Raphia is the offspring of a research project into the use of materials and how they can be exploited as furnishings. It is the perfect convergence of modernity and tradition, of technology and craftsmanship. An oxymoron that brings together two of the spirits of production in Italy: the metal industry and the small timehonoured manufacturers of rattan and wicker products. The aim of the project is to lend a certain continuity to the tradition of crafting with rattan, one that stretches back to the beginning of the last century when the areas specialising in this craft saw schools and a culture revolving around this material thrive. Today, there remain very few firms which conserve the know-how of this trade, where manual skills and craftsmanship combine to insure that every creation is unique. Raphia embodies this history and tradition in a contemporary context, thanks to a harmonious balance between two materials: the metal structure is the base upon which the wicker and rattan are weaved to create the seating area.