Credenzas – old entity with new identities

It’s best to stick with the manufacturer’s decision, one would think, but even they alternate between credenza, chest of drawers, dresser and sideboard. Two-hundred years ago, the French would put food on a credenza to test for poison before serving it, but nowadays food goes nowhere near it. Kitchens have enlarged themselves into the dining area, and who needs a spot to stash valuable silverware? So not only the term but also this commodity’s right for existence has become debatable. However, it does come to life as the perfect ally for relevant furniture. We’re able to complete our interior design in areas such as dining, sleeping and entertainment corners with a credenza or similar. Credenzas (or similar) have evolved by adapting to the needs of a modern world to create the atmosphere we want to achieve.

TOWN by Giorgetti Town by Carlo Colombo has been designed to fit different spacial situations and spread urban glamour. The elements are placed on double bases with LED lighting. Some configurations offer swivel elements and the outside frame is of brushed bronze. By using saddle leather and walnut veneer they declare status, and by framing the piece in a glass case incorporating a layer of metal mesh, they deliver contemporary glitziness.

KISARAGI CABINET by Hida In cooperation with Hida, Sangyo Co. Ltd, designer Motomi Kawakami rediscovers „Sugi“, the Japanese red cedar in 2014. The soft wood is pressured and treated with heat, transforming it into this gentle, smooth, scented and durable material. Kawakami’s approach, in combining simplicity with the expressive grain, is as poetic as economic. I would consider placing a beautiful Japanese whiskey bottle on it to complete this beauty.

DOMESTIC FURNITURE by Roy McMaking. "When I started designing furniture, my explicit aim was to create pieces where time is ambiguous, so when people saw a piece they would be confused as to what point in time it was made, and if that ambiguity stayed with it as it moved into the future it might actually transcend style and exist outside of time.

CONFETTI CREDENZA by Moving Mountains. New York based Syrette Lew pairs minimal forms with a playful ornament and mixes dark ebonized ash with light coloured maple. Ebonizing wood is a technique originating in the Biedermeier period and she is applying it to the solid case giving it a strong structure. Inlays and base are blackened steel.

PAPER PATCHWORK SIDEBOARD by Mooi. This object looks like it could be a theater prop or an art piece created by Jeff Koons. The Paper Patchwork series for Mooi are made of honeycomb structure plates and coated paper mache, allowing no metal fittings and adding to its chunky look. Through upcycling at its best, Dutch design duo Studio Job catch our attention with an ironic furniture that oscillates between decorative art and applied design.