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Category Archives: Interiors

Brands, End to End, Interiors, Mantegna Pattern, Retail

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

02/05/2016 webmaster

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).

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Design, End to End, Interiors, People

What’s a carpenter, for us at ermesponti

07/22/2015 webmaster

It’s easy to say “carpenter”.

In ermesponti we grow this ancient craft with care and respect.

Falegname presso ermesponti Many of our “falegnami” (the Italian wording our international customers don’t know) are actually master carpenters, who learned to work with wood, over the years, project after project, within our company.

In ermesponti, from the owner – who, despite fifty years of entrepreneurial history has always wanted the word “carpenter” on his ID – to be a carpenter means to be at the heart of the company, Signor ermes ponti,titolare dell'azienda omonima, al lavoro con un falegname where “thought” becomes “act” through the work of hands, and then returns then to thinking phase in a constant and smooth process, with no separation between “those who think” and “those who make”.

In ermesponti “thinking” and “making” are two perspectives of the same glance, two phases of the same project, two moments of the same day. There is no separation between the work of the mind and the work of the hand, regardless of the business roles.

Un falegname di ermesponti (Mantova, Italy) al lavoro This constant “dialogue” between thought and action is a continuum that leads, in our opinion, to excellence in the production of a piece of interiors, whether residential, retail or yacht.

On a practical plan, here’s how the work is organized.

Every carpenter is responsible for its own work and its own micro-project (the part of the job covered in the specific work phase).

After talking with the architect on drawings, an ermesponti carpenter draws by himself the computer tabs needed for production, then cuts the panels with the CNC machine, so to achieve pinpoint accuracy even in the most challenging process; finally he completes the most important parts manually and assembles the furniture in the lab before the painting step, to verify its perfection.

This approach, simple yet not trivial, allows us to increase widespread creativity, while the natural problem solving of the artisan works together with the architect.

That is how we create value for our customers.

On second thought, no wonder that Architect Wang Shu (winner of the Pritzker Prize) states:

“If you want to be an architect, learn to be a carpenter”

We definitely agree, Mr. Shu!

Falegname al lavoro presso ermesponti Mantova

Brands, Events, Interiors

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

05/01/2015 webmaster

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 assembly
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

End to End, Interiors

What does ermes ponti do? One picture tells the story

03/19/2015 webmaster

We take care of interior projects, from the very first sketch to final turnkey delivery.

Just us, no one else in between you and the finest, tailor-made, personal interiors you have ever dreamed of, realised by the best artisans in the world: Italians.

How do you explain this in pictures? Easy, with a before/after comparison… enjoy!

BEFORE ERMES PONTI

italian bespoke interiors by ermesponti

AFTER ERMES PONTI

italian bespoke interiors by ermesponti

Riferimento: Corneliani Flagship Store di Milano – Via Montenapoleone.

Interiors, Ponti Method

Bespoke interiors by ermesponti: little gallery of creations.

02/09/2015 webmaster

The ermesponti method is all about keeping together the work of the mind (project) and the work of the hand (realization).

Likewise, the people involved in this process are united in mutual respect, as it was in Renaissance workshops.

These team of ours develop a project from the very first draft to the turnkey delivery, without undesired gaps in between.

Well, today we’d like to leave you a little gallery creations, realised with this approach.

Actually it’s a not a reasoned selection: among the many ermesponti references, they’re just a few, but should give you the idea ;-)

Enjoy!

ermesponti bespoke interiors per Sanlorenzo Yachts

Design, Interiors, People

“I’d like a nice table, for my kids to do their homework.” Story of a table… almost perfect.

12/10/2014 webmaster

ermes ponti: tavolo wenge su misura This is one of those stories we really like, in which we can find what we love more about our work:

direct relationship with the customer
possibility to create made-to-measure furniture
a feeling for beauty and functionality (utilitas-venustas, from Vitruvius and so on…)
intelligent use of resources, ecologically and environmentally speaking
attention to the choice of the essence, in relationship with the specific home

Remember the song we used to sing as children?

To make a table, you need wood, to make wood, you need a tree…

This time we couldn’t sing it, because the table we’re about to tell you about was made without cutting any tree.

The story starts with a lady, a customer of ours – whose home we know well, having furnished it with tailored solutions.

She turned to us asking for a simple object, but with a specific functionality:

“I’d like a nice table by the fireplace, for my kids, to do their homework.”

A special challenge for us: something to work on both in terms of design and as a realization project… just like we always do, as a matter of fact!

First of all, knowing that our customer cares for the environment, we took the opportunity to propose a “zero impact” solution:

The table will be made exclusively with spared wood, in small pieces. No extra fees for the material.

“Interesting”, said the customer. Tavolo su misura eremes ponti

Indeed, it was the opportunity we were waiting for to use scraps of fine true Wengè wood.

Beautiful bits we were keeping aside, awaiting for a chance like this.

The re-use idea, if you think of it, does belong to our architectural culture, from the Roman walls to the Byzantine mosaics, and the Venetian terraces… nothing new under the sun!

The challenge was accepted – not without doubts – by our most meticulous carpenter, Alberto.

He saw from the beginning the opportunity to create an extraordinary piece, but also the difficultiesto get the work done: long time, difficult processes, uncertain result… ermes-ponti-tavolo-wenge-bespoke-4

We decided for a 43×43″ plan, polished surface, untreated or perhaps with a film of oil citrus sprayed hot. Then 2″ thick edge.

A quick sketch to explain the idea and then we were all set.

Alberto is happier now:

The effect of the combined veins of the different types of Wengè, ranging from black to various browns to white, creates a mosaic in which each tree tells a different story. Without doubt, a very special table.

ermes-ponti-tavolo-wenge-bespoke-2 The thicknesses of the table has been decided with our brass expert.

The top, very heavy, needed triangular supporting elements to make it more stable… they too have been coated in Wengè, while the burnished brass edge is left exposed.

The work of Alberto is now an amazing piece, something to be proud of.

Finished, then?

No: we realised by looking at it that a round table may not be the best to do schoolwork on, especially to draw.

So we cut a slice of it… should we call it the beauty of Japanese imperfection wabi-sabi?

However – even if the customer says she is very happy – we have a feeling we’ll need to wait until the schoolyear is over, to know if the table served its purpose as expected!

Tavolo ermesponti fatto a mano con scarti di wenge

End to End, Interiors, Ponti Method, Retail

Almaty, Kazakhstan: retail interiors for Baby Juniors. Warm Italian atmosphere in the mall frenzy.

12/02/2014 webmaster

Baby Juniors - Interiors by ermesponti

Imagine a store for children in a great, crowded, brand new shopping centre.

Imagine to create a cozy and intimate atmosphere to make your little customers comfortable.

Imagine to be able to suggest the quality of the Italian lifestyle: Made in Italy in the air, on the walls, in the lights… in the general atmosphere.

Now, watch this become real, thanks to a 100% custom designed, Made in Italy project by ermesponti.

Italian atmosphere? Just ask!

In order to make such a dream come true, Poddaponti architetti had, in the first place, the idea of creating a scene from an historic Italian palace.

In fact, entering the store you get the feeling of being inside a Renaissance Baby Juniors - Interiors by ermesponti palace, with three rooms communicating with each other, open to imaginary Italian gardens you can stare at thanks to some stunning photos mounted on light boxes (mounted so accurately that actually customer happen to try to open the fake window).

The proportions, the choices of materials and furnishings, the whole project give such a feeling of spaciousness… you can forget about the crowded and chaotic mall.

Once inside, you can find the Italy of Palladio.

The interiors – various rooms charachterized by niches and coordinated lockers – the large bow window at the very end, the serliana solid oak with a pickled effect… all this speaks a precise language.

The language of these environments is – no doubt about – Italian.

The Italian language of architectural tradition, and perfectly-made interiors.

You can indeed find, in this Kazakhstan shop, the Palladian proportions (in the serliana) and the typical artisan care for details only Italians are able to produce, plus – finally – the look + feel of the fashion products available in the shop: all Italian brands!

Made in Italy as user experience.

From the first look you have at the interiors, when you step in to the feeling of well-being that comes by walking around…
Baby Juniors - Interiors by ermesponti
the whole store can be defined as a true Made in Italy Experience.

In there, everything is 100% custom designed in Italy.

Among the contributors to the realisation of this retail shop: Berto Salotti for sofas, Dedar Milano for curtains and wallpapers in the bottom of the niches and also a small artisan of Murano for the stained glass blown chandelier.

And the brands represented in the store, of course, convey the glamour of the Made in Italy fashion taste: ArmaniJunior, Dolce & Gabbana, GF Ferrè, Missoni, Monnalisa, Versace Boys…

Designed in Italy = Value for money.

The designed in Italy, as we do in ermesponti, shows an extraordinary value for quality-time-cost, unbeatable for this quality.

What is often considered an unattainable luxury – bespoken or tailored interiors for instance – is not necessarily costly.

Our end-to-end approach maximizes every element of the design and construction process, keeping everything under control.

In other words: quality at the highest levels ever and short design/production process.

The qualitative results and economic are amazing, in Almaty as in New York or Mantua or… your place, wherever it is :-)

Baby Juniors - Interiors by ermesponti

End to End, Interiors, Ponti Method, Process

Back to Italy? We never left the land of design and handmade excellence!

11/20/2014 webmaster

In the media and at conferences people start talking about “Back to Italy”.

In face, many Italian brands seem to be bringing their productions back to Italy.

We have never left Italy, here’s why: we think that working in our country is an important asset…

1. Relocation = devaluation

With the lure (sometimes never materialized) to spend less we relocated without criteria.

By detaching the mind that creates a project from the hand that realizes it, we have produced monsters, both in quality and culture terms.

Schermata 11-2456979 alle 06.02.55
2. The real Made in Italy is made with the head and hands of Italians.

The strong cultural value of our population comes from an integration of intellectual and manual functions, as in the great tradition of Renaissance.

The separation between “those who think” and “those who do”, typical of relocation, breaks beyond repair the true value of the best national products, moreover creating unnecessary and expensive roles in the industry, by manking tha value chain longer and longer (and therefore creating the need for… controllers, for instance , people who have no role whatsoever in the process).

Form our point of view, we’ve always believed in our people and in their enormous professional value.

3. Being “local” means reduction of the supply chain (and cost).

To the people who prefer to outsource productions, ermesponti suggests the opposite: concentrate creativity, design and production.

The short chain shortens the overhead costs and enhances the specific quality of the work as an expression of a strong core, able to build on its own experience.

Schermata 11-2456979 alle 06.03.09

4. The higher the quality, the more important the intellectual involvement, at all levels.

In a high-quality product completely bespoke (custom or handmade), the “intellectual” quality of the person who works on it cannnot be ignored.

If this person, working with her hands, is also used to make her intelligence work in the process (certainly not what happens in Fordist chains with relocated production), she is also involved in continuos improvement of the object itself.

It’s a way of working definitely Italian: that’s how our country has expressed the masterpieces that have made us famous the world over.

In this way, Italians in Italy may be able to face the high costs of a domestic production, making it convenient and rewarding again.

5. It’s also a matter of social responsibility.

Companies not only have responsibilities to themselves: we think that the relationship with the territory can and should be part of an advanced entrepreneurial dimension.

Work creates wealth, knowledge and culture: a company must be able to reinterpret and re-propose such values to the market, in a virtuous circle of growth and evolution.

Schermata 11-2456979 alle 06.03.23

6. The consumer is the author of products.

The new “prosumer” is no longer dissociated from the environment: she is the center of the market scenario as a whole, in which territory plays a big part.

7. Purchase = identity

Most of us are tired of being only a credit card, there’s a desire to return to be men and women who interact with products in a sensible way…

Which also means to recognize a prodution, something that happens near home, and maybe involves friends or family.

Schermata 11-2456979 alle 06.00.17

Architecture, Design, End to End, Interiors, Ponti Method

New interiors for your home or your retail business? In case you have doubts, here are our solutions.

11/07/2014 webmaster

We’ve been in business a long time, and our professional experience has taught us the questions that come to our customers’ minds when approaching an interiors project.

The following are some of the most common questions we have encountered in all these years.

Customers wander about some crucial questions and sometimes they are not very sure about where they can find the right answers. Or even if any answer is actually available at all on the global market of interior design, today.

Well, given the questions, we’d like to try to give the ermesponti answers…

Consider them the ermesponti manual to your interiors needs!

“How can I get a project for a special, cosy home, conceived and designed just for myself?”

Ermesponti is a special place where architects and craftsmen work together for you.

We can really make your home reflect your personality. We made your own home as your best portrait: unique like you.

2.
“Where are the highly skilled craftsmen I need to take care of my interiors project?”

Your specific needs are, indeed, the only project you need.

Let the Project Masters interpret them (beware of designers uncapable of listening).

3.
“Where are the highly skilled craftsmen I need to take care of my interiors project?”

We can fit the bill.

And we do it by constantly working together – Architects, designers and artisans – as in a Renaissance Shop, in a continuous exchange of knowledge, experience, practice…

From the vision to the crafting: this is how ermesponti approaches projects.

4.
“I need an architect and an artisan for my furniture… how can I spot such a team and have them working together for me?”

We are both. And work together for you.

Ermesponti provides a complete and full service: from the very first sketch to the final setup.

No multiple figures to talk to, stop the contractors crazy, long and overpriced game.

One shop + one person in charge + one job = result.

5.
“I wonder how can I get a complete and full service for my bespoke interior.”

We work from the very first idea to the final installation.

For ermesponti the essential conditions to start a custom project are clients’ requirements and building’s restrictions.

That’s all we need to deliver a very personal project and a 100% bespoke solution.

6.
“Time and cost are essential to my interiors project: how can I make sure they’re taken into the right consideration?”

Tight deadlines and well-defined budgets?

They are our priority, too.

They are the starting point for a real custom project; both custom-time and custom-cost.

7.
“I love the high quality interiors of some yatchs .. I would like to have the same custom details in own home too…how can I get it?”

We can manage all of these: yachts, houses, shops.

We love cross fertilization. At top levels.

Let’s do up your spaces! We love to do it together with you; we promise it will be one of the most significant experiences of you life. Creating from a white sheet of paper the new shapes and materials for your new customized interior!

“My interiors should reflect my life… that’s why I want to change it, now, I’m in for something new! Who can interpret my mood?”

You’ll be amazed at how radical and powerful a change of interiors can be!

Change your world… your interior world, and make it absolutely, unmistakably yours.

Forget the “design-by” approach and try the “designed-for” approach to life!

9.
“I’ve had enough of overpriced luxuries of Brands design. Where can I turn to in order to have proper quality at proper price?”

We design and produce excellent quality at a fair price, and we do it just for you.

No one else in the world will have your solution.

10.
“I dream of a high-end (but normally priced) renovation, with handmade work and exquisite Italian taste and touch … where are the specialists for such a interior?”

We are the one-stop shop for you.

We work directly from our Mantua premises for the whole world and all kind of brand and personal projects.

In short?

If you want to change the whole world, well, that’s hard stuff.

But if you want to change your own world- the space where you live and work – with ermesponti you can. And, believe us, the standard of your own life will change with it. Nothing compares to dwell in a bespoke interior where everything is according to your style and expresses you own personality.

End to End, Interiors, Media, Ponti Method

Some thoughts on “How to spend it”: quality, Made in Italy, bespoke and… a modest proposal.

10/28/2014 webmaster

How to spend it - Sole24Ore

There’s new magazine of the Il Sole 24ore Editorial Group, in Italy: “How to spend it”.

This use of the English language in the name in an Italian magazine sounded me strange to me at first…

Then I understood: it’s a magazine created in Italy, together with The Financial Times, which has been distributing it for 20 years in UK.

Some questions arose spontaneously.

The first one: spending what? Time or money?

Flipping through the pages, I think i got the answer: it’s for people who have a lot of both… good for them! :-)

Second question: do we really need such a format, in these hard times where recession of domestic consumption seems so overwhelming?

Maybe yes, because – as I quickly found out – the magazine promotes widely both Made in Italy brands and the Made in Italy approach to goods and lifestyle.

Speaking of Made in Italy heroes, in a few minutes I ran into a pearl of wisdom that made me forget all my thoughts.

The following quote appeared to me like a message: something to be shared and discussed, with a strong tie to the times we’re living.

A concept appealing to all: entrepreneurs, common people, young generations.
A message regarding our future.

Here’s what Maurizio Marinella, of the historic company of ties and accessories based in Naples, told journalist Roberto Napoletano, in his “Passaporto Italiano” column:

“The message I got from the ones who came before me is departing from Naples, but never leave Naples. Depart from Naples and stay here in Naples”.

(Thank you Mr. Marinella for your inspiration, I wish I could meet you one day).

In my personal opinion, this is exactly what we have to do!

And we of Ermesponti do it. Actually, we do it every single day.

We depart from Italy, continuously (last trip Germany, but also Asia, New York, UK, all over the world, we go where someone asks for an end-to-end solution to an interiors problem), but never leave Italy.

We work worldwide from here.

We design and produce bespoke interiors assuming control of the whole process, from starting idea to turnkey delivery for clients and locations all over the world.

Every time we bring with us the values of the Italian culture and the Italian lifestyle.

This reminds me of another Sole 24 ore editorial content I always follow: the radio program “La Fuga dei Talenti” (Talents’ escape) regarding Italian youngsters going abroad to build their carreers.

In this regard, what I’d like to suggest to Mr. Napoletano – radio24 director – is to focus on a positive attitude, which is still possibile, if we change point of view.

Young people need reasons to stay or come back to Italy, not only to escape from our country!

Let’s all give them new, positive examples! Shouldn’t we try to follow Barbara Santoro’s inspiring example?

Our country still is able to produce high levels of excellence, in alla regards.

As fare as we are concerned, we think that there is a high demand of the highest level of luxury: the perfect customization.

A home fitting you perfectly, like a bespoke suit, exclusively designed for you can really improve your lifestyle and makes you feel better.

Living immersed in beauty and harmony, in a space that represents you perfectly, can really change life from hell to heaven!

In brief, we believe the revolution of the “designed for” instead of the “design-by” it’s coming soon and we are proud to be part of it.

And here’s the modest proposal I’d like to share with Il Sole 24 Ore’s manager Mrs. Nicoletta Polla-Mattiot:

The right header for the Italian edition of this prestigious English magazine must be different from the English one: How to spend it, better!

So, dear Mrs. Nicoletta Polla-Mattiot, when can we expect the new “bespoke issue”?