Frond on frond: in the pink at our Salone oasis

‘Le Refuge’ with a slatted wooden base and metal stems and leaves, in the garden at Milan’s Mediateca Santa Teresa during the Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition.

(Image credit: Chiara Goia)

By Rosa Bertoli

last updated 21 October 2022

in Features

The most Instagrammed project of Salone del Mobile, designer Marc Ange’s ‘Le Refuge’ – an oversized lounger comprising a cushioned bed protected by a parasol of stylised palm leaves – offered much-needed respite from the sun, as well as a welcome dose of candy-pink frivolity at what can be a very serious furniture fair.

The project – presented at Wallpaper’s annual Handmade exhibition, at Mediateca Santa Teresa – was designed by Ange as the first product in a new venture with The Invisible Collection, a design retail platform offering bespoke pieces to private clients. Trained as a car designer, Ange is the Rome-born, Paris- and LA-based founder of creative agency Bloom Room, which specialises in what he calls ‘extraordinary design’, applied to interiors, furniture, brand identity and automotive projects.

His lounger was set within an immersive outdoor installation created by The Green Gallery, an online magazine that promotes plants and flowers as inspiration for art and design. A lush tunnel of exotic greenery marked the passage between the real world and the designer’s fantasy. ‘Le Refuge is a place where one finds comfort and peace. It is the projection of a childhood memory,’ says Ange. ‘Its large leaves form a shelter under the sun, away from reality.’

As originally featured in the July 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*220)

INFORMATION

‘Le Refuge’, by Marc Ange, available to order from The Invisible Collection website and the Bloom Room Studio website

Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.