Connubia's Century of Italian Furniture Design

In the verdant hills of Manzano, in Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, lies the birthplace of a design philosophy that has quietly revolutionized contemporary living for a century. Connubia, the spirited contemporary soul of the venerable Calligaris brand, represents a remarkable synthesis of Italian artisanal heritage and forward-thinking innovation. This is furniture born not from the cold calculations of trend forecasting, but from the warm embrace of human connection—the simple, profound moments that unfold when friends and family gather around a table.

The Connubia story is fundamentally one of passions and ties, of bonds forged over shared meals and late-night conversations. It is a narrative woven through generations of master craftsmen who have passed their knowledge to promising young talents, each adding their voice to an ongoing dialogue between tradition and modernity. What distinguishes Connubia in the crowded landscape of contemporary furniture design is not merely aesthetic ambition, though that is abundant, but rather an authentic commitment to creating products that facilitate human connection while respecting the planet that hosts us all.

The brand's design language speaks in clear, functional forms where color becomes the primary vehicle for expressing vitality and personality. These are not pieces that demand attention through sculptural complexity or ostentatious detail. Instead, Connubia's chairs, tables, and occasional furnishings achieve their power through refined proportions, honest materiality, and an intuitive understanding of how people actually live. Each piece is conceived to adapt gracefully across diverse contexts—from intimate residential dining rooms to collaborative workspaces, from sun-drenched terraces to urban apartments where every centimeter counts.

Sustainability permeates every stage of Connubia's design and production process, not as marketing veneer but as operational imperative. The materials are carefully selected to meet rigorous quality and environmental standards, ensuring that beauty and longevity walk hand in hand with ecological responsibility. This commitment manifests in furniture that endures, pieces made to be cherished and passed down rather than discarded when fashions shift. It is design with consequence, furniture that understands its role in the circular economy and embraces it wholeheartedly.

The 2026 Connubia Furniture Collection

New Designs, Materials, and Durable Ceramic Tabletops

For 2026, Connubia unveils an extraordinary expansion of their furniture collection, introducing innovative table designs, sophisticated new upholstery materials, and an exclusive ceramic finish that redefines contemporary elegance. These additions demonstrate the brand's continued evolution while maintaining its essential character—furniture that brings people together in spaces of inspiration and warmth.

Giove Plus Elliptical Extending Table

Effortless Extension

The Giove Plus extending table represents Connubia's most sophisticated approach to adaptable dining. Available in a compact configuration measuring one hundred forty centimeters in length and ninety centimeters in width, this table transforms effortlessly to accommodate two hundred five centimeters when fully extended. What elevates Giove Plus beyond conventional extending tables is its ingenious automatic extension mechanism, which deploys both extension leaves simultaneously with remarkable ease. There is no wrestling with heavy panels or complex maneuvers—hospitality unfolds with the simple gesture of pulling the table ends apart.

The structural foundation combines a sleek metal base and frame in matt black finish with ceramic tops that showcase Connubia's material expertise. The Arenaria ceramic surface, rendered in its natural warm tone, captures the subtle beauty of sandstone with all the practical advantages of contemporary ceramic technology. The veining and tonal variations inherent to this finish ensure that each table possesses its own character while remaining impervious to heat, scratches, and the inevitable spills of daily life. For those seeking drama, the table is also available with the striking Noir Désir ceramic top, a deep charcoal surface shot through with ivory veining that evokes the timeless elegance of natural stone. The matching extension leaves maintain perfect continuity, ensuring visual coherence whether the table is hosting an intimate dinner for four or a celebratory gathering that spills across its full length.

The engineering is invisible but essential. The automatic mechanism operates with the smoothness that comes from precision manufacturing, while the metal frame provides unwavering stability even when fully extended. This is furniture designed for real life, where guests arrive unexpectedly and dinner parties expand organically, where the table must adapt without ceremony to whatever the evening demands.

Master Extending Dining Table

Sculptural Presence

Master redefines the extending table through an audacious structural approach that marries architectural ambition with practical function. The design features a dramatic splayed wood base that creates a sculptural presence beneath the tabletop, its angled legs suggesting movement and lightness despite the table's substantial proportions. Available at two hundred centimeters in closed position, Master extends to two hundred fifty and ultimately three hundred centimeters, accommodating intimate dinners through grand celebrations without compromising its elegant silhouette.

The semi-automatic extension mechanism employs a sophisticated butterfly system where extension leaves glide along precision guides, opening laterally from the table's center like wings unfurling. This side-opening approach is both visually compelling and functionally superior, maintaining the table's visual center line while distributing the extended surface with perfect symmetry. The movement is fluid and controlled, requiring minimal effort while conveying a sense of mechanical poetry.

Master offers extensive customization through its material palette. The base can be specified in matt hemp metal finish, a warm neutral that complements virtually any interior, while the ceramic top is available in the complete range of Connubia's ceramic offerings. The Arenaria finish brings earthy warmth and organic texture, its sandy tones and subtle variations suggesting the weathered beauty of natural stone. For spaces demanding more pronounced character, the table can be crowned with other ceramic expressions, each bringing its own narrative to the composition. The splayed leg geometry not only provides sculptural interest but ensures exceptional stability across all extended configurations, a crucial consideration when tables reach three meters in length and must support the weight of tableware, food, and animated conversation without the slightest wobble.

Victor Extendable Dining Table

Material Dialogue in Extended Form

Victor introduces a compelling study in material contrast, pairing the organic warmth of wood with the technical precision of ceramic. The table's defining characteristic is its beautiful material conversation—ashwood bases finished in matt black that create a striking counterpoint to ceramic tops in a spectrum of finishes. This is not wood attempting to mimic stone or ceramic trying to warm itself with faux grain. Instead, Victor celebrates each material's authentic character, allowing their natural differences to create visual and tactile interest.

Available in two distinct configurations, Victor offers both rectangular and elliptical tabletop shapes. The rectangular version is available at one hundred sixty and two hundred centimeters in closed position, extending to two hundred and ultimately two hundred forty centimeters in the smaller size, while the two hundred centimeter version expands to two hundred fifty and three hundred centimeters. The elliptical configurations measure one hundred sixty-five and two hundred centimeters when closed, extending through two intermediate positions to their maximum lengths. This oval-inspired geometry with its distinctive softened rectangular form creates a more organic footprint that facilitates conversation around the table while maintaining generous surface area.

The semi-automatic extension mechanism glides extension leaves along precision runners, allowing smooth transformation without the bulk and complexity of fully automatic systems. The ceramic tops are available in an extensive palette including the classic white marble effect, the warm and textural Arenaria, and the sophisticated Noir Désir with its dramatic veining. The ashwood base in matt black finish provides structural integrity while introducing the warmth and grain variation that only natural wood can offer. The marriage of these materials—cool ceramic meeting warm wood, industrial precision encountering organic growth patterns—creates furniture that feels simultaneously contemporary and timeless.

The frame design incorporates metal elements finished to complement the wood base, providing additional structural support while maintaining the table's clean lines. Whether specified with the geometric clarity of rectangular tops or the softer, more organic superellipse configuration, Victor demonstrates Connubia's ability to create furniture that adapts to diverse interior vocabularies while maintaining strong design identity.

P34C Arenaria Brown Ceramic

Earth Tones Reimagined

Connubia-P34C-Arenaria-Brown-Ceramic-Tabletop

Among the most significant introductions for 2026 is the Arenaria Brown ceramic finish, an exclusive material expression that brings unprecedented warmth to Connubia's ceramic table program. While the original Arenaria finish captured the subtle beauty of pale sandstone, Arenaria Brown explores richer, more saturated earth tones that evoke sun-baked clay and weathered terracotta. The finish demonstrates remarkable depth, with tonal variations and surface texture that shift subtly under changing light conditions, creating a dynamic surface that never feels flat or monotonous.

This new ceramic expression is now available across numerous table models in the Connubia collection, including the Master, Giove Plus, Duel, Ellisse, and Orion designs. Each application allows the material's character to shine while respecting the distinct design language of its host table. The ceramic surface offers all the practical advantages inherent to the material—resistance to scratching, heat, moisture, and staining—while delivering aesthetic richness typically associated with natural stone. Unlike stone, however, this ceramic requires no sealing, demands minimal maintenance, and maintains its appearance through years of daily use.

The Arenaria Brown finish pairs beautifully with the matt Lava metal finishes that appear throughout the collection, creating tonal harmonies that feel grounded and sophisticated. When combined with the new Harry faux leather upholstery in complementary earth tones like mud brown or tobacco, or with the Etienne fabric in rust brown, the effect is one of complete material coherence—an interior landscape where every element speaks the same warm, organic dialect.

New Connubia Upholstery Materials

Fabric Texture and Color in Contemporary Register

Connubia's 2026 collection introduces two significant upholstery additions that dramatically expand the brand's material palette: Etienne fabric and Harry faux leather. These new offerings are available through the Made to Order program, allowing extensive customization across much of the seating collection.

The Etienne fabric collection presents six sophisticated colors that span from neutral foundations to more assertive accents. Ivory offers the purity and lightness of undyed linen, while Sand provides a warmer, more grounded neutral that pairs effortlessly with wood and metal finishes. Taupe introduces subtle grey-brown complexity, a color that reads differently depending on surrounding materials and light conditions. Black delivers graphic clarity and formal presence, the essential anchor for contemporary interiors. Sage brings unexpected freshness, a grey-green that feels both natural and refined, while Rust Brown offers the warmth and richness of oxidized earth, a color that feels simultaneously vintage and thoroughly modern.

The fabric itself possesses a distinctive texture with dimensional character that catches light and creates visual interest even in monochromatic applications. The weave structure provides durability appropriate for contract and residential use while maintaining a soft, inviting hand that encourages touch. This is upholstery fabric that understands its role in furniture meant for human contact, balancing performance requirements with sensory appeal.

Harry faux leather introduces four carefully calibrated earth tones that demonstrate how far synthetic materials have evolved. Sand delivers clean, cool neutrality with subtle texture that suggests natural leather grain. Mud Brown offers richer, more saturated warmth with complex undertones that prevent it from reading flat. Slate Grey provides sophisticated darkness with blue-grey undertones, while Tobacco introduces the deepest, most luxurious tone in the collection, a brown that verges on dark chocolate while maintaining surprising warmth.

The Harry material demonstrates impressive technical achievement in its hand, drape, and visual authenticity. The surface texture convincingly mimics natural leather grain without attempting perfect simulation—it is honest about its synthetic nature while delivering aesthetic and tactile qualities that rival genuine leather. The material offers practical advantages including consistent color throughout each hide, improved stain resistance, and easier maintenance compared to natural leather, while avoiding the ethical concerns and environmental impact associated with animal products.

These new materials are available across an extensive roster of Connubia seating designs including the Betty chair with its gentle curved back, the Pad chair's minimalist profile, the Academy chair's academic precision, the sculptural Cozy with its embracing form, and numerous other models. The Made to Order program allows customers to specify these materials in combination with various metal finishes including matte black and the new matte Lava tone, creating customized seating that responds precisely to individual interior schemes.

The introduction of these upholstery materials represents more than simple line extension. It demonstrates Connubia's understanding that contemporary interiors increasingly favor natural, earthy palettes over the cool greys and clinical whites that dominated recent years. The warm tones, organic references, and textural richness of both Etienne and Harry respond to a cultural moment that values comfort, authenticity, and connection to natural materials—values that align perfectly with Connubia's fundamental design philosophy.

Together, these new ceramic finishes, innovative table designs, and expanded upholstery offerings create a collection of remarkable breadth and coherence. They provide designers and homeowners with the tools to create interiors that feel both contemporary and welcoming, spaces where the furniture quietly facilitates the essential human activities of gathering, sharing, and connecting. This is Connubia's enduring gift: furniture beautiful enough to deserve attention yet humble enough to step aside when life happens around it, pieces made to last not just physically but emotionally, designs that improve with years of use and memory. In an era of disposable goods and algorithmic design, this remains a genuinely radical proposition.

Shop the complete Connubial furniture collection at Trade Source with expert customer service and nationwide, white glove delivery available.

December 31, 2025 by Trade Source

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