What does it mean to be “intimate?” To have a profound connection, to share in secret knowledge, and perhaps most tellingly, to have a relationship that endures.

This is the concept behind Zanotta’s Intimacy collection, exhibiting at Zanotta’s House Milano in Piazza XXV Aprile during supersalone.

Intimacy is a corrective to a throwaway culture, a culture of accumulation and disregard. Zanotta postulates that we should instead look to products that endure, “objects full of meaning, functional but with a soul, conceived to accompany us throughout our lives.”

What makes a design object worthy of that distinction, what enables it to endure, to maintain and sustain an interpersonal relationship?

It must beguile. It must provoke admiration, wonderment, respect. It must be designed well, made of simple, natural, healthy materials that last. It must be timeless, able to withstand cultural upheaval without becoming passé or obsolete. And it must have personality, the ability to reflect on our lives as we grow and change alongside it.

All of this may sound like a tall order, but Zanotta believes Intimacy provides a good blueprint.

The collection is comprised of enduring pieces from top designers, including Patrick Norguet’s Dan Outdoor Chair, Marco Zanuso’s Maggiolino Chair, Ludovica+Roberto Palomba’s Pianoalto Sofas, Garcia Cumini’s Tweed Mini Tables, and Studio Misto’s Ambrosiano Tables.

Find out more at Zanotta and Fuorisalone.