The problem of the sofa bed is perennial: to opt for aesthetics or practicality? For anyone short on space, it’s an obvious lifesaver. No guest room? No problem. But the sofa bed has been plagued by affiliations of lumpy seating and protruding springs and, for design lovers, the thought of sacrificing style for function, especially with a piece as central as a sofa, can feel like a knife to the heart. The good news? You no longer have to. Our curated pick of sofa beds are sleek, sophisticated and comfortable – totally undetectable by day and indulgently cosy by night.

As part of the inaugural Venice Climate Week last week, a striking new space for contemporary art and creativity was unveiled to the public: Casa Sanlorenzo, home of Sanlorenzo Arts. Conceived by luxury yachting leader Sanlorenzo as a place of dialogue between the worlds of art, culture, and sustainability, this innovative venue was designed by architect Piero Lissoni and his firm, Lissoni & Partners, to foster a dynamic exchange with a city that uniquely embodies both a deep maritime soul and a rich artistic tradition.

Tucked away in the Dorsoduro sestiere, it’s just a stone’s throw from cultural institutions such as Punta della Dogana and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Its windows open onto a stunning view of the domes of the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute – a Baroque masterpiece, recently restored to new splendour. Locals who used to pass by this spot will surely recall the quiet charm of the ivy-covered villa, hidden behind a veil of greenery and rendered completely inaccessible for years. Its wooden bridge, broken and blocked off by red-and-white warning signs, only added to its air of mystery after being abandoned for over a decade.

Now, spread across two exhibition floors (plus a private apartment), Casa Sanlorenzo offers over 1,000 sq m dedicated to art and culture – complemented by an exquisite 600 sq m open space and garden that adds an unexpected touch of serenity to this corner of the city. The first surprise? Unlike many recent projects that lean heavily on a nostalgic Venetian aesthetic, architect Piero Lissoni and his studio opted for a boldly minimalist approach. The original brick façade and white balconies have been carefully preserved, but step inside and you’re met with soaring glass walls overlooking a garden with a sleek lounge area, sliding spotlights, and mobile panels – every detail clearly designed with exhibitions in mind.

The sense of contrast between the exterior and the interior was very much intentional, Lissoni confirms: ‘This project began four years ago,’ he explains. ‘After visiting 12 different sites in Venice, it was here that I finally heard the project’s “voice”. Back then, the building had no windows, the hallways were narrow and dark, the rooms small and oppressive. Today, everything is white – an homage to the original structure, which had good bones, like a rough, uncut stone.’ Lissoni makes one thing clear: there was never any intention to ‘rescue’ a traditional Venetian home. ‘This was a modern house, built between 1942 and 1948. I wanted it to live beyond its past, to tell an entirely new story.’

‘The essence of the project is cultural – a hub where art, architecture, design, research, and poetry can connect,’ Massimo Perotti, executive chairman of Sanlorenzo, emphasises. For its grand opening, Casa Sanlorenzo showcased works by Alighiero Boetti, Lucio Fontana, and Emil Michael Klein – pieces drawn from Sanlorenzo’s private collection. Perotti’s vision is rooted in the brand’s previous collaborations with the Venice Art Biennale and its presence at Art Basel. It reflects a clear commitment to cultural responsibility, with the aim of becoming a catalyst for fresh perspectives.

The goal, Perotti continues, is to create a bridge between Sanlorenzo’s core work – engineering, research, and development and the wider worlds of art, science, technology, and philosophy. This metaphorical bridge is echoed in a very real one: the new footbridge designed by Lissoni. Made entirely of prefabricated metal and already fully assembled, it features a surface of traditional Istrian stone, typical of Venice, and a handrail carved to resemble an oar – an homage to the city’s deep bond with the water. ‘No one had dared to build a new bridge in Venice since Calatrava’s,’ Perotti laughs. ‘The local ladies who walk by with their shopping trolleys – the true custodians of Venetian taste – have immediately taken out their phones and snapped pictures. So far, the ones I’ve spoken to say they approve.’ For Lissoni, the bridge had to be reimagined: ‘It needed to reflect outward, toward the city, what’s happening inside the house. It was conceived as a pure technological gesture – almost a mathematical equation crystallised into form.’

But the real showstopper lies inside: one of the project’s most innovative features is the glass staircase. Inspired by the building’s original geometry and reinterpreted with steel and, naturally, glass, it’s a striking centerpiece. ‘Everyone knows – I love staircases. I’m obsessed with them,’ Lissoni admits. ‘And in Venice, there had to be one in glass. A transparent, solid structure that doesn’t shake, doesn’t sway, doesn’t move – and above all, doesn’t slip.’

Sustainability was key to the transformation: the building now operates at net-zero energy, with tailor-made solutions for windows, glazing, ceilings, flooring, and the management of both energy and water. This achievement, Lissoni notes, is the result of embracing Venice’s genius loci – its unique spirit – alongside the craftsmanship of local artisans, companies, engineers, and architects.

‘In an increasingly virtual world, we wanted to invest in presence, in meaningful encounters, and in shared experiences,’ says Perotti. ‘Because we believe that authenticity requires substance, time, and human connection. And Venice is the perfect place for this project.’

When Piero Lissoni first designed the Alberese family of sofas and seats in 2020, he was aiming for a design ‘born from many reflections and then frozen in its essence’, which would be ‘comfortable and elegant at the same time’. This search for harmony of shapes and perfect functionality has seen the leading Italian designer revisit his creation for De Padova with a new version, the ‘Alberese XL’, presented during Salone del Mobile 2024.

This new collection of modular sofas offers a wide range of configurations and options, allowing its owners to create very personal and truly contemporary living space. ‘Alberese XL is the latest addition to the family as the sofa model takes on new shapes,’ explains Lissoni. ‘There are more ridges and slopes to allow people to create the layout that best fits their tastes.’

Providing space for welcoming inclined armrests and comfortable seats where one can relax, read, and be together, the ‘Alberese XL’ alternates changes in depth, curved elements, and cushions with a defined front and to create a new domestic landscape. Its platform-like base runs throughout, transforming into low marble top coffee tables and linking the various elements together.

The sofa is part of a collection celebrating the 90th anniversary of Boffi De Padova, marking nearly a century of championing Italian manufacturing and tradition, and focusing on the intelligent use of interior space. Also launching is another design by Lissoni, the ‘Novanta’ kitchen. Lissoni himself has spent the past three decades developing international projects in the fields of architecture, landscape, interior, product and graphic design, from his offices in Milan and New York.

De Padova, Via Santa Cecilia, 7

depadova.com

A version of this article appears in the May 2024 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

The new Dorothea Hotel in the heart of Budapest honours the legacy of Maria Dorothea of Württemberg, a 19th-century Archduchess of Austria and a pivotal figure in the city’s cultural history. Born from the fusion of three fabled structures (the neo-Renaissance Weber, art nouveau Mahart, and modernist Münnich buildings), the hotel now stands as a unified whole following a considerate redevelopment led by Lissoni & Partners.

Discover noble ambition at Dorothea Hotel, Budapest

Piero Lissoni, the Italian architect behind the transformation, likens the process to tailoring, preserving the buildings’ essence, yet breathing new life into them. ‘We approached the restoration with the utmost respect,’ notes Lissoni. ‘Preserving the façades was paramount, as was maintaining contextual harmony within the cityscape.’

Part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, the hotel includes 216 guest rooms and suites divided into contemporary and heritage designs, along with private residences. At the heart of the project is a new top-floor level, offering panoramic vistas of Budapest’s historic landmarks, and the conversion of three small courtyards into a single expansive one with an all-season covered garden. The courtyard-facing façades boast mainly glass elements, complemented by wooden balconies and vertical features.

The interiors pay homage to Budapest’s cultural heritage while injecting playful, contemporary elements in the form of the traditional Zsolnay tiles adorning the staircase, a collaborative photographic project with local artist Zoltán Tombor, and the Hungarian sujtás motif used as a pattern on the hallway carpets.

Dining options currently include a bar and deli with blue shingles referencing the Danube, and the leafy Pavilion restaurant, which follows a farm-to-table concept.

marriott.com, lissoniandpartners.com

A version of this article appears in the April 2024 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

Lissoni & Partners has completed a serene mountain apartment on the Dolomites, in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy. Designed for a private client as a 'tailor-made refuge equipped with all the comforts of modern day living', the apartment sits on the top floor of a new building nestled in a picturesque mountain village. 

The project was led by Lissoni with Stefano Castelli and Andrea Piazzalunga, and the styling was entrusted to Elisa Ossino Studio. 

The luminous open space faces the surrounding nature through full-height windows, and is furnished with a combination of discreet classics and iconic pieces. In a muted chromatic palette, the furniture features white and greys complementing the natural wood of floors and ceilings. 

The eclectic mix ranges from Le Corbusier's ‘Le Petit Confort’ armchair upholstered in neutral linen to Rick Owens' ‘Tomb’ chair, made of white marble and moose antler. 

The furniture complements the apartment owner's art collection, featuring sculpture and paintings that favour an organic aura, also evoked by design details such as the raw wooden tabletop and the dark stone kitchen.

Meanwhile, in the night area of the apartment, a series of suites offers a more intimate approach, with direct access to the wraparound terrace. 

Says Lissoni & Partners of the choice of colours and palettes: 'The materials of rustic wood and stone that are typical of mountain homes are here reinterpreted in a contemporary key, while at the entrance, a large custom-made panel re-explores the traditional marquetry of mountain valleys.'

lissoniandpartners.com

Environments is the latest design book by architect Piero Lissoni. Written by Stefano Casciani, the tome embarks on a vibrant odyssey through Lissoni's creative cosmos, amplified by the evocative illustrations by Guido Scarabottolo, an architect, graphic designer and illustrator. Lissoni’s initial intention was not to craft a book but to solve functional challenges, a reflection of design's essence: form meets function. Casciani's mentorship and eloquent prose unveil their unique fusion of humanism and science.

Piero Lissoni book: ‘We are a strange mix lying between humanism and maybe a dash of science’

‘I didn’t want to make a book,’ says Lissoni. ‘But I imagined having to resolve a series of functional problems, such as how to stabilise a table (a book would be perfect), or how to make a base for a vase of flowers, an antique Chinese object or framed photographs. However, while I was at it, I also tried to add a bit of content, the bare minimum. In addition to the precious collaboration with Stefano Casciani and the texts he wrote, I tried to describe what we are: we are not architects, we are not designers, we are not graphic designers – we are a strange mix lying between humanism and maybe a dash of science.’ 

Environments encapsulates design's spirit, an unwavering quest to redefine our world. It explores spaces and objects, meticulously moulded to serve a purpose while echoing the language of visual arts, amplified by Scarabottolo's illustrations.

Casciani poetically guides us through Lissoni's creative continuum, revealing a tapestry of design possibilities interwoven with Scarabottolo's visual wizardry. This is more than a compilation of ideas; it's a visual jewel. Designed by Lissoni & Partners, the book mirrors the studio’s signature style. It gracefully integrates two sections: one adorned with evocative illustrations and the other celebrating the world of graphic design.

For design aficionados, this is an exploration of Piero Lissoni's enduring legacy and Stefano Casciani's dedication to design culture. It promises to be an illuminating exploration of design's boundless horizons.

Environments by Piero Lissoni is available from Amazon

When it comes to luxury resorts in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai and Abu Dhabi may grab the lion’s share of the headlines, but insiders know that there are serious contenders aplenty to be found nearby. Exhibit A is the emirate of Ajman – a brisk 40-minute drive from Dubai, but a world apart from the madding crowd. Here, on a sprawling 247-acre estate framed by long stretches of beach and mangroves, the Oberoi Beach Resort, Al-Zorah is a handsome 89-room pasha’s retreat of white stone, timber and glass – the first and, by UAE standards, tiny salvo in the hotel group’s grander plans for the region.

Oberoi Beach Resort, Al-Zorah by Piero Lissoni

Rather than dominate the horizon with towering bulks, the Italian architect Piero Lissoni strung three low-slung volumes containing rooms, restaurants, a library and a yoga pavilion along the beach, their windows and perspectives oriented towards a winning trifecta of bone-white sand, Arabian Gulf and blue-domed sky.

Lissoni says the project’s greatest challenge was presented by Ajman’s extreme weather, which has had a profound influence on the local architecture. This explains why, for the Oberoi resort, he and his team worked hard ‘to limit the density of the built space, seeking to keep the volumes low and to just one level where appropriate. This is the first hotel we built in the area, so there was no existing infrastructure and very few points of reference. Integral to this approach was the active integration of the surrounding landscape of trees and greenery.’

Meanwhile, the interiors of the resort bear all the hallmarks of Lissoni’s predisposition towards a tasteful mix of textures, colours and touchstones, not least in his use of traditional materials, which are counterpointed by customised furniture alongside the occasional antique and objet trouvé.

No stranger to creating bijoux havens in difficult settings – his 2021 Shangri-La Shougang Park in Beijing comes to mind – Lissoni says he likes ‘the fact that we were able to realise an oasis whose silent architecture respects the setting of sea, saltwater lakes, mangrove forests and desert. We did not want these buildings to become barriers, attempting instead to create something that expressed a human scale. Each building dialogues in some way with the realities of water and nature.’

And if none of that impresses, there’s always the Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.

oberoihotels.com 

lissoniandpartners.com 

Ron Arad chairs get a new twist in a new collaboration with Italian wood composites manufacturer Alpi. The designer and Alpi joined forces to create new editions of Arad's iconic ‘Big Easy’, ‘Oh Void’ and ‘Southern Hemisphere’ chairs, shown at an exhibition at the Alpi showroom in Milan (until 22 December 2022). Titled 'If I Were a Carpenter', this is the latest in a series of creative collaborations started from an idea of Vittorio Alpi, who wanted to give a new dimension to his family company’s flat materials. Previous collaborations with Alessandro Mendini, Martino Gamper and Piero Lissoni helped demonstrate the company’s vision for the future. 

Iconic Ron Arad chairs in colourful wood

Now working with the London-based designer and artist, Alpi presents three iconic pieces made in the company’s signature colourful woods. ‘The pioneering architect, designer and artist Ron Arad already inhabited my wish box,’ says Vittorio Alpi. ‘He decided to make three chairs from his “BTT“ (Blame the Tools) series using boards of our wood in two colours, one for each side. The result is astonishing, and it shows how easily Ron is able to enter a new world and wield new tools while maintaining all his elegance, subversive style and spirit.’

The designer is no stranger to experimentation; we recently saw Ron Arad’s first NFT project join his wealth of design and architecture works. For this new collaboration, Alpi created specially developed woods to give the shapes an optical effect, using boards in two colours to enhance the aesthetic. The sculptural nature of the chairs fits the project well, each piece of furniture abstracted into its pure form through the gridded wood structures. 

‘I was delighted when I was approached by Alpi and was asked to make some pieces using their extraordinary range of wooden sheets,’ says Arad. ‘It was impossible to chase away the “idea” that took charge: to make armature pieces of coloured, layered, wooden plates that would enjoy different tones from different views and directions. And unlike the Corten or stainless steel, it will also celebrate the layered, toned edges of the trimmed wooden sheets.’

The ‘Blame the Tools’ series started with Arad’s ‘Roddy Giacosa’, a lattice study of a Fiat 500, whose body was made of steel and divided into several sections. Redesigned as an armour, the car inspired Arad to revisit some of his most iconic chairs with Alpi. ‘“Big Easy” is of course the first one,’ he continues. ‘We modelled it, rendered it, and made videos of walking around the pieces. We studied samples, we chose colours and patterns. Somehow I’m sure it will turn out better than I deserve.’

‘If I Were a Carpenter’ is on view until 22 December 2022

ALPI showroom
Via Solferino 7
Milan

alpi.it

When Tom Dixon first opened his King’s Cross Coal Office space in 2018 (a hybrid of shop, restaurant, office and exhibition space), his goal was to gather and connect different creative practices and brands under one roof, transforming the space through different design approaches. 

The latest opening within the building does just this: Italian furniture company Porro just moved into the Coal Office with a new showroom. Featuring Porro’s architectural and bespoke furniture systems, the showroom is defined by a perfect contrast between the rough, industrial environment and the company’s pristine geometries, with the aim of creating a space that acts as a platform to showcase the products’ versatility and their custom potential, while also celebrating the craft at the heart of the designs. 

Porro London showroom at the Coal Office

‘Innovation and the desire to break out of established paths have always been the driving forces of my family’s company,’ says Maria Porro, fourth generation and in charge of marketing and communications. ‘We feel the fascination of such a contemporary and intercultural place, a crossroads where art and creativity can thrive: we believe that by mingling different creative approaches and combining seemingly opposing worlds, linked by design quality as a common thread, we can develop incredible interior designs.’

The space, she explains, was intended as a blank canvas to initiate a conversation with the local creative community of architects and London-based customers, but it also shows opportunities to expand Porro’s reach through collaborations with local institutions such as Central Saint Martins, located across the square. 

The showroom makes its debut with some of Porro’s key designs, including the ‘Storage’ wardrobe, designed by Piero Lissoni in collaboration with the company’s design team, and a demonstration of its customisation skills and flexibility into a space. Furniture includes the ‘Lullaby’ armchair by Nicola Gallizia and the ‘Offshore’ dresser by Lissoni, welcoming visitors at the entrance. Also by Lissoni is the ‘Materic’ table, anchoring the dining area that also features GamFratesi’s ‘Romby’ chairs in natural ash. 

At the back, Porro’s iconic shelving system, the ‘Load-it’ by Wolfgang Tolk, adds functionality to the narrow space – every area of the compact showroom is a fitting example of the bespoke quality of the company’s designs. 

‘This space has been created to establish a dialogue with architects, interior designers and end customers who want to live and work in custom-designed spaces, where the artisan care for details matches the precision, reliability and quality of the industry,’ continues Porro.

‘Thanks to a revolutionary, state-of-the-art production facility that has eliminated warehouse stocks by working just-in-time with excellent results in terms of panel-cutting and veneer quality, customisation ability, waste reduction and sustainability, Porro offers solutions that are every time different, every time unique. This store is another proof of that: in it, the company’s systems, true complex but flexible architectures, design the spaces in a creative way in combination with the product collections, developed by leading designers.’

INFORMATION

porro.com

ADDRESS

Porro London @ The Coal Office
1 Bagley Walk
Kings Cross
N1C 4PQ 

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Located some 20km from the historical site of the Forbidden City, Shangri-La Shougang Park was inaugurated just as the recent 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing kicked off. Impressively designed by Milan-based architecture studio Lissoni & Partners and in particular the firm's Lissoni Casal Ribeiro department that focuses on masterplans, architecture and landscape design, the new hotel offers a refreshing take on Beijing architecture, constructed within the remnants of an abandoned 20th-century industrial building, taking advantage of the reimagined urban landscapes and industrial ruins created by China’s economic reforms of the 1990s.

Bridging eras, the five-star hotel is composed of a mix of the site’s existing industrial architecture components and new additions that, the architects explain, form ‘a series of interconnected structures’. These are broadly divided into two areas: the Main Building, which takes on the more social and communal roles of the hotel, and the Guestroom Building, which houses its 282 rooms.

The Main Building is enveloped in an elaborate glass façade that acts as a ‘transparent skin’. It wraps around the original industrial components, such as concrete walls and steel roof trusses, which are left exposed in all their utilitarian glory. This juxtaposition of old and new materials is highlighted by a significant green element, ‘almost as if nature is seeking to take possession of these once-abandoned buildings,’ the team notes. The plants both illuminate and help regulate the internal climate with their presence. 

Lissoni & Partners worked with the existing industrial scale and arranged the layout across two floors in the Main Building, taking advantage of its striking internal height of 20m. As a result, the ground level contains a large sheltered square, filled with bars and restaurants that spill into the outside and encourage visitors in. On the other hand, a second floor features the hotel reception and an extended lounge area crafted within a bespoke wooden structure described by the architects as an intimate ‘nest’. In contrast, a wellness area, which includes a pool and a gym, is wrapped in glazing and nestled separately within the industrial structure.

A new-build extension to the Main Building creates a dedicated, multipurpose event space. Here, intricately crafted black ceramic bricks clad the façade, making this part of the complex stand out against the nearby glass exterior wall and the smaller volumes of the Guestroom Building.

Here too, industrial elements, such as the large ventilation pipes, are exposed throughout as part of the architects’ conceptual referencing of the building's history and context.

An elevated bridge connects the Main and Guestroom hubs. Juxtaposing the industrial imagery of the Main Building, the architects created a softer atmosphere in the bedroom areas, both through the overall scale (the volumes are more compact and feature smaller, vertical openings), and through subtler visual references to the site's former life. 

The façade is made of brickwork and sustainable materials for optimal thermal and ventilation performance. Muted tones and ornaments referencing local tradition adorn the rooms.

Lissoni & Partners explains its overall approach: ‘To give balance and proportion to the structure, the façade is visually divided into three different horizontal layers: the ground floor with terraces and cantilevering canopies that detach the building from the ground giving it an air of lightness; a second and more compact layer; and finally a large canopy that floats above the roof, sheltering it from direct sunlight and concealing the MEP [mechanical, electrical and plumbing] areas.’

Traditional craftmanship and local culture are ever-present at Shangri-La Shougang Park, through bespoke furnishings and contemporary Chinese art. Installations drawing on the site's industrial past are displayed across the building, carefully selected by Lissoni & Partners and Hong Kong art consultants Debut Studio. 

On the whole, Shangri-La Shougang Park brings together seamlessly the old and the new, carefully layered and thoroughly reimagined. The story of the building conjures the fantastical with its weaving of eras, materials, proportions and functions, which all come together to create a vessel of the future.

Lissoni & Partners builds upon careful design gestures that work with a historical architectural ruin, nodding, perhaps, to the way the great, late Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill composed his famed Cement Factory – an architecture that is not about concealment, but rather a celebration of a repurposed industrial building.

INFORMATION

lissoniandpartners.com

shangri-la.com

debutstudio.hk

Having grown from a casual swivel chair to a full range of seating, Piero Lissoni’s KN series for Knoll combines the Italian designer’s unique approach to furniture design with the company’s decades-old savoir faire.

The history of the KN family of furniture is, as Lissoni puts it, ‘a case of “the more you get, the more you want”.’ He continues: ‘We began with a swivel chair, then we raised it and added movement. But this chair had to have one special characteristic: it had to seem like a cloud, floating in the air. This led to [more designs].’

Each piece in the collection, which started in 2018, is identified by a number, such as the ‘KN05’ sofa, the ‘KN06’ dining chair and, the latest addition, the ‘KN07’ chair. This is, says Lissoni, ‘a very simple chair, clear and basic, but it contains the DNA of Knoll – in short, when you see it you know it is a Knoll creation. So here we are!’

The collection is defined by curves and slim profiles, which offer unique comfort as well as an aesthetic language for the series. A versatile collection suitable for domestic use or large public spaces, and each piece is available in a range of textile upholstery and leather options. It perfectly responds to Knoll’s values: design, quality of materials, maximum comfort and attention to detail.

The KN collection by Piero Lissoni for Knoll is now celebrated through a new video, showcasing the full range of designs and their beauty. Lissoni playfully interacts with his pieces, which become the characters of a fashion-style show. 

Watch: KN by Piero Lissoni for Knoll

INFORMATION

knolleurope.com

We toured Europe for a selection of the finest furniture and objects, from Italian manfacturing excellence to expressive glass from Finland and flexible lighting from Spain. This snapshot of design in Europe is part of Wallpaper’s Global Interiors 2021 journey, which took us from South America to Oceania in search for designs by world-famous architects and emerging designers alike. Our search for some of the most inspiring global furniture design is represented in the April issue of Wallpaper* magazine through a sequence of immersive images created by Berlin 3D design studio Form & Rausch. Here, we showcase in more detail our pick of design from Europe.

Living Divani

The gentle forms of the ‘Sumo’ sofa by Piero Lissoni are created as an ode to elegance. The unique, discreetly curving seat allows for maximum comfort while keeping the sofa’s upper design incredibly minimal. 

Poliform

Poliform’s refined collections are enriched with a new series of complementary tables by designer Jean-Marie Massaud. The ‘Koishi’ tables (a Japanese word meaning ‘small stone’) feature gentle curves and a sculptural construction with a top available in ebony stone, marble, glass or wood. The collection includes a version featuring an upholstered seat, adding new flexibility and functionality to the living room. 

Moroso

A piece imagined as a ‘forum for conversation’, Patricia Urquiola’s ‘Ruff’ chair for Italian furniture brand Moroso features a curved, wrapping arm and backrest element balanced on a cushioned seat. The asymmetrical side view of the chair forms a simple yet enticing geometry to add character to any room. 

B&B Italia

Long-term B&B Italia collaborator Piero Lissoni was made the company’s artistic director in 2020, continuing a fruitful relationship that started with a series of storage pieces in 2017. The most recent collections in this collaboration include outdoor furniture inspired by the lightness of aeroplanes, and a series of small, colourful tables made of rigid polyurethane with a glossy finish. The 18-colour collection is designed as a ‘lively punctuation’ of Lissoni’s furniture designs for B&B Italia. 

Iittala

The Kartta collection is named after the Finnish word for ‘map’, and features a series of topography-inspired glass sculptures. Created by Finnish artist Santtu Mustonen for Iittala, the mouth-blown sculptures are available in two sizes and four evocative colour options – dark grey, ultramarine blue, copper and rain. Each object features an irregular silhouette and ridged surface, capturing the light and enriching the space it’s placed in. 

Marset

Designer Jaune Ramírez created the ‘Milana’ lighting system for Spanish company Marset with the aim of ‘moving the point of light’. The modular suspension lamps can be moved vertically and horizontally through a system of slim wires. Comprising cylindrical and shade elements, the system can be combined to create different types of light in a space. ‘This new design starts by deconstructing the archetype of a lamp; by synthesising it as much as possible,’ says the designer. 

Muller Van Severen

Muller Van Severen’s formal simplicity is taken to the next level with the Alltubes collection. The pieces, including benches, chairs and storage cabinets in varying sizes, are designed around a repetition of shiny, round aluminium tubes, creating an undulating effect that defines the entire collection. The tubes are also functional elements of the furniture, bent or extended to become backrests and legs of seating and storage pieces. 

Jan Kath

Jan Kath’s immersive Spectrum collection features a series of rugs defined by a free use of colour, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with the medium. Painstakingly handmade in Kathmandu, Nepal, the collection features 42 different rugs that explore both traditional patterns and contemporary designs, filtered through colour. 

Flexform

‘A small family of seating with a big personality’: this is how Flexform describes its collection of chairs by Christophe Pillet, a new collaborator to the Italian company, who created lounge and dining chairs defined by lightness and timeless design. The French designer was inspired by Mediterranean and Scandinavian aesthetics for his pieces, characterised by sleek metal structures and finely woven seats and backs – a perfect balance of manufacturing technologies and craftsmanship.

For his latest outdoor furniture collection for B&B Italia, Piero Lissoni was inspired by the concept of lightness, an idea that has fascinated him all his life. ‘As a child, I liked the idea of building planes, but they always turned out wrong, they were too heavy,’ he recalls. For this collection, the notion of lightness was key: ‘Let’s make a light product, something between a plane and a bike.’

Borea: garden furniture inspired by planes

Lissoni created an outdoor furniture collection comprising seating and tables based on an essential design principle, featuring a slim, seamless tubular aluminium frame supporting cushioned seats and enamelled lava-stone surfaces. In the spirit of lightness, the frames are minimally designed with a gently protruding foot elevating the pieces from the ground. 

A complete garden furniture collection, Borea includes outdoor chairs, sofas, armchairs and tables, creating a landscape of light furniture that is stackable, versatile and suited to face the elements. The frames are available in four painted earthy colours – anthracite, sage, clay and tortora – while the seats come in a selection of monochromatic and printed outdoor upholstery fabrics. 

Borea is designed to be 95 per cent sustainable, featuring both recycled and recyclable materials, and built to be disassembled (so that each part can be disposed of separately at the end of its life). Explains Lissoni: ‘When it has lived its life, it will be recycled to become something else: maybe another machine, a can, another sofa. Or maybe, a plane.’

Watch: Piero Lissoni on Borea for B&B Italia

INFORMATION

bebitalia.com

Living Divani unveils a new space in Milan, open now as an abstract showroom merging art, design and furniture. ‘We’ve been looking for some time for a space in Milan that could represent what Living Divani actually is,’ says Carola Bestetti, now leading the company as the second generation. Her parents Renata and Luigi Bestetti founded Living Divani in 1969, initially as a small workshop specialising in producing sofas.

Fast forward 50 years, and the company has become a furniture and design authority with a three decade-long collaboration with designer Piero Lissoni and contributions from some of the most interesting names in design today. 

‘For us, this must become a window, a place to showcase the essence of Living Divani and and its many facets,’ continues Bestetti. ‘[We are] inviting our audience to live the Living Divani style: a brand with a strong soul, always in tune with its philosophy of rigor, clean lines and relaxed elegance, which has succeeded in reaching across the world of design with its own genuine and individual interpretation.’

This is going to be the Italian brand’s first Milanese outpost, joining the company showroom at the nearby Azzano del Parco HQ. The two spaces present two different sides of the same multilayered story: while Azzano del Parco will showcase the practical side of the brand as well as offer visits to the manufacturing facilities, the Milan space is, as Bestetti calls it, ‘a slightly more bizarre project.’

The space’s design was created by Lissoni and its inaugural iteration is characterised by mirrored metal walls and floors and neon lighting, to offer visitors a distorted sense of perception. Inside, a hanging installation features Lissoni’s Frog chair from 1995, here in its more hi-tech version made of carbon fiber and polyester weave. Also in the space is more furniture by Lissoni and Massimo Mariani, creating a contract between conceptual and domestic. 

‘This is neither a showroom nor a store,’ observes Lissoni. ‘The new gallery would like to be a sort of theatrical space, a place where to create and perform, from time to time, different representations, just like in a theatre.’ The designer explains that the current set up was chosen for its scenographic allure, but future iterations will show different aspects of the company’s creative journey, as the gallery’s modus operandi is based on a continuously changing aesthetic: ‘straddling the line between art and design, between risk and storytelling,’ says Lissoni.

INFORMATION

livingdivani.com

ADDRESS

Corso Monforte 20
Milan

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‘Being together by staying apart’: what would have been a paradoxical statement in simpler times has become the maxim of the Covid-19 era. Though many parts of the world are now past the peak of the outbreak, social distancing remains a fact of life. And, as Piero Lissoni sees it, a gesture of solidarity in these difficult times.

The Italian architect and designer is among more than 1,000 international creative talents who participated in the #WallpaperPosterCampaign, answering our call for graphic innovation to reflect on the pandemic and spread messages of hope. His studio, Lissoni and Partners, posted three sets of print-at-home posters on Instagram along the theme of ‘Being together by staying apart’. The first set consists of short, declarative statements: ‘Love’, ‘I’m Here’, written on a template for a paper aeroplane, offering a whimsical way to stay in touch with one’s neighbours. The second features a dartboard emblazoned with a red heart, accompanied by instructions to ‘play the game and have fun’. The final design is an elegant representation of social distancing, which we selected for the limited-edition subscribers cover of our Summer 2020 issue.

Monochrome save for judicious touches of bright red, Lissoni’s posters attention-grabbing with the graphic rigour you’d expect, and effective both in A4, or larger formats. 

Reached via email in late May, Lissoni explains that he decided to take part in our campaign with Graphx, his studio’s graphics department, ‘because we liked the idea of working creatively on what’s happening, in order to transform feelings and moods into messages that seek to be positive and include a touch of irony.’

Though quarantined in Tuscany for many weeks, Lissoni has been keeping busy. Because of the international nature of his practice, which has offices in Milan and New York, as well as ongoing projects in China, the US, Brazil and Europe, they are used to being together (and productive) while staying apart. ‘Clearly, we’ve had to adapt to a more “virtual” way of working, but only in terms of means and not as regards the form,’ Lissoni explains. On the personal front, he admits to yearning for normality. ‘I miss the most ordinary things that I didn’t think were so important before, such as popping out to the bar for a coffee or to the market to buy some flowers.’

Like many of us, Lissoni has been using his time at home as an opportunity to reflect: ‘I am wondering about the same things that I imagine others are too,’ he says. ‘When all this is over, will we be able to behave reasonably and rationally, or will we return to behaving unreasonably and irrationally?’

INFORMATION

Lissoni’s cover is the latest addition to the Wallpaper* limited-edition cover series, which features a specially created artwork by a different artist, architect or designer each issue. Limited-edition covers are available to subscribers only; for more information, see wallpaper.com/subscribe

A PDF of the Summer 2020 issue is available as a free download here

Marble specialist Salvatori and designer Piero Lissoni have joined forces with Italian restaurateur Massimo Bottura to unveil Design For Soul, a range of tables inspired by the principles behind the chef’s non-profit organisation, Food For Soul.

Launched by Bottura and Lara Gilmore in 2015, the organisation aims to empower local communities to reduce food waste and support social inclusion – at the centre of its programming are the Refettorios, a series of community kitchens that use salvaged food, an expanding network with branches worldwide from Milan to Rio de Janeiro. Initiatives also include a Learning Network and an Innovation Hub, a virtual forum for educational opportunities.

Based on Bottura and Gilmore’s guiding principles of Value of Hospitality, Quality of Ideas and Power of Beauty, the Design For Soul tables feature reclaimed marble and are based on an essential, minimal aesthetic. The project follows a manifesto of celebrating eating traditions, and honours the power of design with a manufacturing process that is respectful and sustainable in its material resources and techniques.

Design For Soul follows and expands on Lissoni and Salvatori’s latest collaboration, a collection titled Lost Stones. The designer worked closely with CEO Gabriele Salvatori to bring back to life old pieces of quarried material, which the pair used to craft a series of bistro tables.

The same principles were used in the Design for Soul project, with marble pieces coming from the Salvatori archives as well as from historical architecture projects, including forest green marble from Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion and black stone from St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. As with the Lost Stones project, cracks and imperfections in the material are highlighted using the Japanese art of Kintsugi, with a gold seam that helps bring to life and celebrate the stone’s history.

The tables are characterised by a modular design, based on a sturdy metal structure that can support a range of weights, with production and assembly streamlined into an efficient operation. Design For Soul  will be available in rectangular and round versions.

INFORMATION

salvatori.it
foodforsoul.it
lissoniandpartners.com

Azzedine Alaïa dedicated his life to designing clothes that transcended trends, super-enhanced the female physique and upheld the classical ideal. His designs had an apparent simplicity, hard-won through fearless experimentation and technical complexity. One of the last projects he worked on before he passed away in November 2017 was a solo show at London’s Design Museum that would tie in with a new Maison Alaïa flagship store on Bond Street.

Alaïa had prepared the exhibition with gallerist Carla Sozzani, curator Mark Wilson, and the co-director of the Design Museum Alice Black. Entitled ‘Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier’, it will showcase more than 60 outstanding pieces in front of a series of five monumental screens. ‘There has never been an Alaïa show in London. He did not stage big fashion shows and while he was an icon, he was also quite private,’ says Sozzani, founder of Galleria Carla Sozzani and 10 Corso Como in Milan. ‘People don’t necessarily know about his work so it’s wonderful to have this show – the first fashion exhibition at the Design Museum’s Kensington location.’

‘We saw the show as an installation rather than a retrospective,’ says Wilson, who had masterminded two Alaïa shows in 1997 and 2011 at the Netherlands’ Groninger Museum, where he works as chief curator. He came up with the idea for the screens to highlight the sculptural qualities of Alaïa’s clothes: ‘The architectural interventions allow for a 360-degree take on every piece. And it was obvious as to who would make them, as Alaïa had such great relationships with those designers and collected their work.’

Marc Newson, Konstantin Grcic, Kris Ruhs and the Bouroullec brothers were invited to collaborate. To all, Alaïa was a friend, patron and mentor. The brief was to create screens that would complement Alaïa’s work. All battled with the structural complexities of making vast freestanding pieces that could be assembled on site.

In terms of scale, Newson’s is the most ambitious. ‘It was crucial that the pieces remain about Alaïa rather than those intervening to enhance his work,’ says Newson. ‘That’s what we do as designers. I am always working for clients before working for myself. This project was no different, but there is a personal tinge to it because of our friendship,’ adds Newson, who first met Alaïa, through Sozzani, when living in Paris in the early 1990s.

Alaïa collected numerous Newson pieces, including the first aluminium lounger that he made as part of his graduate collection at art school in Sydney. ‘I’ve no idea of how he got hold of it,’ says Newson.

‘There are qualities in Alaïa’s work which shine through: simplicity mixed with technical complexity, rigour, subtlety, sensuality and transparency,’ he continues. ‘There is transparency in many of his garments and that is also the quality of a screen. It’s not a wall, but it has to have some play of light and movement within the absolute structural parameters.’ Newson chose anodised aluminium for his design, adding ‘the metal contrasts and complements the idea that everything around it is a textile’.

The piece, made by aluminium specialist Neal Feay in California, comprises 64 giant tiles, patterned using machine tools and boasting a soft, velvet-like surface. ‘The panels intersect, creating a random yet orderly pattern – almost like a houndstooth,’ says Newson. ‘The anodising process creates these subtle, profound colours – in this case, a flesh pink hue that Alaïa loved. It doesn’t look like hard metal, but sensual and tactile.’

The mission of giving hard surfaces a soft textile-like appearance is a nod to Alaïa’s own material experiments. If he could not find what he liked, he had it developed. He worked in densely-knit tricot for his famous body-sculpting dresses, in fine leather that he made appear as malleable as silk, in semisheer chiffon, sinuous bias-cut silk jersey and laser-cut lace. ‘He would often combine hard architectural elements, such as studs, with fluid materials, creating a tension,’ says Wilson, who has arranged the garments in themes, including volume, African-inspired outfits, black and bandage dresses.

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec first met Alaïa in 2002 at the opening of their show at Galerie Kreo. Alaïa bought almost the entire collection. ‘It was a sympathetic meeting of shy people with like minds,’ says Ronan. For the Design Museum show, the duo decided on a glass screen. ‘Alaïa had a very precise understanding of silhouette. His clothes are elegant, refined and precise,’ says Ronan. Their textured glass panels (manufactured by Schott AG in Germany) are embedded with a film that creates a wave of gradating grey tones. ‘The quality is neither transparent nor opaque, but translucent,’ says Ronan.

It will be in sharp contrast to the contribution from sculptor Kris Ruhs, who worked with craftsmen in his Marrakech studio for a highly textural, organic piece. ‘It’s like a piece of jewellery, handmade in aluminium,’ says Ruhs. The artist, who created accessories for Alaïa, as well as store interiors, has also worked on a second screen for the show, to display artworks by Alaïa’s partner Christoph von Weyhe.

Konstantin Grcic’s screen is fashioned from polished stainless steel, manufactured by Ronchetti in Italy. ‘Because of the reflective surface, the material becomes somewhat immaterial, like a mirror,’ says Grcic, who constructed the piece from a grid-like pattern of panels. ‘The metal has an undulating surface and one edge is laser cut in a zigzag, like the cut of a tailor’s pinking shears.’ Alaïa owned several Grcic pieces, including a table and a vitrine from his Galerie Kreo shows.

Alaïa’s extensive collection of design and fashion is meticulously archived and housed in the Marais. ‘It’s a subterranean space that has to be as big as a Parisian block,’ says Newson. Works are also on show in his atelier and in stores. The 6,000 sq ft Maison Alaïa store on Bond Street, which is set over three floors, displays designs by Piero Lissoni, Renzo Piano, Naoto Fukasawa, wall sculptures by Ruhs and paintings by von Weyhe, curated by Alaïa and Sozzani, who will now oversee the studio and collections and head up the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation.

Alaïa’s last couture collection was presented in July 2017 and starred his friend Naomi Campbell in a striking velvet bodice and studded pleated gown. Several pieces from this collection will be on show. The giant-scale outfits are juxtaposed with film footage and Richard Wentworth’s almost forensic photographs of the atelier, which he shot over a period of two years. Legions of devotees, including Charlotte Stockdale, Farida Khelfa, Sofia Coppola, Brigitte Macron and Michelle Obama, worship the liberation (the construction is so meticulous that constrictive underwear is unnecessary) and refined eroticism of Alaïa’s clothes. At the time of his death, he was occupied with rescaling all the looks in the show to work with the epic dimensions of the installation.

Just as there is a sense of beautiful complicity between the couturier and the wearer, with Alaïa’s clothes there is also a union of design and culture. ‘All the designers you speak to have such reverence for Alaïa. Through the show we wanted to underline and appreciate that,’ says Black. Adds Newson, ‘Alaïa’s sphere of appreciation was just so broad – he was far more interested in design in general than fashion specifically.’

That like-mindedness was not simply theoretical. It was in Alaïa’s kitchen during his frequent gatherings that bonds were sealed. ‘His circle of friends was vast and from all walks of life. You could be sitting next to Catherine Deneuve, Lauren Bacall, Tadao Ando or Jack Lang – he had a fervid interest in so many things, a big heart and a really mischievous sense of humour,’ reminisces Newson. Says Wilson, ‘The exhibition will be a vision of the epic and the intimate, and a celebration of a generous genius at the epicentre of 20th- and 21st-century design.

Much of Alaïa’s design collection was purchased from Didier and Clémence Krzentowski, founders of Galerie Kreo in Paris. We talk to Clémence about their relationship...

Wallpaper*: How did you first meet Alaïa?
Clémence Krzentowski: Didier and I did a show with Marc [Newson] in 2000, the year after our gallery opened, which is when we met Azzedine. We have a saying in French – ‘On s’est rencontrés et on est tombés amoureux’ – which means we met and fell in love. It was instant connection. Azzedine often referred to Didier as his brother, and Christoph [von Weyhe] said that, in some ways, they even looked alike.

W*: What was your friendship with him like?
CK: We shared all the important moments of our lives with Azzedine. He came to the gallery to see every show, and we often went to events and design fairs together. Most of our encounters were in his kitchen, which was like a second home to us. We talked about fashion and design, but also art, food and nature. He was fascinated by everything. I once asked one of his assistants what he’d learned from Azzedine and he very earnestly replied, ‘I learned life’.

W*: Who did Alaïa admire?
CK: Azzedine loved Marc’s work from the beginning. Marc barely speaks French, and Azzedine didn’t speak English, but they understood each other completely, and Azzedine had a lot of joy in designing the wedding dress for Marc’s wife, Charlotte [Stockdale]. He also had a deep respect and admiration for Konstantin [Grcic], as they were both radical thinkers who enjoyed discovering new things. As for Ronan and Erwan [Bouroullec], he collected their work from the beginning. And since they lived in Paris, they would sometimes come to his kitchen, too.

W*: Do you see similarities in the ways in which Alaïa designed couture and collected furniture?
CK: He was fantastically open-minded about collecting, just as he was about designing. The only criteria he cared about was the content behind each thing. If a piece was interesting, he would want to have it, whether it was a light, a table, a chair, or a work of fashion, art or photography. But he didn’t collect that many names; it would be many pieces from the same people. His relationship with them ran deep.

W*: How was his design collection displayed?
CK: He lived with his pieces, from the Jean Prouvé petrol station that was in his bedroom to pieces by Konstantin and Ronan and Erwan. He had a lot of respect for his things, but he also believed that they should be enjoyed. Since he had too many pieces to have them all at home, the rest was kept at his Paris studio and workshop on rue de la Verrerie. Sometimes we would go and look at all the big boxes containing pieces that hadn’t yet been installed. I do hope they will find their way to his foundation.

As originally featured in the June 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*231)

Related: Jony Ive remembers Azzedine Alaïa

INFORMATION

‘Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier’ is on view until 7 October. For more information, visit the Design Museum website

ADDRESS

Design Museum
224-238 Kensinton High Street
Kensington
London
W8 6AG

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Is there a place for modernism in our postmodern, post-everything age? Piero Lissoni thinks so. The Italian architect of purified forms, from sharp little coffee makers to lofty, linear edifices, has made a career of creating rigorously clean compositions with a foundation in the stark and immaculate works of the 20th century.

‘In 2018, it’s still possible to create architecture that is contemporary and simple, at least aesthetically simple, and to reclaim a little bit of that elegant modernist spirit,’ he announces, seated at a drawing table in his bright white Milan studio, surrounded by his three napping golden retrievers, as his dark-clad team works away at largescreen computers behind him. Lissoni, dressed Milanese-style, in a neat navy blazer with matching silk pocket square, speaks softly, but his black apostrophe eyebrows and hazel eyes dance when he puts forth an opinion.

The architect’s latest completed work, a residence in Tel Aviv designed in collaboration with the Israeli firm Tehila Shelef, is the very definition of crisply angled contemporary modernism. The entrance appears like a monolithic barricade, but on the inside, the two-storey home reveals itself as a dialogue between the external and the internal, with crystal-clear walls of glass that barely separate the airy, open space of the interiors from the lush greenery and limpid pools surrounding the house.

'My task was simply to make this house completely transparent in order to capture the light – to allow the residents to live inside but to feel like their existence is outside,’ says Lissoni. Screens of wood over the glass walls soften the heat of the Tel Aviv sun – both layers slide back, completely opening the house to the outdoors when desired. When the wooden grille is closed, the effect creates what Lissoni calls a fundamental ‘paso doble’ between the light and shadows cast inside.

The house was carefully laid out to embrace the local light and to mesh with the surrounding area, but despite its vernacular orientation, the project has a distinctly Milanese discretion. Before reaching the residence’s sunshine-filled interior, visitors face an entrance of looming blocks of stone, obscuring the treasures that lie within. ‘In Milan, our cultural DNA tells us, no matter how rich one might be, not to show off, so even the homes of the most important Milanese families are closed and imposing on the outside, but inside you find courtyards, gardens, frescos, colonnades – you find all the beauty,’ he says.

According to Lissoni, the house also expresses his Italian ‘humanistic’ approach, which he applies to every element of a project – from its initial visual impact to its interior, its garden and exterior, right down to the technical considerations needed to complete it. ‘The Anglo Saxon way is for an architect to design a house, but to leave the construction and functional aspects to an engineer and ask an interior decorator to make it feel like a home. If you’re an architect, you should know how to design absolutely every aspect,’ he says. ‘When you create a building, you need to design everything: the façade, but also the internal structure, the mechanical aspects. You need to design the veins and the nerves.’

Applying this sweeping approach to the Tel Aviv residence, Lissoni formulated the L-shaped, bi-level footprint of the house, the garden, the numerous pools, the advanced climate-control system – even the interiors and furnishings. He mixed a ‘cocktail’, as he says, of his own furniture designs and others he admires, along with antiques from China, Japan and Israel, and the owner’s personal art collection. The materials are ‘as neutral as possible’, he explains, and match a floor of local grey marble with whitewashed plastered walls and a dramatic black steel staircase, creating a museum-like coolness that underlines the calm efficiency of the home – a retreat from the heat and vigorous urban energy of Tel Aviv.

The greenery, designed together with local landscape architect Mohr Avidan, appears to grow from the structure itself in a vaguely formalised way. Vines sprout from crevices, buds poke through outdoor steps and long desert grasses cluster along the edges to soften the hard lines of the structure. Lissoni describes it as an ‘Italian garden’ (despite the Israeli plant varieties), because it is ‘artificially natural’ – planned, but seemingly unplanned and perfect in the Italian style.

The building’s visual purity belies the complexity of its design. Lissoni kept the pillars and supports in the lofty interiors to a bare minimum – despite the entire walls of sliding glass – and the house’s inner workings, those ‘veins and nerves’, are fantastically intricate, full of cutting-edge mechanisms in the floors, roofs and walls that remove heat from the air. Surrounded by a series of pools, the house seems to float on water, softening the effect of the hulking concrete blocks. Yet even the water is functional, with an elaborate evaporation system that cools the air and reduces energy use – a must in such a sun-warmed part of the world. ‘The architect’s duty is always to design a building but also to consider what a human being needs from the building,’ says Lissoni. ‘We make spaces for human beings, after all.

As originally featured in the April 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*229)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Lissoni Associati website

With great stealth and style, the Hong Kong-based Swire Hotels has been expanding its House Collective brand through Asia. The latest, The Middle House, has just opened in Shanghai, a seductive addition to the family, and the fourth, in fact, despite its moniker. 

For road warriors and leisure trippers alike, the hotel’s location in the RMB 17 billion mixed-use development, HKRI Taikoo Hui, is flawless. The immediate neighbourhood, Dazhongli, holds some of the city’s last remaining historic shikumen, or lanehouses, around which rears up the towering skyscrapers of the Jing’an financial district. 

Divided between two 14-storey towers clad in a striated façade of rounded aluminium louvres are 111 rooms and 102 serviced apartments whose interiors have been dressed by Piero Lissoni. Channeling his customary love for muted hues and streamlined silhouettes, the Milan-based architect and designer has conceived a handsome modern space that artfully incorporates local Shanghainese design elements. 

In particular, the bedrooms – starting at a sizeable 50sqm and expanding to a palatial 660sqm for the penthouse – are sheathed in an Asia-lite palette of bronze mesh, slender pendant lights, hand-made ceramic tiles, silk panels, wall-to-wall benches, and low-slung furniture that seem to float off the dark-stained floors. In less assured hands, the result might easily have descended into cliché, but Lissoni ably unifies the disparate pieces into a masculine whole that quietly telegraphs its location without ever detracting from Shanghai’s Blade Runner-like landscape that unfurls through the floor-to-ceiling windows. 

Just as gratifying is the Lab Mixun Spa, a sprawling pleasure dome that includes among the usual suspects of yoga studio, gym, juice bar and a HYPOXI room. For less strenuous recreation, there’s something to be said for a few leisurely laps in the indoor heated pool whilst sipping cold pressed juices ordered from the adjoining juice bar. 

Gray Kunz, meanwhile, continues his long association with the House brand by lending his name to the hotel’s anchor attraction, Café Gray Deluxe, whilst two other equally soigné restaurants – all three also designed by Lissoni – serve up Cantonese and Italian fare, the latter served up, in good weather, in the adjoining garden terrace. 

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

No. 366 Shi Men Yi Road
Jing’an District
Shanghai

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Left, coat, €1,365, by Dirk Bikkembergs. Jumper, £350; trousers, £295, both by Coach. Shoes, £2,092, by Raf Simons. Socks (worn throughout), £15, by Falke. Right, jacket, £760; roll-neck, £135, both by Paul Smith. Trousers, £295, by Coach. Belt, £230, by Marni. Shoes, £710, by Prada. Fashion: Jason Hughes. As originally featured in the September 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*222)

At just 23, Anders Hayward has already fit three careers under his beautifully buckled belt. Among his many talents, the dancer, model and experimental choreographer has the rare ability to turn a hectic fashion shoot into a carefully orchestrated waltz.

For our September 2017 Style Special, we tapped Hayward to direct the movement for a menswear fashion shoot photographed by Liam Warwick, in which we celebrate clashing checks and plucky plaids. Creating a sense of movement beneath all these juxtaposing Prada, Calvin Klein and Salvatore Ferragamo patterns was essential. ‘During the styling process, I chose thematic movements that I felt would suit the clothes,’ Hayward explains, ‘I’m interested in designers that create clothes for characters – I enjoy creating fashion narratives.’

Game to become the leading men were our models, Georges Labbat and Baptiste Faure – despite their differing levels of dance experience. Labbat was the perfect match for Hayward, having trained in Belgium under intensely musical choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. But Anders enjoys the surprise and (sometimes inelegant) quirks that come from working with models with minimal formal dance training, like Faure. ‘It’s great to see a model who has never really been choreographed before come out with some really interesting, organic movement. On the other side I love pushing more experienced dancers, like Labbat, to move in ways that they’re not necessarily familiar with.’

Hayward also grappled with a sculptural set and an eclectic mix of refined furniture – including pieces from Aram, B&B Italia and Rodolfo Dordoni. ‘I had sketches and blueprints of what the space was going to look like before, so I had a few ideas in mind – especially for the image with the two boys in the circle,’ says Hayward. ‘We found that it worked best if they were constantly moving. When the two were in constant flow, I could just tweak a hand movement, a shoe placement, or the flourish of a lapel.’

Though we’re only treated to the static, freeze-framed result, the arching backs, awkward necks and stretching fingers of each model capture Hayward’s momentum-filled choreography – while proving one can do impressive backbends in a tailored Fendi suit.

Left, coat, £1,560; top, £780; trousers, £620, all by Calvin Klein 205W39NCY. Right, coat, £1,825; trousers (part of suit), price on request, both by Salvatore Ferragamo. Roll-neck, £155, by John Smedley. Belt, £310; shoes, £710, both by Prada. ‘Pollock’ armchair, £1,755, by Charles Pollock, for Knoll, from The Conran Shop. ‘Cesar’ side table, £808, by Rodolfo Dordoni, for Minotti

As yachts get bigger, so do the options and opportunities for extravagant interior design, features, facilities, finishes and accoutrements. A visit to the first SuperYacht Gallery, held at London’s Saatchi Gallery at the start of June, demonstrated this trend in full effect: there was pretty much nothing you can’t do on board a boat, given the right budget, boundless imagination and adventurous designers.

Sanlorenzo’s SX88 offers a slightly different take on waterborne living. The SX88 is a ‘crossover’ motoryacht, in that it has been designed to be as flexible as possible, without focusing on one particular attribute. Intended for island-hopping charters, this floating retreat eschews impractically sleek lines in favour of an open, more upright stance. The angular glassy superstructure appears to float above the generous hull, and despite the SX88’s generous 27m length it’s still a minnow in the superyacht league tables.

Nevertheless, Sanlorenzo has found space on for a couple of tenders and a generous ‘beach club’ (the flat bit at the stern designed for swimming, sunning and generally enjoying the good life). Below decks there are 4-5 well appointed cabins, along with crew quarters. And for a big boat, the SX88 uses as little energy as possible, with power coming from banks of high-tech banks of batteries to minimise emissions in out-of-the-way locations.

The flying bridge over the beach-club decking

Key to the SX88’s interior ambience is the involvement of acclaimed designer Piero Lissoni, working alongside the exterior designer Lou Codega. Sanlorenzo has previously tapped the talents of Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel for interior design, and the Lissoni collaboration marks a next step in the company’s design language.

Opt for the open-plan configuration – instead of the grand owner’s cabin – and you’ll get a wood-lined loft-style living space more akin to a penthouse apartment than a traditional boat. Lissoni and his team of David Lopez, Stefano Castelli, and Marco Gottardi, have created a saloon with panoramic views through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a space that flows right through from the bow seating area to the beach club at the stern.

A compact galley sits alongside an open-plan dining area, emphasising Lissoni’s loft-inspired approach. Slender open-tread stairs lead up to the captain’s chair on the fly bridge, where a secondary open-air seating area provides an even loftier view over your berth. The SX88 is available for order now, built at Sanlorenzo’s La Spezia boatyard and with first deliveries expected in Spring 2018.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Lissoni Associati website and the Sanlorenzo Yacht website

Stephan Weishaupt, founder of Canadian furniture brand Avenue Road, has a knack for juxtaposing emerging and established talent in ways that create a collective allure. His discerning eye takes centre stage in his latest project, Avenue Road 8A, designed in collaboration with the firm, C McKeough Unltd.

Situated above the brand’s New York showroom in Manhattan’s Flower District, it’s a concept space that feels and functions like a home — outfitted with objects from Avenue Road’s portfolio so visitors can see them in action. ‘We wanted to create a special environment that caters to people on a completely different level,’ Weishaupt says.

In addition to hosting events and installations, the by-appointment-only space provides a more personal, private mode of engaging with the objects on view, inspiring ideas for how to make them your own.

The eclectic, sophisticated spirit of 8A (named for its location, on the eighth floor) fills the 5,000 sq ft space. A dazzling kitchen, designed by Bruno Moinard for Obumex, greets visitors upon arrival. Its pink-and-black aesthetic is created by bold copper details, which contrast with brushed oak in dark and light finishes.

Self-taught French designer Christophe Delcourt created the space’s sprawling dining table, supported by tree branch-like legs. A Richard Serra painting, from Weishaupt’s personal collection, hangs nearby, as do pieces by German artist Regine Schumann, who forms minimal, geometric objects from fluorescent Plexiglass.

A glass door – textured on one side, smooth on the other – by Piero Lissoni for Glas Italia reveals a hallway, which leads to the bedroom and two well-appointed bathrooms. Tableware, designed by Michaël Verheyden using noble materials like marble and brass, line a shelving system in the dressing room.

The back of the space, a generous salon, holds two sofas: one, by Christophe Delcourt, features modules that connect via magnets; the other, by Yabu Pushelberg, was one of the first pieces Avenue Road opened with more than a decade ago.

As in any great New York apartment, the objects in 8A will stay put for awhile — unlike the furniture in the downstairs showroom, where pieces rotate constantly. Weishaupt opened the latter in 2012, five years after launching the company in Toronto; a showroom in Vancouver is slated for completion later this year. Weishaupt, who was born in Munich to design-loving parents, worked in marketing at BMW before starting Avenue Road.

Today, he acts as its main curator, seeking out objects characterised by top-tier craftsmanship and ingenuity in form and materials. For him, building deep, authentic relationships with clients and designers is paramount (and one of his favourite parts about the job).

‘Ten years ago, I didn’t know what this would morph into – I just wanted to show things that are beautiful and unique,’ Weishaupt says. ‘Now my vision is so much clearer. I hope this new space reflects how far we’ve come.’

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Avenue Road website

ADDRESS

Avenue Road 8A
145 W 28th Street
New York, NY 10001

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From its perch on King David Street, a short stride from the Old City’s western Jaffa Gate, the David Citadel has kept tabs on Jerusalem’s visiting elite since it first opened its doors nearly two decades ago.

Now in a bid to maintain its iconic status, the property has been coaxed back to life by Italian designer Piero Lissoni, whose mood board takes its cues from the city’s honeyed tones; timber wall panels and oak parquet flooring sets the scene for a masculine aesthetic that is pulled together with custom Lissoni-designed furnishings, lighting by Flos and a rich colour palette accented with royal blue, bottle green and threads of gold.

Meanwhile, graphic serigraphed glass panels in each of the guest rooms have been inspired by Scottish artist David Roberts’ 1834 tour of what is now modern-day Israel.

The Seasons restaurant is due to re-open soon, but no matter: a taste of that famous Israeli breakfast can be sampled at the nearby Mahane Yehuda Market, a quick 20-minute walk away. 

ADDRESS

7 King David Street

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At last year's Salone del Mobile, Italian stalwarts Kartell travelled back in time to pay tribute one of the forefathers of Italian design, Ettore Sottsass. For 2016, they are taking it back again, but this time in scale and age with the launch of an inaugural kids collection.

This isn't the first time the Italian brand has toyed with the concept of children’s furniture. The first entirely plastic Kartell '4999' chair by Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper – created back in 1964 – was intended for kids, while 'Sistema Scuola' by Centrokappa also tapped into this smaller world. Over 50 years later, the Milanese brand is revisiting the idea with these 'toys for living' that nod to the fun aesthetics of Kartell’s lively collections.

The company chose from their star-studded list of international designers for this first haul of whimsical plastic silhouettes, all in pastel and pop hues. In keeping with simplisitic styles, Japanese designer Nendo created a transparent curvaceous rocking horse alongside 'smile' stools; Philippe Starck presents a streamlined 'Airway' swing; Piero Lissoni provides a toy car and tractor; and Ferruccio Laviani, a vibrant games table.

‘As well as being functional, our products are intrinsically playful, fun and engaging’ says Claudio Luti, president of Kartell. The new kids line allowed the designers to experiment in an area that they perhaps have not before, engaging with a younger audience. Where Nendo approached his stools with the idea of the emotion of a smile, creating a face in the imprint of the seat, Laviani got into the youthful mindset for his building game, which he describes as 'trying to approach their world more than ours'.

In full celebration of the launch, the brand is also bringing back its loved icons in a new child friendly palette, as seen in Ron Arad's 'Bookworm' and Giulio Polvara's modular bookcase. They are also providing a customisation service, adding names and drawings to the 'Lou Lou Ghost' or 'FL/Y' lamp – a little added interactive design fun for smaller people to enjoy.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Kartell’s website

Precisely 90 years ago, Le Corbusier debuted his ground-breaking Pavillon de L'Espirit Nouveau at the 1925 Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs, best known for Art Deco masters such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. At the time, the architect’s cube-shaped housing unit distinguished by stark white walls and an open floor plan sparked considerable outrage. Now, in tribute to Corb’s visionary project, the Swiss Institute is staging 'PAVILLON de l'Espirit Nouveau: a 21st century show home', referencing his revolutionary approach through the eyes of more than 30 cutting-edge global architects and designers.

The show is curated by architect Felix Burrichter, the founder of Pin-Up magazine, who anchored the project within the Soho Swiss Institute’s stylish two-storey quarters, once the home of Jeffrey Deitch’s gallery.

‘I’ve created an environment that expands on Le Corbusier’s setting but rather speaks of our age with a pronounced emphasis on both escapism and surveillance,’ explains Burrichter. Architect Shawn Maximo designed the exhibition, bringing in 12 surveillance cameras that capture the gallery visitor walking through the show. They can even be found perching on actual pieces of design: from Max Lamb’s coffee table composed of marble scraps set in resin; to Piero Lissoni and Paul Kopkau's Carbon Frog Chair; and Ifeanyi Oganwu's sleek stainless steel shelving.

‘As to the design, all it was produced in the past 15 years,’ notes Burrichter who commissioned work by Josh Bitelli and Bethan Laura Wood. Other designers include Jasper Morrison and Joris Laarman, plus a host of new names.

Yes, standard domestic spaces like the bedroom and kitchen fill the gallery but Maximo ramped up the stakes when he created a ‘Power Room’ complete with a climbing wall made up of Josh Bitelli’s silvery mirrored glass chunks.

The Swiss Institute director Simon Castets best sums up this creative endeavor. ‘As to totality, Felix’s creation is about stepping into the future while blurring the lines of reality and fantasy,’ he says. So if you’re hankering to take in an immersive experience with interiors and design of the moment, the Institute is place to go.

INFORMATION

‘PAVILLON de l’Espirit Nouveau: a 21st century show home’ is on view until 8 November

Photography courtesy of l'Espirit Nouveau

ADDRESS

Swiss Institute
18 Wooster Street
New York, NY 10013

TELEPHONE

1212 925 2035

Torre Velasca is without a doubt one of Milan's greatest architectural icons.  But the BBPR-designed building and its distinctive top-heavy silhouette have always been a visual jewel to admire from afar. 'It's kind of an abandoned area and no one really visits,' remarks Carola Bestetti, creative director at Living Divani.

Or at least that was the case. The no man's land status of the Torre is set to change thanks to Living Divani and its most recent collaboration with Milan-based architect Piero Lissoni who has designed a temporary 900 sq m terrace around the building's perimeter. Inaugurated last week and open through to the end of the year, the space is welcome to the public and serviced by an adjoining independent bar and an exhibit space, creating a rare gift to a city that desperately lacks scenic outdoor space.    

Lissoni's design is part café lounge, part urban zen forest.  A wooden deck floor is surrounded by a lush curtain of bamboo, Carpini and Mulberry trees sitting in wooden wine barrels - a long-time Lissoni signature - while red metal scaffolding, set up in anticipation of the restoration works due to begin, act as a sort of plantless pergola. For the furniture, Lissoni custom-designed huge tables and benches in plywood, and populated the rest of the space with a variety of Living Divani's outdoor furniture, most of which the architect designed himself, including a Divano Extra Soft couch (2011), Ile stools (2003), low Family Lounge tables and his famous Frog Chair which, incidentally, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. 

'We thought this would be a nice way to show our outdoor furniture,' explains Bestetti, who also set up an adjoining, temporary showroom for Living Divani on the ground floor of the Torre.  'At the same time it's a nice thing to gift to Milan.'

Lissoni's work didn't stop there. The architect also built a wooden ramp that exhibits 13 different versions of his famed Frog chair in an outdoor glass box.  Most dramatically, he put his architectural imprint on the top floor of Torre Velasca itself where he designed the interiors of a cushy penthouse apartment that has a wraparound terrace and some of the best views of the entire city. The apartment's furniture is Living Divani; the kitchen is Boffi and lighting by Flos. Whoever lands this stunning apartment is going to pay a pretty penny. For the rest of us, thankfully, there's always the beautifully designed ground floor outdoor space to enjoy for free.

ADDRESS

Piazza Velasca, 5, Milano MI, Italy

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One would imagine catching and curing a pig requires agility, determination, sturdy footwear and an inevitable abundance of salt. Mercifully, harnessing the expertise of Milanese designer Piero Lissoni and Italian kitchenware specialist Knindustrie to create a prosciutto carving set was a much less arduous task.

Lissoni, with a lifetime’s worth of innovative designs, spanning architecture, interiors, industrial design and graphics, was the perfectly accomplished foil for Francesco Zani’s comparatively fledgling team at Knindustrie. The brand is just four years old, but having already worked with Rodolfo Dordoni and met with the approval of design aficionados, it is an operation in the ascendancy. Together they created this all-important ham carving set, ensuring their nation’s beloved prosciutto crudo was handled with the requisite care and vigilance.

The first bricks on the creative path were fired in a series of meetings, during which the underlying feel of the stand and its accessories was explored well before any drawings were sketched. Lissoni and his colleague Carlo Tamborini were keen for a family of pieces that would interact with one another but also convey an effective and professional functionality.

This quest for efficiency, however, was not an exclusive requirement. The basic enjoyment of a genuinely loved ingredient was placed high on the agenda too, and deeper research unearthed references to the old-fashioned counters of classic butchers and the convivial atmosphere of slicing cold cuts in a traditional Italian inn, as well as the industrial aesthetic of modern mass-production environments.

These various influences are apparent in the choice of materials for the carving set, which combines cool, satin-finished stainless steel with the warmth of Canaletto walnut.

The simple design of a stainless steel structure set within a sturdy chopping board underpinned by steel bands and fastened with socket-head screws was born. The ham shoulder is secured inside an angled pipe, the degree of which enables the shoulder to hover above the walnut board, an uncommon design quirk. An accompanying carving knife, offcut trimmer and serving tongs are inspired by Japanese cutlery.

Confronted with manufacturing the set’s contrasting materials, Zani and his team experimented with the hardness of the metal and the pliability of the wood to find the precise junction where the two would balance to accommodate one another. To target a point of equilibrium using advanced technologies, and without compromising the design, takes patience and skill.

The resulting set is a combination of considered and robust design, ambitious materials and delicate manufacturing processes, all rounded off in a collection as aesthetically sweet as the prosciutto itself.

As originally featured in the August 2015 edition of Wallpaper* (W*197)

A visit to Design Miami in December has always included a stop at Luminaire Lab, the experimental gallery for cutting-edge contemporary design on NE 2nd Avenue. In time for this year's event, however, Luminaire has given us good reason to trek out to its Coral Gables flagship. The 1,400 sq m showroom and exhibition space relaunches on 1 December with an interior by Piero Lissoni and an entire wing dedicated to its new retail partner B&B Italia.

Luminaire, launched more than 40 years ago by Nasir and Nargis Kassamali, launched the 'curated boutique' concept in Florida, drawing European brands and up-and-coming designers to show their work exclusively and lecture to the public. The couple is almost entirely responsible for getting revolutionary products in the heads and the homes of Miami's New Guard and making pioneers like Marcel Wanders, Philippe Starck, Ron Arad and Ingo Maurer household names around the penthouses and poolsides of Miami.

To celebrate 30 years in Coral Gables, the Kassamalis enlisted their longtime collaborator Lissoni to open up the minimalist emporium with an almost spiritual simplicity, creating a space that's both intimate and open in the Miami vernacular. Vast tracts of overhead glazing bring introduce shafts of light and shadow, which interact spectacularly throughout the interior design.

Luminaire will be the sole official source for B&B Italia in the southeastern United States, so the brand gets a 650 sq m slice of the ground floor here - all the better to promote its expansion into the US market. The showroom will carry several exclusive pieces, including the new boiserie-effect 'Backstage' wardrobe system by Antonio Citterio.

ADDRESS

Luminaire Coral Gables
2331 Ponce de Leon Boulevard
Coral Gables FL 33134

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Design aficionados will have a new Piero Lissoni-designed destination to mark on their maps when Italian brand Cassina opens the doors to its very first London showroom on 8 November.

The brand's new outpost occupies two floors of a listed building on the Brompton Road that was previously the home of Priscilla Carluccio's interiors emporium, Few and Far. Right in the heart of the Brompton Design District, Cassina is in good company, counting design stores Skandium, B&B Italia and Mint as its well-heeled neighbours.

Italian designer Piero Lissoni has stripped the 300 sq m space - which he describes as 'a perfect London interior, without antics or puns' - to reveal the building's overlapping layers of architectural history. Further adding to the raw, industrial look of the interior is a caged area at the entrance of the showroom that can be partitioned off for meetings or used as an exhibition space.

The exposed brickwork, solid oak staircase and oak flooring are all finished in tonal shades of grey that recall London's distinctive skyline. The overall effect creates the perfect backdrop for Cassina's extensive portfolio of designs including a rather striking set of bright green 'Tre Pezzi' armchairs by Franco Albini & Franca Helg.

ADDRESS

Cassina showroom
242 Brompton Road,
Knightsbridge,
London SW3 2BB

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Raw-Edges
Israeli product designers Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay (partners in life as well as work) launched their studio Raw-Edges in 2007 having met at London’s Royal College of Art. Established as part of OKAY Studio, a collective of nine designers in Stoke Newington, Raw-Edges recently moved to Stuttgart, where they continue to attract phenomenal attention worldwide with their experimental, playful approach to the design of furniture, systems and things

What are you doing in Milan this year?
We will be showing Jaws - a new, very exciting project with Established & Sons; Box - a collapsible laptop desk with Dutch manufacturer Arco; Tex, for Mutina, which is a new tile collection with a texture stolen from a textile we found; and finally Selvedge - an armchair prototype for Kvadrat’s Hallingdal 65 exhibition

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
To be truly honest, and without wanting to seem too self-centred we are really looking forward to seeing our own projects finished. We worked on all of them for long time and we won’t see the final versions before Salone. And then of course we are looking forward to meeting our friends that we haven’t seen so much of since moving to Stuttgart

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
Grom Ice Cream (try the Fior de Latte), Corso Buenos Aires, 13

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
There is a fantastic small electric shop for lighting in Corso Como with a great selection of coloured electric cables. We try to pass by and get few meters even if we don’t have specific project in mind

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Scusate, dove si trova la più gustosa pizza in città? (Excuse me, where can I find the most delicious pizza in town?)

Interview: Henrietta Thompson

Jasper Morrison
Jasper Morrison has been on the Salone circuit for longer than we can remember. The granddaddy of soulful minimalism, Morrison is the designer every other designer name checks. He has worked for all the big guns, from Vitra and Alessi to the Tate Modern.

What are you doing in Milan this year?
The biggest new project is for Kettal, the Spanish outdoor furniture company. It's a complete outdoor collection, which has been three years in the making. Then I have some continuation projects for Vitra, Alias and Maruni; a new project of cast iron cookware for the Japanese company Oigen; new pieces for Glas Italia and a sofa system for Cappellini.

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
The finished pieces!

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
I like La Collina Pistoiese on Via Amedei very much and Bar Basso [Via Plinio] of course. Hotels are more difficult, I gave up looking some years ago and found a small studio to rent.

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
A photo on the roof of the duomo?

What's the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Scusami (sorry).....

Interview: Malaika Byng

Inga Sempé
One of France’s most wanted designers, Inga Sempé set up her own studio in Paris in 2000, from where she now effortlessly juggles an international client list that includes Baccarat, Cappellini, Edra, Ligne Roset, Magis, Moustache and Wästberg, among many others

What are you doing in Milan this year?
I’m not showing a lot: some ceramics made with an historical Japanese ceramic company, Koubei-Gama, for a project called Japan Creative; and some small objects to be screwed directly onto the wall, made in Corian with Moustache - including small round shelves, a vase and a bowl

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
I look forward seeing the new lamp by Daniel Rybakken for LucePlan

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
I think in Milan, in Italy, it is quite simple - eating a simple sandwich is almost always good, it can be filled with good ingredients yet won’t be expensive. And then eating an ice cream is not expensive either, and it’s delicious

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
I love the boxes with integrated spoons for the powder sugar in every bar

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Quando entrerà in produzione? (When is this going into production?)

HT
Photograph: Kristina Hrabetova

Philippe Malouin
The fact that you can find the designs of London-based Canadian designer Philippe Malouin in such hallowed spaces as Gallery Fumi (London), Spazio Rossana Orlandi (Milan), Commissaires (Montreal), NextLevel (Paris) and Carwan (Beirut) would suggest that he is doing something very right. A glance at his sensitive, sophisticated portfolio of products and furniture would confirm the fact

What are you doing in Milan this year?
I am showing a project called ‘Intarsia & Lathe’ for Carwan gallery, in which wood is sliced into very thin baguettes, glued and assembled into intarsia patterns, then lathe-turned to create bowls, stools and tables. Everything was made in Beirut, working with local craftsmen. I am also showing a wall hanging at Plus Design Gallery for a group exhibit called ‘The Threads That Bind Us’; and a sundial at the exhibit ‘Another Terra’. I’m also showing in Kvadrat’s Hallingdal 65 exhibition

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
I’m looking forward to seeing Lake Como when I take a little time off from appointments and seeing new bits of furniture

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
I’ve rented a nice flat this year, all to myself. It’s pretty neat as it’s the first time. All the years in the past I would sleep on my friend’s places, floors and bathtubs... As for where to have a drink, I really like the garden at 10 Corso Como... And to eat, I like any traditional unfancy trattorias you can find pretty much anywhere

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
Definitely food. Olive oil, parmesan cheese and salami. I know it sounds like a cliché, but it’s so much better than anything you can find here

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Dove posso trovare il bar? (Where can I find the bar?)

HT

Kiki Van Eijk
Kiki van Eijk graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2001, and in the decade that has followed, she has presented and sold her thoughtful, beautiful collections all over the world. Sharing a studio and often collaborating with her husband Joost Van Bleiswijk, her clients include Studio Edelkoort Paris, Verardo, Swarovski, MOOOI, Ahrend, HAANS and Woonic

What are you doing in Milan this year?
I have five different presentations, which I’m really looking forward to. One is eight exceptional windows for the Hermès shop at via Sant’andrea/ della Spiga. It is all inspired by their theme for this year: ‘The Gift of Time’. I’m also really curious to see the presentation of Nodus (in a beautiful building), were I am showing three new carpets. They are handknotted and made of only natural materials, representing a very natural idea - wild flowers. This type of flower, which grows in the gaps between concrete, is often underappreciated. At Superstudio Piu I have a presentation of designs for industrial glass panels by Omnidecor. At Ventura Lambrate I’m showing a kinetic object which is a collaboration with Joost for Laikingland. And last but not least there will be a small intimate presentation of my works at the Dutch consulate. So my work is spread all over the city!

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
I’m really curious to see the Nodus presentation; the carpets will be shown in a stunning religious building. I feel this must be very special

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
I guess the bar of Maarten Baas and Bas den Herder on Via Ventura 6, Ventura Lambrate!

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
Burrata! The most delicious cheese in the world. This cheese really makes your day…or even your life

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Una caffe doppio per favor! (A double coffee please!)

HT

Peter Marigold
We've long been fans of London-based Peter Marigold's sculptural approach to design - a sentiment that even a rather lively exchange with Wallpaper* staff at the 2010 Salone hasn't dimmed. The RCA graduate (tutored by Ron Arad, no less) is a man in demand. His work has been shown every from London's V&A Museum, to the Design Musuem Holon.

What are you doing at Salone this year?
For Wallpaper* Handmade, I have been teamed up with the Danish company Lindberg, who make titanium glasses. After visiting their factory I decided to make a large titanium clip-together lighting system. It’s been really great working with them. For the Japan Creative exhibition at Museo Minguzzi, I have been teamed up with the highly respected furniture company Hinoki-Kogei, who have made a beautiful interpretation of one of my designs by splitting huge logs into two. These form a large bench that has an intricate grass and wood seating cover

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
My lovely elderly aunty who I stay with. Thereafter I just want to get home to my new baby boy as soon as possible. God that’s a bit tame isn’t it?
 Oh, and the big machine installation at Gap next to the Duomo should be pretty cool...

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
After getting into a brawl in Bar Basso with [insert names] a couple of years ago, I’m not really on the drinking circuit so much anymore, though the pizza place opposite usually has a fine selection of canned beers at a fraction of the price of its packed neighbour (sorry Maurizio). To stay? Well I stay with my lovely Aunty Ruth, handily next to the Trienalle. But for anyone else I would suggest trying out Couchsurfing.org, if only for the experience. There’s all sorts of people offering spaces all over the world

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
The most incredibly beautiful, handmade fishing flies from the small fishing store next to Lambrate station. Way too beautiful to be fed to a fish for sure! I collect more and more of them each year. There’s also a really amazing electrical shop opposite Corso Como Diece. I buy ceramic insulation knobs from there, just because they are sweet

What's the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Sai chi sono io? (Do you know who I am?) To be spoken with forceful confidence when addressing to the doorman

MB

Piero Lissoni
Piero Lissoni is on a sure-shot path to being named the most prolific designer during the Salone del Mobile. This year, the Milan-based architect has designed new products for 11 separate companies, created five different installations, and is taking part in three exhibitions, and one book launch. Frankly, we’re not sure how he’s going to manage to show up to his own events. Certainly, his favourite phrase of the week comes as no surprise...

What are you doing at Salone this year?
[Lissoni provided us such a mega list, we have condensed it for you.]
I have new products and installations for Boffi, Cassina, Living Divani, Nespresso and Porro; new products for Matteograssi, Pierantonio Bonacina, Lema, Kartell, Glas Italia, Salvatori.  Then there is the ‘Piero Lissoni Behind the Scenes’ exhibition at the Teatro Nazionale, plus I am participating in Flos’ 50th anniversary, the photography show ‘Future Roots’ and I have contributed drawings for the book ‘Chef Meets Design’.

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
The last day of it

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay/ shop in Milan during Salone week?
Davide Oldani D’O Restaurant: A beautifully calm environment, with elegant country food. Via Magenta 18, Cornaredo, (near Milan)

La Latteria: A very small, family restaurant where it’s not possible to book in advance and – no matter who you are – you have to queue! They serve traditional Italian food, cooked correctly: it’s like eating in your mother’s kitchen
Via San Marco, 24

Pinacoteca Ambrosiana: Leonardo da Vinci drawings collection
Piazza Pio XI 2

Prada Shop: It’s much more traditional than the other Prada shops - and very Milanese.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele

Radetzky: My favourite bar, for a really Italian breakfast: cappuccino, sparkling water, fresh croissants, carrot or apple tart. I enjoy reading the newspapers here, and meeting friends
Largo La Foppa, 5

120% Lino: It’s full of inspiration in terms of colour, materials and decoration
Corso Garibaldi angolo Via Marsala, 13

Libreria Utopia: The extremist and anarchic bookstore, where you can find little treasures for your mind
Via Moscova, 52

Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli:
I go to the park from my office with my three golden retrievers. There is a beautiful old Natural History Museum that is worth a visit
da corso Venezia a Via Palestro

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
One kilo of carnaroli rice and a pack of Italian saffron to prepare the perfect Risotto alla Milanese

What's the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Ci vediamo fra dieci minuti ( I’ll see you in 10 minutes). But it ends up with seeing each other the following day

Interview: J.J. Martin

Luca Nichetto
One of Italy’s most sought after new designers, Venetian Luca Nichetto cut his professional teeth designing glass for Murano as soon as he graduated, and it was only a few years later that he founded his own industrial and product design studio in 2006. Nichetto can also regularly be found teaching and lecturing at universities both in Italy and abroad

What are you doing in Milan this year?
This year I am presenting a wide range of different projects like furniture, lamps, wellness space and home/office accessories. Some are the result of new international collaborations with Cassina, De Padova, Petite Friture, La Chance, Discipline, Glass Idromassaggio and David Design, and some projects reaffirm previous collaborations with Foscarini, Established & Sons, Casamania, MG Lab, Gallotti & Radice and Fornasarig. There are about 20 new products - a lot of work! I have also curated the exhibition for Fornasarig, MG Lab, and the Meet in Milan Franke Kitchen Story

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
I’d like to see a bit less ‘smoke’ than last year. I mean: last year I felt that everything was fake, I had the feeling that every company was in Milan but showing nothing really new, only there because you can’t miss Milan Design week. So I saw a lot of things, but only very few were interesting. I hope to see maybe less products, but more real design and good design

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
When I’m in Milan I rent a flat for me and my team, both the Venetian and the Swedish parts of it. So I move the Studio to Milan for about 10 days. I think this is the best way to live the Salone. I have lunch wherever I am for my meetings, but during the night it’s Bar Basso. I know that every night I can find a lot of my friends/collegues there and relax after a working day with a Negroni in may hand

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
A friend of mine, Giulio Lacchetti, designed a funny object for Pandora: it’s the BYEBYEFLY fly-swatter. It’s funny because the net is the roadmap of Milan. I think this is a good souvenir of the city

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Hey, non sono un turista: non fare il giro della città per guadagnare di più! (Hey, I’m not a tourist: don’t make a tour of the city to earn more!) Use this with Milan taxi drivers during the Salone week

HT

Matali Crasset
The bob-haired French industrial designer, and former protégé of Philippe Starck, opened her own studio in 1998. Her colourful oeuvre spans everything from furniture and graphics to scenography and interior architecture.

What are you doing at Salone this year?
'Ondulations', an outdoor furniture collection in stone for Pimar; 'Doublesize', a flexible table that was designed to accompany the 'Doublesize' chairs for Danese; 'Sweet Talk and Dream', a modular piece that can be used as a small reading chair, play area or spare bed, and was designed for Campeggi; and 'Parabola', a writing desk for Galleria Luisa delle Piane, a gallery that will also present the Matali Crasset Works monograph published by Rizzoli

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
The Bistro' on via Tortona, Antica Locanda Solferino on Via Castelfidardo and the Trattoria Alla Cucina Economica on Via Francesco Guicciardini

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
Anything from the Cibo and Speck delicatessens.

What's the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Ciao (Hello)

MB

Martin Azua
Barcelona based Martin Azua is perhaps best known for his inflatable, foldable gold house, a product that spread across the internet like wild fire as soon as he launched it, and which was recently acquired for the MOMA collection in New York. But Azua’s remit extends a little further than spangly tents: he also designed medals for Barcelona’s World Swimming Championships and packaged Madrid’s recent Olympic bid too

What are you doing in Milan this year?
I will take part in the exhibition Kvadrat Hallingdal 65 exhibition, with The Puppet Chair. Also I will be presenting a collection of bentwood chairs for the Spanish firm Tagar

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
I hope to see designs that respond to a range of issues arising from the crisis. These will likely come from young designers who often provide the most interesting ideas

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
I like to eat a salad in the garden of the Triennale, on via Emilio Alemagna, 6

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
Some years ago I started to collect bowls, a common item to all cultures. I’ll be looking for a bowl that expresses our present time

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Se non è vero, è ben trovato (Even if it’s not true, it’s well conceived). An Italian proverb

HT