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Giovanni Botticelli’s Habitat and Eyewear Have More in Common That You Know

07.02.19 | By
Giovanni Botticelli’s Habitat and Eyewear Have More in Common That You Know

Good things are worth the wait, like designer Giovanni Botticelli’s Habitat, which grew its first roots in 2017. Botticelli has a high knowledge of eyewear design, it was his main focus in school and he’s gone on to design and oversee production for several companies in Italy. So it then makes sense that he turned to a material he’s very familiar with – cellulose acetate – to combine concepts, design, and formal purity with a focus on welding and bending techniques for Habitat. A small factory, Mazzucchelli 1849, is a world leader in the production and distribution of cellulose acetate and what Botticelli used for this project.

Habitat makes use of several of the same features associated with eyewear – thermal bending and cleanly contrasting colors to name a few. The end result of Botticelli’s exploration is a scaled representation of architecture’s style expressions and forms displayed in the forms of bookcases, tables, and boxes. He conceived of these pieces as places where our memories live and are safely protected.

The Habitat collection was designed exclusively for SWING Design Gallery, and produced in a limited numbered edition. The project is on display at Swing Design Gallery through July 31, 2019.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she's likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.