Charles Zana unveils his first design collection

French architect and interior designer Charles Zana is launching his first collection of furniture and lighting with the exhibition ‘Ithaque’ in Paris (24 October 2021).

Zana draws on his extensive three decades of interior design experience for the collection, which encompasses around 60 new and updated pieces, including armchairs, sofas, stools, chandeliers, floor and table lamps, coffee tables and desks. The exhibition is a tantalising taster to the launch of Charles Zana Mobilier in January 2022, marking the official launch of the new standalone brand.

Zana has worked with French craftspeople for these pieces that take inspiration from the design codes of the 1930s, nodding to everything from Jean-Michael Frank’s materials to Pierre Chareau’s forms and Gio Ponti’s curves. In the new furniture, Zana is guided by the principle of simplicity, eschewing unnecessary embellishments and instead drawing the sculptural curve of a sofa or the graphic forms of a lamp in clean strokes.

Charles Zana Mobilier: a taste of what’s to come

‘As a trained architect and an art lover, I am guided by three fundamental principles: proportion, elegance, and comfort,’ says Zana. ‘With this new collection I seek to achieve the same balance between purity of forms, simplicity of volumes, and functionality, as I embark on a new quest to create timeless design.’

In the collection, a solid oak sofa complete with sensual fabric joins a bronze chandelier and a wall lamp of silver travertine and brass, which recalls Zana’s ‘Calanque’ table in its hypnotic fluidity. A glass lantern nods to Venetian traditions, while a large desk cuts a sleek and simple silhouette.

The pieces have been transported to an 18th century townhouse on the rue de l’Université in Paris, in a mingling of historical and contemporary design; a fitting background for the timeless aesthetic of the pieces. French-Israeli artist Nathanaëlle Herbelin’s paintings also feature in the space, her domestic scenes in muted hues an elegant foil for the understated furniture.

INFORMATION

‘Ithaque’ runs from 19 – 24 October 2021

zana.fr

ADDRESS

72 rue de l’Université
75007 Paris

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