Raw-Edges
Carlo Apollo

Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay, from the design studio Raw-Edges, are in the Milan atelier of Carlo Apollo to discuss their joint project. Around them is a dazzling display of the inlay floors he creates for the world’s finest homes and palaces. Wood is his life’s passion; the material is “alive and noble.” But Apollo is preaching to the converted: Mer and Alkalay also love it. They have developed processes to dye, assemble and shape it into furniture and floors that reveal its grain and unique features. Still, they know that Apollo’s deep knowledge reflects his 40-year career and the masters before him, and have studied his work to see how to add their approach as designers. “When looking at Carlo’s work you understand the strength of repetition which creates a pattern,” says Mer. “We were thinking of alternative ways to create these and came to the idea of using two reflective surfaces that complete a circle.”

The three agree that the inlay for the cake tray they make must be cut by hand, and they decide on the color palette. The playful aspect of the project appeals to what Apollo calls his non-conformist creative vein, a claim perhaps backed up by the tattoos he reveals when he rolls up his sleeves. “Working together on a functional object has been a surprising and inspiring experience,” he says. “It’s been a change in my perspective and a shift in scale.” Says Mer: “Working with a wise artisan on a contemporary concept immediately adds depth to the project: you appreciate the past and you correspond with tradition.”