Furniture by i4 Mariani
3 September 2010
“Love Talk”
Because it’s just the wife and me, the 1900 square foot home we have has always suited us, but every now and again I see a concept that has me all but whimpering for just the right amount of room to put it to use. Certainly, I feel that way about our kitchen and bathrooms, but the other room I occasionally find myself wishing were altogether different is the living room, and never more than today when I came across the i4 Mariani Company.
These people have put together some really extraordinary designs for their furniture, but what I find myself especially enjoying are the designs that I am featuring here. I thought it might be fun to dig out the history of the sectional, but it turned out to be a lot of work for a most unsatisfactory answer. Furniture itself dates back to before the ancient Egyptians, but upholstered furniture appears to be no older than the Renaissance. But I was not able to learn the ins and outs of the first people who took a couple of couches, pushed them together, and made of them a sectional. Later, of course, the interior arms disappeared, the better to make of it an upholstered whole and variation after variation was introduced, to a point where you almost get a headache contemplating the many possible variations.
I got into that, though, because I wanted to see just how old the idea was, because what most amazes me with the designs we feature here from i4 Mariani is that they have taken what is, demonstrably, a very old idea and have somehow succeeded in making it their own. The i4 Mariani Company is located in northern Italy and gets its name from the founders, four brothers who came together in 1957 and started what is still a family business. The brothers are still active in the business, but these days they are assisted by eight daughters and sons. They also have a huge design staff that has put together some truly wonderful designs, but they’re more than “just a pretty face.”
The i4 Mariani group is today one of the more advanced industrial complexes in their area of northern Italy, with production facilities covering over 700,000 square feet. But despite their state-of-the-art manufacturing they still have a strong handicraft tradition, which is particularly noticeable in the leather upholstered items. I4 Mariani furniture can now be obtained throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, including our own USA, and it’s not hard to see why. They have set as their goal nothing less than creating products that are “unmistakable in their essential design, durability and quality of working and finishes,” the evidence of which is in these pictures. What I most like about the concepts we show here, though, are those that use the shape of the sectional itself to form an intimate conversation pit.
One of the things I have loved all my life is simply the chance to sit and have coffee with my wife in the morning in our living room. But truth to tell, at the end of the day we will retire there and talk, or just about any time throughout the day when we have something we especially want to share. We have a wonderful instrumental version of “Never Can Say Goodbye” by Herbie Mann that I’ve played for over three decades now on those wonderful, don’t-want-it-to-end evenings. With that in mind I made and installed an L-shaped window seat for us as one of my first projects for our home, a wonderful conservation pit we often utilize for ourselves, just to talk and laugh hour after hour, the endless conversation.
But when you feel that way about someone, one of the things you find yourself particularly appreciating is those furniture manufacturers who also have someone to love, because, I swear, only a lover could have designed the furniture at the top of this blog. Is there now, or could there ever be, a more perfect seating arrangement for two old lovers to sit back with a morning coffee or evening cocktail and talk for hours on end?
Joseph
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3 Responses to “Furniture by i4 Mariani”
September 3rd, 2010 at 9:50 AM
Wow, these really are some nice designs. I’ve always liked sectionals. They just seem to bring everyone closer together.
September 3rd, 2010 at 11:16 AM
It is interesting that you chose their sectionals. Growing up my parents had a sectional which we loved. It was the place to gather to watch what was supposed to be a “color” TV.
I went to their web site and this company certainly does make some fabulous furniture. I can see lots of items their to talk about. It would be nice to find a store locally that carries their products.
Joe
September 3rd, 2010 at 11:23 AM
I would love to have one of those in our living-room! I think it would be great to have something like that for parties and other get togethers.