amelia tavella's curvilinear furniture

Amelia Tavella‘s new project is a solid oak piece of furniture that unfolds and meanders within the room. Its lightweight silhouette transitions from seat to desk to support, creating a fluid appearance with no visible links and joints. The resulting piece unwraps as a single continuous line, informed by the organic shapes in Corsica’s picturesque scenery. This furniture-sculpture hybrid reflects the delicacy found in her architectural work. Like her buildings, the piece combines functionality and poetry. It embraces the user, serving as a tool and an artistic expression.

In her own words, she describes architecture as an art that thrives on both freedom and constraint. ‘Freedom to create and invent, constraint of space and materials. It’s a balance between two forces that are not adversaries, but that get along and complement each other like Siamese twins,’ she explains.

all images by Thibaut Dini

In a private setting, Tavella’s furniture complements the stone and wood surroundings, creating an intimate connection with the space. The piece of furniture is curvilinear, with feminine curves and oak skin that mirror the natural textures of the environment. Its design links the interior and exterior spaces, functioning as both a desk and a seat. Balancing between air and earth, the piece floats within the space, inviting users to interact with it.

‘I designed a piece of furniture, curvilinear, an almost living animal. Its curves are feminine, its skin is oak, veined, one-sided. The object is a marker of space, crossing it from side to side. Like a sinuous arm, this work-counter links the interior to the exterior. It’s functional, both desk and seat. It’s my first piece of furniture and the starting point for a creation that’s different from my buildings, but which reproduces the gesture of blending in with what is,’ continues the architect.

the piece evokes a sense of lightness and simplicity

This is the very first piece of furniture Tavella has designed, marking the beginning of a new creative journey separate from her buildings. However, it still captures the essence of blending in with the surroundings while embracing beauty and harmony with the location.

‘I conceived and built a unique and natural central work, without constraint, a work within the existing work, a space within the space, a link between host and guest. Crossing its threshold is a step towards a dream. The imprint of Corsica beats here, in the silence and grandeur of its nature. I worked in this imaginary world, delivering a topographical, geographical map, in the lair of a place of reference, the megaphone of a sinuous, bewitching island.’

clean lines and minimalistic aesthetics characterize Tavella’s design