Philippe Nigro

French designer Philippe Nigro (born in Nice in 1975) studied product design at L'Ecole Boulle in Paris but has always had strong ties to Italy. He arrived in Milan in 1999 for an internship in Michele De Lucchi's office, where he remained for twelve years. His relationship with the Salone del Mobile and FuoriSalone was equally strong. There, he made his debut with De Lucchi and returned in 2013 with a collection designed for Hermès - Necessaire d'Hermès: a bench with hidden drawers, poufs, coffee tables, coat racks and screens, furnishing accessories considered "necessary" for the fundamental functions of sitting, storing and separating. His consecration among the great names in contemporary design came in 2009 with Confluences, a sofa designed for Ligne Roset as a composition of shapes that fit together and invite informal seating. Confluences also marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration with the French brand, for which he designed dozens of products, two of which, T.U, and Confluence, are in the collections at the Centre Pompidou and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, along with the Twin chair designed for the French brand VIA.

One of Nigro's most recent pieces for Ligne Roset is Hémicycle. The result of a partnership between the brand and Mobilier National, the chair is suitable for domestic and public use. Philippe Nigro collaborates with De Padova, for whom he designed the Pilotis collection, composed of an armchair, pouf and three-seater sofa, and the Albereta armchair; for Zanotta, he created the Louise armchair with an interlocking structure; for Novamobili, he designed the upholstered Tape bed, the modular Pontile shelf and the modular Belt sideboard; for Et al, he created the Shade family of metal chairs; for Lithea, the three-dimensional wall covering Imbrex, inspired by Mediterranean rooftops. For Lea Ceramiche, he created the Filigrane collection, a porcelain stoneware reinterpretation of marble that goes beyond the concept of imitation to free the idea of the "copy" from any negative connotations.

Nigro designed the Promenade collection for Gebruder Thonet Vienna. This family of upholstered furniture uses wood with a square - rather than a round - cross-section, first used in 1906 to create an exposed structure that wraps around the upholstered seat. Beaulieu, also designed for Thonet, is a chair and small armchair characterised by the structure's sinuous curves, which meet and overlap one another. In addition to his work as a designer, Philippe Nigro has also designed sets and installation, such as the one for the 7th edition of the Triennale Design Museum "Il Design Italiano oltre le Crisi", the Lexus stand at the 2015 edition of the Salone del Mobile in Milan and the Ultralin installation, Paris Place des Vosges and Sololino in Milan for the European Linen and Hemp Confederation.

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