24 minute read
Milan 50 highlights
from Milan Special Issue
by est magazine
MILAN DESIGN WEEK 23
Words | Karen McCartney & David Harrison
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.
COLOUR
JANET ECHELMAN
X
KOHLER
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.
LOEWE CHAIRS
Palazzo Isimbardi, Corso Monforte 35
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.
DAVIDPOMPA
Alcova
Viale Molise, 62
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.
NATHALIE DU PASQUIER & SOWDEN
44SPAZIO
Corso di Porta Nuova 44
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.
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.
VERO
Vero Store
Via Felice Casati 3
DIESEL LIVING WITH MOROSO POP-UP
Moroso Pop Up
Via Della Spiga 26
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.
ZANOTTA
Padiglione 16, Salone del Mobile
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.
POLTRONOVA
Circolo Filologico Milanese
Via Clerici 10
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.
FUTURLIBERTY
Liberty London
Palazzo Morando, Via Sant’Andrea 6
“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.
MICHELE DE LUCCHI X 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.
ELENA SALMISTRARO X TAI PING
Tai Ping Showroom
Piazza San Simpliciano
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.
PORRO
Ciclorama
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.
BRUTALIST
DESACRALIZED
Galerie Philia
Chiesa di San Vittore E 40 Martiri, Viale Lucania 18
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.
BUDDE X SOLIDNATURE
Rosanna Orlandi Galleria
Via Matteo Bandello , 14
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.
TOM FEREDAY X AGGLOMERATI
Viale Molise, 62 Alcova
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.
SARAKELE STUDIO X CONCRAZY
Rosanna Orlandi Galleria
Via Matteo Bandello , 14
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.
HENRYTIMI
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.
DESIGN ICONS
LIGHT – FLOATING REFLECTION
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 are a series of illuminated rectangular boxes made of solid wood that act like tree branches. Made in the Japanese craft tradition, the collection is produced in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
EILEEN GRAY X CLASSICON
Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea
Via Solferino 44
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.
INGO MAURER
Caselli di Porta Nuova, Piazzale Principessa Clotilde 11-12
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).
FREEFORM
FAYE TOOGOOD X MAISON MATISSE
5VIE
Studio Nerino, Via Santa Marta 21
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).
CHRISTOPHE DELCOURT
Fondazione Mudima Via Alessandro Tadino, 26
Christophe 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.
ELISA OSSINO
Amini Showroom
Via Borgogna
Ossino designed the light-filled Amini showroom in Via Borgogna in 2018. This year she has launched a new rug collection for the shapes and unexpected tufts of texture made from organic wool, and without the use of chemicals in the dying or finishing. Less than two per cent of global sheep livestock are grown under organic standards which is no small feat. Also featured is her clever interlocking Honoré coffee table for De Padova.
RIVE ROSHAN
Rosanna Orlandi Galleria
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.
KARPETA & TEXTURAE
Via Cappuccio, 5VIE
Under 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.
FORMAFANTASMA
X
CC-TAPIS
Speaking with Simone Farresin & Andrea Trimarchi
CC Tapis Showroom
Piazza Santo Stefano 10
“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.”
OUTDOOR
GUBI
Bagni Misteriosi
Via Carlo Botta, 18
(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.
ALCOVA
Viale Molise, 62
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.
CRISTINA CELESTINO
Clay Court Club
Viale Romagna 58
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.
MONIOMI X ARTEMEST
Via Cappuccio, 5VIE
The Terrace for the L’Appartamento show by Artemest was one of six curated spaces in a once grand Milanese palazzo, showing as part of the 5Vie group of exhibitions and installations. Celebrating Italian craftsmanship, Moniomi Designs took the indoors out and mixed comfort and style as they paired their signature bright colours with organic shapes, all the while bringing the vibe of their home town Miami to Milan.
CASA
LA MANUFACTURE
Casa Manzoni
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.
SEM
Casa Sem
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.
DOPPIA FIRMA
Palazzo Litta
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.
EDRA
Edra Palazzo Durini
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.
NEUTRA
Design Variations
Palazzo Visconti
The spiritual beauty of the famous marble, Verde Alpi, was highlighted in an installation called Vibrations: The Voice 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.
QUIET MATERIALITY
STUDIOPEPE
Campo Base
Via Orobia 11
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.
HERMÈS
La Pelota, Via Palermo 10
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.
STILL LIFE – THE ART OF LIVING
Via Alessandro Tadino 2
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.
FORMAFANTASMA X TACCHINI
Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi 7
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.”
THE ART OF LIGHT
Elle Décor Italia
Palazzo Bovara, Corso Venezia 51
“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.
NIKA ZUPANC X MOOOI
Salone dei Tessuti, Via San Gregorio 29
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.
GLASS & RESIN
ABRAKADABRA
WonderGlass
Istituto Ciechi di Milano, Via Vivaio 7
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.
DEBONADEMEO X INCALMI
Design Variations, Circolo Filologico Milanese
Circolo Filologico Milanese, Via Clerici 10
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.
GLAS ITALIA
Padiglione 4, Salone del Mobile
Creating 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.
DRAGA & AUREL
Rosanna Orlandi Galleria
Via Matteo Bandello, 14
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.
MOODY
LALAB X LINDSEY ADELMAN
Alcova
Viale Molise, 62
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.
OCHRE
Rosanna Orlandi Galleria
Via Matteo Bandello, 14
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.
MARTYN THOMPSON STUDIO X FABSCARTE
Alcova
Viale Molise, 62
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.
DIMORE
Dimore Studio
Via Sammartini
Dimore Studio’s Silence exhibition is a journey through a number of elaborate vignettes where the onlooker is a voyeur, peering through ragged holes in the wall. A series of staged scenographic unfold: exquisite sets where something – perhaps slightly eerie – is waiting to happen.
