Salone del Mobile magazine
Design e un dossier bilingue

Un nuovo formato, con grafica ancora più accattivante, 164 pagine di esclusive e un dossier sulle eccellenze del Distretto comasco e brianzolo del legno-arredo. Il Salone del mobile magazine di La Provincia compie cinque anni: lo trovate in edicola, a 1,70 euro + il prezzo del quotidiano. Con ideazione e cura di Vera Fisogni, la rivista si avvale del progetto grafico di Antonella Corengia, della collaborazione di Serena Brivio e di uno staff di giornalisti economici coordinati da Enrico Marletta, capo dell’Economia di La Provincia. Le traduzioni in inglese sono curate dagli studenti del liceo linguistico del Centro Casnati, coordinati dalla professoressa Maria Giovanna Bullock. Ecco qui, di seguito, il testo che la scrittrice e giornalista americana Valerie Ramsey ha scritto per noi, dedicato a Palm Beach, sintesi di urbanistica d’avanguardia e di ambiente naturale protetto. Un mix, quello di natura & città, al centro della mostra “Living Nature. La natura dell’abitare”, di Carlo Ratti, che il Salone del Mobile allestirà in piazza Duomo.

Palm Beach by Valerie Ramsey for “Salone del Mobile magazine”, La Provincia

It was by the most ironic twist of fate that this world-renowned island, Palm Beach, got its name because of a shipwreck. In 1878, the Spanish ship, the Providencia, went aground, spilling its cargo of 20,000 coconuts (soon to become the coconut palm trees that populate the island) directly in front of what is now Mar-a-Lago and the prestigious Bath & Tennis Club. At the time, Palm Beach was nothing more than an overgrown, jungle-like landscape. There was no Intracoastal Waterway, there were no roads, no railway, and no food other than citrus. There was nothing to suggest that it was destined to become one of the premier luxury destinations in the world. All of that changed as the first settlers began to arrive… The Spaniards as early as the 1500’s and the Europeans in the late 1800’s.… along with American-born, Henry Morrison Flagler. Flagler is widely regarded as the Founding Father of Palm Beach. A builder of cities, churches, institutions, roads, resort hotels, and industries (Standard Oil), it was Flagler who built the railroad that transformed everything. One of Flagler’s major achievements was to build a hotel –The Royal Poinciana opened in 1894 with 1750 rooms. It was a bastion of luxury for the wealthy industrialists who, with their ingenuity, vision, and grit, were driving the nation forward into the 20th century. The Royal Poinciana was the winter playground for Vanderbilts, Whitneys, Astors, Cushings, and Rockefellers, among others. Here they came to relax in tropical splendor and enjoy a lifestyle that demanded that they change their clothes five times a day, take tea in the outdoor palm garden, and attend lavish balls and concerts nightly. In 1896, at the height of the Gilded Age, Flagler opened a second hotel, The Breakers, built in the architectural style of the Italian Renaissance. A grand and glorious Five-Star resort, the façade resembles the 16th-century Villa Medici outside of Rome, and its cavernous lobby is designed after the Great Hall of the Palazzo Carrega Cataldi in Genoa. One could not write about Palm Beach without including Addison Mizner, whose Mediterranean/Spanish Colonial architecture had the most profound effect on what is today the style and look of Palm Beach. Perhaps the most famous landmark of all is Mar-a-Lago. Designed by Marion Sims Wyeth and Joseph Urban, it is now a private club and the Winter White House where President Donald Trump entertains national and international leaders. Originally built by cereal heiress, Marjorie Merriweather Post and her husband, Edward F. Hutton, Mar-a-Lago is positioned exactly where the Providencia washed ashore. Visitors to Palm Beach have typically been titans of business, commerce, and banking. Royalty has favored the island as well, with the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Heads of State from virtually every European and South American country. “Palm Beach was, and is, a magical scene; a bit of Spain, a dash of Morocco, a hint of Paris, a flourish of Hollywood, and something of exotic, jungle Florida as well.” *

*Madness Under the Royal Palms, Laurence Leamer