Etel sets its Brazilian roots down in a new organic Milan flagship

When Etel decided to open its European flagship in Milan, they wanted to reflect the palimpsest of the city today – a place enriched with tradition, innovation and style. Collaborating with Como-based architecture firm Superluna, a triad of Italian architects whose cumulative work traverse four continents, Etel chose a former gallery in the Maroncelli district, a neighbourhood where classic boutiques and independent shops rub shoulders with Italy’s most innovative architectural endeavours, like the Bosco Verticale and the Unicredit Tower.
With a goal of creating a conceptual meeting point between Brazilian and Italian culture and design, Superluna stripped the detritus decor of the two-level gallery space and removed extraneous walls, transforming the space into a white-washed surface, with original symmetry and ornaments beccoming a canvas. And from there, Etel would grow. Literally.
Lissa Carmona and the Superluna team at the new Etel Milan flagship
Centrepiece at the two-level gallery is an undulating wooden screen, hand-made and designed by Etel founder Etel Carmona, that is deliberately reminiscent of a tree trunk. The trunk cuts the centre of the showroom physically and figuratively, from its visual impact as the most organic element in the space to its functional aspect as a hidden staircase, bringing you into the space and inside the world of Etel. ‘Since the tree is the heart of Etel Design, we wanted to give the feeling that we planted one right here,’ says Superluna’s Luca Sartori.
Divided into two almost equal sections, Etel’s ground floor is an exhibition area – a modern salon where curated pieces by historic modernist designers like Oscar Niemeyer and Isay Weinfeld, as well as Etel’s own creations are in constant dialogue with contemporary art exhibitions. Case in point: the current photo show by Ruy Teixeira and upcoming Véio exhibition, both highlight a harmony with the different pieces and history between them. Upstairs, the mezzanine level is a more cinematic experience, in fact, it’s more than a showroom, it’s a living space, work area and library.
Etel is all about organic growth. What you see today will transform into another ‘situation,’ Sartori explains of the coming months. ‘It’s all about the celebration of the human level of design and its relationship with organic materials, a continuous evolution.’
Split over two floors, the ground floor acts as an exhibition space of its collections
The space features an undulating wooden screen that acts as a hidden staircase that cuts through the building’s two floors
Etel’s own creations are in constant dialogue with contemporary art exhibitions in the space
Whilst a showroom in its function, the second floor also feels like a living space, work area and library
Superluna’s overarching goal was to create the conceptual meeting point of Brazilian and Italian culture and design
The living space partition of the second floor
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Etel Design website
ADDRESS
Etel Design
Via Pietro Maroncelli, 13
Milano
20154
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
The Sinclair name is back, attached to a pocket-sized games console with an educational edge
Grant Sinclair’s name is freighted with early computing history. Wallpaper* tapped up the British inventor to find out more about his new GamerCard console and other innovation
-
Beloved sushi restaurant Sōgo Roll Bar comes to Highland Park
The sushi hangout begins a new chapter in its second location, becoming the perfect spot for a quick grab-and-go or a relaxed tasting experience in east LA
-
Japanese designer Shinichiro Ogata's latest venture is a modern riff on the traditions of his home country
As he launches Saboe, a series of new tearooms and shops across Japan, we delve into Shinichiro Ogata's creative vision, mirrored throughout the spaces and objects, rituals and moments of his projects
-
Aberto’s first international show celebrates Brazilian design in Paris at a modernist gem
Brazilian exhibition platform Aberto takes over modernist properties for art and design showcases. As it brings its concept to Europe, Wallpaper* is at Maison La Roche to explore South American icons
-
Beyond bathrooms: VitrA opens new showroom in London
Recently opened in Clerkenwell, VitrA’s two-storey London flagship promises to be more multi-sensory bathroom social than a conventional show space
-
Get a flavour of modernist Mexico City at this new showroom
Virtually tour VIDIVIXI’s new Mexico City showroom, and explore locally-made designs
-
Campana Brothers look back on 35 years of revolutionary design
On view at modernist Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, ‘Campana Brothers – 35 Revolutions’ is a retrospective of the Brazilian designers’ impactful oeuvre
-
Etel celebrates its contemporary female forces
Brazilian brand Etel puts its female contemporary designers at the forefront for its newest venture, Women and Design, kicking off with a debut collection by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola
-
Set in stone: Salvatori opens Dutch flagship with Piet Boon
Salvatori throws open the doors to its first Dutch flagship, inside Piet Boon’s Amsterdam Headquarters
-
In LA, Molteni Group embraces midcentury modern heritage
Inside the new West Hollywood flagship, Molteni&C | Dada creative director Vincent Van Duysen creates an architectural transatlantic aura
-
Inside Casa do Passadiço’s dynamic new interior boutique in Lisbon