Italian design house and fashion favorite Marni are extending their charming, colorful aesthetic into the world of furniture design. For the first time at Salone del Mobile in Milan, Marni showed a collection of 100 eye-catching pieces designed for outdoor use that will complement any haute Hamptons home.

The collection consists of: 20 colors, 7 models and 21 variations for 80 chairs, 10 deckchairs and 10 tables. Chairs and tables are made in limited series and sold exclusively in the Marni Boutique at Via della Spiga 50 during the fifty-first edition of the Milan design week.

According to the house of Marni, “The story of these chairs, that appear in the work “L’arte del Ritratto”, begins far away, across the ocean, in San Gil, Colombia. It is a story that tells not only of the typical products of a local tradition, but above all of the great work that lies behind this project – the result of a social rehabilitation activity set up by a man named Antonio, who has personally experienced the harshness of imprisonment.”

“It was in prison, in fact, that Antonio put to use his skills as a craftsman to start up a programme of reintegration, through work, producing items in plastic and iron. He continued this activity after his release, with the manufacture of chairs that still involves, as well as local craftsmen, also (and especially) the inmates and former inmates of the San Gil detention centre.”

“All products are handmade by Colombian craftsmen using salvaged materials: concrete reinforcing bars for the structure and coloured plastic pipes for the seats and backrests. The colours and colour combinations were chosen by the Marni team, thus adding a personal touch to the project and completing the creative process that was initiated overseas.”
The furniture is shipped from Colombia in a container, after travelling for almost a month the chairs have finally arrived in Milan – a long journey ending at the Marni store in via Spiga.

“The project, however, does not end here, but continues; all the proceeds from the sale, in fact, will be donated to the ICAM institute in Milan which, through one of its projects, enables the children of imprisoned mothers to spend their first years of life in a family environment, more fitting for the growth of the child.”

For more information on how to order:  http://www.marni-anticamera.com/02

*images courtesy of Marni