The great Ydra – Vases with hydroriserva

An innovative collection created by Designer Sabrina Sguanci Baroni for Poggi Ugo terrecotte was presented in Milan during Fuori Salone 2024, as part of the UpTo Exhibition – “how far can you go…” held in the spaces of the Fabbrica del Vapore.

The exhibition, curated by Anty Pansera – founder of the Dcome Design association established to promote and disseminate women’s creativity, is an invitation to cross the boundaries of the traditional relationship between function, form and size of objects, pushing the limits of creativity and challenging conventions.

It is with these assumptions that Sabrina Sguanci Baroni has designed the Hydra – vases with hydroriserva collection: three manifesto, iconic and functional vases that aim – in the union of the earth/water binomial – to protect plant species, tested by the constant rise in temperatures.

Poggi Ugo terracotta is the perfect choice-given its natural porosity – for making these special pots used as allies of greenery, ideal for use in both indoor and outdoor spaces.

Sabrina Sguanci Baroni and Antonella Andrei collaborated in the creation of the three vases, starting with the modification of shapes already existing in the Poggi Ugo collection, to which the elements for the water reservoir were added: a reinterpretation of the “showers”-traditional terracotta components of the gutters used on roofs to convey rainwater since Roman times.

The complements of the Ydra collection are rigorously handmade by the master craftsmen of the Poggi Ugo kiln, in which each “tank” perfectly matches the profiles that characterize each shape, creating a perfect and harmonious aesthetic whole. In fact, the special morphology of the three vessels requires special care at each production stage, which is carried out using the traditional and original techniques that characterize the production of each Poggi Ugo-branded item.

The rediscovery of pre-industrial production and processing techniques –respectful of the environment in which they originated – is now  a very popular topic.
Words like sustainability, circularity, ecology, and recovery resonate from all sides.

In more than 100 years of activity, the Poggi Ugo Furnace has been carrying out working methods that cannot disregard the attention and regard for that earth-the clay of Impruneta-that is a fundamental component of its art.

The protagonists of this collection are:

Large Ydra Cono in which a cylinder inside the pot with an inclined cut accommodates the water reservoir, which, thanks to the porosity of the terracotta, gradually releases the right amount of moisture to the plant.

Large Ydra FIORE in which five water reservoirs are placed on the outside of the vase, drawing like petals around the ideal central corolla.

Large Ydra Quadro in which instead four half-cylinders placed on the outside of the vase draw water reservoirs.

The three pots in the Ydra collection emphasize the importance of resource economy by harnessing the natural properties of Impruneta clay that help maintain the right microclimate useful for vegetation and, thanks to their novel and functional design, recreate a controlled irrigation system.