salvatori debuts ellipse by john pawson at london design festival 2019

soft, simple and sensitively crafted, salvatori reveals their latest collaboration, ellipse, with john pawson at london design festival 2019. the collection comprises a family of marble vessels and utensils for the home. these range from intricately hollowed holders to smoothly sculpted dishes and plates.

all images courtesy of salvatori by giorgio possenti

‘the idea was, really, to design a set of things that we needed at home,’ begins john pawson. ‘this is the basis for everything we do at my studio, from houses to tables. carrara, for me, is the king of stones. I mean it is an extraordinary marble. it is cool to touch, and is very, very tactile, especially if you sandblast it like we have. we have rounded the edges and slightly raised them off the surface by having a rim.’

mirroring its name, each piece of the salvatori ellipse collection by john pawson shares a circular geometry. they are typical of the architect’s expressive yet minimal style, with simple forms that evoke a sense of calm and encourage tactility. they are shaped from a continuous cut of bianco carrara marble, where the soft, subtle patterns of the stone’s veins run across the surfaces.

‘I can only design things that I want so it is a very personal thing, whether it is designing objects for the table or buildings. our starting point at the studio is that we have to be engaged personally in everything. we design things that we need,’ continues the architect. ‘designing is an emotional experience and you want to be working with people with the same ideas. in gabriele salvatori and his company, we have already done collaborations with them and it is a very good partnership I think. they have the workmen to make this extraordinary quality of objects.’

ellipse debuts during london design festival 2019 at salvatori’s flagship in marylebone, with the space being transformed into an artfully redesigned interior. called ‘finding forms’, the space is designed by milanese elisa ossino, and follows her installation at the brand’s showroom at milan design week 2019. the ground floor is dedicated to their expanding home collection of accessories and furniture – like ellipse. the downstairs is then configured with many bathroom fittings and furnishings.