Moroso strengthens its presence in Singapore with a new exclusively dedicated space within the 2,000-square-metre showroom at XTRA Park Mall. XTRA is one of the most prestigious players in the Southeast Asian design world.
To mark the opening of the space on Oct. 4, a series of celebrations were organized, linked to the Singapore design week (Singapore Indesign 2014) and to XTRA’s 25th anniversary.
Also present during the inauguration was Patrizia Moroso, who returned to Singapore to reaffirm the importance for the brand of this city that has become a point of reference for the other design capitals in Southeast Asia. The art director of Moroso gave a talk at the National Design Centre Auditorium, for an audience of young students, on the subject “Moroso: the beauty of design: a different approach,” telling the firm’s story from the 1950s right up to the latest partnerships with Marina Abramovic and Daniel Libeskind.
The space and the store windows at the XTRA showroom were dressed for the occasion with a futuristic theme to match that of Singapore Indesign 2014, creating a setting midway between a nebula and a spaceship. The area was divided into two zones, one for the Moroso collection, the other for Diesel with Moroso, and featured a colour palette that tied the two spaces in perfectly with each other: the pale, delicate colours used as a backdrop to the Moroso products faded into grey and dark grey on the walls surrounding the Diesel with Moroso zone.
In the Moroso space, a series of platforms at different heights hosted a number of new products, including the Diatom chair, created by designer Ross Lovegrove, light and stackable.
No space would be complete without some of the brand’s most iconic products, such as the collections of designer Patricia Urquiola, including M.A.S.S.A.S. sofa with its rigorously compact form, featuring strong lines and cuts that shape the sofa asymmetrically; the upholstered version of Fjord armchair; the ultra-comfortable, super-spacious Gentry sofa; and Fishbone tables, with their tops featuring a decorative motif that gives a contemporary take on inlaid work, highlighting the different finishes and colours.
Completing the array is a selection of well-loved pieces, such as Alfredo Häberli’s Take a Line armchair, presented here in the upholstered version; the gorgeous sofa My Beautiful Backside by Doshi & Levien; and Nendo’s Cloud coffee tables.
The Moroso zone is separated from Diesel Living with Moroso by the Terreria self-supporting bookcases, designed by Archea Associati. The distinctive composition and layering of elements allows the light to filter through. The different constituent elements of the Terreria can be arranged and combined in any way you choose, making it a unique object, different every time, stimulating creativity and adapting to suit both domestic and contract settings.
The space then transitions to a darker, more “lunar” landscape, home to the pieces from the Diesel Living collection, produced by Moroso. Here the chairs, sofas and tables are gathered together in a residential composition that recreates a complete room, and at the same time can be rearranged and modulated to suit the demands of the contract world, which is a particularly important sector in this area.
Among the products chosen by Moroso for this event, we find the indispensable sofa Nebula Nine, soft as a huge cloud and generously proportioned; Perf sideboard, which combines the robustness of industrial cabinet-making with elegant details and exclusive finishes; armchairs Chubby Chic, Overdyed lounge and Cloudscape; Pylon table; and Piston and Overdyed side tables.
Further enhancing the space is My moon my mirror, inspired by the details of the moon, and positioned on the dark walls of the Diesel with Moroso zone, creating a truly spellbinding atmosphere.
Both areas are rendered even more elegant and welcoming by the Carpet Reloaded rugs, produced by Golran for Moroso, which complete and complement the setting.
The new space at Park Mall is yet another piece in the jigsaw, enriching Moroso’s presence in Asia, alongside the recent opening of the new Diesel Living Store at the Jing’an Kerry Center in Shanghai and the forthcoming openings at the Design Center HN Lin, a 3,000-square-metre store in the centre of Shanghai, and at the Domus Tiandi space in Beijing, a prestigious building in the heart of the city, and a reference point for the major players in Italian-made design in the Chinese capital.
For more info about Moroso,visit www.moroso.it