MI

Overview

MI By Poltrona Frau

Collection: THE COLLECTION - Furniture and Complementary units

Designer: Neri&Hu

Manufacture year: 2021

Type: Tanned leather Kitchen trolley

The Mi storage units designed by Neri & Hu for Poltrona Frau play around with light, shade and transparencies to conceal or reveal the objects they house.‎ Mi is a Chinese pinyin word with a dual meaning used to express both the action of “looking” but also the word “secret”, which inspired this project.‎ In fact, in the Mi storage units, rather than being displayed in full view the objects are hidden by the oblong external shell.‎ You can only discover them by peeking through a layer of tempered glass which closes the space left by the shelves, raised and separated from the body of the unit.‎ The external surface of the Mi storage units is upholstered in Saddle Extra leather, which is embellished with an original vertical striped canneté texture that gives the product a 3D effect.‎ A thin but solid metal structure frames the body of the product and acts as a link with the raised top in Calacutta gold or Nero Marquinia marble.‎ The Mi collection consists of three elements: a tall 2-door Mi cabinet, a low 4-door Mi cabinet with book opening, and a Mi trolley on wheels.‎ The structure of the Mi storage units consists of a metal frame with burnished brushed steel finish which also acts as the base.‎ The sides of the units consist of curved panels in poplar plywood while the bottoms and backs are made from birch plywood.‎ To make them even lighter, the doors are made from honeycomb panels.‎ The insides and bottom of the units are veneered in Canaletto walnut.‎ The upper frame of the cabinet and the doors are made from solid Canaletto walnut.‎ Both the two-door and the low four-door Mi cabinets contain shelves made of tempered glass with bronze finish while the top surface, also in tempered glass with bronze finish, offers a glimpse of the inside, like a display cabinet.‎ The Mi High Cabinet has two doors which can be opened.‎ Meanwhile, in the Mi Low Cabinet the 4 doors can be opened two by two like a book.‎ Magnets maintain the doors securely shut.‎ The structure has adjustable feet.‎ The frame of the Mi trolley is fitted with 4 black plastic and steel swivel castors.‎ In the upper part of the trolley the frame finishes with a tube in burnished brushed steel which follows the shape of the product and acts as a handle.‎ One side of the grip is covered with Cuoio Saddle Extra leather matching the upholstery of the trolley, with hand stitching.‎ The internal space is fitted with a tempered glass shelf which can be set at 3 different heights.‎ The top is raised from the wooden body and can be made from Calacatta gold marble or Nero Marquinia marble.‎ Both are available with a glossy finish to which a transparent polyester paint is applied to increase its surface resistance, or a semi-glossy finish for a more natural result.‎ The exterior of the Mi storage units is upholstered in Saddle Extra leather printed with a canneté texture.‎ There are four possible colours: Carbone, Cammello, Polvere and Corda.‎