Design
A new way to hang shelves thanks to DimoreMilano
Caoistipite Bookshelf.
Dimensions are: per module: 30 cm. (width) x 48 cm. (diameter) x 243 cm. (height). Total unit measurements are: 210 cm. (width) x 48 cm. (diameter) x 315 cm. (height)
Image courtesy of: DimoreMilano
A luxury design firm founded by the American-born Britt Moran and the Italian-born Emiliano Salci, DimoreStudio continues to push boundaries in bold and innovative ways. The label encompasses fabric, furniture, and decorative and home collections renowned for their elegant aesthetic.
However what drew our eye is the ingenious shelving system that appears to blur the lines between art and furniture. Designed in 2005 by DimoreMilano, the unique piece is crafted from rows of oxidized brass tubes in matte-black metal frames. Most captivating is that this system is built without even one screw!
The unit’s name, “Capostipite” means “forefather” in Italian, named so because it is part of DimoreMilano’s first collection.
Image courtesy of: 1st Dibs
A strong sense of craftsmanship seeps out of this innovative shelving system. Courtesy of 1st Dibs, the Capostipite modular system “occupies a space between art and furniture, sussing streamlined modernity with a sense of late Victorian and mid-century nostalgia.”
The unit’s contrasting elements bring forth “a sense of harmony, drawing on both architectural and biomorphic forms that are smoothly sinuous yet sleekly mechanical, as if salvaged from a futuristic engine.” Effectively functional, Capostipite is equally enticing as a piece of wall art.
A side view…
Image courtesy of: DimoreMilano
Each individual vertical module is equipped with four glass display shelves that allow the other shelves to interact in both a scientific and architectural nature of the sculptural configuration. The piece, which was introduced almost seventeen years ago, is a system juxtaposed of contrasting elements.
Capostipite evokes “a sense of harmony, drawing on both architectural and biomorphic forms that are smoothly sinuous yet sleekly mechanical, as if salvaged from a futuristic engine.” Employing a strong sense of craftsmanship, Salci described the system as “closer to the worlds of art and architecture” than to the world of functional furniture.
The Codice Console is made from oxidized brass legs and a top in glossy lacquered wood.
Dimensions are: 86.5″ (length) x 17.75″ (width) x 31.5″ (height)
Image courtesy of: The Collectional
Perhaps part of the reason the piece is so stunning is due to the influence of Salci’s former career. The Tuscan-born co-founder is a former art director with Giulio Cappellini; he worked with designers such as Tom Dixon and Jasper Morrison. That experience, in addition to his upbringing immersed in design thanks to his father’s modern furniture gallery, was a natural fit with Moran’s expertise in graphic design.
When founding the Milan-based interior design firm, DimoreStudio, the founders quickly saw the need for something like DimoreMilano, a luxury furniture brand that creates pieces “as a fusion of traditional craft with modern art.” Salci says, “We are inspired by what surrounds us. Art, fashion, architecture and, especially, 19th-and 20th-century design.”
The side view is just as architecturally stunning!
Image courtesy of: DimoreMilano
In our opinion, the studio’s most impressive and innovate piece, Capostipite, is both modern and Victorian, architectural and biomorphic. We love Salci’s description, “This object’s roots come from a thought or conversation that can be relation to Anti Alber’s rugs or skyscrapers from the 1930’s. The Capostipite is not a classic bookcase. It’s an object, one that is demanding and very present. It fills a space on its own. For its presence and emotional commitment, I believe it has the same value as a piece of art.” Yes. Yes. Yes, indeed!
