Torii

Overview

Torii is nendo's modular family for Minotti. Its sofas come with a high or a low back and a straight outline softened at the arms, and the inclined sofas pair two different seat depths. Around the sofas sit armchairs, lounge and dining little armchairs, ottomans, coffee tables and an oval console table.

Construction

The seat base is plywood reinforced with metal, topped with variable-density, high-resilience polyurethane foam and elastic webbing. The metal backrest carries a foam wrap, a breathable fibre layer bonded by heat and white hypoallergenic cotton beneath the cover. Back and arms show vertical quilting with double stitching, and piping follows the outer edge. Cushions are channeled goose down (Assopiuma Gold Label) around a polyurethane core. The legs are solid metal rods of 25 mm diameter in Bronze varnish with a polished anti-fingerprint finish, brass tips and Black-Nickel decorative parts.

Image source: Minotti — Torii · © Minotti and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy

Specifications

The Sofa Low CM 184 drawing gives 184 cm wide, 92 cm deep and 87 cm high, with the seat at 43 cm. In every version, fabric or leather, the covers of the structure, seat and backrest cushions come off completely. Low-back elements accept a leather magazine caddy. The inclined sofa with a 250 cm top and the 180 cm bench carry a 20 mm marble top (Calacatta or Stone Grey) on an aluminium honeycomb panel.

Gate and legs

Minotti explains the metal legs as nendo's reference to the torii, the gateway that marks a Shinto shrine, and mentions the Senbon Torii, a wooden colonnade of 1,000 vermilion gates. Horizontal metal members rest on the vertical supports, which leaves the padded volume looking light.

A joint borrowed from timber

Where the horizontal member ends, it appears to grip the backrest and seat, a nod to Kigumi, the Japanese method of joining wood without nails. A small Black-Nickel disk at the tip adds a jewel-like touch against the Bronze varnished metal.