During 9 – 12 March 2019, Materia exhibited for the first time in Asia at the International Furniture Fair (IFF) Singapore which took place at the Marina Bay Exhibition Center.

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IFF Singapore is Asia’s premier sourcing platform and design-led exhibition which put Singapore on the word map of the global furniture and furnishings industry.

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Launched earlier this year at IMM Cologne in Germany, the tall cabinet Ostinato Tower was spotted by a team of industry professionals and presented with the Best Exhibit Award in the bedroom category. The five members of the jury were Keat Ong (President of the Society for Interior Design Singapore, Managing Director of Nota Design Group and Lead Consultant of Hunan Huakai Creative), Chin Kean Kok (Envelope Architects), Bacus Boo (Founder of SingaPlural), Cameron Woo (Founder Cameron Woo Design), David Tham (Founder of StudioNorm Design Consultants).

Alongside pieces like the Alkar Table and the Faug stools, we presented our latest furniture pieces – part of the award-winning collection called Ostinato – design objects that explore rhythm and repetition as means of transforming materials: Ostinato Tower cabinets, Ostinato III and V dining tables and the Midas chairs. The pieces materialize the concept of ostinato – a musical motif that persistently repeats in the same voice, frequently in the same pitch. A dimensional, linear, rigorous and repetitive pattern is over-imposed on the natural fiber of wood to create a modern, rich texture, an enhanced sense of materiality.

The Ostinato Tower is a tall cabinet with unexpected lines and volumes that are referencing brutalist architecture with its top heavy structures.

 

The cabinets, made of solid walnut or ash, feature two large compartments lined with mirror polished solid brass, glass shelves and a brass covered drawer.

 

The Ostinato V is a large size dining table in solid European Walnut with five cylindrical legs displayed asymmetrically, some of which feature entirely or partially the ostinato pattern. The rounded lines are picked up by the tabletop which also features a very subtle beveled edge as an unexpected detail.

The chairs are referencing one of the most well-known tragedies in Greek mythology: the golden touch in King Midas’ legend. The chair is of generous size and proportions, manufactured in solid European walnut.

 

The 3 legged chair, reimagined as a sculptural, modern-day throne, features an elongated armrest with a golden, polished brass detail where the fingers would rest – referencing Midas’ destiny to turn into gold everything his fingers touched.

The pieces are designed by Cristian Branea, Co-founder and Creative Director of Materia Studio. Self-taught, with a background and a PhD in Philosophy, Cristian established the brand Materia in 2014. The brand made its US debut in New York at ICFF 2018, when Materia was awarded “Best Furniture in ICFF Show” by the International Furnishing and Design Association (IFDA), the New York Chapter.

 

The collection, premiered earlier this year at IMM Cologne, Germany, will also be displayed in May at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) New York.