Timeless pieces with an unorthodox twist by SECOLO
Established in 2018, SECOLO is a London-based furniture brand with a desire to create iconic pieces that meet traditional tastes but with contemporary and unorthodox twists. Focusing on quality materials, Italian manufacturing and distinctive designs, SECOLO is producing furniture and accessories, which despite being playful and original will naturally complement any interior.
I spoke with Sacha Andraos , one of the designers and founders of Artefatto Design Studio that has been responsible for the artistic direction of SECOLO, and this is what he had to say about the pieces and the brand.
What’s in the core of your designs?
Our aim from day one was to create iconic pieces, each with their own playful characteristics and interesting forms. The difficulty in this, lies in the balance between being eye catching and unusual, while remaining timeless and elegant. This is where we sit, we strive to create furniture and accessories that meet traditional tastes but with surprising and unorthodox twists.
Tell me a little bit about yourselves and the brand. What is the background of the team and where is the inspiration coming from?
The brand was created to offer something different, something between the overproduced chairs and sofas that seem to be flooding the market, and the one off, extremely wacky (and of course beautiful) pieces that sit more in the art realm than the design world and have a price tag to match. SECOLO offers the sculptural, eye catching and experimental pieces but without the mark up of an art piece. Most of us come from a background in architecture or interior design. Meaning however big, hairy or multi-coloured the dream may be, we always manage to translate it into something useable and relatable, something that will work in a number of interiors and for a long time without going out of fashion.
Do you believe in following rules when it comes to design, and if so, what are these rules in your designs?
As far as we see it any rules within design are only temporary. They last only until someone comes along with a great idea and completely changes the game. It’s our responsibility as designers to constantly trying to change the rules and put wild visions into practice. That’s what makes the design scene really exciting. We don’t have rules within our design so to speak but we do have a vision and a clear direction. As long as new ideas can fit into this vision then anything goes and nothing is off the table.
What would be your dream project to work on?
We’ve been dreaming of taking a masseria in Puglia or an old cascina in Tuscany, something almost derelict but with lots of natural beauty and history, and turning it into something contemporary and stylish but of course keeping all the emotion and charm of the original space. The colours, textures and ambience of old architecture; eroded rock, sun dyed paint and cracked walls for example, things that can only be created by time (and are impossible to replicate) are a wonderful contrast to highly polished and well finished pieces that are made in only a few days. It’s that mixture of old and new that really excites us.
What are you working on at the moment, and what are your creative plans for the future?
Following on from an exhibition at Contemporary Cluster in Rome, a new display at the 1st dibs gallery in New York and a joint showroom in the Design Centre in London, this Salone Del Mobile in Milan, we will be launching some brand new pieces in an exhibition created by our studio. We can’t give too much away but they have described it as an immersive exploration of new forms, refined finishes and undiscovered gems. We’re still young so our plan for the near future is to stay focused on creating interesting and iconic pieces. We will be releasing new pieces all year round so stay tuned.
Find out more about Secolo and Artefatto Design Studio at their website and make sure you follow them on social for more amazing designs and upcomiong exhibitions.