Seeking series, Valentina Mancini Studio

Our Seeking continues with Valentina Mancini Studio, a reality in the heart of Rome and, as we felt in our talk, with Rome in the heart.

The first project of her studio we will cover is “Notos Basin”. Inspired by the concept of “soft design” by Alessandro Mendini. Simple object in appearance, therefore complex. She innovates the sink, transforming it into nomadic furniture, removable and light.

The most suitable material for the washbasing turned out to be nautical sails fabric, made up of resins, kevlar and carbon. Taking her to Umbria, in an historic sailmaking. Here she discovered a huge waste in the cutting of the sailmaking itself, due to construction needs. Thus giving wastage a second life.

Hers are long lasting artifacts, created to live over time.  The second one is an element that, rather than furnishing a space, creates it, giving it meaning. This is “RITO” Lucerna, the winning lamp of Materia Design Festival 2020.

Valentina designed the lamp based on the model of the Roman oil lamp, an object of everyday life linked to rituality. In fact, in ancient times, in addition to lighting environments, it was used in religious worship.

An oil lamp for contemporary self rituals, that creates an archaic, contemplative atmosphere by exhaling balsamic aromas. Made of Portoro marble, rare and nearing exhaustion. In fact, once again she used production waste, destined to abandonment. As she said, "it is an opportunity to reflect".

Another brilliant example of how a different design approach within Italian subcontractors brings innovation, not only in furniture itself, but also in the production chain.