Step by step, we introduced you to our FUTURE protocol. But, in the end, what is it about?
How it was born
The FUTURE protocol stems from our corporate mission: transmitting values, awareness and responsibility to our children and to the new generations.
While projecting ourselves into the future, we constantly ask ourselves how to make the world a better place than the one we found. Hence the choice of using the FUTURE anagram.
FUTU stands for Focus, Use, Translation and Uniqueness and represents the world of furniture. These terms are linked to technical development, to specific skills, to the seating sector… in short, to the practical and concrete side of who we are and what we do.
RE stands for Refitting and Experience, two words that indicate our direction, the future, and are the mouthpiece of “how we do it”. Refitting indicates our commitment to sustainability and the protocol represents its starting point. On the other hand, Experience is the continuous exchange and sharing through which the concepts are transmitted.
The FUTURE anagram
Focus. That is to say, the lens through which we look at every aspect of our work. It is our identity, made up of values, knowledge and people, where everyone finds its own space. But Focus also stands for maximum attention to the customer and his projects, his needs, even if they are not always explicit, and can be perceived only thanks to active listening.
Unique. What makes a product truly unique? We started from this question to express what “custom made” means. The approach to the realisation of a project is unique, because producing upon design means always looking at the same but with new eyes. Each customer is unique, because the sensitivities are different, the human relationship is always something special that cannot be replaced by chatbots.
Translate. How to translate a drawing into reality in the chair sector and the role of the specialised technical consultant: a mediator between architects, designers, general contractors and the public.
In fact, we noticed how, between materials and design in continuous evolution, our job seems more and more like the work of translators, who convert the language and all the thoughts of the designer, till the last junction that holds a chair together, into something concrete.
This is not only about knowing how to interpret a drawing, but also about making our 60-year-long experience in the field and the 160-year-long experience of the Chair District available to people.
Use. The chair is a universal product and therefore it is important to know how to choose the right one for each environment.
Hotels have pretty different needs than cruise ships, the same happens to restaurants and conference rooms, but also in the same environment each seating should have specific features. This topic has been largely developed in our “Best buying guide for seating and tables” that you can download here.
Refitting. A term that encloses a concept: sustainability. Reducing waste, promoting the reuse and refurbishment of existing products and materials towards a more sustainable and shared future. Why throw away when you can recover a product and give it a new life?
Experience. Sharing the experience, the knowledge and the values that move us, while stimulating curiosity and mutual exchange. This is how it is possible for us to take part in communities of entrepreneurs like OSA, or to proudly belong to associations devoted to sustainability such as Animaimpresa and Assobenefit.
Or again, we dedicate our time and resources to supporting projects like “Impresa in azione”, Enterprise in action, organised by JA Italia in order to give young students the opportunity to get to know companies from inside and to “play” by creating their own company.
FUTURE concretely: Triple F
In the article dedicated to the Fuorisalone 2022, we told you about the Triple F, our chair conceived and developed in a sustainable way. Let’s see how it was born and why we chose it to represent the FUTURE protocol.
Designed by the architect Simone Micheli, it immediately became the protagonist of our second participation in the Fuorisalone. It all started from the architect’s drawings, we investigated his requests and expectations in order to deeply understand his desires.
Then we focused on how to develop the design by enhancing the product and making it consistent with our sustainable objectives. Hence the idea of developing a modular chair that can be used in different contexts.
In fact, we hypothesized an average use of seven different types of chairs per person, including those for the bedroom, the dining room and the living room. What if instead of having seven chairs, we could choose only one seating, capable of adapting to each environment and completely customisable? This is the question we asked ourselves.
In order to translate the project into a product, a careful analysis of the original design and the architect’s expectations was necessary. By involving our subcontractors in the development process, we have transformed the idea into reality.
The result? Triple F, which is not just a chair, but the mouthpiece for a new, more sustainable direction that promotes reuse, starting exactly from conscious design.
The FUTURE direction
So, here’s how the circle closes. Precisely in the development of the Triple F, we really understand the importance of thinking sustainably right from the design stage. We also find the three Cs of conscious design: care, competence and consciousness that represent the starting point from which our protocol was developed.
The goal of FUTURE is precisely to think differently about the logic of design and production while moving towards a more sustainable world. The intent is therefore to initiate a virtuous process through the disclosure and sharing of what we do, raising awareness and disseminating our corporate values and missions.
As in most things, you can do it alone but together is better. And here, step by step, we want this sustainable thinking to become more and more a common goal also for other companies.
FUTURE is a protocol that represents the expression of who we are and of what we want to convey, but the principle we want to emphasise is that everyone has the ability and the potential to find its own company’s FUTURE.
Do you want to know a funny thing? FUTURE is neither stable nor static but in constant evolution. The FUTURE of today may not be the same as the FUTURE of tomorrow, but our values represent a secure basis, and that is a constant matrix.
The ingredients that we believe should not be missing?
- A designer open to experimentation, dialogue and comparison, capable to accept objections.
- A company willing to change its way of producing by modifying its production standards.
- A conscious consumer who does not only follow the logic of price and/or brand.
What are you waiting for? Let’s find out the FUTURE direction together.
