At Milan’s Opera House La Scala on the opening night of Salone del Mobile, Italian architect Piero Lissoni turned around and smiled, “Welcome to Milano”. With this same sentiment, I welcome you to our Milan issue, dedicated to Salone del Mobile and Milan Design Week 2023.
We enlisted design commentators Karen McCartney and David Harrison to compile their Milan highlights in a detailed report covering the best of colour, Brutalist forms, organic shapes, iconic designs, outdoor installations, the revival of glass and resin, and evocative materiality.
Next, we return to one of our first stops for the week, Nilufar Depot, where Karen speaks with inimitable gallerist Nina Yashar. At the same time, I speak with Milan’s leading design voices in 2023, including Salone del Mobile president Maria Porro, architects Patricia Urquiola and Elisa Ossino, and multidisciplinary designers Federica Biasi and Bethan Laura Wood.
We ask five Australian designers and creatives to share their favourite furniture, objects, and materials from the week and distil exceptional lighting from the biannual Euroluce at Salone del Mobile and beyond. Outside of Milan, multidisciplinary designers Draga & Aurel invite us to their Lake Como villa, providing a personal perspective on upcycling and using innovative materials.
We leave you with Milan Always, our definitive list of places and spaces in Milan to visit, eat, drink and be inspired by all year round.
We hope this issue gives you a sense of Milan’s “different attitudes, thoughts and emotions” while being a pertinent expression of sharing culture and enlarging the design conversation, as Patricia Urquiola says in her interview.
Sophie x
est TEAM
Editor
Sophie Lewis
Style & Copy Editor
Yvette Caprioglio
Visual Concept Designer
Jack Seedsman
Design, Sales & Marketing Coordinator
Emmy Ford
Graphic Design Assistant
Alessia Ferrarini
Features Writer
Holly Beadle
Product Editor
Brigitte Craig
Editorial, Social Media & Video Coordinator
Lidia Boniwell
Editorial & Multi-Media Assistant
India Curtain
Partnerships Editor
Megan Rawson
Advertising & Partnerships
Mandy Loftus-Hills | mandy@estliving.com
Astrid Saint-John | astrid@estliving.com
Deb Robertson | deb@estliving.com
Editorial Advisor
Karen McCartney
Managing Director
Miffy Coady
David Harrison, Karen McCartney, Sophie Lewis, Megan Rawson, Holly Beadle
Milan Design Week
Specified in feature
The Legendary Nina Yashar
Mattia Lotti, Ruy Teixeira, Filippo Pincolini
Five By Five
Dave Wheeler, Corrie Bond Photography, Mark Morffew Studios, supplied by Cult Design
My Space: Draga & Aurel
Helenio Barbetta
Design Voices
Jack Milenkovic, Jessica Soffiati, courtesy of Federica Biasi, Simon17, Agostino Osio, Valentina Sommariva, Alberto Strada
Let The Light In
Courtesy of Nilufar Gallery, courtesy of Cassina, courtesy of Baxter, courtesy of Vibia, Enric Badrinas, Andrea Ferrari, courtesy of DCW Editions, Enrico Costantini, courtesy of Cassina, courtesy of FLOS, Nathalie Krag, Davis Davids Sakne, Fiona Susanto, Haydn Cattach, Gianluca Bellomo, Gilbert McCarragher, courtesy of Gubi, courtesy of Tobias Grau, courtesy of Luceplan, Enrico Costantini, courtesy of Davidegroppi, courtesy of Viabizzuno, courtesy of Vibia, courtesy of Axolight, courtesy of Ambientec
Milano Sempre (Milan Always)
Courtesy of Bar Basso, Matteo Imbriani, Mattia Parodi, Delfino Sisto, Alberto Lagomaggiore, Willem-Dirk du Toit, DSL Studio, Adriano, Marco Introini, Craig Walls, courtesy of Bocci, courtesy of Porro, courtesy of The Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the metropolitan city of Milan, courtesy of QC Termemilano, Alberto Strada.
Back Cover
Matteo Imbriani
Sounds we pounded the pavement to LISTEN NOW >
“I wanted to understand Rakumba’s heritage and expertise, and also incorporate something uniquely Australian.”
Luca Nichetto
KAREN McCARTNEY & DAVID HARRISON
Photography Enrico Costantini
Milan Design Week 23, design commentators Karen McCartney and David Harrison hit the streets to crystallise the diversity of products, ideas and installations into 50 highlights across nine key themes.
Palazzo del Senato, Via Senato 10
An ethereal, ever-changing coloured sculpture by American artist Janet Echelman was called ‘Noli Timere’ (Don’t be Afraid). Shown at the Palazzo del Senato, the collaboration with Kohler heralded the launch of her new sink in the Artist Editions series called 18.02, derived from the molecular weight of water and showcasing her signature geometric line work.
Photography courtesy of Kohler
Stationed around the palazzo’s ancient stone cloister, this selling exhibition from luxury Spanish design house Loewe, took the humble stick chair as its central motif and, through the artistry of weavers and artisans, delivered avant-garde objects of colour and texture. Artistic interventions involving metal foil, shearling, raffia, felt and leather elevated these familiar chair typologies into genuine art forms.
Palazzo Isimbardi, Corso Monforte 35
Mexican design house davidpompa presented a bold, conceptual vision at Alcova, exploring the volcanic origin of their new collection. AmbraToba light sculptures are made out of volcanic dust and aluminium and deliver the contrast between porous textures and the smooth dark red surface of the metal. The installation, called StoneArchive, reflects the studio’s researchbased process and investigation with tall archival shelves filled with stones, folders and prototypes.
Viale Molise, 62
Alcova
Partners in life, Natalie du Pasquier and George Sowden, were founding members of the Memphis movement. More than 40 years later, they continue to deliver their unique vision of design - invariably involving colour, pattern, a certain naive charm and technical know-how.
44SPAZIO, Corso di Porta Nuova 44
Photography courtesy of Mutina
Du Pasquier’s graphic Mattonelle Margherita tiles for Mutina (left) formed the decorative signature of the venue’s courtyard, while Sowden showcased additions to the Shades collection in the form of portable lamps and pendant light fittings, where innovative LED electronics meet a playful combination of silicon rings and coloured metal components. These highly affordable lights can be put together in a variety of ways and the bulbs and batteries are easily replaced in the future to extend the product’s lifespan.
Young Italian brand Vero creates furniture and objects that exude youthful energy and design cred. An A-list of designers like Alex Proba, BIG-GAME, Lex Pott and Zaven is international in scope but together they have created a cohesive collection of objects and furniture for a new generation.
Photography Michela Locci
Resplendent in Diesel’s signature red tone, Moroso’s pop up in Milan’s premium fashion street, via della Spiga, takes a three-dimensional approach with the red furniture pieces inhabiting both a conventional floor position and climbing the walls. New pieces on display included Wood Wave, a collection of Scandinavian-inspired stacking chairs, stools and tables given an expressive Diesel twist.
Photography Leonardo Duggento
Under the new artistic direction of Fabio Calvi and Paolo Brambilla, Zanotta’s stand at Salone del Mobile was a summation of the brand’s ability to combine industrial processes with artistic flair and experimentation. Within the bright yellow perforated metal walls were several new products from Lanzavecchia+Wai, Zaven and mist-o, and also a room devoted to Sciangai 50 – released for the first time in multi-coloured form as originally sketched by De Pas, D’Urbino and Lomazzi in 1973.
Nestled within the glazed atrium of Circolo Filologico Milanese (1872)
Poltronova used mirrored tinsel to create a sinuous series of rooms for their Ultrafavola (Ultra Fairy Tale) installation. Showcasing iconic ‘70s furniture designs by Archizoom and Lella and Massimo Vignelli, the brand also launched four new rugs – all hand tufted by cc-tapis –including the Sofo rug, based on a ‘60s and ‘70s logo by Superstudio, shown paired with Ettore Sottsass’ statement Ultrafragola mirror.
“I FELT ENERGISED BY THE PROSPECT OF A NEW ADVENTURE. I HAVE LONG ADORED LIBERTY AND I KNEW THAT TOGETHER WE COULD CREATE SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL.”
– Federico Forquet
Ahead of Liberty London’s 150th anniversary, they have dug deep into their extensive archives and focused on the art movements of Futurism and Vorticism, collaborating with Federico Forquet – a courtier and interior designer now in his nineties – to develop an expansive range of fabrics across home and fashion. Painstaking research and creative endeavour has produced a truly remarkable range that speaks of the brand’s heritage and foresight.
Photography courtesy of Buccellati
Buccalleti HQ, Via Brisa
Iconic Memphis-era designer Michele De Lucchi has designed Rosso Maraviglia, a temporary facetted dome of mesh fabric for heritage jewellery brand Buccellati. This crown on the top of the Buccalleti HQ, a famous rationalist building built in 1919, houses an exhibition of silver and glass, curated by Federica Sala, which includes a botanical art installation by the artist Lily Kwong.
Salmistraro’s extreme use of colour and pattern was writ large across the entire Legami collection for Tai Ping Carpets. Six new hand-tufted rugs take inspiration from the human hand – both as a graphic device and as a universal symbol of human connection and exchange. One freeform, one circular and four rectangular shapes explore this concept in visually intoxicating ways.
Photography Beppe Brancato
The New Porro Milano Showroom, Via Visconti di Modrone 29
This year saw Porro move their flagship showroom to a new location. Left as a rough construction site, creative director Piero Lissoni channelled Bruno Munari’s research on colour and travels through time and space to deliver an immersive temporary installation with walls in layered images of red, green and blue. Cellophane glasses revealed past, present and future scenes across global cities. Linea, a collection of three new limited-edition pieces from Alessandro Mendini’s archive, stole the show.
Photography Maison Mouton Noir
Galerie Philia presented Desacralized featuring more than 20 designers in a deconsecrated church, never before used as an exhibition space. With white as the unifying theme, the tight curation ensured a singular sensibility, allowing drama through the monumental chandelier aptly named Cascades of Light by Italian design duo Morghen Studio; a Rick Owens chair with moose antler arm; Coquillages by Elsa Foulon (opposite) and Studio Henry Wilson with his Pagoda lamp.
Photography Dina Grinberg
Photography Maison Mouton Noir
Monolithic in nature but highly refined in practice, the FIVE x SEVEN series of five unique furniture pieces sees the Cologne-based furniture studio working with leading stone supplier SolidNature on a project that reuses stone off-cuts to create exciting one-off pieces. Drawing on the unique colour and veining qualities of seven marble types, the designers carefully selected part slabs from around the globe. Fifteen off-cuts were combined per design and carved on four sides to deliver a shape that reveals the beauty, richness and individuality of the stones selected.
Via Matteo Bandello , 14
Photography Marco Menghi
Placing the monolithic Cor lights, shaped from Roman travertine and standing up to 185 centimetres high, in a discrete, contained corner of the Alcova exhibition (in a dilapidated former abattoir), the six imposing totems owned the space. The Cor collection, meaning ‘heart’ in Latin fuses lighting and sculpture while highlighting the beauty of the natural material.
Fereday worked with Sam Henley from London-based studio Agglomerati, whose aim is to create functional objects in stone with an emphasis on innovative perspectives.
Hungarian designers Sára Kele and Anna Cserba are motivated by sustainability and localism. The Repeta series of objects (the name refers to circularity and repeat production) are made from recycled architectural debris and, in some cases, hard shells. Combined with pigments, the concrete objects develop an artistic edge as raw surfaces are juxtaposed with polished parts and layering provides complexity of colour.
Photography courtesy of Sarakele Studio
Via Matteo Bandello , 14
HENRYTIMI Showroom, Foro Buonaparte 52
A master at intersecting the raw and elemental with the polished and precise, HENRYTIMI showed a rigorous, monastic vision of material purity. Pieces were presented in staggered geometry, slabs of expressive travertine and furniture pieces that blur the line between utility and sculptural object.
Photography Gabriele Bortoluzzi
Frank Lloyd Wright x Yamagiwa
Spazio 31, Via Solferino 31
Set in an installation by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, Yamagiwa lamps showcased The Harmony of Form and Function. First designed in 1933 by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Taliesen 2 lighting systems series of illuminated rectangular boxes made of solid wood that act tree branches. Made in the Japanese craft tradition, the collection produced in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
Yamagiwa designed systems are a act like collection is Foundation.
Entitled Eileen Gray – Non Conformist Artist, this beautifully curated exhibition showcased the designer’s private artwork alongside ClassiCon’s production versions of her art-inspired, hand-knotted rugs and some of her iconic furniture pieces. Eileen Gray (1878-1976) understood how to translate painted watercolour designs into weaving templates and was a ground-breaking design force with a timeless and enduring vision, as this exhibition shows.
Via Solferino 44
Photography E Zamponi
Seven rooms in these ancient twin city gates were given over to the exquisite placement of Ingo Mauer lighting. At the entrance, the installation of a massive reflective sail floating above a 30-metre fluorescent-coloured platform was something of a show stopper, while inside, the stone arches hero-ed the lights in all their inventiveness and beauty – including Pic-a-Stic and Porca Miseria (left).
Photography Giuliano Koren
5VIE
Continuing the creative spirit of Henri Matisse, Maison Matisse collaborates with selected designers who embody the ‘philosophy of life marked by sharing, emotion, culture and generosity.’ Plugging directly into these sentiments is London-based designer Faye Toogood (pictured) whose Esquisses Collection across furniture, tables, rugs and blankets draws inspiration from the forms expressed in Matisse’s less well-known monochromatic drawings Dessins:Thémes et Variations (1943).
Photography DSL Studio Studio Nerino, Via Santa Marta 21Christophe Delcourt is a master of the confident gesture, as exhibited by his new Delcourt collection. A love of materials and craftmanship – particularly stone and wood – becomes expressive under his design eye displaying a certain refined Primitivism. Objects, be they large scale interlocking ceramics, a lacquered folding screen or a carved stone side table, have a quiet but assertive presence – hence less is always more.
Photography Francis Amiand
Ossino designed the light-filled Amini showroom has launched a new rug collection for the shapes and unexpected tufts of texture made chemicals in the dying or finishing. Less than grown under organic standards which is interlocking Honoré coffee
showroom in Via Borgogna in 2018. This year she brand called Ciclopi that expresses loose made from organic wool, and without the use of than two per cent of global sheep livestock are no small feat. Also featured is her clever coffee table for De Padova.
Showroom, Borgogna 7
Via Matteo Bandello , 14
Showing at Rossana Orlandi, Amsterdam-based designers Ruben de Rive Box and Golnar Roshan, Rive Roshan, presented a series of Freedom Vessels entitled Whirl,Turn,Rise and Spin. Placed in a mesmeric grouping representing, in their expressive feminine forms, the bravery of women defending their rights in Iran (Golnar has Iranian heritage), these vessels are a development from their previous 3D printed Sand in Motion collection.
Photography Marco MenghiUnder the creative direction of Sara Ricciardi, rug brand Karpeta and wallpaper brand Texturae have come together to create Camere, a series of dream-like surfaces where their synergies create an allencompassing world. Pictured is the Platanismo rug, inspired by plane trees, and on the wall, a paper of the same name, creating a scenographic backdrop.
Via Cappuccio, 5VIE
“The work for this collection, Telegram, was generated from the idea that we haven’t been to Nepal where the rugs are made. It reflects the process of design in that you think of an idea, then you send it over to the other side of the world, and somebody executes it. As a result, we thought Telegram was a way to break the glass mirror that makes us forget that there are humans involved: that there is the designer and then, importantly, there is somebody executing that design. The notion of the telegram is a message that you send far away; it’s brief, and you establish a connection.
This is a way of acknowledging the other side of the creative process. Of course, we are still the designer of the rugs; we still suggested that they could write the messages and guide the makers’ interventions.
You look at the rugs and you might like the colour and composition, and then you start wondering why am I seeing ‘Puff Daddy’ or some other word on the edges of the carpet? From that question, other questions arise in the user, such as ‘Who did it?’, ‘How was it made?’ and ‘Where was it made?’ It’s all about giving a voice to the maker. When you get closer, you see the mistakes in the wording and that makes them a bit ‘off’ but warm and real.
We like working with cctapis because they get the ideas immediately and although it sounds like a cliché, they are really passionate. You can work with a company and when you get your idea back, it can feel like something has been lost in translation. Instead, with cc-tapis, it’s the opposite, you give something, and you get something back that is better than what you thought. That is really special.”
Photography Alessandra Chemello
Bagni Misteriosi
Via Carlo Botta, 18
ISSUE #47
(Previous page) For Milan Design Week, Danish brand Gubi went all out with a series of installations curated by Marco Sammicheli in and around Milan’s Bagni Misteriosi with an indoor/outdoor theme of Under the Sun.
(This page) The Tropique dining chair, designed in the 1950s by Mathieu Mategot, is at home poolside and brings a playful, retro glamour with its delicate curved metal frame and striped sling.
Photography Jonathan Anders Hökklo
In its fifth year, Alcova, curated by Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima, was located in a former abattoir in Porta Vittoria. This dilapidated series of buildings and open-air vistas allowed for surprise and revelation as counterpoints were struck by over 90 designers within the context of graffiti and decay. Oh, and there was a Negroni fountain!
In the foreground is an exhibit Public Space with Private Intentions by Mira Bergh and Josefin Zachrisson.
Photography DSL Studio
Viale Molise, 62
Attending a tennis club is a little unusual during Milan Design Week, but when Cristina Celestino is the designer behind a major refit of a club’s interior it rapidly becomes a must-see. Designed by Giovanni Muzio in the 1920s, the classical pillars of Tennis Club Milano Bonacossa are now painted in Celestino’s signature muted tones with carpeting in a soft terracotta colour to match the clay courts outside. Custom-designed lounge chairs have arms that reference the weave of the net and upholstery in fluffy terry-towelling style-fabric.
Viale Romagna 58
Photography DePasquale+Maffini
Photography
The Terrace for the L’Appartamento show of six curated spaces in a once grand the 5Vie group of exhibitions and craftsmanship, Moniomi Designs took and style as they paired their signature all the while bringing the vibe of their
Photography
Via Cappuccio, 5VIE
show by Artemest was one of a series Milanese palazzo, showing as part of and installations. Celebrating Italian took the indoors out and mixed comfort signature bright colours with organic shapes, home town Miami to Milan.
Luca Argenton
Photography Salva Lopez
Previous page: Engineered by interior stylist Greta Cevenini and directed by creative agency Studio Blanco, the journey of moving through the historical Casa Manzoni involved soundscapes and exquisite flower installations. These sensory experiences supported the core experience of three brand new collections – Moos, Gem and Breeze – designed by Sebastian Herkner, as well as established pieces by Neri&Hu, Nendo, Luca Nichetto, Patrick Norguet, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Front, and many others.
Photography Salva Lopez
The retailer Spotti developed SEM (Spotti Edizioni Milano) as a creative outlet to commission new works from talented Italian designers. Initially this meant Elisa Ossino, Giacomo Moor and Mercanti Testa, but more recently Hannes Peer, Zaven and Mario Tsai Studio, and this year, Motta Architecture. For Milan Design Week, the new Néolithique collection was displayed in a historic Milanese apartment, dubbed Casa SEM, which provided the perfect backdrop for this highly crafted collection.
Casa Sem
Photography Giulio Ghirardi
Photography Luca Rotondo
Bringing designers, artisans and manufacturers together has been the core focus of Doppia Firma since the project was founded in 2016. Two of the standout works from this year’s show at the spectacular Palazzo Litta were the Super Model Twiggy chair by Chris Wolston, who worked with weaving artisan José Luis Álvarez from Colombia to create a charming form in rattan, and La Paresse by Victor Cadène made by Maison Thévenon from wood and hand-painted, printed linen.
Palazzo Litta
In keeping with their adventurous spirit, Edra chose an imposing 17th-century Milanese palazzo with highly ornate wall panels and ceiling frescos to showcase their collection. The Palazzo Durini Caproni di Taliedo was chosen for its original features and for its location in the heart of San Babila, home to Milan’s most important lighting and furniture showrooms. The spectacular architecture provides an inspiring backdrop to Edra’s powerfully individual approach to furniture design.
Edra Palazzo Durini
Photography Alessandro Moggi
Design Variations
The spiritual beauty of the famous marble, Verde Alpi, was highlighted in an installation called Vibrations:TheVoice of Matter by stone specialists Neutra. The way the monolithic bath rose out from the Verde Alpi floor appeared permanent, as if it had been there forever. The simplicity of the single object was a powerful expression of the enduring nature of stone.
Photography Ruy Teixeira
Palazzo Visconti
In an installation called OMPHALOS, meaning ‘the navel’, Studiopepe created a billowing evocative space with a sense of theatre and ritual. Partnering with a number of eminent brands, including Tacchini and Gallotti & Radice, Studiopepe have created an overall sense of neutrality and generosity of material akin to that of a sanctuary.
Photography Francesco Stelitano
This year, Hermès presented a lean, minimal scheme with a highly gridded construction in iron rod and concrete to provide a spare stage set for their new luxury homewares. This reductionist approach reflected the Hermès philosophy of “subtraction with effortless presence”. A clear example was the Ancelle d’Hermès, a timber framed chair with a leather sling by Cecile Manz. Bronze, glass and wool also featured in highly resolved artisanal pieces that speaks to the brand’s heritage.
Taking on a Milanese apartment, Ariake and Origin Made, together with rug company Sera Helsinki, embrace a quiet and ethical approach to daily life by working with smallscale producers with an emphasis on the value of raw materials. A strong sense of social responsibility is evident in the pieces – particularly the new Hikari cabinet by Staffan Holm Studio (Ariake), Sake tables by Note Design Studio (Ariake) and absolutely everything rug by Sera Helsinki.
Tacchini are to be applauded for their work with Formafantasma as showcased in their installation FLOCK, which explores new sustainable upholstery materials and processes – namely, an antique mattress production technique that uses surplus sheep’s wool, usually considered a waste product, and natural latex. As Tacchini notes, “Not all design revolutions are visible.”
Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi 7
Photography Andrea Ferrari
“The intent of The Art of Light is to explore the fundamental role of light within the domestic space: it illuminates rooms, reflects the chromatic variations of materials, surfaces and objects throughout the day”, Elle Decor Italia director Livia Peraldo Matton says. This show, put together by Studio Giuliano Andrea dell’Uva, in collaboration with Metis Lighting, explored how light amplified and intensified all it touched, as selected materials and surfaces responded to dramatically different lighting conditions.
Photography Foli Studio
Upping the scale for her Knitty chair, designer Nika Zupanc took inspiration from the micro to the macro; from small pieces of hand-knitted wool to the large ropes that tie ships to the shore. Available in 15 colours, the chair’s basket weave and super-sized footprint make sure comfort is front and centre of the design.
Salone dei Tessuti, Via San Gregorio 29
Started in 2013 by father and son duo Maurizio and Christian Mussati with the vision of preserving the skills and techniques of Venetian master glassmakers, WonderGlass has constantly pushed the boundaries of what is possible in the medium.
ABRAKADABRA, an installation within the theatrical Istituto dei Ciechi (Institute of the Blind) in central Milan, was, as the name suggests, a magical experience with new work by Bethan Laura Wood, Elena Salmistraro, Dan Yeffet, John Pawson, Tom Dixon, Elisa Ossino, studiopluz and Paul Cocksedge.
Photography Antonio Manago
Ossimori is a small collection of modular furniture designs, a bookcase, console and coffee table. Handcrafted in stratified Murano glass, the pieces also incorporate wood and enamelled copper. Designed by Luca De Bona and Dario
De Meo of Debonademeo, the gridlike structures change dramatically as they are viewed from different angles, with the layers of glass building to add greater densities.
Circolo Filologico Milanese, Via Clerici 10 Photography Serena Eller VainicherCreating a constant array of inspiring works made purely from glass is no easy feat but Glas Italia once again dazzled with their latest offerings. The ROBOTIN coffee and console tables by Patricia Urquiola are made from double-sided mirrored glass with a repeating circular pattern sandwiched in between. The furniture has a spectacular visual lightness from the front but is extremely graphic when viewed from other angles.
Photography Enrico Costantini
Draga & Aurel revealed a collection of coloured resin lighting and furniture at the gallery of Rosanna Orlandi. Contrary to the complexity of their production, the Ray pendant lights and Baia coffee tables are simple, elemental forms. Layers of epoxy resin create a sense of overlapping colour which changes depending on the angle you view the pieces from, while polishing enhances their luminosity to produce an intensity of colour.
Photography Riccardo Gasperoni
Via Matteo Bandello, 14
Giving herself creative permission to have ‘unfettered freedom’, Lindsey Adelman launched LaLAB so that ‘fantasy work’ could emerge. These lights cross creative boundaries presenting as mobile sculptures, suspended art works where object and structure are held in a tentative balance and there is playful, ‘found object’ quality to the lighting components.
Photography Matteo Imbriani
British brand Ochre showed a new collection of naturally dyed rugs Ochre Wild that slides perfectly into their existing aesthetic where crafted pieces in moody tones contribute to rich, layered interiors with a sense of permanence. Handmade in Bengal using centuries-old techniques, these deep painterly colours deserve to be on the wall as much as on the floor.
Photography courtesy of Ochre
Via Matteo Bandello , 14
Rosanna Orlandi Galleria
Always the ‘Accidental Expressionist’, Martyn Thompson’s range of wallpapers and wall lights in collaboration with Italian brand Fabscarte is inspired by the random patterns on the surface of the moon. The wall lights in Midnight Moon Dust are mounted on a brass fan-shaped frame and the 3-D effects are achieved by the application, by hand, of dustings of copper powder.
Photography Qianyin Tan
Viale Molise, 62
Dimore Studio’s Silence exhibition is a journey through onlooker is a voyeur, peering through ragged holes unfold: exquisite sets where something – perhaps
Dimore Studio Via Sammartini
Photography
through a number of elaborate vignettes where the holes in the wall. A series of staged scenographies perhaps slightly eerie – is waiting to happen.
Studio Centrale, Sammartini 63
Majestic Nina Yashar in her signature style of bold colour and flamboyant turban. She sits, naturally, in a vintage Franco Albini lounge chair – the Ca832 designed for Cassina in 1946. Albini is a designer she has championed, creating awareness of his genius, and imbuing his pieces with a highly collectible status.
Photography Mattia Lotti
To set the scene. Nilufar Depot is a cavernous, former warehouse in an industrial part of Milan, reimagined as a showroom and exhibition space by architect Massimiliano Locatelli who used the Teatro alla Scala opera house concept as the genesis of his scheme. Think scale, theatre, lighting and sweeping curtains married with creativity and desire.
The internal volume is vast, with 1500 square metres of display space including, a ground-floor atrium for gallery-style exhibits and three tiers of open box-like rooms. Like all ventures by gallerist Nina Yashar, Nilufar Depot, which opened in 2015, illustrates how she is undaunted, backing ambitious projects that have come to define her significant presence on the global design stage in driving the concept of collectible design. In the past she has described her career progress as ‘ant-like’, but then there are more gazellelike moments where she takes brave and momentous leaps.
Pieces by design icons such as Osvaldo Borsani, Charlotte Perriand and Lina Bo Bardi sit alongside a wide range of contemporary talents – many of whom she identifies early in their careers and continues to support, such as artist Audrey Large and designer Bethan Laura Wood. In these installations, pieces speak to each other through a dialogue of rhythm, form, colour and materiality, despite their apparent lack of connection. Somehow, even when they jar, they also gel.
Poikilos: new forms of iridescence by Objects of Common Interest was shown at Nilufar Depot. Through an encounter with a passionate resin expert Ovidiu Colea – who created ‘secret recipes’– Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis gained that knowledge when Ovidiu retired. These ethereal pieces are the result of his explorations. Trapezion, dining table and Afairesi, a console on the right.
Photography Ruy Teixeira
Photography Ruy Teixeira
On the Sunday before the official opening of Milan Design Week, Nilufar Depot, and its sibling space Nilufar Gallery in Via della Spiga, present The Bright Side of Design, and open with a show called Poikilos: New Forms of Iridescence by New York-Athens-based designers Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis of Objects of Common Interest. Co-curated by Nina Yashar and Studio Vedèt, these mesmeric cast acrylic pieces – from sculptural vases to coffee tables – take on a shimmering white presence throughout the space, enhanced by bursts of rainbow lighting spilling from carefully placed refractors on the windows.
“My professional life is defined by curiosity,” she says. “The search for new things, new talents, meeting challenges and making discoveries – this is what feeds my soul.”
Indeed this combination of curiosity, married with instinctively knowing what has design merit and backing it with intuition, has served her well. She started selling antique carpets with her father and on a buying trip to New York, she became aware of Swedish rug designer Märta Måås – Fjetterström – and, loving what she saw, flew to Stockholm.. She not only bought the rugs but, after a visit to a warehouse full of 1950s and 1960s Alvar Aalto and Hans Wegner furniture, three containers were also bought and shipped back to Milan. Her first exhibition, Swedish Rugs and Scandinavian Furniture (1998) followed and the dialogue between rugs and threedimensional furniture pieces – that we now see as full-blown – had its genesis here.
“You know, I think I was very lucky starting with carpet because, without carpets, I couldn’t give the ambience to the spaces and experience the kind of harmony they provide. Because if I showed you some spaces without carpet, they would be completely different; ugly, dead, even. There is a lack of energy and soul, as rugs really serve to connect everything, and you build the scenography from the floor up,” she says.
As a visitor, it is possible to wander around the series of room vignettes or scenographies. They appear logical and magical simultaneously – you marvel at the creative audacity while acknowledging their ‘rightness’. It is a fine line and is often hard-won.
Yashar tells the story of a particular ‘room’ and the creative debate around the combination of the wall and carpet colour (brown), the trial and error, the micro-movements, the shifting of a chandelier to a less logical but more impactful arrangement. Her ‘eye’ is always in, and she likes to find a quick solution while also acknowledging and encouraging her staff the need to experiment.
“MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE IS
CURIOSITY...
Photography Filippo Pincolini
Previous page: Fabric, art and rugs provide a rich context for the Gal Gaon Macaron armchair, Nilufar Open Editions. This page: a typical setting at Nilufar Depot showcasing the work of Beirut-based designers David/Nicolas whose ‘retro-futurist’ Orient armchairs can be arranged as a modular sofa.
Photography Filippo Pincolini
This page: Columnae is a set of four different cabinets by Filippo Carandini where each piece is hand-painted by the designer, layering acrylic paint in a variety of tones. A final high-gloss coat protects the surface and deepens the colour. Opposite page: an example of Lola Montes Schnabel’s ceramic artichoke-shaped candle holders.
Photography Filippo Pincolini
As a strong-willed and experienced curator, she also tries to find the balance between her view and that of the creator. “I have my point of view, but I am not God, so I always try to be open to the discussion as they must be happy too.” As a lightning rod for the success of designers, she receives requests to collaborate daily. What, I ask her, sparks her interest?
“First, I need to like the object. But, I absolutely need to connect with the person – there is so much constant interaction. For me it is never just a ‘one shot’, it is about building a relationship and a career for them,” she says.
When she talks about working with artist Lola Montes Schnabel, it is a relationship of mutual respect. Schnabel learnt ceramics in Sicily and is showing a series of artichoke candle-holder sculptures in beautiful coloured glazes. Yashar is clearly delighted to work with someone who, as a painter and film maker, takes the art of scenography in her stride. This alignment of the work and the person is something that clearly makes her happy.
Now, as we sit in the magnitude of Nilufar Depot, she admits, “I don’t like ‘little’. When I had the chance to open the Depot it became a sort of continuous party for me because here I have the possibility to express myself through so many projects and, as you can see, I like to do many projects,” she says. And that is, undeniably, an understatement.
THE INTERNAL VOLUME IS VAST, WITH 1500 SQUARE METRES OF DISPLAY SPACE INCLUDING A GROUND FLOOR ATRIUM FOR GALLERY-STYLE EXHIBITS.
Photography Ruy Teixeira
The interior architecture illustrates the concept of ‘gallery meets theatre’ in this photograph capturing the central zone of the ground floor of Nilufar Depot with Objects of Common Interest’s exhibition Poikilos: new forms of iridescence centre stage.
As one of the most authentic representations of ‘Made in Italy’, Maxalto is revered for its deep respect for craftsmanship and Italian heritage. The effortless blending of innovation, sophistication, and functionality are at the core of every collection, and their 2023 Salone del Mobile stand was a testament to the brand’s ongoing commitment to understated yet refined furniture.
WORDS Megan Rawson PHOTOGRAPHY courtesy of Maxalto
Pictured: Arbiter sofa, Elios small table, Mida storage units, Intoto console, Lithos ottomans, Riso carpet.
To conceive their stand Maxalto turned to Antonio Citterio, one of Italy’s greatest contemporary designers, whose concept of a gallery was formed by a series of separate rooms. Softly illuminated by high walls constructed of rice paper, where the brand’s most iconic products held a delicate dialogue alongside fine objects and works of art. The exhibition reflected restrained Japanese beauty, complete with a soft colour palette, clean lines and harmonious proportions.
Guests to Salone were drawn into the unifying fusion of contemporary and classic design elements, where every element, from the upholstery to the woodwork, embodied a sense of mastery that elevated the overall aesthetic. In line with the growing emphasis on sustainability in design, Maxalto’s Salone stand also highlighted its pledge to responsible production practices. The collection featured eco-friendly materials, including responsibly-sourced wood and recycled fabrics, demonstrating that elegance and sustainability can coexist, inspiring visitors to make conscious choices toward a better future.
Through a future-focused lens, Maxalto looked to the past for inspiration and presented an evolution of pieces within each ‘room’. As well as relaunching their original 1970s logo, they unveiled new pieces which reflected on their Italian heritage, including the curved form of the Tesaurus cabinetry, embossed with the 1970s logo as a repeated pattern taking over the entire glossy surface. Other standout pieces included the Arbiter; a modular seating system with extra-large measurements and oversized cushions, and the geometric shape of the newly-released Caratos chair, an iteration of Antonio’s original design recast in an array of earthy tones.
Beyond infusing his artistic vision into the stand concept, Citterio’s role at Maxalto is both longstanding and instrumental in creating a space and collection that epitomises the brand’s philosophy of meticulous attention to detail and deep respect for traditional craftsmanship.
Pictured: Alcova bed, Caratos bench, Caratos armchair, Intervallum ottoman, Sidus writing desk, Riso carpet.
Ten years, ten creatives, ten stories; Milan Design Week this year marked the anniversary of GUBI’s beloved Beetle chair and its enduring popularity, which is a testament to its exceptional design and craftsmanship. est living was fortunate to visit GUBI at Bagni Misteriosi in partnership with In Good Company; Australia’s premium design destination.
A symbol of contemporary elegance and a staple furniture piece in both residential and commercial interiors around the world, the Beetle chair has become an instantly-recognisable form.
Designed by the Danish-Italian duo GamFratesi, the Beetle draws inspiration from the curved shape and structure of the humble beetle with its distinctive shellshaped backrest and slender yet sturdy legs. Illuminating the meeting point between comfort, aesthetics, and functionality ensured the Beetle chair became an instant classic.
First launched at Milan Design Week in 2013, it seemed only fitting that after watching the Beetle take flight across the world, Milan Design Week 2023 would provide the platform to expand upon the Beetle’s legacy and showcase its permanent appeal while exploring new creative possibilities and expanding design frontiers.
Living the Horizon installation by lighting designer Ximena Muñoz inspired by the Beetle chair (pictured).
WORDS Megan Rawson
Real Beetle in Epoxy designed by Frank Maria.
A diverse group of creatives were called on to pay homage to a chair that has cemented itself in our collective imagination. Ten personalities from the worlds of fashion, art, architecture and music were invited to take part in this cultural project with a brief to investigate and respond to the future potential of the Beetle chair. By blurring the lines between material, colour, form and function, designers paid tribute to the Beetle’s original design while reimagining its place in contemporary interiors.
Danish Fashion Designer Simon Wick offered up (d)issected Beetle, reusing GUBI’s textiles offcuts and waste materials to reconstruct the Beetle’s unique silhouette. Viennese artist Frank Maria’s soft pink Real Beetle in Epoxy reinterprets the Beetle as an archaeological sculpture adorned with original designs. Bangkok architect Rachaporn Choochuey was inspired by the climate, traditions and culture of Asia and presented her playful Flying Beetle’s as a suspended swing, while Milanese Sound Designer Painé Cuadrelli’s Metamorfosi presents an immersive audio-visual installation depicting the evolution of the Beetle
Demonstrating the versatile shape of design to include artistic embellishments, colourful expressions, materiality and sculptural explorations – all ten iterations of the Beetle chair personify the design world’s ongoing fascination with this iconic piece and the influence it holds today. As we look to the future, the Beetle chair’s legacy will continue to inspire and shape the world of furniture design for years to come, solidifying its place in the pantheon of design classics.
EXPERIENCE THE TEN BEYOND THE BEETLE EXHIBITION >
A Brief History of Seating artwork series designed by Martin Groch.
Oca chair designed by Arthur Arbesser.
Five Australian designers and creatives share what things caught their eye in Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile 2023.
Decus managing director and founder Alexandra Donohoe says SEM’s Casa SEM was a standout at Milan Design Week – with the Nuvola armchair by Hannes Peer “summing it up perfectly”. “Visually interesting, comfortable, and versatile – it converts to a three-seater with ease,” she says. “I predict a classic in the making.”
The designer also rediscovered the Siecha Zenu rug by Jorge Lizarazo for Hechizoo at the Nilufar Depot opening party. “The rug is woven from mixed metals and so unexpected underfoot,” she says. “I’m drawn to things that challenge the status quo, particularly from a materiality perspective.” When it came to lighting, Alexandra says the cast glass featured in the Folio wall lights by Barconcelli beckoned you to touch them. “On one side, smooth and glassy like a still lake, on the other, gently undulating.”
FOLIO WALL LIGHT Barconcelli
Rossana Orlandi Galeria
NUVOLA ARMCHAIR Hannes Peer
Casa SEM
TRAPEZION DINING TABLE Objects of Common Interest Nilufar Depot
ALFABETO SET OF WHITE + PURPLE TILES
Margherita Rui for Ninefifty Artemest
Siecha Zenu Rug
Jorge Lizarazo for Hechizoo Nilufar Depot
Founder Studio CD
Stylist and Studio CD founder Claire Delmar enjoyed seeing the more than 100-year-old vintage rug displayed in Hannes Peer’s exhibit at Campo Base, combined with a selection of new pieces. “It really cemented my long-standing relationship with vintage and how much it elevates an interior,” she says.
Claire saw Tobia Scarpa’s Dialogo chairs, originally designed 50 years ago and reproduced by Tacchini this year, as chairs you’ll cherish for a lifetime. Meeting with designer Marta Sala was also a highlight from the week. “It was an honour to hear Marta’s enthusiasm and how her wealth of knowledge and family background has shaped her incredible works.”
Cult Design visual merchandise manager Dione Glisovic favoured classic design objects and furniture at this year’s fair, such as the Model 925 chair by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, re-released by Karakter, originally designed in 1966. “I loved this solidlooking armchair – it took me back to my childhood.”
The Homage to Mondrian cabinet by Shiro Kuramata for Capellini was also “very special”. “To be able to walk through and see his towering beautiful pieces in real life was amazing,” she adds.
Cult Design Visual Merchandise Manager
Photography courtesy of Cult Design
COLOUR-GRADUATED STONE TABLE Sabine Marcelis for Beyond the Surface, SolidNature
Hub Furniture and The Front Room founder and director Jaci Foti-Lowe says davidpompa’s lighting on display at Alcova revealed a unique story of time and place crafted from Mexican volcanic stone. “To see the ancient stone utilised in small-scale production by local designers and makers revealed a beautiful juxtaposition,” she says.
Jaci admired the skilled stonework demonstrated with Edition Milano’s Versilia green vase and the intriguing, organic form of Belgian designer Ann Van Hoey’s pieces for when objects work. The Cinnamon armchair designed by Naoto Fukasawa attracted Jaci’s attention at Molteni & C for its extrication of intricacies to prioritise form. “Fukasawa was adamant the design should have limited seams, so Molteni developed fabrics especially to wrap and hug the round shapes.”
Photography Mark Morffew Studios
Founder Hub Furniture & The Front Room
Product Designer
Product designer Marlo Lyda was pleased to see sustainable materials in the limelight as part of a colourful, textural display with Habitarematerials by Nemo Architects at Alcova. “It acts as a reminder to the design community that sustainable materials are not a niche,” she says. The material used in Forest Bank by Yuma Kano Furniture presented at Alcova also had “a wonderful romance to it, archival and connected to place”.
Marlo describes the IOTA table lamp by DCW Éditions as almost neo-classical in its form, giving a big impression with few material choices. The Peach lounge chair by Annabella Hevesi for LINE AND ROUND at Alcova stood out for its interesting use of metal 3D printing. “It was an exceptional design, with its metal 3D-printed chair frame and wonderful, almost avant-garde, upholstery fixing detail. It was comfortable too!”
Photography Peter Van Alphen
.1Brionvega turned heads with the re-edition of the Radiofonografo – this time, in a striking shade of blue. Originally designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in the 1960s, the Radiofonografo fast became a beloved icon of Italian design, combining highquality audio and eye-catching charm. In reimagining the piece, the brand paid homage to the past while looking toward a bright and modern future.
WORDS Holly Beadle
PHOTOGRAPHY Courtesy of Living Edge
Discover six brands from Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile 2023 that have captured a collective impulse toward the future of design. While some designers are reimagining the past or honouring old traditions, others are pushing the boundaries and exploring new possibilities. Some are trying their hand at both. Both attitudes were woven into the fabric of this year’s fair, offering a different perspective on colour, materiality, and form.
Muuto
founders Josephine
Elisa Ossino to present an immersive exhibition across their Brera apartment. The purpose of the exhibition was to investigate how colour, form, and tactility impact both our psyche and our perception of space.
Made in Ratio, led by creative director Brodie Neill, celebrated a decade of the brand through an installation called Era. To mark the milestone, the brand showcased ten seating pieces in the form of a single monolithic sculpture. Signature pieces like the Cowrie and Alpha chairs stood alongside never-before-seen experimental prototypes.
4.e15 presented new designs by David Chipperfield as well as by Philipp Mainzer and Annabelle Klute, alongside a curated collection of textiles in collaboration with Dedar. The KAISA, available in black, mirrored, and brown glass, is inspired by Art Deco jewellery and industrial glass developments of the time, while the HEIJI, available in bright orange, cream, and black, takes inspiration from simple and essential Japanese forms.
Following the success of her Inky Dhow collection launch at last year’s fair, Bethan Gray continued with this patterned theme. This time, exploring striking new colourways of timber veneer. The showcase, which took place at the Rossana Orlandi Gallery, featured new pieces such as the 2+2 Inky Dhow cabinet in red and wine and the Inky Dhow desk in oak and charcoal. Each veneer strip is hand-dyed and individually placed.
Among several incredible new designs, Tom Dixon launched a brand new category of lighting. The new Portables collection consists of the Melt (pictured), Stone and Bell. The highly compact, rechargeable lights are destined to become favoured worldwide for their convenience, expressive materiality, and accessibility. The Tank decanter in a new green finish is also pictured.
DRAGA OBRADOVIC AND AUREL K. BASEDOW, WHO TOGETHER FORM MULTIDISCIPLINARY DESIGN STUDIO DRAGA & AUREL, TAKE EST THROUGH THEIR EXPRESSIVE, MATERIALRICH APARTMENT IN COMO.
raga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow made their debut at Milan Design Week in 2009 with a ground-breaking collection of upcycled furniture and objects, garnering the attention of some of the world’s biggest brands. Since then, the Como-based design duo have cemented themselves as pioneers in reinterpreting vintage items.
In 2019, the couple launched their Transparency Matters collection in Milan, which explores the use of transparent materials in art and design. Drawing inspiration from Space Age design and optical art, the collection is entirely fabricated by hand in their Como studio and is marked by revolutionary approaches to coloured resin, cast glass and metal.
The omnipresence of Draga & Aurel at this year’s fair, where they presented works across multiple locations and collaborated with a number of brands, made them one of the protagonists of the week. The couple’s exhibition at Rossana Orlandi Gallery, which saw their fascination with transparency and colour manifest in experimental furniture and lighting pieces, was particularly memorable.
When Draga and Aurel aren’t making waves in Milan or travelling the world looking for new pieces to reinvent, they’re spending most of their time in the Italian city of Como, where their home and studio is located. We had the pleasure of speaking with the couple about their home, which is located on the same street as their studio inside a 1900s Art Nouveau villa.
For Draga and Aurel, living and working in Como has been a source of both inspiration and knowledge. “Como has a mix of everything; it’s a beautiful city full of history, not to mention the surrounding green hills and mountains, and of course the lake,” Draga says.
Draga and Aurel’s home is a place where they can express themselves through furniture, art, objects and materiality. Their dining room features a mix of vintage pieces reimagined through the lens of Draga & Aurel; the metal-framed Pantonova chairs are part of their Heritage collection; the Reverso partition screens, made of cast resin and brass, are part of their Transparency Matters collection; the brass-coated Rafiki bookcase is a collaboration with Baxter. The artworks are by Aurel.
‘Cosy’, ‘stylish’ and ‘very Draga & Aurel’ are the three words Aurel would use to describe their home; “It really reflects who we are.” When the couple first encountered the “remarkably quiet” home, they immediately fell in love with its original Pitch Pine floors and large windows, as well as its location right near the lake.
“Our home is a place where we can express ourselves,” Draga says. “It is a place of intimacy and healthy solitude, but also a place to meet our closest friends and family.” The home’s palette comprises a mix of neutral colours and bold accents to create a relaxed yet lively atmosphere. Furniture, objects and lighting designed by the couple complement artworks painted by Aurel. “These are paintings that we would never want to sell because they are too personal,” she says.
The apartment is also a reflection of Draga and Aurel’s penchant for upcycling vintage furniture, with pieces sourced from all over the world, reimagined using innovative materials and techniques. “You can tell it’s a home that belongs to very curious people who love to search, discover and marvel at life,” Aurel says. “It embodies our idea of beauty; it’s a creative mix of vintage and contemporary, and every object has a meaning or a memory.”
Draga and Aurel’s living room features pieces from their Transparency Matters collection – the Joy wall lamp and Agatha coffee table – as well as the Victor sofa which they designed for Baxter, Pattern Mix 5 rug which Draga designed for Battilossi, and artworks by Aurel. The Joy wall lamp is one of Draga and Aurel’s favourite pieces in their home.
“The lamps are inspired by the 1970s and the Space Age and are a pop of colour in the space,” Aurel says. The lights’ deep hues are a result of combining layers of coloured epoxy resin.
Draga and Aurel’s study features pieces from their Transparency Matters collection – the Jade coffee table and Maree desk – as well as the Fat chair designed by Tom Dixon for Cappellini.
Draga and Aurel’s home is located in the Italian city of Como, overlooking the famous Lake Como. The pair say the lake is a constant source of inspiration for their work, with its shifting colours and reflections, and the calming energy it exudes.
“IT EMBODIES OUR IDEA OF BEAUTY; IT’S A CREATIVE MIX OF VINTAGE AND CONTEMPORARY, AND EVERY OBJECT HAS A MEANING OR A MEMORY.”
– AUREL K. BASEDOW
Italian designer Paola Lenti is a master colourist, coverings out of traditional yarns and high-tech as landscapes, destined for both indoor and shaped a new landscape, presenting recently and re-editioned
colourist, crafting bold furniture and floor high-tech textiles. She conceives her pieces and outdoor use. This year in Milan, Paola recently developed pieces alongside iconic re-editioned designs.
A veteran of the fair, the designer was on the lookout for a new space – somewhere integrated into the urban fabric, open to the city and surrounded by greenery. “I wanted a lively place that made people feel good,” she says, adding, “and was a positive oasis for Milan.” This led the designer to a former industrial building just outside the city centre. In an abandoned state, the space reflects the tension between past and present – something that Paola has become increasingly fascinated with since launching her brand in 1994. She considers this year, 2023, to be a fork in the road, where as a designer, one can either choose to respectfully reinterpret the past or maintain a strong creative impulse towards the future. In pursuit of the latter, she consistently looks for sustainable ways to manufacture her pieces, particularly for outdoor spaces.
This year, Paola Lenti celebrated 25 years of collaboration with Francesco Rota, the Milanese designer with whom the brand released their first indoor seating pieces in 1998. Over the years, the collaboration has given life to pieces that are highly recognisable – pieces like the iconic Linea and Wave chaise lounges, designed for indoor and outdoor use, respectively. On her long-standing partnership and friendship with Francesco, Paola says, “We both take a similar approach to creativity and quality. We follow our intuitions, not the trends.”
SEE
Photography Alberto Strada
You are the president of Salone del Mobile and you are also the marketing and communications director of your heritage family design brand Porro. How do you juggle both hats as an event organiser and brand leader?
I try my best, as I always have in everything I’ve started or have been involved in. I like challenges!
I can do both because I have a good network helping me at Salone del Mobile, Milano or Porro. Luckily, in the family as well. I strongly believe in teamwork, which is essential. We share the obsession for quality both at Salone and in my company.
You can recall attending Salone as a child with your grandfather at its former location. What’s your earliest memory of the fair?
It was always a great moment to go to Salone. I remember that my mother dressed me in a nice dress – it was like going to a party. I remember the thousands of people from all around the world. I also remember the escalator – there was a long one, and for me, it was amazing going on it – in addition to the amazing settings by all the companies.
Your formal training is in set design, having studied at the Brera Academy in Milan. How does your stage design and event management background influence how your approach to Salone del Mobile?
All your previous work experiences are like small bricks stacked one on the other to build something new. For example, creating a theatrical set or organising an Olympics opening ceremony is engaging because it brings many people together with different roles and skills who work in unison towards a single goal. I find this approach in my company at Porro and also at Salone del Mobile.Milano there is the same situation and feeling: a team working in different departments for one goal: the opening of it.
We’re interested in the evolution of the Salone and how you have questioned and redesigned the trade fair model in 2023. Why did you revise the exhibition format to be a single exhibition level?
After these past unusual years, we started asking ourselves what the new role of the Salone should be and where to begin redesigning its evolution. We worked a lot on shaping the suggestions and visions that have emerged over the last few years. We listened to the needs of exhibitors and visitors, holding more than 2,300 interviews and themed work groups. Consequently, we created an exhibition on one level to facilitate the flow and improve the visitor experience by optimising the time.
You also conceived a new layout for the biennial lighting Euroluce, moving from a stand-centric design to something more organic. How did this new vision for Euroluce foster interaction, connection and creativity?
Euroluce, the biennial devoted to the lighting world, returned after four years with a lighting world markedly changed over the past few years.
Therefore, to keep up with these changes, we needed to give it a new ‘life’ by rethinking the exhibition layout considering the needs of companies and visitors. The inspiration stemmed from the spatiality of Italian urban centres resulting in an irregular, fluid and free circular route. Therefore, rather than being stand-centric, the layout was human-centric.
We entrusted the Milanese architecture and engineering studio Lombardini22 to create the increasingly engaging and contemporary business platform. The result ensured better connections between the four pavilions. It simplified the visitor path, making it more fluid and easy to navigate while increasing exhibitor visibility, guaranteeing enough space for everyone.
In addition, we integrated the spaces for companies with interdisciplinary cultural content connected with the relationship between light, architecture, art and science.
She is also head of marketing and communications at her family’s historic Italian furniture brand, Porro.
What was the role of ‘interdisciplinary and experiential content’ such as art, architecture and science in Euroluce this year?
The City of Lights was the concept and the common thread running through Euroluce. The power of imagination and concrete vision will characterise this interdisciplinary cultural content curated by Beppe Finessi.
Euroluce was an opportunity to promote multidisciplinary creative activities connected with artificial and natural light. There were different exhibitions devoted to architecture, interior architecture and displays, installations, painting, sculpture and photography. It was a polycentric project.
Euroluce was a positive hub of emotions and knowledge. The power of many different visions and the dialogue between even very contrasting voices added value generated by comparison to create an even more interesting ‘environment’ for visitors and exhibitors.
The posters for Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023 communication campaign, featuring the ‘new design alphabet’, contrasted with previous years with their sense of colour and playfulness. What was the intention behind this new visual identity?
Last year we started introducing a lot of images contrasting with the latest advertising campaigns, with Emilano Ponzi creating six posters to celebrate the six decades of history of Salone del Mobile. We selected a black and white palette plus red to underline the identity of Salone del Mobile. This year, we wanted to push the idea further by introducing brightly-coloured, geometric and ultra-pop elements.
This new visual intended to condense the identity, the themes and the protagonists of the event, along with its evolution. As a result, we achieved a distinctive and original visual narrative: synthesizing contemporary and future innovation and continuity.
On sustainability, last year, you declared, “We cannot stand still; in fact, we have a duty to move even faster in the direction of design, production and distribution solutions that are as sustainable as possible...” What series of ‘rules and advice’ for curbing the impact of stands were in place for 2023?
As you know, since last June, we have been members of the United Nations Global Compact – the leading business sustainability initiative at the global level – circulating Green Guidelines for planning and building trade fair displays, and now we are in the middle of the process towards ISO 20121 certification for sustainable events management.
Environmental, economic and social responsibilities remained priorities at the 2023 edition of the Salone del Mobile, which endeavoured to organise all the activities and events (both those directly run by the Salone and those run by the companies) in such a way as to make the least possible impact, be geared to the efficient use of resources, cutting waste and environmental impact, and protecting the human rights, health and safety of those taking part in the event and those workers involved in its organisation, and assuring benefits for all the companies taking part and the local community.
We have the duty to give our children a sustainable world.
From your perspective, why is it important to support young designers through SaloneSatellite?
Young designers are the future of our sector. SaloneSatellite has proved to be a valid opportunity for under 35 designers.
SaloneSatellite is twenty-four years old, and still today, after so many results and major recognitions, it continues to be the place where the ideas of many hundreds of young designers find a foothold, where they can meet the critics, the manufacturers and the design market, in the knowledge that they are part of the event that has put their work, made of dreams and visions, experiments and struggles, and so much more, at the very heart of what it does.
What do you see as the biggest challenge for Italian design in 2023?
The big challenge for design is to become sustainable in each aspect, starting from the materials to production, packaging, distribution, selling, dismantling and disposal. A need for sustainability is urgent and one of the pillars of real beauty.
Mobile?
I see continuity. Salone is a long story that started 61 years ago and has evolved and transformed according to the needs of the exhibitors, visitors and the public.
We have to work on its main values: quality and innovation. Everybody is allowed to exhibit here, but only if you sell quality. Salone is democratic and meritocratic: it is for everybody, but only if you excel. Another value is that it needs to be seen; you need to be part of it. Salone should continue to be itself: the point of reference for furniture design and an incredible platform to accelerate business and culture. Salone del Mobile is also the design community that rotates around it. Salone is the future itself because it presents what will be in our homes in the next years.’
Milan bar?
Bar Basso, a historical place famous for its cocktails, and the Camparino, another iconic place looking toward Piazza Duomo.
Milan restaurant?
Ratanà, typical Milanese and Lombard cuisine.
Historic building in Milan?
The Brera Academy, where I studied set design.
Milan showroom or store?
The new Porro store in Via Visconti di Modrone which is still a construction site designed by Piero Lissoni.
During this year’s Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile, architect Patricia Urquiola opened her home to friends, which she described as ‘Hotel Urquiola’ – “I woke up this morning to a friend in my shower and another in the kitchen having breakfast,” she laughs.
Welcoming friends to her home aligns with the Spanish architect’s perspective on the fair. “It’s a week to share culture and for people to go away having experienced different attitudes, thoughts and emotions,” she says. “We have to enlarge the design conversation. It’s too closed,” she adds.
Urquiola is admired for her industrial product design and architecture, including numerous retail spaces, homes, hotels and installations. Counting how many times her name appeared on stands at this year’s Salone del Mobile alone only hints at her prolific portfolio. Art direction and strategy are also part of her ambit, collaborating with leading Italian and international brands since establishing her studio alongside partner Alberto Zontone in 2001. In 2015, Patricia became art director at Cassina, where she has led the conversation around sustainability, circularity and respect for ‘the masters’.
This year, Cassina presented Echoes, 50 Years of iMaestri, curated by Urquiola with Federica Sala, on show at Palazzo Broggi in Milan.
The exhibition revealed how Cassina had developed furniture designed by the ‘great architects of the Modern Movement’ through a dedication to ‘authenticity and design culture’. “We chose a place with a clear intention. It’s a bank in the middle of the city – a building in transformation,” Patricia says. “Finding somewhere nobody had seen, even the Milanese, and sharing it with everyone was important”. The bank’s vault was central to the installation. “To go inside a vault is very interesting; it’s where valuables are kept – where the jewels of design should be,” she says.
On Cassina’s approach to reproducing the designs, Patricia puts it simply: “It’s serious work. Some companies just reproduce, but that’s not the way to approach the masters,” she maintains. “You need to approach them with complexity, time and respect. They are part of our culture and understanding of the world,” she adds.
As part of the Cassina Perspective in their Milan showroom, the brand debuted its lighting collection, featuring a prototype by Charles and Ray Eames to be launched in 2024, alongside designs by Tobia Scarpa, Philippe Starck and Linde Freya Tangelder. Cassina also presented new designs, such as Patricia’s Moncloud sofa - devoid of glued parts, enabling it to be completely disassembled at the end of its lifecycle. “We are rethinking the process of everything to find a lighter way of producing,” she says, urging other companies to follow. “At the end of the day, there’s no other way forward.”
Patricia Urquiola with the Moncloud sofa system for Cassina, photography by Valentina Sommariva
Echoes, 50 years of iMaestri
Photography Agostino Osio
Patricia has also led the return to the original names of pieces designed by Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand. “Working with the foundations, we are changing things to give them more value,” she says. “We are proud to share how alive our relationship with the masters is – we’ve led this for years in Italy and in Europe.”
The architect is particularly passionate about ensuring Charlotte Perriand is credited for her work while leading the reproduction of new pieces in recent years. “Charlotte has been so important in the study of design,” she says. “She is one of the most enlightened designers we’ve had, especially concerning nature and materials.” Patricia recalls listening to Charlotte speak in the late nineties as an architecture student at the Triennale Milano. “I thought, if she exists, there is light,” she reflects. “She created enormous focus for me as an architect.”
At the same time, as an art director, Patricia is constantly looking for new voices in design that offer a ‘state of mind for the moment and understand domesticity’. She believes that to unpack the world’s complexity, designers need to be curious, adaptable and resilient. “I perform a lot of roles in my life every day because I’m a woman – there’s a lot of value in being hybrid,” she says. “Design is not a profession. It’s a way of living.”
Laura Wood reveals the inspiration behind her latest collaboration with Italian rug company cc-tapis at this year’s Milan Design Week.
An unafraid approach to colour, pattern and material defines what English multidisciplinary designer Bethan Laura Wood wears – and how she works. “From a young age, I’ve always enjoyed dressing up and finding expression through my clothes,” she says. “Quite often, I will now digest colours and patterns through how I dress, helping me to find a language that feeds into what I’m working on.”
Establishing her namesake studio in 2009, Bethan’s portfolio spans textiles, furniture, lighting, sculpture, accessories, installation and set design, underpinned by notable brand collaborations and exhibitions in museums and galleries worldwide.
Bethan credits Mexico as having one of the most significant influences on her work, particularly her relationship with colour.
“I was first invited to Mexico a decade ago; it was a very important experience for me – it blew my mind. You can see Mexico’s impact on my work through the flamboyance and complexity of colour,” she adds.
One of the first textiles Bethan saw in Mexico City was Otomí, traditionally made in the south, which features animals in rainbow embroidery on a plain cotton background – something we’re traditionally led to believe is reserved for children. “The history and complexity of the textile; there’s nothing like it,” she says.
“I still have a lot to learn, but the warmth of the Mexican culture and people have a very strong place in my heart.”
Photography Simon17
Bethan Laura Wood’s Guadalupe rugs for cc-tapis.
Photography Simon17
Guadalupe is a body of patterns that Bethan has evolved many times since her first visit, inspired by The New Basilica of Our Lady Guadalupe in Mexico City. For this year’s Milan Design Week, Italian rug company cc-tapis asked the designer to explore Guadalupe through a rug and wall hanging collection, using different techniques to create 3D effects.
Seeing the pieces in person for the first time, Bethan ran her hands across each detail – “I really like this square here with the little bits popping out, and the sense of movement” – showing how the details changed from “seventies-inspired, chunkier yarn” in some areas to the “shimmering silk and finer, flatter Himalayan wool” in others.
Bethan says the collection’s nostalgic colour palette doesn’t necessarily reflect the Basilica’s colours. “It’s about finding that balance between being respectful of what you’re inspired by and not trying to make a replica of the architect and glass artist’s amazing work,” Bethan maintains. “The colour palette is 1950s-inspired, like a soft afternoon; it’s not quite sunset.”
The designer admits that while “it doesn’t look like it from how I choose to dress”, she needs a set system when designing something new. “I’ve always enjoyed working with certain themes, but every time I start something, I will try and take it in a different direction,” she says. “That’s why for me, the world of Guadalupe is so intoxicating.”
An openness to learning is also the theme of Bethan’s impending showcase in the National Gallery of Victoria Triennale exhibition in late 2023. Bethan’s commission will explore gender, education and learning within the gallery’s British Regency room featuring existing works from the 18th and 19th centuries.
“I’m interested in the different ways of learning for women, especially during that time period,” she says. “I am recognising the works that were made through craft forms or activities while celebrating the power of collaboration and creating new thoughts and different ways of seeing among women.”
You trained as an architect at the Politecnico di Milano before working in visual communication for the university. Has your architectural background influenced the way you approach creative direction and design?
My training is certainly the starting point that I have enriched with continuous research over time. At the Faculty of Architecture of the Milan Polytechnic, I collaborated with a research group formed to explore new multimedia languages. It was a very formative experience that allowed me the opportunity to meet and collaborate with extraordinary personalities from different cultural areas. It taught me to have a varied and layered design approach which has become my modus operandi on all projects.
In 2006 you established Elisa Ossino Studio as a multidisciplinary studio focused on residential and commercial interiors, product design, art direction, styling and set design. Do you find there are threads that support creative thinking across all these disciplines?
All aspects of my work support and influence each other. The common thread is the project; all the experiences acquired in these various thematic areas combine to create a broader design vision, which takes into account the centrality of the space, but also the importance of communicating it, of making it strongly iconic and of making so that it remains in the imagination.
Your highly conceptual approach has led to collaborations with Italian heritage brands. Is it hard to ensure that you are cultivating a unique visual message for each?
It is the starting point of my work, both when I design an interior and when I design an object. It is essential that the project is tailor-made for the brand I am collaborating with, which reflects its identity as well as mine. I work a lot on defining all the elements that make it unique and recognizable, on the aspects which combine to create an image identity.
We’re interested in your product designs, many of which are a result of these successful collaborations. When you review your personal design history, do you see clear ways in which it has evolved over the years?
I can definitely see the moment in which I am, which is naturally linked to the historical moment in which we find ourselves, to the evolution of taste, to the trends I feel in the air. I work with an instinctive projection towards the future, which allows me to intuit the next evolutions.
Art is a driving source of inspiration in your product design work. Does art also inform your use of form and colour in your projects, and what aspects of it do you find yourself most drawn to?
Art is one of my main interests and has always inspired me. It feeds the soul, helps me reflect, and amplifies emotions. The historical and cultural moment we live in, and all its artistic expressions greatly inspire me. The aspect that attracts me a lot is the conceptual one, the starting point of all my projects, but in some cases, the compositional and formal aspects.
You’re responsible for a number of independent projects, such as tile and surface design company H+O, alongside Josephine Akvama Hoffmeyer. What is the importance of these independent projects to your practice, and how do you like this kind of collaboration?
These are projects that I have been very passionate about and that have given me the energy and joy of living. At the same time, they have allowed me to explore topics of interest dear to me and to build synergies with very stimulating creative people. The H+O project, founded with Josephine Akvama Hoffmeyer, deals with surface design, multidisciplinary exhibitions and installations that explore new languages for interiors and contemporary ways of living. H+O Apartment is located in Brera, one of the best-known districts of Milan. Once again, this space has become a place to present projects but also a meeting place, an exchange of thoughts, and a meeting place for dinners with friends and creatives.
Photography Jessica Soffiati
Working across so many facets of design, do you ever find that because you do many things and are not just singular in your approach, the industry doesn’t know quite how to pigeonhole you?
It is not easy to classify myself. I think this is a very positive aspect that reflects my personality a lot, in my work, I always try to bring together my interests and my personal vision, which is made up of a stratification of insights into different disciplines, it is my way of looking at the world and translating it into my projects.
After participating in so many Milan Design Weeks, what were you excited to present this year?
I am always very attached to the projects I present at the Salone. In particular, this year, I loved Fluxus , the experimentation conducted with Stefano Roveda for Vzug – a participatory and interactive theatre installation with natural interfaces that aimed to involve the public in an experience by exploiting modern immersive video technologies. It invited guests for a short journey inside a metaphorical and abstract universe designed to induce spectators to transform themselves into actors in collective action naturally.
Another project I love is Honoré , a sofa and coffee table designed for De Padova. Again, I tried to work with organic shapes, pushing the design towards an extreme abstraction while trying to give a soul to the objects.
Venetia, made with Wonderglass, is an extremely poetic work created thanks to the great wisdom of the Murano glass masters, tapestries created by sewing glass tiles made using the fusion technique. The Ciclopi carpets transform into seats that introduce a new way of living space. They are made in organic wool with natural processes and painted with vegetable colours.
What’s the biggest issue or change facing design in 2023?
To be able to be inclusive.
What do you do in your downtime? (If you have any)
I take refuge in nature. I am always hypnotized by its beauty, it helps me stop thinking, and it leads me into a state of contemplation and meditation.
And finally, your favourite:
Milan bar?
Fioraio Bianchi Caffè
Milan restaurant?
Trattoria Arlati
Historic building in Milan?
Villa Necchi Campiglio
Milan showroom or store?
Vincenzo De Cotis and Via Privata
Fratelli Gabba.
Photography Jack Milenkovic
Honorè collection by Elisa Ossino for De Padova
Photography courtesy of Federica Biasi
You began your design career in Italy and spent years exploring Nordic design. How did this influence your work?
Purity and immediate simplicity define my work, while cleanliness in design and shapes are the Nordic influences that inform my work.
In 2015, you established your namesake studio. As a product designer and art director, does your approach to these two disciplines differ?
It is similar but different. When I work as a designer, I create something that represents me and, from my perspective, has a valid concept. As an art director, I work on the company’s strategy and values, always trying to give my touch, but the basis must always be the brand’s communication rather than the single product.
When we profiled you at Maison Objet Paris in 2018, you anticipated the impact of technology on design. What role does technology play in the way you design today?
I would still like to work with technology. However, it is still difficult for furniture design to relate to these topics and the metaverse, but sooner or later, the worlds will unite.
Have you observed an evolution in your approach to designing furniture and objects?
Designing is not just an evolution of one’s work but an evolution of oneself. It’s an ongoing process – so the answer is yes. I understand who I want to be and what I want to communicate better, and I’ll try more and more to work to bring industrial processes into the industry, also with materials and ensure that products are not so distant from man.
You describe it as your mission to design ‘gently’ in a noisy world. Can you share an example of how your product designs cultivate quietness?
I always match harmonious colours and materials. I think the design doesn’t always have to be ‘extravagant’, but I think there is an extreme difficulty in creating something that is both unseen and essential at the same time.
For Milan Design Week last year you collaborated with Italian design and craftsmanship brand Mingardo on a fundraising initiative – “A Flame For Research” – alongside industry leaders such as Jaime Hayon, Luca Nichetto and Patricia Urquiola. What was the importance of this collaboration to your studio?
Well, it was a great opportunity. It was very nice to participate, flanked by names making history in design. The most interesting thing was how each piece, in total freedom, strongly represented the author who designed it. In my opinion, having a sign is one of the fundamental foundations for creating one’s own path.
You’ve said before that you value long-term collaborations. Why are these relationships integral to producing your best creative work?
I believe that to do the most incisive and effective job possible, there must be the human factor and the desire to get to know each other and grow mutually.
A year ago, I completed a five-year collaboration with Mingardo to follow a new path with Decoratori Bassanesi, a brand of coverings that are doing very inspiring things. Changing is equally important as changing perspective.
You’ve worked as a creative consultant forecasting colour, material and finishes for brands. As a designer, how do you anticipate these shifts – and shifts in lifestyle?
At the beginning of my career, I worked a lot in trend forecasting, and even now, it is a tool I use when doing artistic direction. The world is moving towards being more natural with sustainable colours and materials, in contrast with growing technology.
What did you present at Milan Design Week 2023?
I created a big installation for the historic brand Gervasoni1882 named TAO, where rooms of pure colours follow the rhythm of the natural world, leading the visitor on a journey, celebrating the past production of the brand while highlighting the new. The exhibition presented the new Samet sofa, Hashi and Brisé outdoor collections.
What do you do in your downtime?
I try to walk. As soon as I can, I escape to the mountains to be surrounded by silence.
Federica Biasi in her studio. Photography courtesy of Federica Biasi.Milan bar?
I generally love bars. I don’t have a favourite in Milan, but one I’m most fond of is Bar Magenta, where I used to have breakfast every morning in high school. In the evening during design week, it’s a great option.
Milan restaurant?
I am very passionate about cooking, and the best haute cuisine is at Contraste – where the chef Perdomo of Peruvian origin, creates a truly unique experience.
Milan showroom or store?
The Arabesque Milan Cult Store.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BOFFI STUDIO SYDNEY & MELBOURNE
INTERVIEW Sophie Lewis
SL: Your name was across multiple standout exhibits, showrooms and products at Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile in 2023. What excited you most this year, especially when thinking about the future?
PL: Good question. For me, it was a beautiful week, it was good at Salone del Mobile and in Milan, full of different exhibitions, attitudes and pieces. I think Milan has become the worldwide capital of design again. Importantly, this is due to a combination of Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile. Together, they become something unique. Milan Design Week or Salone del Mobile can’t exist in isolation. For the future, this week is the most important and topical in the world.
SL: This year, you opened your studio to the public with an exhibition of your recent work across architecture, interiors, product design and graphics, with a special installation and cafe lounge. As a design studio, why do you invite people into your space?
PL: Normally our studio is open year-round. If you ring the bell, we will welcome you. During Salone del Mobile and Milan Design Week, I like to show our open mindedness and share our experiences.
In the end, they are just experiences, nothing more. More than two or three thousand people visited us this year. Milan was full of queues everywhere, so we offered a good Illy coffee and opened our studio in a very familial way.
SL: This year, Boffi presented revisions to their existing offering, such as new finishing for the Case 5.0 kitchen and Case 5.0 bathroom – designs you envisaged 20 years ago. Why is it important to revise enduring designs?
PL: If you think about the constant modification in everyday things such as our computers, we are always revitalising the everyday. In cars, you see the same sense of remodeling every six or seven months. We don’t follow the same timelines or modernise to the same rhythm, but we do more or less the same when we touch these old products. In a way, we need to be gentle with them because otherwise, they become old in a few years, you need to retouch them, so they can be new.
We are not in a fashion business, and thinking from another point of view, we don’t need to redesign collection and collection and collection. We just need to evolve the everyday.
Boffi CASE 5.0 kitchen, BECOMING collection, designed by Piero Lissoni.
Showering by ADL, designed by Massimo Luca and available at Boffi.
SL: How did your 2023 offering for Milan Design Week reflect an evolution of the Boffi brand?
PL: If you fix the rules inside the furniture language, in the end, you are fixing the rules. I like to jump out and use some other rules. For that reason, I think it’s really special, the new language of Boffi, it’s not only furniture, it’s not only kitchens, it’s not only wardrobes or bookshelves –everything is connected with this new capacity to design houses, spaces or opportunities.
With that new attitude, you change the rules of spaces and furniture, furniture that is all completely interrelated.
SL: This year De Padova launched the Honore set by Elisa Ossino, featuring organic shapes and minimalist design. How does collaborating with different designers enhance a brand?
PL There is a richness of the language that I credit for the success of Boffi and De Padova, which comes through collaborating with different designers with different design languages and styles. They are all brought together by an understanding of the capacity of designing for our perspective on the new house – or a new world. There is a level of consciousness to be different.
SL: You are creative director across multiple Italian legacy brands - how do you ensure the work remains true to is each brand’s DNA?
PL: I am only one piece of the team – it’s a strong and functional collaboration, and I need to be a piece of a team to ensure success.
SL: As a creative director, what qualities do you for look for in a product designer?
PL: I try to find many different qualities. I like to see currency, creativity, some aesthetic rules, culture, curiosity and connectivity. You can say you are a designer, but that is not enough. You need many ingredients and many different components.
SL: What advice would you give an emerging designer in 2023?
PL: You need only to survive [laughs]. And at the same time, you need to continue to work. If you want to be a designer, you need to study, be curious, and you need to be well-prepared for 2024 – the next Salone del Mobile.
“I like to see currency, creativity, some aesthetic rules, culture, curiosity and connectivity. You can say you are a designer, but that is not enough.”
– Piero Lissoni
We name the best new designs and revised classics unveiled at Salone del Mobile’s biennial lighting event Euroluce and Milan Design Week.
WORDS Sophie Lewis
ROBINSON FERREUX NILUFAR GALLERY
Robinson Ferreux designed DELTA 117 for Milan’s Nilufar Gallery. The latest addition to the French designer’s DELTA collection, the floor lamp features seven cotton diffusers threaded onto a brass structure, referencing the ‘esoteric, ancient Egypt and outer space exploration’.
Photography courtesy of Nilufar Gallery
LINDE FREYA TANGELDER
CASSINA
Cassina’s first foray into lighting featured the standout Wax Stone Light floor lamp by Linde Freya Tangelder. The lamp reflects the designer’s fascination with ‘liquid materials and how they change form as they solidify’, as seen through its Murano glass cubes worked manually with wax to create their unique shape.
The Nuvola lamp is part of Draga & Aurel’s Nuvola fibreglass lighting collection for Baxter. Available in three different sizes, the new lamp lifts inspiration from the irreverence of Pop Art, iconic 1970s design and the ‘shimmering atmosphere of Studio 54’.
MEIKE HARDE
VIBIA
The new Knit collection by Cologne-based Studio Meike Harde for Vibia takes its name from the single knitted lycra sleeve that stretches over the light’s sphere. A soft glow is created through the fabric and translucent diffuser.
ANTONI AROLA
SANTA & COLE
The Lámina floor lamp is one of the most recent iterations of the Lámina family by Spanish designer Antoni Arola for Santa & Cole. It features a line of light on a thin metal sheet, promoting the ‘benefits of reflected light’.
Photography courtesy of Vibia Photography Enric BadrinasThe just-released Solstice wall lamp by Studiopepe for Tacchini is inspired by the work of Italian artist Enrico Castellani, designed as an elegant fibreglass sculpture where ‘luminosity and transparencies fluctuate’.
Photography Andrea Ferrari
Soul Story Angle 1 by DCW Éditions is a series of five plaster wall lamps that feature a small metal character seated or standing, designed to invite contemplation through the examination of contrasting scale.
SOUL STORY ANGLE 1 DCW Éditions
Photography courtesy of DCW Éditions
6:AM GLASSWORKS
Lina Applique by architect
Hannes Peer for 6:AM
Glassworks is a contemporary interpretation of Murano glass design. The wall lamps are hand pinched and cast and are available in customisable colours.
Photography: courtesy of 6:AM Glassworks
PEAKS
MICHAEL ANASTASSIADES
Peaks is a ‘family of pendants’ designed by Michael Anastassiades featuring inverted cones in different string configurations – a focal point at the designer’s Euroluce exhibit.
“WHEN THE LIGHT IS OFF, THE FORMS APPEAR VERY SCHEMATIC, AS IF BORROWED FROM A GEOMETRIC STILL LIFE. WHEN ON, THE SHADING CHANGES, AS LIGHT CASTS ALONG THE CURVED SURFACE.”
– Michael Anastassiades
Cassina revealed their Eames Lighting collection this year, to be released in 2024. Expressing the brand’s interest in the Modern Movement, the prototype of the Galaxy by Charles and Ray Eames was on show in their showroom and as part of Cassina’s 50th-anniversary exhibition, Echoes, 50 years of iMaestri.
This year, Flos explored the 2097 chandelier designed by Gino Sarfatti in a matte white finish. Originally designed in 1958, the 2097’s exposed cables and bulbs were envisaged as a modern take on the traditional Murano glass chandelier.
GIOPATO&COOMBES
Italian-British designers Giopato&Coombes revealed their lighting sculptures installation, 18 Pockets , in the 5Vie design district. It simultaneously represented six years of research and the designers’ experimentation and imagination.
Photography Nathalie Krag
Surrounded by sheer curtains in DCW Éditions’ Euroluce exhibit, the just-released LA LAMPE B by Thierry Dreyfus is designed to ‘light up the intimate’, emulating the soft light of a candle.
PORT LIGHT
TOM FEREDAY
RAKUMBA LIGHTING
Australian lighting brand Rakumba presented Enlightened Living at this year’s Milan Design Week. Here, the lighting brand showcased its collaboration with Sydneybased designer Tom Fereday – the Port Light collection – made from cast crystal glass. Handmade in Australia and featuring solid machined brass, the Port Light was conceived as an abstract glowing form.
Photography Davis Davids Sakne Photography Fiona SusantoAustralian designer Ross Gardam held his first solo show at Milan Design Week 2023. The lighting designer launched three new collections and two new limited-edition pieces, including the Vestige . The sculptural lamp is made from cast crystal glass, crafted by glass artist Peter Kovacsy.
Photography Haydn Cattach
RONAN BOUROULLEC
FLOS
Italian heritage brand Flos entered the world of ceramics for the first time with Céramique by Ronan Bouroullec, reflecting the designer’s long-standing appreciation for the material. The new collection launched at Euroluce comprises a ceramic body and diffuser with an entirely handcrafted surface and a base, stem and cap configuration that creates an ‘ever-changing type of illumination’.
“CERAMICS ARE ABOUT DESIRE AND SENSUALITY. I THINK THAT MY WORK IS INCREASINGLY MOVING IN THIS DIRECTION, PRODUCING OBJECTS THAT ARE FUNCTIONAL, CERTAINLY, BUT LOOKING FOR A KIND OF ELEGANCE, OF PLEASURE.”
– Ronan BouroullecW223 designed by John Pawson for WÄSTBERG indicates the designer’s reductive approach through the interaction between material – aluminium or marble –and light. ‘Cut-outs’ in the profile influence how light is cast.
W223 JOHN PAWSON WÄSTBERG
Photography Gilbert McCarragher
LIIU VANTOT LUCEPLAN
LIIU by Vantot for Luceplan is a modular system with metal cables held down ‘in constant tension’ by counter-weights. Designed to adapt to different settings, LIIU manifests Luceplan’s research into high-performance lighting systems with an ethereal visual impact.
Photography courtesy of Luceplan
MARIO NANNI
VIABIZZUNO
This year Italian lighting brand Viabizzuno presented il rispetto – a pavilion designed to unite the infinite rules of natural light with the brand’s eight rules of artificial light. The Tubino Terra floor light by Mario Nanni explores Viabizzuno’s multi-use focus; the dimmable floor light has a ball and socket joint allowing it to swivel and tilt.
As part of an interactive stand at Euroluce, LEDSC4 presented Tubs Modular by Nahtrang Studio, a slim profile, flexible light that’s infinitely expandable but adaptable for smaller spaces.
On show at this year’s Euroluce, the Sottile suspension lamp is designed to express light in its purest form. While the blade is just six millimetres thick, the light is bright and dimmable.
Photography courtesy of Davide Groppi
The Obello lamp is an iconic portable space-age design by Bill Curry produced by Gubi that features a frosted, mouthblown glass shade and dimmable light source.
Photography courtesy of Gubi
During this year’s Milan Design Week, tableware porcelain company Dibbern launched their first lamp collection called Lumen in collaboration with Tobias Grau, in an installation by Cameranesi Pompili. Lumen includes four fine bone china forms designed to showcase the material, with four glass accessories.
JESSICA CORR
TZELAN, TONY CHI AND CONTARDI
Jessica Corr for Tzelan, Tony Chi and Contardi are the design minds behind the mushroom-shaped Ongo lamp. The small portable lamp creates maximum impact through different colour and finish combinations, such as brass and handblown Murano glass.
The OUT floor lamp by Victor Carrasco for Vibia is designed to bring the intimacy and aesthetic of indoor lighting outdoors. The just-released lamp features two cones connected by a flexible, arched rod.
Photography courtesy of Vibia
The first time Ambientec have experimented with colour, the take-anywhere Madco lamp designed by Elisa Ossino is a minimalist yet colourful lantern that can be rotated 360° to create ever-changing light configurations.
The Salina lamp by Francesca de Giorgi for Axolight is made from fabric, attesting to Axolight’s fascination with challenging what an outdoor lamp should look like by ‘moving beyond the idea of indoor things and outdoor things’.
Photography courtesy of Axolight Photography courtesy of AmbientecCane-line is a Danish design company with more than 35 years of experience. Our well-known DNA ”Life Made Comfortable” is reflected in every design. High-quality, all-weather furniture with long lifespan, low maintenance and high comfort. Furniture made with the greatest care for our environment and the well-being of people. We believe that good design is responsible design.
Visit our showroom in Melbourne Design District. Cane-line Australia, 235 Bridge Road, Richmond VIC 3121
CANE-LINE.COM.AU
Discover more from Cane-line online or call us on: (03) 9425 9253
OUR CURATED LIST OF PLACES AND SPACES IN MILAN TO VISIT, EAT, DRINK AND BE INSPIRED.
WORDS
Karen McCartney & David Harrison
Restaurant 13.10 is a new, 25seat restaurant fitted out by Serena Confalonieri in her colourful and eclectic style.
Bar Basso has been the most revered Milanese drinking spot for decades. Opened in 1947, it currently lists 500 cocktails on its menu. During MDW, the crowds spill into the opposite square and can number in the hundreds. Open everyday except Tuesday. 9 am to 1:15 am
Via Plinio, 39, Milano, Italy
Via Parlo Sarpi in the Chinatown area, north of Brera in Milan, is a long semi-pedestrian-only street with dozens of hole-inthe-wall-style Asian and Italian restaurants dotted along its length.
The nearby Porta Venezia is a hub for bars and clubs for Milan’s LGBTQI+ community. In Via Lecco, you can find Leccomilano, MONO bar and Red bar. If you venture to the other side of Corso Buenos Aires, you will find some great cocktail places like Eppol and Blanco.
Piccola Cucina is a tiny traditional restaurant near Porta Venezia with great Italian fare from black tagliolini, cuttlefish and peas to beer-flavoured roast pork neck and leg of rabbit Ligurian style. Open only in the evenings from 7.30pm. Closed Sundays.
Viale Piave, 17, Milano, Italy
Opened in 2022, Horto Restaurant is a fine dining restaurant headed by Michelin-star chef Norbert Neiderkofler, situated near Palazzo Clerici with a beautiful rooftop terrace. The restaurant offers a seven-course menu at 185 euro, three-course at 120 euro and two-course at 90 euro. Drinks on the terrace are possible.
Via S. Protaso, 5, Milano, Italy
HORTO RESTAURANT
Photography Mattia Parodi
28 POSTI delivers contemporary Mediterranean cuisine in an interior entirely created from recycled materials. Opened in 2013, the building works were carried out by the inmates of the Penitentiary Institute of Bollate. The notfor-profit NGO Liveinslums, partner of the project, started up a carpentry workshop in the prison where inmates built tables, doors and cabinets for the restaurant, designed by Francesco Faccin and made with the contribution of the master cabinetmaker Giuseppe Filippini.
In January 2020, designer Cristina Celestino was invited to create a new interior continuing the restaurant’s core concepts of authenticity, matter, simplicity and origin; using the products of Fornace Brioni and Matteo Brioni. The food is excellent too!
Via Corsico, 1, Milano, Italy
Marchesi 1824 is a classic Milanese café. Founded in 1824, there are three locations in Milan but the one situated above Prada in Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle is easy to get to and offers excellent service, and superb coffee, chocolates and pastries in a sophisticated setting. You can sit and observe all the people passing by through the Galleria’s central cross while sitting in refined surroundings. Well worth the small additional cost over a standard café experience.
Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II, Milano, Italy
28 POSTI
Photography Delfino Sisto
PASTICCERIA GALLERIA VITTORIOI Photography courtesy of Pasticceria Marchesi, Galleria VittorioiCASA MUSEO BOSCHI DI STEFANO
Photography Alberto Lagomaggiore
Casa Museo Boschi Di Stefano is a beautiful home museum that exhibits the art collection of owners Antonio Boschi and Marieda Di Stefano. The art is predominantly Italian modernist works from the 20th Century, providing an interesting insight into the movement. The museum is situated in a Piero Portaluppi building designed in 1929 – a few blocks north of Porta Venezia. The designer Alessandro Mendini lived in the apartment as a student. The museum is generally quiet and free to enter.
Second Floor, Via Giorgio Jan, 15, Milano, Italy
Photography Willem-Dirk du Toit
Milan’s design museum is the type of mecca you would expect of a designed-obsessed country.
Founded in 1933, Triennale Di Milano was designed by Giovanni Muzio and hosts multiple exhibitions simultaneously in its grand halls, becoming a key destination each year during Milan Design Week. The permanent design exhibition is vast, with virtually all of the most important design objects of the 20th century on display. Entrance is 12 euro –six euros for students.
TRIENNALE DI MILANO
Photography DSL Studio
The work of influential architect Rem Koolhaas, Fondazione Prada has resuscitated an uninspiring part of Milan in the city’s east. The amazing contemporary art gallery space is set across seven existing buildings with three new structures, Podium, Cinema and Torre. The venue is the result of the transformation of a distillery dating back to the 1910s.
ARMANI / SILOS
Photography Adriano
Situated in Porta Genova, the old garment district of Milan, Armani/ Silos displays more than 600 garments and accessories spread across four floors in a converted former Nestlé granary. In addition to the permanent display of Armani garments from 1980 to the present day, the museum has a changing exhibition programme, with the current exhibition covering the work of fashion photographer Guy Bourdin until August 31 2023.
Via Bergognone, 40, Milano
This contemporary church from 1956 by Angelo Mangiarotti is an amazing combination of perfectly formed concrete and glass. The glowing white interior is achieved by daylight passing through a white membrane sandwiched between sheets of glass. Recently restored, it is definitely worth the trip from central Milan to Rho (the location of Salone del Mobile) which is the nearest metro. Taxi from there is approximately eight minutes.
Via Conciliazione, 22, Bollate, Milano, Italy
NOSTRA SIGNORA DELLA MISERICORDIA
Photography Marco Introini
Charles Jencks and landscape architects LAND and Margherita Brianza built Parco della Portello on a 17-acre former industrial site in north-west Milan.
Viale Renato Serra, 31, Milano, Italy
Designed by Ignazio Gardella, co-founder of influential Italian furniture and lighting brand Azucena, the church of Saint Nicholas of Flüe (1968-69) is an imposing structure based on the shape of an upturned ship hull, using reinforced concrete and copper for the lyrically-shaped roof. The interior displays an impressive futuristic succession of cast concrete arches.
Via Dalmazia, 11, Milano, Italy
Built in 2015 by local architects Baukuh, Casa della Memoria is dedicated to the values of freedom and democracy, paying homage to those who fought against Fascism and highlighting the plight of victims of terrorism in the second half of the 20th century. The building is made from polychrome bricks that depict historical events and is adjacent to Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) in Porta Nouva.
Via Federico Confalonieri, 14, Milano, Italy
You don’t need to see a film or a play to enjoy this Alziro Bergonzo-designed theatre from 1950. Situated in the Brera district, the marble floors, frescos and circular ticket booths are worth the visit on their own, but the glass ceiling lights in the lobby and arcade-style entrance area are also spectacular.
Via Alessandro Manzoni, 40, Milano, Italy
CHIESA DI SAN NICOLAO DELLA FLUE TEATRO MANZONI Photography Craig Wall
The Baroque-era palazzo, also known as the Palazzo Arese-Litta, is often used during Milan Design Week to host events. Designed by Elisa Ossino Studio, Cristina Rubinetterie is a monochromatic and textured space for discovering and testing the latest tap collections.
Corso Magenta, 24, Milano, Italy
The perennial favourite Villa Necchi is a piece of Piero Portaluppi magic from 1935. The space is beautifully preserved and filled with art, although much is not from the original house. It’s an astounding example of rationalist architecture that delivers rewards and surprises on every visit.
Via Mozart, 14, Milano, Italy
Set in the ancient walls of Milan’s Roman ruins at Porta Romana, the QC Termemilano presents a series of spa and wellness experiences that are enjoyed by visitors and locals alike. Wander around the gardens, try the bio-sauna in an old tram set in the garden, relax in the heated outdoor pools and then numerous types of sauna and treatment rooms can all be accessed for the day fee of 49 euros.
Piazzale Medaglie D’Oro, 2, Milano, Italy
Vancouver-based Canadian lighting brand Bocci launched their first permanent home in Milan with an apartment in the area east of Parco Sempione. Their handmade glass lights are showcased in exceptional spaces in Berlin and Vancouver, and this showroom offers a similar level of serene beauty.
Via Lorenzo Mascheroni, 2, Milano, Italy
Outdoor furniture brand Fast launched its first official flagship store in Milan. The project is a joint venture between architecture and design studio Quincoces-Dragò & Partners and Spotti Milano and interprets the “Living in Nature” philosophy within an urban context.
Via Cesare Battisti, 1, Milano, Italy
Giorgetti a five-level luxury showroom on Milan’s premium fashion street Via della Spiga. The showroom is in a seventeenth-century building, though its classic façade is from the nineteenth century.
Swiss-German brand Unifor office market. It now has to do justice to their vast world’s greatest designers, Jean Nouvel. Herzog & flexible meeting and exhibition
Viale Pasubio, 15, Milano, Italy
Via della Spiga, 31, Milano, Italy
Unifor is a serious figure in the high-end has a space in Porta Nuova, Milan, created vast catalogue of designs by some of the designers, including Michele de Lucchi and de Meuron designed the showroom as a exhibition space.
Designed by Elisa Ossino Studio, Cristina Rubinetterie is a monochromatic and textured space for discovering and testing the latest tap collections.
Via Pontaccio, 8/10, Milano, Italy
Henge has revealed their renovated showroom in via della Spiga. With their distinctive focus on experimental luxury and craft, the showroom reinforces this through the use of exotic materials and interesting forms.
Via della Spiga, 34, Milano, Italy
After years in via Santa Cecilia, Cappellini have moved 250 metres down the road to a generous corner location in via Borgogna. This new central Milan space offers interior and outdoor spaces billed as an immersive journey through the brand’s iconic and contemporary designs.
Via Borgogna, 8, Milano, Italy
After decades in Via Durini, the Porro brand, under the creative direction of Piero Lissoni, has moved to a new, larger location where the showroom is sure to be a design destination for years to come.
Via Visconti di Modrone, 29, Milano, Italy
