With the Olympics in full swing and the tricolor in the heart, summer advances against the backdrop of a Paris that is transformed into a huge sports arena. Here are the architectures of the French capital that the Olympic Games 2024 appear as huge stages in the urban fabric – sometimes even outdoors – connecting the city with entertainment and giving us the opportunity to reflect on how design and sport have often gone on the field together to win their very own medal. Our Design favorites of the weekis a brief exploration of this teamwork between sport and distinctive design.
Tennis: Disco by Élitis
Disco by Élitis
Made from recycled PET, a material obtained from recycled plastic bottles, the textures of Élitis’ Disco collection are reminiscent of tennis courts. “Let’s roll out the carpets to soothe the hot breath of summer and let the breezy nights dance. Let’s watch them expand the realm of colors and enjoy the good life like kings,” says the French interior design company, inviting everyone to experience the warmest season outdoors. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, the texture shown here is made up of a fine sequence of weave patterns that reference the red earth and shortened grass of tennis arenas.
www.elitis.fr
Basketball: Lazy Basketball from Campeggi
There is no doubt, then, about Emanuele Magini’s inspiration for Lazy Basketball: the high backrest of the Campeggi catalogue chair, adorned with a basket, is a clear homage to the sport. Presented at the Salone del Mobile in Milan in 2013, the bizarre chair consists of a metal frame with a synthetic mesh backrest over 2 meters long and is a playful piece of furniture that invites you to take a few free throws. For an unusual challenge between bed and desk, the chair in the category of convertible chairs is, as the company writes, “a slight oxymoron between the need for rest and the desire for movement.” Who will emerge victorious?
www.campeggidesign.it
Ping Pong: Playing Ethimo
Play is a dining and table tennis table designed by Ethimo, suitable for practical use or a quick game. Part of a family of square or rectangular dining area furniture, the new size of 274 x 152.5 cm – with ceramic stone top and aluminum frame – becomes a fun table top for table tennis, equipped with a net and side bars in natural teak. Play expands the concept of conviviality around meals, taking up the theme of versatility and bringing a new sense of leisure and fun to the table.
www.ethimo.com
Boxes: DS-2878 Boxes de Sede
Produced at a scale of 7:1, the DS-2878 boxing glove by de Sede is a reissue from 1978: lush in its volumes, exact in its faithful reproduction of the typical gloves worn in the ring, it is proposed as an alternative to the classic chaise longue or the more canonical couch. Like the original, the detailed figure of the maxi sleeve has a two-tone lining, embellished with the typical folds on the edges and a striking lacing on the glove opening, which also continues at the foot of the upholstery.
www.desede.ch
Baseball: Joe Jeans by Poltronova
Although baseball and softball – temporarily reinstated for Tokyo 2020 – were excluded from the competitive disciplines at the Paris Olympics, Poltronova’s legendary glove could not be missing from our design picks of the week. This is Joe, the five-fingered armchair designed in 1971 by the De Pas D’Urbino Lomazzi studio as a tribute to one of the most famous sportsmen of the era: the American baseball champion Joe Di Maggio, husband of Marylin Monroe. To mark the 50th anniversary of this 20th century icon, the Poltronova Research Center has designed four special editions: Joe Jeans, in particular, is made of precious cotton and silk denim in the “Prussian blue” shade.
www.poltronova.it
Tennis rackets on Amazon
Wilson: Tennis Racket – Full Size Grip 3
Head: Racchetta da Tennis Ultra-Leggera
Babolat: Racchetta da Tennis da Donna
Now with 11% discount
