Shelf reaches the final of the Compasso d’Oro 2020 award

Paolo Benevelli and Coem are proud of this important result

Creativity comprises the ability to see things with new eyes and to bring a new approach to materials and shapes, and this is exactly what the Shelf project by Paolo Benevelli represents: porcelain stoneware takes on a new shape, becoming a design and furnishing element for modern environments. We are proud to announce that this project – a unique feature on the ceramic scene, is a candidate for the ADI Compasso d’Oro 2020 Award.
The Compasso d’Oro is an important award that is assigned by the Industrial Design Association with the aim of providing recognition and boosting the quality of Italian design; it is the world’s oldest and most prestigious industrial design accolade.
Shelf will be featured in the exhibition that will be taking place in Milan from 9 September at the new ADI Design Museum, one of the largest of its kind in Europe and a benchmark at international level.
Let’s not forget that the Shelf project had already attracted significant attention, and that ADI and Cersaie (which came together to recognise and promote the most innovative products in the ceramics sector) presented it with the ADI Ceramics & Bathroom Design Award 2017, for the following reason: “A process innovation that transforms the ceramic tile into highly functional shelves, adaptable to various products of the company”.

LifeTiles: What’s the best setting for Shelf?

Paolo Benevelli: I don’t think any particular setting is better than another for Shelf. It’s a project that offers the chance to add single shelves, surfaces, display shelves, shelf units and bookcases, and it’s also a compact covering material that blends with the surroundings to form a single structure.

LifeTiles: Shelf is a modular element: can it be seen as an actual design furnishing element?

Paolo Benevelli: Real design objects have functions, meanings, smart design, and their shape is always dictated to by the right choices. They don’t follow fashion or conform to a particular style; they’re timeless, and they last forever. I’d say Shelf ticks all those boxes: ceramic material that emerges from the wall to become a single shelf, a surface or a shelving unit takes on a new dimension that makes it a “design object”. At the same time, though, it’s also a three-dimensional covering material that can be used to make the setting more functional.

LifeTiles: Are you proud that Shelf is a candidate for the Compasso D’Oro 2020 Award? What does that mean for you?

Paolo Benevelli: The Compasso d’Oro has a history of over 60 years, and is considered the most prestigious accolade for projects, products, research and merit. A Ministerial Decree has also declared the Collection “of national interest” and “of exceptional artistic and historical interest”, so the fact Shelf has been selected as a candidate for the award is a huge success, and enormously satisfying for me. What makes it all the more so is considering the extremely hard work that went into it: although it may not be immediately evident, this is a project that required a certain amount of determination and resilience.

LifeTiles: Is there a design project you’ve always dreamed of working on with a company?

Paolo Benevelli: I’d like to be involved in a project in aerospace engineering, because it’s a field that has everything: it’s essential, it’s useful, it’s something people dream about; it’s about discovering new worlds, the science of materials. Everything is designed with a function in mind, and factoring in the unexpected, what might come later. Research in this field, where the idea of reaching increasingly far-off places is always present, produces all sorts of innovations humankind can benefit from. It’s a dream, but who knows… it might just come true.