Today I want to talk about my Roman Empire. And what I have in mind is mixing classic beauty, the norm, the acceptable with new, sometimes uncomfortable, shocking, and unusual. That can be said almost about anything: art, one’s appearance, personal style, interior, food… you name it.
To be more specific my Roman Empire is classic interiors filled with contemporary art and furniture and other way around – up-to-date interiors filled with classic art, marble statues, and busts of males and females popping here and there. This contraposition of objects not belonging to a particular place we are used to seeing them in, makes each piece stand out and at the same time brings harmony to the bigger picture.
Driade, the company named after a mythological Greek nymph, is offering a very intrinsic piece of furniture called ‘Venus‘ by Italian designer Fabio Novembre. You know you can sell me anything if it’s called ‘Venus’ and has a resemblance to Boticceli’s ‘The Birth of Venus’.
So, here it is – quite simplistic wooden bookshelf made of oak with a trapped woman inside it. This bookcase is like an art piece itself – no books or other decor elements are needed. Venus, confided inside the bookshelf attracts all the attention in the room and makes you question its presence: are you being watched or are you the watcher? What feelings arise when gazing at this art piece?
Fabio Novembre, the designer behind this piece, drew inspiration from wooden crates which are used to transport the statues from and to museums. And when you look from afar that is quite obvious. According to the website, Driade, this bookcase is dual: functional furniture and a piece of art, these opinions are both right and interconnected. Because the purpose of the art is to raise questions, challenge one’s feelings, and leave you thinking. This is exactly what ‘Venus’ did to me.
& that’s why I love it: the art has its functionality and vice versa: walls with old, peeled-off paint are not much of a use, but place shiny metal floating shelves into that space, add splashes of bright colors and you will get clash of unfamiliar visual satisfaction, just what Mayice Studio did to Sportivo store in Madrid.
Sportivo is a well-known name of men’s fashion in Madrid and upon opening their second store in a palace built in 1902, they hired Mayice Studio (AD100 2024) to do the work. Imanol Calderon and Marta Alonso decided to return the part of the palace’s original character and let it speak of the past. Architects made it raw and unique, instead of putting ‘plasterboard, a wooden floor on it’, painting it white and making it ‘one more place’ that is just like the others. And here is the culmination: embracing the origins, and adding contemporary details is what makes this store one of a kind and gives the feeling of the museum or art gallery.
The eye has to wander. And the best way to accomplish this effect is combining old and new, making unusual connotations into your interior (can be done with clothes, too). Stimulating your brain with unexpected pairings and giving excitement every time you enter the room is what makes my heart beat faster and I hope yours too.