The renowned brand brings products offering constant evolution to meet the real needs of contemporary living and working environments
One of the most consolidated names of Italian design since 1979, Alias produces design pieces that have a highly expressive minimal style offering solutions to the various requirements of residential, contract and outdoor applications. The brand’s values are embodied in technological lightness, versatility and innovation which drive the firm’s close association with some renowned designer signatures. Alias reveals the peculiar talent of each designer through their collaborations over years that apply a constant open-minded approach to the use of new materials and technology.
Debuting at Downtown Design, Alias brings an eclectic mix of products to the fair including indoor, outdoor and office solutions:
Image: FLOW BOWL by Nendo
“A table to support something and a container in which it seems to melt”
From a joint project with Nendo comes flow bowl, a system of coffee tables and furniture complements. The salient trait of this project is the table top that seems to melt and flow down to form a container, as if it is unaware of the minimal steel structure it is rested on. The interplay of volumes has given life to fresh, unprecedented forms, endowing the tables with a new function thanks to the presence of bowls/containers.
Nendo's flow bowl tables come in different shapes and sizes and are suitable for many different uses: from the coffee table to the console table, from the table container to the side tables available in two sizes.
Image: HIWOOD by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti
“Working on the classical theme of tables made of natural wood, seeking an original approach to the use of solid wood, whereby proportions, details and image can all be transformed by the technique employed”
Made from solid oak, a highly appreciated natural material, hiwood is a table featuring a surprising shape: tapered on every side, it sheds the table's habitual connotation as a massive, thick and squarish piece of furniture and becomes an extra thin sheet of high quality wood. In this manner, solid parts become sheets and thickness is cancelled out, resulting in a unique geometry, pared down to the minimum.
Ideally suited for the household environment, hiwood tables can have rectangular or square tops, in two finishes, natural oak and varnished oak in two variants: dark and hash gray. The quintessential, archetypal structure of hiwood is exalted by the design of the top and the legs, which feature curved, tapered shapes, and reveal the typical texture of solid wood to the touch.
Image: BOOKCHAIR by Sou Fujimoto
‘‘Bookchair comes to life through the aggregation of a new element, the chair within the bookcase, based on a concept that aims to reflect the basic, fundamental relationship between a book and its reader”
Drawing his inspiration from the relationship between architectural space and the human body, the renowned Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto styled a compact, essential bookcase from which you can extract a chair. A veritable object within the object, which underscores the relationship between men and books: after choosing a book, the reader can take the chair and sit down to read it.
The simple and extremely clean configuration of the bookcase is enriched by the soft, sinuous lines of the chair which, according to the use, may be kept in a space inside the bookcase or, when in use, may stand free in the space of the home. Thus, the bookcase becomes an element of the environment where it is installed, playing an active, continually changing role.
Image: MOBILE ZERO by Ron Gilad
“Mobile Zero was born from the exploration of a volume definition based on its perimeter. A paradox, whereby a box has been stripped of its contours and yet its volume has been preserved.”
Ron Gilad’s capacity for conceptual synthesis and his ironic spirit find full expression in mobile zero, a collection of "container" pieces of furniture characterised by their essential, abstract geometry. Their profiles are magically emptied out, dematerialised almost, making room for an enigmatic form, a void that is highlighted by colour. The outer surfaces, instead, remain in full view and, since they do not touch one another, seem to float in the air.
To realise this project, Alias uses a technology employed in other collections: extruded aluminium. Different extruded parts, characterised by different geometries, are combined to create aluminium frames which then undergo the anodizing process. The aluminium shelves that are secured to the frame can be anodised or painted or veneered with fine wood, or glass. The result is an abstract and minimal collection of preconfigured modules, proposed in different height and size variants.
Image: KAYAK TABLE by Patrick Norguet
Wood is the theme of the kayak collection, developed by making use of traditional technologies to give life to a project of great elegance. The designer Patrick Norguet designed a rich collection of coffee tables, available in different sizes, and all of them characterised by an attractive appearance and great stability, which are ensured notwithstanding the extremely thin cross-sections of the elements making up the structure.
The structure and the top are proposed in natural oak, stained dark oak or stained ash oak. With these additions to the kayak line-up, the entire collection is enriched and becomes even more suitable to meet home and contract needs, fully aligned with the changing demands of users who care about the evolution of design.
Image: SLIM by PearsonLloyd
Known for their elegant design appeal the British design consultancy PearsonLloyd designed the slim office seating collection for Alias. This product family is perfectly aligned with the design philosophy of Alias; keen to extend its office furniture catalogue, while confirming its specifically focused research within the field of design Made in Italy.
Finely drawn and sleek lines, slender profiles and upholstering with soft extended edges which on the back and lower elements, link up with the backrest presented in various materials: These are the characterizing elements of the entire collection.
The entire collection is characterized by finely drawn sleek lines, slender profiles and upholstering with soft extended edges which on the back and lower elements link up with the backrest presented in various materials.
Image: FRAME 52 Collection by Alberto Meda
The frame 52 collection is an evolution of the frame chair, one of Alias’ top sellers that has been substantially restyles to accommodate the different social relations activities and team work activities that take place in an office space.
To meet these new requirements, starting from the mechanical design of the rollingframe and the meetingframe equipped with the oscillating TILT mechanism, Alias asked Alberto Meda to study a new system of bases and mechanisms which would make it possible to increase the width of the seat by 10%.
Frame 52 chairs,available with and without arms, are characterised by a structure made of extruded aluminium sections and die-cast elements in the finishes: chromed, polished, stove enamelled in different colours. Seat and back are made of polyester mesh covered with PVC in many colours; or Kvadrat® fabrics; or Pelle Frau® Color System leather, in a selection of 7 stylish colours. Another option is a polyester mesh coated with PVC with hemp fibre, visually more opaque than the standard version, and with a natural touch. Frame 52 also comes in a SOFT version, with a cushion upholstered with soft Pelle Frau® Color System leather or Kvadrat® fabric and divided into four sections: two on the seat and two on the back, for enhanced comfort.
Image:GRAN KOBI OUTDOOR by Patrick Norguet
A generously sized, low-slung armchair, gran kobi outdoor is a highly versatile seat, suitable for relaxed situations and ensuring maximum comfort, as it fits harmoniously in a green environment.
In line with the entire collection, gran kobi outdoor retains the aesthetics of its indoor variant: the shell is a sort of rigorous and enveloping basket, created by a mesh of round steel bars. The support made of die-cast aluminium embraces the seat elegantly, totally enveloping its form.
The structure consists of aluminium support and legs and a steel shell the same colour, available in a choice of colours. Ad hoc treatments make the entire seat suitable to withstand outdoor conditions.
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