Nomon is one of Europe’s most vibrant design hives, renowned for creating avant-garde pieces. Famous for its alluring home furnishings, the studio wanted to add a contemporary and visually stunning piece to its tally of items. In pursuit of one such design, Nomon Homes summoned Barcelona-based product design and art direction house Mermelada Studio to craft a unique side table for them. The result was stunning and it’s dubbed Rara Avis.
Translating to ‘rare bird’ in English, Rara Avis is a fusion of artistry and crafting skills. “Rara Avis is defined as a person or thing that is unusual or exceptional. The origin of the word comes from Latin and it refers to rare birds,” states the Mermelada Studio. The creative outfit further goes on to call it a dialogue between art and design that transforms an everyday object into an artistic element.
Functioning as a classic side table, Rara Avis is made of wood and marble. Finished in walnut, the furniture piece is created from the assembly of basic geometric shapes ranging from sphere to conical element that has been cleverly incorporated into the design. Complementing the natural walnut veneered wood comes ‘rosso levanto’ brown marble base. Together they give rise to a beautiful sculptural bird piece. “The first volume is made of French oak and 24K gold-plated steel,” Mermelada Studio mentions.
Before the intricate piece was conceived, Mermelada Estudio’s expertise lay in furniture design and Nomon Homes wanted to add a sculptural piece to its tally. This coerced them to join hands with Spanish sculptor Miquel Aparici. Together, they sought out a way to converge their works and the result was a classic side table that was both aesthetic and functional.
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Rara Avis side tables work well next to a sofa or as a bedside table, both at home and in commercial spaces. Currently, the side table is available in two versions, one being shorter and larger, the other being taller and narrower. The table will be exhibited at Salone del Mobile 2023 and is certain to garner a lot of attention.
