Manerba does not just offer products, but develops real solutions for well-being and productivity. In line with this company focus, designer and architect Ilaria Marelli was asked to take on the role of Art Director and immediately wanted to work from the concept – Be Human.
In fact, Manerba conceives the office as a place of humanity, an environment in which a community is formed, where the furnishings help people to work well, favouring encounter, respect and closeness. For Manerba, it is good to experience the office through the senses, starting with details, attention to detail and leaving room for people’s identity, which is also humanity and diversity
Precisely for this reason, the designer chose to set the new corporate shooting inside the ‘Giulio Romano’ Art School in Mantua, a place symbolic of the brand’s roots. Involving students, she wanted to convey the values of sharing, energy, colour, nature and psychophysical well-being.
This photographic project narrates a new concept of work, where spaces favour fluid and harmonious interactions. Each furnishing element dialogues with the environment and the people, expressing the concept of a ‘gentle total office’: an inclusive place, designed to enhance collaboration and individual well-being. The choice of colours, materials and finishes gives the spaces a flexible and stimulating identity, capable of adapting to different design and aesthetic needs.
‘For me, Be Human means bringing ‘Humanity’ into the workplace,’ says architect Ilaria Marelli, ’a concept that has welcome and hospitality in it, typical female values that are in the DNA of Manerba, a company whose workforce is 80% women. Manerba’s welcome is made up of colour, of ‘roundness’, of careful details, as if you were welcoming someone into your home for a moment of sharing.’
Ilaria Marelli and Manerba’s focus on Generation Z and increasing digitisation reflects a current need: the more the world becomes virtual, the more the need for quality physical experiences emerges. For this reason, Manerba’s design aims to create tangible spaces that foster well-being and relationships.
The hybridisation of workspaces is now an established trend, born to respond to the need for flexible and adaptable environments. This design fluidity not only optimises the use of environments, but also promotes a sense of belonging and responsibility among those who live in them on a daily basis.
Since we spend around 90 per cent of our time indoors, it is essential that the spaces in which we work are designed to promote health and well-being. Design thus becomes a key element in creating comfort, personalisation, functionality and aesthetics, helping to build more human and relational working environments.
For over fifty years, Manerba has been designing and manufacturing furniture and mobile partitions for dynamic, sustainable and contemporary work environments. From open space areas to waiting areas, from coworking spaces to the lobbies and lounges of restaurants, hotels and bars, the company creates versatile solutions designed to adapt to the evolving needs of the professional world.
The claim ‘Evolving Office’ sums up the company philosophy: constantly transforming to respond to market changes, always guaranteeing the highest quality and innovation. Over time, Manerba has interpreted the evolution of the office as a reflection of social and cultural changes, remaining faithful to the concept of ‘beautiful and well made’.
Combining the flexibility of made-to-measure with the competitiveness of industrial production, Manerba offers innovative solutions for office design, with large-scale projects capable of responding to diverse functional and aesthetic requirements. Defined as the ‘tailor of offices’, the brand fuses craftsmanship, design and industry, supported by a team specialised in research and development, technical design and experimentation of materials and colours, in compliance with sector regulations.
Photos: Federica Bottoli
Styling: Luna Styling Milan
Thanks to: Liceo Artistico ‘Giulio Romano’ Mantova
