'Rooms: Novel Living Concepts', at Salone

View of Lazzarini Pickering’s room installation featuring red walls, seating in different colours, a rug, a tv and a table. There is a light grey pathway running through the room

Architect Beppe Finessi presents a new exhibition on the little-explored design theme of interior architecture, called ’Rooms: Novel Living Concepts’ at Milan’s Triennale. Pictured: installation view of Lazzarini Pickering’s room

(Image credit: Andrea Martiradonna)

Unlike the fields of graphic design, product design and architecture, there are very few or almost no critical opportunities for reviewing and reflecting upon the discipline of interior architecture – a strange situation when you consider the huge influence and direct impact that architectural interiors have on our everyday lives.

It was when observing this anomaly, and the fact that the most recent and significant exhibitions dedicated to interior architecture took place over 30 years ago, that architect Beppe Finessi came up with the idea for new exhibition, 'Rooms: Novel Living Concepts' now open at Milan’s Triennale.

The exhibition begins by providing a little historical context – an overview of great interiors through the ages from the 1920s to the present day, by Italian masters such as Gio Ponti, Franco Albini and Ettore Sottsass – with a layout that Finessi likens to as a ‘three-dimensional encyclopedia’. From here, visitors are invited to experience a series of experimental interiors created by ten of Italy’s greatest architecture and design studios, including Fabio Novembre, Alessandro Mendini, Umberto Riva and Elisabetta Terragni.

Designed to convey each designer’s unique philosophy, the room sets are presented with insightful statements provided by each. ‘For a long time, forever in fact, I have felt as though I were living shut inside a prison. Serving a life sentence for the crime of ornamentation,’ writes Alessandro Mendini in the introduction to his optical interior, which is made from bold black and white planks of ABET Laminate – his all time favourite material.

Elsewhere, Fabio Novembre invites us into his dark, scarlet leather-lined room that takes the shape of a hollow human head. Clad in mirrors on the outside, visitors enter through the mouth, where two golden vestal virgins stand sentry, before reclining on the sofa inside and listening to ‘a stream of consciousness’ played out in a male voice over speakers. ‘The visitor finds himself inside himself, looking at himself from within,’ explains Novembre of the surreal experience.

Other highlights include Umberto Riva’s 16-metre-square 'La Petite Chambre', a ‘respectful yet critical’ response to Corbusier’s Cabanon with practical tweaks that include moving the WC away from the bed and into an independent unit. Realised in birch and clad in cedar wood shingles, the Milanese chambre serves as a reflection on the amount of space a person effectively needs.

An undoubted highlight of the museum's XXI International Exhibition programme, 'Rooms: Novel Living Concepts' runs at La Triennale di Milano until 12 September.

View of Forte&rsquo;s room installation - a light wood structure offering a view of inside between the gaps. Chairs, a table and wall art can be seen inside along with an upper level. The pathway and walls around the installation are light grey — The exhibition begins by providing an overview of great interiors through the ages, from the 1920s to the present day by Italian masters such as Gio Ponti, Franco Albini and Ettore Sottsass. Pictured: installation view of Forte’s room

View of the red, white, blue and grey initial sketch for Forte&rsquo;s room which shows the furniture and layout inside — Initial sketch for Forte’s room

View of Librizzi&rsquo;s room installation - a red and blue oval shaped frame plus a table, chairs and a large, white hashtag style structure above. The walls and flooring around the frame are light grey and black text can be seen on one wall — Visitors also experience a series of experimental interiors created by ten of Italy’s greatest architecture and design studios, including Fabio Novembre, Alessandro Mendini, Umberto Riva and Elisabetta Terragni. Pictured: installation view of Librizzi’s room

View of Novembre&rsquo;s room installation - a silver reflective dome with red interior, black flooring that begins outside the dome and two gold female statues with gold discs sitting at the head, bust, hips and knees located by the entrance to the dome — Designed to convey each designer’s unique design philosophy, the room sets are presented with insightful statements provided by each designer. Pictured: installation view of Novembre’s room

Interior view of Novembre&rsquo;s room installation which is red and features eyes, a nose and a mouth which is the entrance offering a partial view of the two gold statues outside — Fabio Novembre invites us into his dark, scarlet leather-lined room that takes the shape of a hollow human head (pictured)

Exterior view of Umberto Riva&rsquo;s 16-metre-square &rsquo;La Petite Chambre&rsquo; - a wood panelled structure with small rectangle shaped windows that have light shining through. The walls and flooring around the structure are light grey — Another highlight includes Umberto Riva’s 16-metre-square ’La Petite Chambre’ (pictured) – a ‘respectful yet critical’ response to Corbusier’s Cabanon

INFORMATION

'Rooms: Novel Living Concepts' is on view until 12 September. For more information, visit the Triennale website.

Photography courtesy Andrea Martiradonna

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Ali Morris is a UK-based editor, writer and creative consultant specialising in design, interiors and architecture. In her 16 years as a design writer, Ali has travelled the world, crafting articles about creative projects, products, places and people for titles such as Dezeen, Wallpaper* and Kinfolk.