Inspired by the Grand Canyon

Contemporary artist and designer Fernando Mastrangelo is popular for his use of conventional materials such as salt, coffee, sand, glass, and cement. But what does it do with this materials? Well, he builds the most wonderful pieces, combining fine art and modern design.

His work is a little contradictory: his pieces are rugged and refined, delicate and durable, functional and formal. His latest collection, Drift, takes inspiration from Patagonia and the Grand Canyon.

Drift is composed of a series of sculptural objects that are hand-dyed to resemble the blue tones of Patagonian glaciers. This is the first time Mastrangelo uses sand as his primary material, placing it in layers to create an ombre effect.

Our favorite piece is definitely the sofa featuring sand and silk velvet, because of the contrast of materials used. We are not sure if this is a functional piece, as it is not something we would see casually in a living room, but we love it anyway.

The collection also features stools and mirrors with stratified sand and steely glass. All the pieces in the Drift collection are hand-made and produced in small quantities, for obvious reasons. We would love to see them in person. They are the perfect example of art.