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The history of furniture and design in the 20th century, a juxtaposition of straight lines and curves, forms and materials, abstractive and additive approaches, can also be seen as a dialogue between diverse designing styles and different aesthetic ‘schools’. This very dialogue is recalled, in a very personal and eclectic way, by architect Kyrios Criton, in this family residence, inventing new ‘eclectic relations’ between furniture and objects, spanning the entire 20th century. To do that, he first supervised the layout of the interiors and then, with the witness of both walls and ceilings, the deep brown of the wooden floors and the imposing height of the living room, he created the ideal environment for a small-scale exhibition, dedicated to the contemporary history of elegant design. The ‘narration’ begins with the 20’s and the deco – modern creations – a screen and a console – of two great ladies of contemporary design, Eileen Gray and Charlotte Perriand. Then we are met with the austere elegance of Mies van der Roche recliner, passing through the International Style of the 50’s with the metal grid chairs by Henry Bertoia and the low table by Isamu Noguchi, revealing the op – art presence of Verner Panton’s fabrics and reserving space for more important creators from the last two decates. Pierro Fornasetti and his neo-classicism, Shiro Kuramata and his zen minimalism and of course Philippe Starck and his notion of new luxury. This parade of designer furniture is chronologically completed by a small but significant piece, signed by Marcel Wanders. The low, white ‘Crochet’ table (2001) with its ‘lacy’ look, signals the transition of modern design into a new era, the era of decorative aesthetics.
