Dimore Studio reinvent the design catalogue

Hardcover book with a black geomtric designed shape object drawn on the face against a white background . Photographed on a grey surface , against a grey wall — Dimore Studio’s Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran have elevated the traditional catalogue to heady new heights. The coffee table-esque tome reads more like an anthology and elegantly gathers the duo’s prolific output

(Image credit: Michael Ainscough)

Trust Dimore Studio's Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran to take the simple catalogue and transform it into a veritable work of art. Eschewing the simply printed, the easy to post or the heavy on information (and light on inspiration) commonly employed by other furniture or textile brands, the Italian duo have applied their spellbinding approach to create Progetto Non Finito: A catalogue raisonné of unique pieces designed by Dimore Studio.

The exquisite tome reads more like an anthology than a catalogue, gathering the studio's many projects throughout the years (from storage units to seating options, tables, lamps, rugs and more), all captured by photographer Andrea Ferrari in the characteristic Dimore way; part haunted elegance, part decadent antique, wholly modern and refined.

A foreword by Paola Moretti introduces the contents, explaining the roots and essence of Progetto Non Finito: 'Sculptures that become living objects, inspired by modern art and references from the past, single pieces suitable to juxtapose alongside empty spaces with a sense of history.'

Four chapters follow. 'The Silent House' is peppered with quotes from Giò Ponti, Le Corbusier and Amélie Nothomb; 'Pregotto Tessuti' summarises the textile works created to celebrate the studio's 10th anniversary; 'Progetto Palmador' gathers its prolific furniture designs; and a product index, which is made captivating by using white type on black paper, employs simple sketches to show dimensions.

Beyond serving as an archive of its previous work, the compilation goes some way into unravelling Dimore's ideology. 'A modern piece of furniture can fit in well in a historical palace and face a piece of art. It is not a simple matter of matching old and new, but visualising the space in its entirety,' the designers offer up humbly – as if it were quite that simple.

Like the furniture and interiors they create, every last detail has been carefully considered. The cover, for example, is understated yet polished; a heavy, pale grey mount board adorned with three debossed geometric shapes in a medley of foils (metallic gold and silver, and a matte black).

Playful inserts of different sizes and alignment create divisions within the book itself. In 'The Silent House', for example, the smaller sheets present totemic quotes from designers who have inspired and influenced the Milanese duo, while in 'Pregotto Tessuti' the inserts create a page-turning game of contrasting patterns, die-cut shapes providing windows into other designs. Different paper types – including Artic Paper Munken Lynx, Fedrigoni Sirio Ultra Black and GMund Cotton New Grey – add pace and tactility, two principles that are key to the duo's work. As they so succinctly put it: 'What is the point of surfaces that don't thrill your fingers?'

Open pages in the book with a peak of sections of the house — Separated into four chapters – ’The Silent House’, a collection of textile and then furniture works and, finally, the product index – all use different types of paper, affording a unique pace and tactility

Open pages in the book showcasing colourful diamond shaped stained glass designs — One of the quotes within reads: ’Enjoying ambiguities and contradictions. The collision of old and new creates a vibration, an electricity between opposites. Vitality lies in combinations and accidental juxtapositions’

Open pages in the book showcasing geometric design patterns — Dimore’s masterful designs have a habit of ’Feeding the senses and framing the spirit’. Pictured left: ’Bipolar’ textile with a flash of ’The Blue Click’ beneath. Right: ’Push It Two’, over ’True Colours’

Open page in the book showing a series of low fan structured tables painted in metal with feet in oxidised brass — Pictured: ’Tavolo Basso’, a series of low fan structured tables painted in metal with feet in oxidised brass

Open pages from the book with floral design on the left page and brown print design on the right page — ’What is the point of surfaces that don’t thrill your fingers?’ ask the Milanese designers

INFORMATION

Photography: Michael Ainscough