Materiality With Purpose – ColourLab Volume 4 by Giulio Ridolfo and Schiavello

To imbue a more intimate and sensitive use of colour into our working spaces, Giulio Ridolfo and Schiavello continue their collaboration efforts to create ColourLab Volume 4. Offering natural tones and clean shades ranging from light to dark, the new colour palette – which is set for release throughout 2024 – seeks to harmonise interior spaces with nature.

With a history of working in consultancy in industrial and furniture design, master of colour Giulio Ridolfo recently visited Schiavello in Melbourne, Australia and spent two weeks immersed in the Schiavello Design Studio, evolving the ColourLab palette with Design Manager Nick Tennant. Alongside working with Nick, Giulio also garnered insight around the business and broader industry developments by visiting the engineering, manufacturing, marketing and sales teams of Schiavello. Additionally, Giulio spent time with leading Australian designers from Carr and Hassell Studio, hearing about current workplace design projects they are working across. With his understanding of how workspaces have evolved over the years, Giulio’s expertise in understanding colours and the feeling they can evoke helps to narrow down choices for the revived palette.

Additionally, the palette has been created to alleviate the monotony of the everyday work-life routine with “a core range of both light and dark tones that, in their essence, seek to create an environment people want to be in,” explains Nick.

With their continued partnership that has lasted for more than 10 years, Schiavello and Giulio developed the palette with the intention that it will suit a variety of environments and embrace an array of textiles. Additionally, the palette has been created to alleviate the monotony of the everyday work-life routine with “a core range of both light and dark tones that, in their essence, seek to create an environment people want to be in,” explains Nick. Moreover, materiality is deeply considered by both Giulio and Schiavello due to its ability to connect and harmonise a colour choice. “Materiality is a way to reconnect any material to a proper quality of colour,” explains Giulio, “so to me, materiality is something that refers to an original language of a material.”

Over many months of meetings, Nick and Giulio worked together on the subtle tuning of the colour range, which started from “very vibrational colours,” says Giulio. “I wanted to work on some more ethereal tones that could give a sense of belonging to a more serene space.” Throughout the collaboration process, Nick and Giulio were able to exchange ideas and discover a foundation on which to create from. “I think the way Giulio approaches work is, I think in a sense, similar to mine, in that we are starting with a broader concept,” says Nick, “and we can discuss that from a range of different angles, but then we can also be very specific about a detail that is suitable or unsuitable.” As a result, ColourLab is an honest and considered colour palette of materials and finishes, selected specifically for Schiavello furniture. Sustainability has also played a pivotal role in their work, not only in terms of working with sustainable and durable materials but in designing products with a timeless aesthetic that can add a deeper philosophy to spaces.

Sustainability has also played a pivotal role in their work, not only in terms of working with sustainable and durable materials but in designing products with a timeless aesthetic that can add a deeper philosophy to spaces.

Even with more than 10 years of collaboration under their belt, Giulio and Schiavello continue to create colour palettes that instil a sense of harmony and offer people a natural ambience. “The poetry – the way that I describe the language that he uses in the creation of a colour system and a colour concept – for me, I connect with that very well,” says Nick, “and I think that’s one of the reasons why we’ve continued to collaborate over the years.” Following Giulio’s visit, and after many meetings and discussions between the pair, Nick and the Schiavello team will now work with suppliers to fine tune the new colour palette before its release throughout 2024.