Italy is forever labeled as a global trendsetter within the world of fashion and interior design. The country has produced some of the most innovative designs ever seen, balancing elegance with modern creativity. Milan Design Week is an iconic annual event that usually runs each April, celebrating the works of Italian designers and creators. Due to the global pandemic, it was now postponed to September 2021 creating a sense of relief and excitement within the design community. While in the city this month, we enjoyed attending the many events and seeing the best of Italy’s design offerings.
From the array of innovative brands showcasing their work, there was one stand-out collection: Toiletpaper Home. This eclectic home furniture collection is from eccentric design brand Seletti and editorial project Toiletpaper Magazine. Together, the duo is offering an ultra-new, kaleidoscopic homeware collection that pushes the boundaries of interior design as we know it. Here’s a closer look at the Seletti x Toiletpaper Magazine home collection, offering a glimpse into their colorful world of eccentric design.
Homeware Designers Meet Picture Publication
The collaboration of eccentric design brand Seletti and image-based magazine Toiletpaper is a recipe for perfect madness. Since its birth in 1964, Seletti’s works have all focused on merging art with daily life. They are known for their distinctive, quirky look that embodies abstract and pop art themes, capturing people’s imagination. Through their work, they encourage people to opt for a fun and lively lifestyle.
Founded in 2010 by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, Toiletpaper Magazine holds similar ideas in creating quirky and unusual visuals. Both modern artists have a long history of design, specializing in surrealism. Cattelan is best known for his dark humor that draws inspiration from the Dadaist movement. His pieces feature public figures of celebrities displaced into bizarre psychedelic scenes that touch on controversial subjects. Ferrari found fame in working within advertising and the media. Each piece takes on bold colors and challenges social norms and industry expectations.
Together, the Seletti x Toiletpaper Magazine home collection fuses these ideas of surrealism with everyday life. Their vision is clear – they are striving for maximalism, experimentation, and attitude. And as you’ll see, their latest collection achieves just that.
Eclectic Exterior Hinting of the Madness Inside
The Seletti x Toiletpaper Magazine home collection is like nothing we have seen before. And from the eye-catching blue exterior of No. 4 Via Balzaretti, you already have a feel for the madness inside. The façade of Toiletpaper Home is painted with wacky hands holding lipsticks, all directed toward the upper balcony. This surreal image has been taken directly from the picture-based Toiletpaper Magazine and given a chance to live beyond its original format. From the street below, it looks as if these giant hands are painting the figures standing on the terrace. It is quirky, unique, and immediately draws you through the red front door to see what lies inside.
Lipstick-Themed Homeware Reimaging Beauty
Upon stepping inside the space, you’re smacked with an explosion of color, print, and shape. The designers are truly pushing the boundaries of what furniture is. The poufs are shaped like giant bars of pink soap, and the theme of lipsticks continues throughout. The lipstick table and pink armchair repurpose the same image used on the front of the house. It has also been painted on a wall surrounding a mirror containing two figures kissing. You can purchase a range of other staples items featuring these graphics, including cabinets, dressers, wardrobes, mirrors, and screens.
Challenging convention, these furniture pieces manifest boldness and exploration. Moreover, something is satisfying about the theme of beauty in a home collection that pushes boundaries to the max. It carries the idea of self-expression and defying norms, encouraging the occupants to find their own definition of style and beauty. This can go from within the home interior to fashion and personal style, with a clear message to go bold.
Magazine Photos Living Beyond the Print
Lipstick isn’t the only attention-grabbing theme used in the interior. The Seletti x Toiletpaper Magazine home collection features other weird and wonderful graphics from the editorial project. Many of these images cover the walls of the Toiletpaper Home as if they were pages straight from the magazine. This visual collage of the best artwork produced by Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari is mischievous and humorous. Fusing fine art photography with provocative graphics and illusions, each has uncanny ambiguity.
As with the lipstick-print items, an image that made it to the main collection is that of snakes. These items are covered in serpents of all different colors, immediately creating a vibrant and bold atmosphere. Their chaotic, twisted, and tangled positioning further adds intrigue. Despite being an animal many people hate, the designers have used snakes to create multi-colored playful home décor pieces you cannot help but love.
A Dreamlike World Only a Reflection Away
In many of the home décor pieces, you’ll notice the use of mirrors worked into the design. They replace the backdrop of the original Toiletpaper Magazine graphics. For example, take a look at their cabinets, dressers, and wardrobes. Each piece is a combination of a mirror, a painting, and a practical item of furniture. It serves as an ultimate combination of functionality, innovation, boldness.
The designer’s clever use of reflective glass is impressive for several reasons. It helps to expand the cluttered and disorganized use of patterns and colors and opens up the room. It also adds layers and depth. The original graphics combine and morph into different illusions based on the angles and mirrors you peer into. But more importantly, it makes this surreal, dreamlike world even more within reach. Look into the glass, and you’ll see your reflection staring back, this time surrounded by Toiletpaper Magazine’s artwork. It heightens the experience – you can encounter the psychedelic world first-hand while watching yourself live within the illusion.
