Category Archives: Brands

A New Shop in 4 Weeks: Ermesponti ‘s designing and refurbishing of the Corneliani boutique in Florence.

florence skylineAn important part of Ermesponti emerged in Florence.

Paolo and I studied architecture and married there. With notebook and pencil in our hands we learned the most important lessons directly from the buildings of Brunelleschi, Michelangelo and Leon Batista Alberti. Of course we studied all the fundamentals of the discipline through lectures and extensive reading but we discovered the essence of the art of architecture by drawing the buildings again and again. In this way we learned the strong bond between head and hands – architecture and craftsmanship – and we understood how important method is in the arts of the Renaissance.

Back in Mantua we began to run the old workshop of the Ponti family. We transformed it with a completely new approach which we appreciated from the Florentine workshops of the Renaissance. It was a lean approach to architectural interiors. We decided to call it Ermesponti’s “end-to-end” method, which starts from scratch and goes to completion. This became the key to completing a range of projects worldwide. (Please see poddaponti architetti website here).

When we came back to Florence later with the task of refurbishing the old Corneliani boutique we were so enthusiastic to use our experience and method there. The location was so special as it was the Palazzo dell’Arte della Lana. It has such an important entrance hall from the Portico by Buontalenti and such an amazing fresco by Maestro del Bargello inside a niche on the ground floor. We immediately decided to apply the very first architectural rule we learned in Florence when we were students. We call it “Genius Loci” , which respects and highlights the character of the building. That’s the reason why here in Florence the Corneliani boutique retains the architectural features of this particular location. For example, the presence of the Florentine walls was completely respected and the displays reduced to a minimum. The colours of walls and other materials, like wood and marble, were given a slightly mat finish too.

portico

Actually the culture of Florence and Mantua came together. On the main wall of the ground floor we obtained permission not to obstruct the fresco as well as the wall. We also designed an understated 3D monochromatic pattern as a background which brings to mind the brand of the company. This pattern was inspired by the frescos of Andrea Mantegna found in the Camera degli Sposi in Palazzo Ducale, Mantua. The company logo was located intentionally in that corner in the manner of Brunelleschi’s details evident in Cappella Pazzi.

brand wall

But our work as architects was not only concerned with design and architectural culture. Using Ermesponti’s end-to-end method, we were able to complete all the work on site in the space of five weeks. The director handed over the shop keys on February the 23. After demolition work , we organized everything from marble floors to ceilings and windows in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile we made bespoke furniture and installed it in one week while the electricians were finishing the Air Conditioning and lighting. We were able to give back the shop keys to the clients and open on the 12 of March 2016. That’s what we mean when we talk of a real turnkey project. ( Please have a look at the time schedule represented below).

time schedule

In the end we were so happy because the results exceeded our client’s expectations. We were also happy to bring back to Florence everything we had learned from the principles of architecture to the fine details of craftsmanship which is the essence of our Ermesponti’s approach to interiors.

Find out more on Ermesponti’s website.

Ermesponti designs and realizes Corneliani’s Flasgship store in Paris, Avenue Georges V: a full expression of its end-to-end method.

A wonderful Christmas present for the Mantua-based Italian fashion brand Corneliani, who opens – during the Christmas season – its new Paris Flagship store, in the heart of the city.
We have had the pleasure to design and realize the store, a commitment which deeply involved us.
The project for the parisian flagship store is based on two principles – as it always happens with Ermesponti bespoke interiors approach.
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First principle comes straight from the very own brand identity: let’s not forget we are speaking about a flagship store, which requires a full and adequate representation of the brand. The second principle is more an architectural one, and is all about putting the Corneliani brand into the right context: the center of the French capital, which, is of course, a place of immense and unique personality. Furthermore, the specific location is a rather important one, right in the middle of the fashion district – the “golden triangle” – between the Champs Elysées, Avenue Montaigne e Rue Georges V.

The challenge of designing and realizing the Corneliani Flagship store in Paris had two specific aspects: the emphasis on the brand identity, and the very special context of the city, accordingly to the “Genius Loci” principles.

We have taken advantage from the façade, which – being the “face of the building” – has been designed by us to be a very special “filter” among the two strong personalities represented by the environment (city) and the brand (store).
Project for Corneliani Paris store
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Corneliani Paris brise-soleil
As you can see in these images, portraying the store before our work, the exceptional dimensions (4+ meters high) of the single window – entrance of the store – have suggested us to consider it and design it as a “façade in the façade”. A marble portal all around emphasizes – as with a frame – the “window on Paris” of the Mantua brand: almost a painting signed Corneliani.
Paris Corneliani Store project sketch by ermesponti
corneliani-ermesponti-interiors
Since the first time we visited the location, we have pinpointed the strong focus of the project, in terms of visibility. The higher part of the window-façade was actually a problem, both inside (with ceilings too high) and outside (with the need for a sunlight filter). On a functional level, a screen element was needed, something the Frenchmen call brise-soleil. 
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Our choice has been to go for a functional solution that could be iconic as well… in this way.

We have designed a sort of a “Corneliani Cloud”. A real, stratified cloud of Mantegna rings, which remind immediately of the Corneliani brand pattern, and of the beautiful cultural heritage of the city of Mantua, where the brand is based.

Corneliani-Parigi-ingresso

 

 

 

 

 

 

The corporate brand pattern is strongly emphasized and multiplied by 7 intersected layers of rings, well illuminated by LED light bars. In addition to all this, we have many more layers, for light distribution and fine control.

It took months and months of prototyping in Ermesponti bespoke interiors laboratories to test the lightest materials, the combinations and orientations of lights, and all the related details.

The window-façade becomes a tridimensional element, light, transparent and shiny, almost a membrane… you can compare it with some sort of filter (or fog as in Mantua?), not only to see through, but also… to walk through!
The rings have been realized with a brand new, very innovative and super-light material, made with an aluminum sandwich-structure (D-bond). The connections have been made with over 4,000 meters of tape, with a special golden-looking textile cover. (Everyone at Ermesponti bespoke interiors has done at least a couple of hundred meters…)..

The final effect makes you think of an update of the famous Parisian “grilles”, but also of the metallic structure of the French icon par excellence – the Eiffel Tower, or of some contemporary façade such as Jean Nouvel’s Arab World Institute.

As a result, the Italian Fashion brand’s presence in Paris is now a very recognizable one, and it expresses its powerful strength by means of its brand pattern, which roots itself in the Italian Rennaissance. And while doing so, Corneliani brings such an important heritage on a very familiar plan, close to everyone passing by in the street, fitting in very well in the Parisian sensibility and culture.
Corneliani-ingresso-ermesponti
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And once he gets through the Mantegna cloud, the visitor finds himself inside the store, in a quadrangular hall (the long side of which is actually the façade) and quickly recognizes all the typical materials of the brand concept.
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The floor is in grey imperial marble; the brand wall is covered with tiles of macassar ebony, basket-like intersected as in a precious textile; the logo is on a black carbon fiber plate. Recesses and boiserie in shiny ebony with a suede leather, light-coloured background are high and majestic and give some nice grand-style proportions to the hall.
This hall is dedicated to the top collection of the brand – ID – the modernity of which will be emphasized by every single detail of the showcase element. An example? The shelves in ebony with a linoleum top in mauve colour, worked at a 45° angle, with inox steel edge.
The cashier area is situated inside the shirt and accessory shop, well visible from the nearby entrance. The generous dressing room for this hall is aside, in the left corner.
Corneliani-parigi-dettaglio-ingresso
On the opposite part of the store, a side room with a lowered ceiling is an intermediate space towards the VIP Area in the back.
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This part of the space has an irregular geometry, emphasized by  the recesses, dedicated to specific products: sweaters, ties, shoes, formal dress. On the background you can notice a recess dedicated to the bespoke collection by Corneliani, which is very high-profile and renowned, among the fashion savvy, the world over. A small desk has been provided for selected customers, to sit down and choose the fabric they prefer.
Corneliani-interior-design-notteCorneliani-Paris-Flagship-store

Ikea vs. Made in Italy?

“Ikea is the brand Italians appreciate the most.”

This is a recent headline seen on the media.

An authoritative study certifies it, with a lot of figures (300 thousand people interviewed by Havas in 34 countries, on a sample of 1,000 brands).

Trademarks are considered within different areas including health, happiness, wealth, relationship, community.

Here’s what Havas says:

These brands can increase up to seven times their competitive strength and earn about 46% more than the brand perceived as less significant (…) Top Meaningful Brands get marketing performances twice as good as those achieved by less significant brands”

Ikea’s placement, according to the research, is all about…

“The ability to ‘meet the growing demand for simplification of everyday life while ensuring good quality at a fair price'”

Allow me a few observations from the point of view of who’s been judged by the Corriere della Sera “a winning and living example of how to compete with globalization” (here the article in Italian, by Dario De Vico).

A few elements come to my mind:

– The globablization of taste proposed by Ikea is quite the opposite , in my opinion, of well-being, relationship and community

– As to aesthetics and values, what Ikea suggests is a flattening of life, homogenization of taste, environmental unsustainability

– Speaking about value, if we take into count the economies of scale that Ikea enjoys, it… is astronomical (to be clear: if a company like ours were to do a small production of, say, 10 or 20 pieces, it could very well put them on the market at “Ikea price”; if you multiply by millions of pieces, it’s easy to understand how the value for money is high… mainly for shareholders!)

All this makes me think about our country and the luck we have being protagonists – internationally recognized – of quality of life, taste, lifestyle, beauty.

This is something higher than any market research, and has roots in the history of our country, not surprisingly home of the most part of works of art in the world.

No brand can compete with “Italy brand” as to good life, relationship and community… the most “meaningful brand” of all, throughout the world, is called Italy.

Now, about the industry of interior design and furnishing, Italy has a strong heritage in the cultural tradition of its artisans.

This “knowledge” is translated into:

– production of unique and “bespoke” pieces for the person, for the family, for the business

– the cost of these products: absolutely sustainable and competitive, thanks to the expertise of processes and materials (and consider that you can manage and controlthe whole design-production process)

– eternal durabilty, thanks to absolute quality

– production times, quick and manageable

– personal relationship: you deal with faces and people, not with customer services

Moreover, by purchasing a product of Italian craftsmanship, we finance our businesses, we build a piece of future for our children.

If we believe in Made in Italy we Italians  must invest in Italy.

Italian SMEs invest every day in this country. As consumers, we should do the same.

For example, try to buy Made in Italy products only (although they may cost a little more, and we know why) and be proud to be testimonials of our products and way of life.

It is very possibile that the world still needs this small, boot-shaped country… long live Italy!

(Daniela Podda)

From a humble balcony in Verona to the luxury of Puli Shanghai. What’s behind a decorative pattern.

To travel is to learn.

We travel a lot – luckily our work leads us to realize bespoke interior a bit everywhere – and sometimes the mind makes unexpected and surprising connections. An example?

Motivo grafico su balcone di VeronaTrue story: imagine finding the same decorative pattern on a balcony in Verona and – an intercontinental journey later – at the Puli Hotel and Spa in Shanghai, as a partition of an extremely luxurious environment.Puli Hotel and Spa Shanghai

Maybe you’ll think that we take too many planes, and that jetlags have strange effects on us!

But, no: just look at the pictures and see for yourself these unusual coincidences… 

Venetian bricklayers share the same visual language with Asian luxury resorts?

Well, why not? :-)

Puli Shanghai

After visiting Salone del Mobile 2015, what we liked the most was: Porro.

Porro al Salone del Mobile: il post di ermesponti
Nobody in our industry can afford to miss Milan’s Salone del Mobile…

In fact, we too made sure to have the space, between the various appointments, for a focused visit.

A lot could be sad about “special effects” and visual marketing.

But our architects’ eye has settled on the quality of design and manufacturing.

The company whose manufacturing impresseb us above everything else has been Porro – and it’s no surprise, for whoever knows them, always consistent in their qualitative approach.

Not necessarily in priority order, this is what we liked:

1 – Creative solutions
See how to “hang” a pillow to the headboard with a simple and elegant anchor… this is the relationship between form and function: impressive…

2 – Accuracy of construction details and assemblyPorro al Salone del Mobile 2015: note di ermesponti
Beautiful hinges, purposely designed and made with a rare attention to detail – very familiar to us in the bespoke world, but not so in orderly production

3 – Beautiful laquers
We feel a certain affinity with the contrast effect of lacquered wood and shiny-matte of some parts of the living area; the detail of the junction between these two finishes on the edge is not simple at all, but it’s performed flawlessly

4 – General usage of valuable and natural materials
Where industrial production of high-end furniture series tends too much to fold to an indiscriminate use of wood imitative surface, Porro offers a lot of wood, finally, and well painted; beautiful veneer selected with attentive eye and even pieces of solid wood

The company of Montesolaro (Como) wins therefore an award entirely unknown and of no importance: best presence at the Salone del Mobile 2015 according to ermesponti!

We thank and congratulate – in addition to Porro – all the Italian companies who keep investing in the real quality of true Made in Italy.

Quality – for which Italians enjoy a worldwide reputation, founded on the twin pillar of high project level and amazing design, coming from the cultural heritage of the great Italian masters of the last century – is what we all stand for, in many ways: 

  • choice and use of materials
  • bespoke, handmade manufacturing
  • excellence in final delivery, with no delays or cost surprises

Let’s all keep up the good work!

Porro al Salone del Mobile: il post di ermesponti

Santoni Italian shoemakers: the beauty of craftsmanship which binds us together.

Reading the book “Costruttori di bellezza”, which we recently mentioned, we noticed that many things about crafting feel familiar, no matter the industry you’re talking to.Schermata 02-2457055 alle 09.49.10

Santoni is an artisan shoe company, extraordinary in many ways, not least its reality of 500 employees and worlwide exports.

ermesponti is something entirely different, even though design and craftmanship apply in the everyday work of our teams, in order to create unique interiors – be it commercial or residential.

Yet… let us mention some parts we read in the book that we feel particularly familiar with:

P. 51
Leisure time of a younger Andrea Santoni, founder of the company:

“From six year-old onwards, once I’d finish working at Bruè, I also worked in small workshops to round up. And I would work there till around midnight, then go home, always walking. For a short time, when I was 25, I’ve also helped my parents to work on the fields.”

Andrea Santoni con il fratello

P. 72
Technological developments in relation to craft skills:

“Once, everything was handmade. Today, in the shoe business there are high-tech machines, but the manual conveyor is still pushed like in the past: with the hands. For some respect, in Santoni we worklike we did sixty years ago. “

P. 99
On how to deal with the actual economic crisis:

“Do not change the way you work, for the sake of the economic crisis. We have to continue investing even more on the know-how and on quality. A positive attitude that proved to be successful.’

That’s what Giuseppe Santoni replied to a journalist who asked him what was the best idea to face the global economic crisis began in 2008.

It’s a pleasure for us to get to know better the  Santoni  by reading these pages: it’s an example that inspires our work.

…And how many excellences such as theirs we have in Italy? 

Schermata 02-2457055 alle 09.42.20

[Photo gallery + video] The new Corneliani’s extension in via Montenapoleone, Milan

How did you spent your summer holidays? Seaside or mountains? We chose Milan, Via Montenapoleone. We only had month to do all the site works – furnishings included – for the opening of the new additional wing of the Corneliani’s boutique in Milan fashion high street (btw, the PoddaPontiArchitetti Studio mentioned on Corneliani’s website is… us: an architect firm within a handicraft workshop). 1-foto iniziale During the last week of July we gradually removed the fittings and demolished the wall to open and enlarge the ground floor space on the right side of the entrance. We did a thorough survey and started the furniture production. In the meanwhile, we organized the works on site from floor to ceilings, from lighting to plants. On August 22nd everything was ready to start the installation of our furnishing.

You’d never guess how difficult it can be to work together – bricklayers, plumbers, electricians and carpenters – in such a small room… But as we accepted the project, we knew perfectly how things should have been done.

panoramica alberto scala Despite all the problems of the site – including the problematic height of the stairs – we  were finally able to fit everything in a perfect way. All the cables behind the wall panelings, the air conditioning diffusers perfectly aligned with the ceilings and the furniture, impressive handmade wooden details on the new brand wall… dettaglio

Have you seen the brand wall, do you recognize it ? We designed this pattern for the first time for the facade of the Corneliani flagship in Shanghai reinventing it from the famous Mantegna‘s fresco of the “Camera degli Sposi” at Palazzo Ducale in Mantua.

After that, Corneliani decided to use it in his next winter collection and soon it became the new Corneliani brand pattern, also for the strong bond with the cultural heritage of Mantua, where the company is located. In Milan, you can find the brand wall in front of the entrance doors. It is built by backlit ebony circles and iron bracelets fixed on a chessboard of leather panels decorated by special drawstrings sewed on its backside (produced by our friend Berto Salotti in record time for us!). Please take a look at the impressive details of the ebony frame junction: we must thank our master carpenter Alberto for making them with such a loving care! brand wall The opening day was scheduled for the first week of September, but we were ready almost a week ahead! The Corneliani Creative Director – Mr. Sergio Corneliani in person – opened the doors of his renovated Montenapoleone store on Monday September 1st and, while doing so, was perfectly aware about the key figure to credit for such a perfect job: his trustworthy architect Paolo Ponti! foto finale

corneliani_shanghai

Podda Ponti Architetti design the new Corneliani’s brand pattern.

Sometimes design an architectural facade for a fashion brand means something more and it implies some background questions: What’s the brand identity? What’s the meaning of the facade of its new flagship in the most important fashion street of Shanghai?

shanghai_notturno1

We knew that one of the key brand value of Corneliani was the excellence of its bespoke production in the factory of Mantua, one of the  most  beautiful cities of the italian Renaissance. We live in Mantua, we studied for years the historic buildings of Leon Battista Alberti, Giulio Romano and Andrea Mantegna here. All those things are part of our own architectural background (http://www.poddapontiarchitetti.it/about_us). Continue reading

corneliani_shanghai

Daniela Podda and Paolo Ponti (Podda Ponti Architetti) bring Andrea Mantegna in Shanghai

We are proud to announce that Mantua is not so far from Shanghai from today.

We have found an invisible link from one of our world-known frescos of the “Camera Picta” in the oldest part of the Mantua city centre and the new Corneliani flagship store in Nanjing road, the main fashion street in Shanghai.

Corneliani, one of our most important business client, asked us to design its new Chinese flagship store in Shanghai and its external and internal facades, for one of the most famous luxury mall: the Citic Square.

For the interiors we followed the design and the materials of the Montenapoleone’s flagship store in Milan (designed and produced in 2010). But for the facade we felt that the italian brand should need a special sign that could express his identity as a Mantua-based fashion-man-brand and its values of  made-in-italy-quality and customer-made tailoring.

As usual, when we have to create something new, we invent (“invenire” in latin means “to find”) it from our background history. It was like our pencil went by itself, designing on a white sheet of paper one of the most recognizable decorative pattern of the Italian Renaissance: Mantegna created it for the wall of the Camera Picta’s frescos (that represents the Gonzaga family) and soon it became one of the favorite decorative pattern painted on the facades of the aristocratic building of the period.

Of course Mantegna painted a marble motif; we transformed this decoration in a micro-perforated metal back-lit with a special ring of warm-led lights that reflects on a marble surface, patterned like a chessboard on the back side. Reminds a marble facade of an Italian renaissance church and its own decorated bronze gate.

The effect is very sculptural, elegant but masculine; like Corneliani brands values.

You can see it by yourself, if you have a walk on Nanjing road, or see some picture  of the work on the new Poddaponti website: www.poddapontiarchitetti.it

Or you can read the whole story of the flagship on: www.corneliani.it