Gigi XVI: The contemporary language of inlay by Ferruccio Laviani
With a deliberately irreverent gaze toward tradition, Ferruccio Laviani continues his long-standing collaboration with Fratelli Boffi by introducing an unexpected imagination into the grammar of historical cabinetmaking. The new Gigi XVI chest of drawers reinterprets the classical Empire-style cabinet in two bold versions, where iconography inspired by contemporary culture, graphic patterns, and chromatic compositions replace the traditional decorative repertoire while preserving its compositional rigor.
“This project stems from a natural continuation of the research on classical furniture developed for Fratelli Boffi and on the expressive use of wood. The starting point is the archetype of Lombard furniture – the Louis XVI cabinet, inspired from Giuseppe Maggiolini’s woodworking tradition – reinterpreted through new inlays. Classical decorum is turned into contemporary iconography and patterns, or into almost mosaic-like chromatic compositions, maintaining and amplifying the central role of woodworking and the inlay technique.” Ferruccio Laviani
Gigi XVI Mosaic – Cabinet
With the Gigi XVI Mosaic cabinet, Ferruccio Laviani revisits the archetype of Louis XVI furniture, not to reference it, but to reconstruct its decorative logic through a completely redesigned system. The inlay, composed of irregular tiles in different woods and finishes, creates a continuous yet dynamic surface, where color is not simply applied but structured. The shades – pink, acid green, and cream – are arranged according to an almost mosaic-like principle, where each element contributes to the overall balance. The black base introduces a clear counterpoint, accentuating the design and giving the piece a graphic yet three-dimensional presence.
Gigi XVI Hip-hop – Cabinet
The structure, with frames and inlays in carved solid wood, features a complex composition executed with different wood species and traditional metal inserts – elements that belong to the decorative lexicon of the Empire style design. Classical iconography gives way to pop symbols from the contemporary music culture – cables, earphones and microphones – translated into the same compositional discipline reserved to historic ornament. The surfaces emphasise the depth of the texture and the precision of the drawn pattern, while the raised top, conceived as a console, integrates functional elements into the structure.
Through his deliberately cheeky approach to tradition, Laviani introduces an unexpected imagery into the language of historic woodworking. In Gigi XVI Hip-hop, inlay is not fragmented but reorganized: an ancient lexicon capable of absorbing contemporary signs without losing formal rigour.
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