edge pull / Roberto Serino

"A weathered wooden door, supported by shaped and nailed metal plates, continues to fulfill its role of both dividing and connecting spaces. This powerful memory comes from a teenager in southern Italy, who was struck by the harmony between the diverse elements and the intriguing shapes they formed. What was striking was the conviviality that was created between such different elements but also the shapes that they could generate. It is as if a fragment of metal was modelled in the most suitable shape for the hand: the right shape of the handle for that door.
Since the 80s, I had the privilege of exploring this passion while designing interiors. With the collaboration of a skilled Neapolitan ironmonger, Cembalo, I designed various handles, always prioritizing simplicity of motion without any intricate mechanisms.
The door, like a curtain, moves with a simple gesture of the hand.
This work caught the attention of Fabio Cappello, a young architect deeply interested in detail and craftsmanship. He was particularly drawn to the handle I presented, as it embodies the perfect hand position for both pushing and pulling the door.
The handle is composed of three parts: two vertical elements and a horizontal band that connects them. Under a warm and bronze patina, the geometry, the thickness of the metal, the joints and the nailing, underlie the balance sought between anchoring and traction and pressure efforts."
-Roberto Serino