LIFE BEYOND FIRST CLASS
The Casa Canova Collection
Avant-garde designer, Sean Knibb, uses 18th-century techniques to create a cutting-edge hand-carved carrara marble table.
By: Jennifer Agress | May 13, 2015
Sean Knibb
Taking place in May 2015, at NYC’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair, Los Angeles-based landscape artist-turned-interior designer, Sean Knibb, will unveil his latest creation: Casa Canova. Featuring six, white Carrara marble tables hand-sculpted by Italian artisans, this modern collection is the result of a two-stage process that involves more than 700 hours of labor. The first step of the process involves sketching the designs in Venice, California, followed by constructing the actual tables in Italy.
For more than twenty years now, Knibb’s company, Knibb Design Corporation, has redefined traditional ideals of contemporary art; using unconventional materials in skewed ways to force viewers to see elements of design in a new light. First launching in 1995 with the intention to enhance the way individuals experience their own environment, Knibb Design has since become known for his ability to fuse contemporary art, architecture and landscaping to create large-scale projects that exude both intrigue and sophistication.
Understanding Knibb’s unique style, Casa Canova — which includes carvings of hyper-realistic renderings of t-shirts and jeans on unblemished white stone — is another example of Knibb’s trademark unconventionality. The collection balances ideals of antiquity, urbanization and consumerism, while appearing classic and effortless; exploring the aesthetic history and functionality of design in a way that is both modern and timeless. Though Knibb’s t-shirt and jeans designs will debut at ICFF for the first time this year, he first experimented with that technique when he designed The Line Hotel, in Los Angeles, where he repurposed old t-shirts by installing them in intricate ceiling frescoes in the hotel lobby.
And as complicated as it sounds, for Knibb, it is just another day in the life.
“To me, it is the simple and unpredictable that are most challenging to achieve,” he says of his work. “It makes the greatest impact.”
Sean Knibb’s Casa Canova collection will be on display at ICFF from May 16-19, 2015. Available in natural wood, white or grey, each table measures 72 inches in diameter and weighs 770 pounds. Price upon request.
T-Shirt Table by Sean Knibb, 2015. Courtesy of Knibb Design Corp.
