Designer, artist, critic and historian of design,  Enzo Mari passed away on October 19th, leaving us a legacy not only of design but also of thought that transpires from all his works as an invitation to continue his thoughts on design, understood in his deeper sense. Proof of this is the exhibition dedicated to him, until April 18, 2021, at the Milan Triennale whose curator, Hans Ulrich Obrist says "What bothered him most was that the world of design aimed at profit: he wanted to get rid of this idea of income, marketing, industry, brands, even advertising. Because, according to Mari, design is such only if it also communicates knowledge. What is striking about his projects - whatever field they belong to - is their resistance to the ruthless test of time ”. Mari, therefore, declines essentiality, but in doing so he creates a style, the "Mari" style, in fact, with no frills but with a very specific aesthetic that is appreciated, loved.

Frate by Driade

Among his projects dedicated to furniture, one of the most significant is undoubtedly the Frate table, designed in 1973 and put into production by  Driade starting in 1974. It is the archetype of the dining table, also perfect as a meeting table and therefore ideal in a historical phase in which work and living spaces coexist. A demonstration of the fact that no special effects are needed to make a table special and in fact the elements that make it up are the glass of the top, the steel of the legs and the wood of the collector element of the legs and top. But there is also an intangible element that contributes to the success of this table: it is the dialogue between these materials that are so different from each other and the perfect measure with which they are used.

Frate table by Driade details

The steel painted in anthracite black is the strong element and rightly placed to support the structure: it transmits solidity but not heaviness, thanks to the reduced thickness of the legs. The tempered glass gives lightness and at the same time, thanks to its transparency, allows you to glimpse the wooden core, in beech essence, which warms the whole. The central beam is also available in other essences and the top in different lengths. And here with just a few elements Enzo Mari manages to create a versatile table which, despite having a strong identity, adapts to contexts of different style.

Frate table by Driade

It is a table of extraordinary elegance and formal lightness, well done, which has also given life to other tables of different shapes and sizes: the Fratello coffee table, the Cugino round and square table and the Cuginetto round and square coffee table. The design idea is the same: steel, glass and wood combined in an intelligent but simple way. The proportions change and this is enough to make it suitable for different contexts. Frate is therefore not only a table but also the model of an approach to the project made up of substance and ideas, of beauty and intelligent creativity.

Frate table by Enzo Mari for Driade

In the picture: the installation of the exhibition "Enzo Mari curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist" with Francesca Giacomelli - © Triennale Milano - photo Gianluca Di Ioia. On the right the Cuginetto coffee table.

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