spHaus was established in 2004 by Filippo Dell' Orto. The idea behind it is simple: first of all, for a designer to express his own creativity in the first person, not working for someone else but setting up his own business. And then, to start from scratch ( something not often done in Itlay these days) and set up a business which, while positioned in a tiny, elite niche market, will go down in the histroy of contemporary design.
the first collection marking the brand's debut in April 2004 was a collection of 15 items almost all designed by Filippo Dell' Orto, laying spHaus' foundations. Tables and chairs, coffee tables and lamps characteried by pure, anti- decorative design that is functional, non minimal.
Anywhere out of the world, the slogan appearing alongside the company's logo, is sufficient to convey its theme of a place that is far away in both space and time: the world of science fiction. The elegant film sets of kubrick's 2001; A Space Odyssey, Lucas' THX 1138 and many more masterpieces of the genre are one of the designers' primary sources of inspiration.
In 2005 the spHaus catalogue grew with the addition of 13 new items. The intention was to expand the range by introducing designs produced by different designers which suit the spHaus style but add to its variety. Some of the world's most promising young designers were selected to help come up with a more mature, advanced collection.
the 2006 collection includes 10 new designs which, like the others, strive for formal and technical innovation. one of the most interesting new additions is a set of chairs by Danish desginer Johannes Thorpe: the items in the collection are oversized, but ultra-light thanks to use of polystyrene as a structural material. And a system of free-standing shelves with a traditional set -up but ingeniously designed proportions and flexibility for customised layout.
2006 was also the year of the first collection of accessories: all made of ceramics, an age-old material which is still worked by hand but is pure and malleable enough to adapt easily to even the most contemporary forms.
Dodo Arslan, Setzu and Shinobu Ito, Lorenzo Damiani, Johannes Torpe and Fabio Bortolani are a few of the designers who work with spHaus to make a contribution tto contemporary design together.
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