Translating creative thinking into practice requires a capacity for deep analytical interpretation, great expertise and lots of originality. All in equal parts. This is what the company Stipa has been doing for 60 years, a case of all-Italian excellence in the production of spaces for contract projects. A process of synergy between the idea and the setup (the company works with international studios), relying on a team of architects, designers and scenographers, with in-house research and development and production, including high levels of specialization. Stipa is a valuable partner for architects, who can rely on high levels of expertise and problem solving, quality workmanship and innovation in the use of materials.
One of the latest and most outstanding results is the space envisioned by Lombardini 22 inside Eurocucina at the Salone del Mobile 2024. A stage – All you have ever wanted to know about food design in six performances – that was technically quite complex in its implementation, acting as a collector of multifaceted and immersive dynamics.
The present and future of food were narrated in different ways: on the one hand, in an area on publishing, involving six authoritative sector magazines; on the other, a succession of performances curated by different players – artists, designers and chefs – who through reflections, exhibitions, talks and tasting experiences celebrated food as a cultural symbol and phenomenon.
Working in close contact with Cristian Catania, project director of Lombardini22, Stipa gave concrete form to a fluid central area, as an alternative to a preset, forced spatial solution. Materializing the thinking of the studio in a “characterized neutrality,” the reconfigurable setup could adapt to the needs of each project, from the display of volumes to the function of a laboratory and workbench.
The result was a fixed but multipurpose area and a flexible area for actions, dynamically responding with a few immediate gestures, moving the curtains into new positions to shape the space and the relationship with the audience. An open work capable of addressing the different variables in play, in which the use of light – LEDs for tunable white comfort – was also fundamental for correct perception of the colors of the foods.
Helped by dimming and flexible positioning of the light sources to create different luminous scenarios in real time. “This was a challenging project – Catania says – also in terms of its implementation. Stipa has added value to our idea, which covered a complicated and variable program: a blank canvas on which to create different paintings.”
