Oswald Boateng’s Mancala board for Poltrona Frau is a part of a collaboration launched in 2023: dubbed ‘Tradition and Craft’, the gathering is outlined by the Savile Row designer’s interpretations of the Italian furnishings firm’s classics.
The gathering consists of quintessential Poltrona Frau icons such because the ‘Chester’ couch, a 1912 design conceived by the corporate’s founder and impressed by Edwardian Chesterfields, and the ‘Self-importance Honest’ chair, from 1984, which function a particular
embossing of his signature ‘Tribal’ print on Frau leather-based. A sample referencing conventional Kente Fabric Motifs, it turns into each a refined ornament and a strong aesthetic train as soon as positioned on the designs.
However the collaboration expands past furnishings and into Poltrona Frau’s ‘Beautilities’ assortment: that includes pet equipment, stationery, ceramic and glass objects in addition to toys by a wide range of creatives and craftspeople, the collection expands Poltrona Frau’s providing right into a sphere of wellbeing and tradition. For this, Boateng designed rugs, wallpaper, cushions, scented candles and a Mancala board recreation, reflecting the spirit of the designer’s method to creation.
One of many oldest board video games in historical past, Mancala derives its title from the Arabic phrase ‘Naqala’, that means, ‘to maneuver’. Boateng interpreted the normal board and items (all the time 48 within the recreation, a quantity sacred throughout West African populations) in strong wenge and handcrafted Murano glass. ‘For me, this partnership is de facto about custom,’ says Boateng, who for this assortment additionally revisited his distinctive Tribal print as an embossed motif on brightly hued leather-based. The design is a part of Boateng’s mission to ‘discover a new language round custom, the identical approach I did in Savile Row. There’s a subtlety to getting the steadiness of the 2 worlds proper.’ We expect he’s nailed it.
poltronafrau.com
ozwaldboateng.co.uk
A model of this text seems within the February 2024 problem of Wallpaper* – devoted to the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024 – accessible in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple Information +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* in the present day
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