what happened when he started to think about compiling his list:
“When I sat down to create a Top 10 List of songs I started to think about what’s really important in life.
Something positive that has come out of these difficult times is that you start to reflect on what is real and what isn’t, on what may seem important and on what really does matter, on what genuinely moves us and on what is merely superficial.
Nature is real and truly necessary as are the essential elements of water, earth, fire and air.
Friendship, love and honesty are the values that count.
Silence, introspection and vision are the ideal companions on life’s journey, guiding you to greater, more rewarding destinations.
Beauty is elusive, often visible only to those who know how to look for it. And so, having reflected at length, I have chosen songs whose lyrics touch me with their freshness, whose notes contain a profound and genuine message in their very simplicity.
A musical metaphor for how we should approach life, because, lest we forget, music has an extraordinary way of bypassing the rational, pragmatic brain and striking with unerring accuracy at the soul.”
The decision to share the music that inspires us – and the playlists inspired by our collections – has been particularly influenced by recent events. “Music has taken on a real importance in the last few months,” Gabriele explains. “In Italy we’ve seen communities being brought together by the music they play to each other on the balconies of their apartments, and there have been so many great live performances streamed for people who have had to stay at home. It made me realise that this was a great opportunity to expand what we do as a company.”
In addition to playlists that explore our brand values, such as sustainability, or that are inspired by our home and bathroom collections, we will be asking designers to curate playlists that respond to projects we have worked together on. With a global and ever-growing list of collaborators – from Piero Lissoni in our native Italy to Kengo Kuma in Japan and Ron Gilad in Israel – we hope to create an engaging way to discover new music, as well as provide a window into the studios of some of the best designers working today.
And it’s an idea, celebrating different cultures and discovering what unites us, that will grow into a much broader project. “We’ve been spending much more time in our homes recently, regaining a sense of what home means to us,” Gabriele continues. “I’ve been asking designers to interpret the concept of ‘home’, to develop miniature homes that express what the concept means to them and in their culture. Eventually we will be able to draw together these different perspectives from around the world.”
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