In this day and age, it seems safe to say that furniture no longer has to be categorized as just furniture. So much of what we’ve been seeing is a fine line that designers toe between art and furniture to create a new genre of benches, chairs, or even bookshelves. However, there may be no one else better qualified to blur that boundary than Zaha Hadid Architects. In fact, they may have effectively obliterated that line with Erosion, the firm’s latest collection designed for Italy-based Neutra Design.
Unveiled at this year’s Milan Design Week 2024, the collection consists of the Minera table and Branch console. Both are carved from a single block of the Carrara marble, a natural stone prized for its timelessness, beauty, and durability. While some furniture collections are anchored to a specific color or obvious design element, the two pieces in the Erosion collection share a more subtle theme of fluidity, found in the sinuous lines and curves of the furniture.
Minera is an immaculate example of superior, hyper-precise craftsmanship. Its interior negative space is a nod at the erosion that naturally occurs in the world, a somber reality made beautiful by the table’s materiality. The number eight is also a sub-theme of this piece – the functional sculpture seats up to eight guests and is only available in an exclusive limited run of eight pieces.
Like the Minera table, the Branch console has its own take on balancing lightness with solidity. It features two symmetrical branches rising from the base on either side that expand to form the tabletop of the console. The void found at its center challenges the notion of what a table’s surface is supposed to look like (that is, a physical continuity) and amplifies the delicate aspects of the design.
ZHA Design: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Lead Designer: Sebastian Andia
ZHA Design team: Yutong Xia and Martina Rosati
ZHA Project Manager: Stefano Paiocchi
Photography by Leo Torri Studio.
