YouBuild March 2019
Designers Valentini and Ponzelli redesign the classic structure to enhance its design and beauty. A 40-degree splay gives it a sense of depth and an unprecedented appearance. Without compromising ease of installation.
Why hide beauty? They asked themselves Francesco Valentini e Lorenzo Ponzelli, who decided to transform an invisible and structural element, the Eclisse frame, into beauty and design for the first time.
The new frame was developed by Eclipse. It is made of aluminium and gives the door a distinctive splay, a feature that complements and enhances the structure. The result is a unique, rigorous and minimalist appearance. The metal frame slants at a 40-degree angle, creating a sense of depth and an unprecedented and unmistakable appearance: this is precisely why it has been called Eclisse 40.
All without ever compromising the usual ease of installation of Eclisse products. Valentini and Ponzelli, by the way, are the same designers who also took care of the design of the exclusive handle produced by Mandelli. «We came across a large company but with dynamics very close to a small family business,» the two designers now say.
Francesco Valentini and Lorenzo Ponzelli are both from the Marche region.
The former is an architect and designer, the latter has a strong commercial vocation and a clear vision of the market. Since 2018, they have been forging a fruitful partnership in the field of design. «The first contacts go back some ten years.
At the time, Francesco had opened his own studio in Chiaravalle and approached Gagliardini's resale shop with his clients for interior design choices.
Right from the start a natural understanding was born with Lorenzo. Over time, the relationship grew closer, becoming a friendship outside of work,» says Ponzelli. «The synergy came about very naturally. On the spur of the moment, with no calculations, no schemes and no reasoning at the table. We simply confronted each other and chatted about the projects that Francesco had in place and went beyond the individual design work.
This mental rapprochement between us happened in 2017, when Francesco decided to close his old business to start again with new dreams and ideas». And how did the shared work develop? «Actually, it was not exactly a mixing of skills. Everything stemmed from a sharing and awareness of one's own aptitudes: creativity on the one hand and a vision of the market on the other. Merging these two approaches resulted in born a melting pot of ideas. The object is finally contextualised and observed at 360 degrees: placed in a context that will then be the market, where it will have its purpose, its users, those who will experience it and will explore it on a daily basis».