Ferdinando Meccani “Corinto” Sideboard In Wengé And Stained Oak, Italy 1978

Meccani design is a company that designs and produces furniture items of superior craftsmanship with three generations of experience. All products are designed and manufactured in Italy, Tuscany, in its laboratory located in Cascina (Pisa). They have a strong tie with the territory as for the highly innovative and technological production process and the design while maintaining the Tuscan furniture tradition. It also combines the taste and contemporary style typical of Made in Italy. The modern furniture has a classic, durable, timeless taste where a natural material, wood, meets fantasy and experienced hands to beautify the environment in which we live. Classicism and innovation, with the best materials and techniques to ensure a high-quality which goes beyond fashion. A great respect for nature and the sheer quest for integration, allows us to design and build in a sustainable way, with the least environmental impact, reducing energy waste, using natural, renewable and biocompatible materials at their best. A green world, with the choice of non-toxic materials coming from certified forests. Furniture made of wood, because wood is beautiful, warm, fragrant, renewable, robust, solid and it is also an alive resource.” Above introduction derives from Meccani Design and, in a flowery way, accurately describes their idealism and principles that are oozing from their eye-catching creations. They have collaborated with illustrious designers and artists such as Paolo Portoghesi, Ettore Sottsass, Ugo La Pietra, Adolfo Natalini, Michael Graves, Masao Noguchi. DesignThis sideboard bearing the name “Corinto” is a masterpiece from the collection that includes many special pieces of furniture and objects. The reference to places of ancient Greek civilizations is reflected in the name and has a rather monumental connotation. This suits an object like this because it absolutely has the characteristics of a monumental piece and has virtually no equal.Its design is like a postmodern stylized Greek temple to which our gaze is drawn and specifically to the center. A stepped gable-like shape could just as well represent a tympanum. On both sides, eight oak cubes demarcate the boundary of the so-called altar section. They are connected by oak semi-circular parts that show a horizontally sloping grain. This contrasts sublimely with the warm horizontal flame drawings of the square oak parts. In the middle is a glass plate with a semi-circular protruding plateau on which a vase or other decorative object can be placed.The “Corinto” is equipped with four doors and eight drawers that are hidden in the body and offer plenty of storage space. Things can be placed in plain view and this will have to take place in the center of the cupboard, while other things can be stored behind doors and in drawers. Everything is completely finished with a wenge veneer that combines wonderfully with the warm oak. This applies to the side, top and back and therefore provides the option to position the cabinet freely in the room if desired. Wenge strips have been applied to the corners to avoid hard or sharp transitions. Viewed from a distance, this creates the illusion of a kind of softness.Finally, a feeling of lightness has been added by positioning the legs of the “Corinto” deeper under the cabinet. A small but strong shadow is created that seems to lift everything slightly off the floor. It is a typical feature that together with the other stunning sections make up for this “capolavoro” by Ferdinando Meccano. ConditionIt should not come as a surprise that we’ve restored this object with the utmost care in our studio whilst retaining its patina.