
Peugeot
Peugeot chose Milan as a springboard for its freshly established Design Lab, a self-contained design consultancy that operates out of its Parisian r&d centre. Headed up by Cathal Loughnane and overseen by Peugeot's chief designer Gilles Vidal, the Design Lab is intended as a standalone consultancy along the lines of BMW's DesignWorks or Porsche Design. Unlike its more established peers, however, the Design Lab is totally integrated into the car company's day-to-day operations. Says Loughnane: 'I can spend a morning with the bike guys and then talk about a plane or umbrella stand - we're always looking at new things.'
The company's display in Zona Tortona highlighted two major projects; the 'Onyx' sofa and the 'Pleydel' piano. The former (pictured) is Peugeot's bid for the design/art market. At €135,000, this sleek combination of volcanic rock and carbon fibre is, of course, a one-off (interested clients can name their stone of choice). Genuinely elegant, it served the purpose of breaking car designers out of their self-imposed box while also making a clear pitch for the upper echelons of the market. Future projects will include boats, planes and bikes (a Peugeot staple), while a display of strange sculptural material fusions - man-made and natural - hinted at a company keen to push its design language in new directions.
Writer: Jonathan Bell