Milan Design Week Review | Part 2

Road to Recovery

darc's Editor Sarah Cullen sits down with President of Salone del Mobile. Milano Maria Porro to discuss the impact of the global pandemic on the international design event, the Italian design community and how both have responded to its challenges.

The events’ industry has had a turbulent 18-months due to the impact of international lockdowns and restrictions, as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic. However, 2021 saw the beginning of the events world re-opening, and with that came the latest instalment of Salone del Mobile. Milano in the form of Supersalone at Milan Design Week. darc sat down with Maria Porro, President of Salone del Mobile, to find out more about how Italy’s design community weathered the pandemic and how the exhibition bounced back to accommodate the “new normal”. “Supersalone was a real success, well beyond our expectations,” says Porro. “After 18 months away, together with colleagues, entrepreneurs, architects, designers, manufacturers, the city of Milan and the entire international design community, we created this unprecedented event that we wanted to call "Supersalone": we set out to organise it, believing that it was essential to get together again, but above all, to rediscover, retouch and try the products that our companies have continued to create in these long months of the pandemic. “As you might know, the decision to do the event was taken at the end of June, so we had very little time to organise it. It was a completely new format and we had a lot to do in a strict time. So, we are deeply satisfied by its incredible results. “Figures speak for themselves: over 60,000 visitors from 113 countries - of these more than half were trade operators and buyers (47% from outside Italy); nearly 1,800 journalists from all over the world. “I believe it sent a message of beauty and hope not only to Italy, but to the entire world.” Unable to compare the previous years of Salone del Mobile.Milano to Supersalone due to its unique circumstances in which it was held, Porro is still delighted with the turnout at this year’s event. “We cannot do any comparison with the last edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano because this year was an emergency year due to the general Covid situation. For example, Chinese visitors – who in the past are number one in terms of quantity - could not leave China. “Supersalone” is not comparable to the 2019 edition, but by no means is it inferior: I can say we appreciated even more those who decided to visit despite the difficulties, confirming the strong relationship and affection with our design community,” she explains. In order to ensure the event was as safe and secure as possible for its international visitors, Porro and her team worked hard to implement as many Covid-prevention measures to limit the spread of the virus. “Salone del Mobile.Milano had laid down the bases, carefully and respectfully, to ensure that the first great trade fair in person was open, in terms of security, to as many people as possible,” she tells darc. “We had to devote considerable effort and attention to the organisational aspects involved with preventing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and, in particular, to the organisation of the spaces at the fair, the guidelines for correct visitor behaviour (the use of masks and social distancing throughout was mandatory) and to regulate access and flows. Body temperature screening and Green Passes or the EU Digital Covid Certificate was compulsory for all visitors. We also created four rapid testing

stations for those who wished to take a rapid antigen test.” With an increased demand for large events and organisations to be more environmentally aware of their footprints, Supersalone reflected this in its approach to creating a more sustainable show. Porro explains how they achieved this further: “The show reflects the general attention to the environment and embraces the concept of sustainability and the issue of reuse, recycling and circularity. This approach interprets striving for better and more responsible development of the industry. In building the event, we gave importance to hire and reuse, in order to cut material waste as much as possible. All the materials and components of the installation have been achieved using a reduced quantity of chipboard panels made from 100% recycled wood, which will then be channelled back into the production cycle with a view to circularity, saving 553,500kg of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere.” Shifting to look at Italy’s design market as a whole, darc asked Porro about how the local industries had weathered the last couple of years? “These particular years have forced us to

rediscover the importance of the domestic space and, for this reason, to reconsider the value of the quality of the places of living, encouraging renovation,” she says. “The situation resulted in a positive growth in France, the US, Germany, the UK and Switzerland, the top five commercial outlets for us, as well as in the top 25 destination markets, testifying the healthy state of Italian exports.” She continues: “The pandemic has increased the need for quality design: which does not mean only quality of materials and surfaces but also quality in the organisation of spaces, able to influence the way in which we live in the spaces. “The experience of the home is something universal that unites all people in all the countries of the world, but every home is different because it is created by the people who live in it: every home is unique. “Design made in Italy always gives a different and personalised quality solutions, making our furnishings enter the most diverse and distant homes, resulting in a harmonious encounter between different cultures and ways of life.” When looking at design trends occurring in Italy at the moment, Porro adds that design has been directed back inwards to the home. “During this long pandemic period there has been a lot of attention to the house and a rediscovery of the domestic space. Home has become more and more “home” and less and less “house”. A cosy place to take refuge from the outside, being comfortable and surrounded by beauty with your objects and pieces of furniture. Being forbidden to go out for some long periods, even the smallest balcony or terrace or garden became a sort of “escape room”. The boundary between indoor and outdoor is blending and home is now also a place where you can reconnect with nature. So, outdoor furniture has received a lot of attention. “It’s essential to support companies in the process of innovation and change towards greater environmental sustainability, but first of all we need to enhance and communicate the strength already inherent in our products, which are the expression of a virtuous manufacturing system and a model that focuses on quality and durability. “I believe we have realised that we need the essential and the functional. The superfluous is not necessary in difficult times but we probably extend this concept to normal times. The experience of the home has been something universal that united everyone. “At the same time, our perception of public spaces has dramatically changed, and now we appreciate more and more large, un-crowded spaces, where it is possible to control the flows of people and meet safely thanks to the presence of outdoor areas.” Looking ahead to the next edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano, Porro is enthusiastic that the 2022 show will continue to bring designers and industry heavyweights together in the heart of Italy to spark new design and creativity. “Supersalone has reiterated once again how Salone del Mobile. Milano, and its relationship with the city of Milan, is at the centre of the design scene with an irreplaceable role in catalysing all the energies of the sector, and attracting visitors, offering new enthusiasm and a creative boost to all our partners. “All agreed that it had been a positive experience, and for everyone a signal of the restart of an entire industry and of the city of Milan, trade operators and exhibitors are all hard at work on the 2022 edition in the hope that we will be able to meet the whole design community again at Salone,” she says. “Supersalone was a special event, a one-off piece. Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022 will go back to the original formula and we’ll once again be a fair rather than an exhibition. However, it will certainly keep some “supersalone” important turning points, such as sustainability and the fact that for the first time we had a real digital presence through website, socials, QR codes and streaming. And last but not least, the visitor’s experience at the centre for us.”

The next edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano will take place 5-10 April 2022. www.salonemilano.it

Archiproducts Milano in via Tortona 31 welcomed visitors to its new exhibition Future Habit(at), inspired by the lifestyles of the future. From Project Days to forays into the fashion world, the new layout in via Tortona 31 hosted a rich programme of events.

Design Week began with the inauguration of the new installation, resulting from a productive collaboration with Studio Salaris. Realised together with 60 international brands, the project explores possible scenarios that interpret future lifestyles. Technology - increasingly silent and devoid of traditional interfaces - and cocoon spaces - opportunities for intimacy in shared spaces - were the keywords for this new edition. In exploring these cocoon spaces of the future, the aim was not just social distancing but also finding new ways of social sharing. At Archiproducts Milano, this was translated into hybrid collective elements – kitchen counters that become co-working tables, living walls and cocoon spaces. Taking a walk-through of the space, we discover a large variety of decorative lighting elements that completed the scenes. The arches, the project’s formal leitmotif, interpreted the spaces of the future, and became the graphic symbol of the new Kriskadecor anodised aluminium chain façade designed by the Archiproducts Team illustrator, Carla Di Benedetto. The arches welcomed the visitor at the entrance. The pale, neutral Novacolor grey on the wall contrasts the desk's bright orange and blue. The staircase took on a new meaning and moved from being a transitional area to a real living space. The walls were decorated with repeated graphic patterns in relief, inspired by fabrics from Florim ceramic wall tiles to Officinarkitettura wallpaper, offering a tactile - as well as visual - experience. The lighting was also almost graphic. Ribbons intertwined to support round glass objects designed by the Canadian brand Studio d'Armes, filling the staircase void with rhythmic light. Comfortable Hobbyflower poufs arranged along the route allow people to take a break and admire the space. Paolo Castelli's luminous glass sculptures, a tribute to Morandi, highlight and illuminate an additional seating area. We have become increasingly demanding of our living spaces, moving towards more fluid and multifunctional environments. BuzziSpace furniture and lighting solutions created small office islands.The future of living is also more sustainable. Sound-absorbing felt covering the furniture is made of 100% recycled PET. Soft, sinuous lines, combined with light wood and pastel-coloured upholstery, create an environment that provides visual comfort. There was also a meeting room, an all-in-one office solution. Two rooms on the first floor house the BTicino Smart Apartment. Here was where you could experience a smart home, where technology gives value to everyday living. It allowed you to comfortably and efficiently control video entry systems, lights, sockets, automation, temperature and security via App or voice controls. The terrace hosts the Elmar freestanding cement kitchen. In the evening, Ambientec Japanese lanterns created atmospheric light and moved with our new nomadic needs. The route continued along the corridor, which, like the staircase, became a place for a break and no longer a place only to pass through. The wall is entirely covered with sound-absorbing Knauf AMF wood wool sheets. It is punctuated by three portholes covered with soft fabric, where people can sit or even lie down comfortably to watch a film or listen to music on their tablets or headphones. On the ceiling, a spectacular ANDlight installation ran throughout the entire space. The kitchen became a hybrid element, halfway between domestic use and a co-working space. Wing was a freestanding wood kitchen by True Design conceived as a 'piazza' that comes alive in different ways at different times of the day. Wing had contemporary light lines, as does the room's lighting. The ANDlight chandelier, with its minimal, unconventional shape, expressed richness in brass. Adjustable aluminium office lamps by Re-volt extend from the walls. The Dooor textile door separates the corridor from the next room, where Interna8's timeless furnishings took us back to a more familiar but not banal - domestic environment. It could be a living area, but also a more luxurious and cosy office. In the future, everything will be more fluid and harmonious. The building’s largest room is transformed into an elegant set whose dominant colours are blue and teal. Here the walls were veritable living architectures, with arches and cocoons that become part of the structure itself. It was furnished with a long wood Buzzispace table, a Silentlab pod, Midgard lamps, the Samsung 360 cassette for air conditioning, framed by AMFknauf hanging panels, Braun wireless acoustic speakers, and Samsung TVs for videoconferences and meetings. Archiproducts Milano, even pondered new way of living on the planetary scale. Econyl provides an answer, showing us the various applications of regenerated nylon-carpets, chairs, lighting and rugs show its potential. Attention to the relationship between design and sustainability is also explored in a room by Milla & Milli. The love affair with nature ranges from searching for raw materials to focus on the production process and formal inspiration. Waves carved into a wood surface create plays of light and shadow, speaking of deep waters, Zen gardens and furrows in the earth. The lighting featured soft profiles, with a Paolo Castelli pendant lamp and blown glass lamps by ANDlight. The kitchen was a black steel futuristic sculpture that was both luxurious and highly functional. The new Desalto marble table came complete with two stools was illuminated by a pair of lime-coloured easy-to-adjust Midgard pendant lamps and Astro Lighting wall lamps.. www.archiproducts.com

Milan Design Week Product Launches

Croma Lodes

Contemporary Italian lighting brand, Lodes, is exhibiting its lighting range at supersalone and La Casa Fluida by Elle Decor Italia as part of Milan Design Week 2021. The brand is presenting a selection of recent products, however the two events will first and foremost set the stage for the debut of Croma, the new floor lamp designed by multidisciplinary designer Luca Nichetto for Lodes. Taking its name from the Italian word for a ‘quaver’ or ‘eighth’, Croma illustrates a musical note in its slender frame. In contrast to the classic floor lamp, which typically opens out at the top rather than the base, Luca Nichetto and Lodes turned the frame on its head to create a revolutionary product. Available in four unique finishes, Croma offers two metallic ombré effects that fade from green to black and from bronze to nickel, which are new colourways for Lodes, as well as two matte shades in solid white and black, which have a texturised finish. lodes.com

Silence Sé

For this year’s Milan Design week, European design house Sé presents Sé La Vie – an exhibition that celebrates a decade of collaboration at Galleria Rossana Orlandi. Within one of Milan’s most iconic venues three welcoming rooms have been designed around our collective yearning for conviviality: the pleasures of gathering together, of sharing a sofa, sitting around a table and enjoying stimulating conversation. As the spark to collaborate with Nika Zupanc was ignited at Galleria Rossana Orlandi it is fitting that in its own 10th anniversary year, Sé is launching two new pieces with the Slovenian designer – the Grace Sofa and the Silence Lamp. Bringing a sense of repose and harmony, the Silence Lamp is a new large sculptural lamp with a canopy-like shade. Base in Carrara marble; also available in any Sé ceramic colour. se-collections.com

Parentesi Flos

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its long lasting best seller Parentesi, Flos reinterprets the iconic lamp with two new colors - Turquoise and Signal Orange. Turquoise and Signal Orange were singled out after a careful study of the work by the two designers Pio Manzù and Achille Castiglioni. The two colors are complementary to each other. So while being each a homage to one of the creators, they also connect Castiglioni and Manzù together once again in a subtle and cultivated way, to further fuel the story of this incredible object that was born, from the very start, from an impossible dialogue between two design geniuses who never actually met. www.flos.com

Notte Africana Davide Groppi

During Milan Design Week 2021, Davide Groppi presented an exhibition of unique projects, but also of future creations, possible and impossible, displayed in an original way through a path in the darkness. “Writing and designing continue to be a mystery for me. A primordial force that is triggered, and that I have no full control over. Reality is there, it doesn’t really nterest me: it already exists. And so I rebuild it, in my own way, telling of worlds that don’t exist,” says Davide Groppi. Notte Africana demonstrates the poetics of Fausto Melotti in this lightweight utopia of light. www.davidegroppi.com

Shades SowdenLight

SowdenLight presents Shades, a collection of lamps with multiple configuration possibilities, thanks to the modularity of the silicone components, a fabulous material for the diffusion of light, bright colors, resistant and washable. The result of research that the studio of George Sowden carried out during 2020 includes pendant lamps, table lamps, floor lamps, battery lamps for indoor and outdoor use. The illumination source is standard LED lightbulbs (except for the battery lamp, which uses a specific LED circuit). www.sowdenlight.com

Milan Design Week Showroom Events

Dolce & Gabbana Casa Barovier&Toso

A memorable three-day event for Venice, and for the world of fashion and design, Barovier&Toso created a stunning installation of artistic impact. A new leg on the Grand Tour of beauty by Dolce & Gabbana, the journey unfolded in two iconic locations in the city: the Scuola Grande della Misericordia and the Arsenale. Both sites and their displays were enhanced by the surprising installations of Barovier&Toso. For the motif of the Sicilian cart, the two installations by Barovier&Toso shared the lively outbursts of colour typical of the Sicilian tradition, a constant inspiration in the collections of Dolce & Gabbana. In tune with this fil rouge, Barovier&Toso created five suspension lamps, each composed of six chandeliers mounted on cartwheels in handpainted wood: a festival of seductive colours of great magnetic charm. Red, Antalya green, blue, caramel and amber were also the protagonists of the other installation, a cascade of crystal composed of 14 suspension lamps arranged in space to create an intriguing, dynamic pattern, producing a striking three-dimensional effect. With a height of 7.5-metres, the Carretto contained 3000 glass tubes with a square cross-section, crafted with a bark-like finish. Each suspension was formed by an enclosure of multicoloured vertical parts, balanced to bring out the intensity of one colour at a time. The final result was an extraordinary tableau of saturated colours and ample forms. barovier.com

Elle Decor Italia - La casa Fluida Martinelli Luce

The exhibition "La casa Fluida", proposed by Elle Decor Italia for the Milan Design week 2021 and curated by Elisa Ossino Studio, introduces the concept of a 360° home, enhanced, interconnected and at the same time intimate. No longer just a private space but a place dedicated to work, wellness, shopping... The exhibition aims to be a contemporary and innovative analysis of the new increasingly fluid habitats where the key word is "ultra domesticity". Martinelli Luce will be present with a proposal of lamps that best describe the new way people live their homes: Elastica, Delux, Elica, Calabrone, Biconica, Frog, Elmetto, Ruspa and Cobra. martinelliluce.it

Daily Glow Seletti

Seletti, the Italian brand known for its colourful, playful and sometimes irreverent pop image, presented the Daily Glow collection by Alessandro Zambelli atMilan Design Week 2021. Born from a reinterpretation of Seletti’s DNA, always ready to astonish by combining memory objects with new ways of use and unusual aesthetics, Daily Glow is a collection of LED lamps that use the lines of objects of daily use, transforming them into light sources. A small paper bag, a tube of toothpaste, a milk carton, a liquid soap dispenser, a can of sardines, a tin can and a spray can are faithfully reproduced in resin to become luminous objects. Luminous LED objects define their aesthetic, while at the same time recalling the function of the toothpaste coming out of the tube or the soap from the dispenser – in a playful, captivating manner. The collection presents itself as an evolution of the first project conceived by Zambelli for Seletti: Estetico Quotidiano (Daily Aesthetic in English), the collection that revolutionised the look of tableware 15 years ago. “I liked the idea of being able to capture the essence of Seletti starting from a Daily Aesthetic,” explains Alessandro Zambelli. “I wanted to create a series of products in which the externality is important only until the substance lights up and prevails. Not simple lamps, but objects that intend to trace contemporaneousness and narrate the transformation of the world, reflecting on the value of the essence in a pop key, but with deep meanings”. www.seletti.it