Giancarlo de AstisWhen Giancarlo de Astis drove out to Tucson, Ariz., in his
Volkswagen van three years ago in search of used airplane parts, he didn’t quite
know what to expect. “I had had this vision of what I wanted to create,” he
explains. “But, I didn’t know what I was going to find until I got there.
I
ended up having to rent a U-Haul to drive home all of the parts I found. It was
overwhelming.” A fan of aeronautics since childhood, de Astis spent almost a
year tinkering with the parts and learning about the materials before creating
his signature piece, the executive desk.
The furniture made by Los Angeles designer Giancarlo de Astis is inspired by the
parts he sources from decommissioned airplanes.
(Click images to enlarge)
Appropriately named Il Primo (“the
first” in Italian), his launching piece has become his trademark. “I originally
pictured it in an executive’s office,” he says. “I used to work in the
entertainment industry, and it reminded me of something I would see in a
studio head’s office.” The desk is constructed from the aluminum wing of a
retired plane, but de Astis adds glass and mahogany to give it a more
domesticated feel. Wired for Ethernet and telephone connections, the desk conforms to de Astis’ philosophy that design
must be functional, not just decorative. Priced at $8,900, no two are alike.
While each used wing is unique in its own right and dictates the final product,
de Astis’ clients are able to choose the wood, the paint color, and—to some
extent—the dimensions of the desk.
De Astis envisioned the Il Primo desk in the office of an entertainment
company’s CEO; it has proven to be a favorite with his clients.
(Click images to enlarge)
The collection also includes the $12,000
Il Sole (“the sun”), which is a slightly more feminine, circular conference or
dining room table composed of titanium jet engine turbine blades reminiscent of
sun rays, and the $1,200 Il Cardine (“the hinge”), a desk lamp made out of a
recycled aluminum aircraft door hinge, accented with mahogany. While he also
accepts commissions at his Culver City, Calif., studio and workshop, these three
pieces are the core of his collection. “My designs are an ongoing
transformation,” he says. “I originally wanted to be a diplomat like my parents,
but I made a midlife decision to follow my heart and do this instead—it is
purely inspirational.”
Giancarlo de Astis
310.839.2899
www.deastisdesigns.com
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