‘Itaca’ collection/ Talenti.
By August, the garden has usually developed a hierarchy of its own: the good chair has become contested territory, the table is permanently covered in glasses and eating outside is a sacred rule. Talenti seems well aware of this seasonal shift, arriving with a collection designed for people who have no intention of returning to the living room just yet.
Created by Italian architect and designer Carlo Colombo, ‘Itaca’ is the latest addition to Talenti’s outdoor universe and a continuation of his relationship with the Umbrian furniture brand, following the woven Tressé collection. Where Tressé explored the geometry of the cube and intricate eco-leather bands, ‘Itaca’ takes a more expansive approach, borrowing its name and conceptual starting point from the homecoming of Odysseus – with extra points if Christopher Nolan’s recent take on the story has already put Ithaca back on your radar.
Fortunately, no one is expected to spend ten years at sea to get there. Colombo’s version of Ithaca begins with a series of modules that can be arranged, separated and reconfigured depending on how much space, company or lounging ambition is involved. The central idea is closer to an archipelago than a conventional three-seater: individual elements gather into larger compositions, which can then break apart again as needed.
‘Itaca’ collection/ Talenti.
‘Itaca’ collection/ Talenti.
Flexibility was central to the collection from the beginning. “We started from a structure, a very strong base of fairly generous dimensions, made entirely of wood, on which it was necessary to find details capable of attaching all the various elements,” Colombo explains. “The solution was to really work on this wonderful detail, namely a panel that comes and fits directly into the wooden structure.”
The modular sofa sits at the heart of the collection, built on substantial Accoya wood bases with generously proportioned cushions arranged above them. Rounded edges soften the structure, while interchangeable configurations allow the system to stretch from a relatively compact terrace arrangement to a considerably more ambitious outdoor lounge. Talenti currently offers the range alongside a three-seat sofa, pouf and swivel living armchair, meaning the collection can gradually take over the garden if given enough encouragement.
‘Itaca’ collection/ Talenti.
Materials are exceptionally good to ensure maximum comfort and luxurious look. The Accoya wood structure comes in honey-toned natural and rosewood-inspired finishes, paired with fabrics spanning softer neutrals through to mustard and green. Coffee and dining tables extend the same language through rounded wooden profiles and stone surfaces, with options referencing white Carrara marble and Titanium Travertine. The range includes several coffee-table formats, larger dining tables, dining chairs and even a sunbed, making ‘Itaca’ a fairly persuasive argument for never booking a table indoors again.
Colombo’s attention to construction continues throughout the collection. “Instead of making fabric panels or panels in other materials, we preferred to work with fairly rigid elements that at the same time are linked to the elegance and sophistication of the product, creating this collection, which remains solid and firmly anchored to the ground,” he says.
Talenti has also continued expanding the collection throughout 2026. ‘Itaca’ was among the brand’s new offerings at Maison&Objet in Paris at the beginning of the year, before appearing again during Milan Design Week, where the wider Talenti universe explored the increasingly open relationship between indoor and outdoor living. New lounge-height tables have since joined the family, further stretching the collection beyond the traditional idea of garden furniture.
‘Itaca’ collection/ Talenti.
That movement between categories reflects a broader direction for Talenti. Long established as an outdoor furniture specialist, the Italian company has increasingly approached exterior spaces with the same level of material consideration, comfort and flexibility traditionally reserved for interiors. ‘Itaca’ is perhaps one of the clearest expressions of that idea.
Summer might eventually end, although Talenti clearly prefers not to dwell on such unpleasant possibilities. Until then, Itaca offers plenty of ways to rearrange the furniture, extend lunch into dinner and turn the outdoor space into somewhere considerably harder to leave. After all, Odysseus had to travel across the Mediterranean to find his way home, but Carlo Colombo has made the journey considerably shorter.
Discover the ‘Itaca’ collection here.
photography. courtesy of Talenti
words. Gennaro Costanzo
