The myriad of patterns in this design is the result of hacking traditional stone methods. On view at Alcova, the project is a collaboration between stone tailor Manuel Coltri and DWA Design Studio, and curated by Paolo de Vivo. A cocktail of Carrara, lava stone, green onyx and more form the stripes, graphic shapes, and contrasting tones of these vases and trays, giving classic materials and methods a new edge
The results of a collaboration between students of the Master of Advanced Studies in Design for Luxury & Craftsmanship course at ECAL and Italian marble brand Marsotto LAB were on view in Brera. Following a tour of its Verona factory, the students were able to get to grips with Marsotto’s meticulous methods with marble and under the guidance of French designer Pierre Charpin, they produced a collection of kitchenware that includes a champagne bucket, containers and trays. Photography: Younes Klouche
Student Nabhadr Apiwanopas created a poetic vase titled ‘Vortex’ that is a marble disk harbouring a gentle water flow (left), while Lorenzo Giovannoni created trays inspired eroded landscapes (right). Courtesy, ECAL/Younès Klouche
Two collaborations came to fruition for Hem’s Salone spectacle. In Brera, the brand coined the ‘Hem Gallery and Garden’ where it presented the monolithic ‘Max Table’ by Max Lamb, stretching three metres and made from Douglas Fir. The Swedish brand also launched its first collaboration with Modern Design Review – an ornamental ceramics project with John Booth and Ian McIntyre that was both playful and experimental. Photography: Adrianna Glaviano
Dimore Studio set its sights on a new location to launch Dimoremilano; a sub brand of furniture, fabric and outdoor collections by the Milanese duo Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci. Inside Ex Cinema Arti, they formed a memorable theatrical environment that featured loud rock tunes and flashing lights. Here, the pieces were presented in dioramas that included living room, dining room, office and bedroom. Photography: Paola Pansini
While circling the rooms, audiences were welcomed by lacquered surfaces and sleek embellished metal finishes. Titled ‘Interstellar,’ each room of the installation was shaped by dramatic layers including mirrored surfaces, patterned prints and faux-fur. Photography: Paola Pansini
Paris based architecture studio Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane collaborated with Union, an Osaka based manufacturer of door handles, to create the exhibition ’One Design – One Handle’ that went on display in the Tortona district. The installation took an archeological approach to modern craftsmanship, revisiting the use of pre-industrial techniques and handcrafted tools. Photography: Takuji Shimmura
Juxtaposing sustainably made, sand-moulded pieces alongside Union’s door handle designs crafted with digital technology, the display questioned how ‘primitive’ skills could be adapted for future visions. Photography: Takuji Shimmura
Inside the Strategic Footprints Agency office, an installation explored the world of terracotta. Curated by Valentina Guidi Ottobri, the special project, titled ‘Land’, saw Spanish studio Masquespacio working with the textural material from Italian furnace Poggi Ugo, giving traditional craft a contemporary slant
The studio were inspired by 1950s Brazil and California, and 1970s Italy for the shapes of the 17 terracotta forms – postmodern sculptures were sat alongside pieces with architecturally tropical mouldings
This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Dutch Invertuals collective, which is headed up by Wendy Plomp and made up of brightest talents on the Netherlands design scene. To celebrate, Plomp set the group the task of exploring the theme of ‘The Circle’ – a symbol she describes as representing ‘unity, perfection and infinity’. Designers including Max Lipsey (work pictured), Bram Vanderbeke and Jeroen Ward presented works inside the Isola district location, with a spiralling set design imagined by Daphna Laurens
Materials, symbolism and spirituality came together for Studiopepe’s ‘Les Arcanistes’ exhibition, housed within an industrial space once used for the manufacturing of gold. With its name referring to ‘the archanists’ (a group of people considered to be the first chemists), the show explored the importance of materiality and the process that goes along with it
Inside, derelict rooms have been transformed into treasure troves of precious matter, furnished with both vintage furniture and new collections. Visitors were met with designs by the likes of Verner Panton and Tacchini, but also a salt-covered cave housing a mystic tarot card reader
Cassina transformed its Via Durini showroom into a perspective in blue – a range of interior sets curated by the Italian brand’s art director Patricia Urquiola. In an array of grids, the ‘Cassina Perspective’ unfolds, revealing new collections framed by architectural drawings by Le Corbusier, a theatrical diorama and contemporary artworks curated by Federica Sala/PS. Photography: Stefano De Monte
In the centre of the historic Palazzo Litta, a mirrored architectural intervention blooms from the courtyard cobbles. Echo Pavilion was created by Chilean architecture duo Pezo von Ellrichshausen, and acts a centre point, reflecting and distorting the surrounding Baroque architecture. Visitors, (those undeterred by unseasonable rain) can enter the roofless pavilion, which reveals a structural grid design and internal benches, open to the elements
Inside the eerie setting of Church San Bernardino alle Monache, sculptural works by Anton Alvarez crawl around in an exhibition curated by Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte. Working with bronze for the first time, the Swedish-Chilean designer created these unusual forms using a self-made tool, the ‘extruder’
Brera’s Via Solferino 11 spot is always well attended, and for good reason. This year, Italian stone specialists Salvatori enlisted Elisa Ossino for a layered presentation of its new wares by the likes of John Pawson, Piero Lissoni and more. Guests could explore encompassing ‘Hidden Rooms’ – chambers of marble inspiration
For its second Milan Design Week showcase, technology behemoth Google created an experiential three-room installation that intertwined design with human biology. Visitors were invited to wear a google wristband and then led through the rooms. At the end, they find out in which interior setting they most at ease. Pictured, the ‘Vital’ room, read more here. Photography: Edoardo Delille
For its inaugural Milan Design Week display, Brazilian furniture brand Espasso chose a charming and small spot in Brera for ‘Connections,’ a 15-piece exhibition that explores designs from the early 20th-century to today. The brand chose British company Tala to create a contemporary lighting installation that delicately frames the designs, including the pictured Rio Chaise lounge by Oscar Niemeyer from 1978. Read more here
The shape of a pelican was the starting point for Jaime Hayon’s latest design for Danish furniture brand Fritz Hansen. Titled ‘Lounge Chair JH97’, the sculptural piece strikes a balance between classic and contemporary with its low-slung wooden form, yet it is light composition that is formed using modern techniques
Luxury French brand Bassines makes its Milan debut, following a soft launch in Paris last year. The brainchild of Xavier Dupuy, founder of kitchen appliance brand La Cornue, Bassines presented two collections inside elegant Palazzo Cusani that look to revolutionise washbasin design with modern shapes and refined metals
Nilufar Depot presents consistently well-received exhibitions, and this year’s showcase was no different. Focusing for the first time solely on emerging designers with exhibition ‘Far’ curated Valentina Ciuffi/Studio Vedèt, the eclectic display of ‘radical experiments’ by the likes of Odd Matter, Wendy Andreu, Bram Vanderbeke and Johan Viladrich are often found housed within giant transparent bubbles. Photography: PimTop
For its fourth outing, Local Design doubles in size, offering works from 44 designers from Australia and New Zealand. Curated by Emma Elizabeth, the exhibition features different room sets, built around the opulent architecture of a palazzo in the 5Vie district. Pictured, table by Tom Fereday and Studio Kyss and pendants by Nicholas Fuller
A new project by Formafantasma has risen from the ashes. The Amsterdam-based design duo has transformed ash from Mount Etna into a collection of porcelain tiles, topped with a glaze of melted volcanic ash for architectural materials company Dzek. Read more in our May issue, on newsstands now. Photography: Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti
Apparatus’ fantastical space ’Interlude’ continues its sublime narrative of limited edition design at its 5Vie space. This year, the New York-based studio experiments with hand embroidery, and materials including shagreen and carpathian burl for textured works, all displayed against an intense green backdrop. Photography: Paola Pansini
Etel celebrates the centenary of the birth of José Zanine Caldas at its Milan boutique. The Brazilian furniture brand adds 20 design icons by the Brazilian architect to its repertoire, all created between 1949 and 1955
Narrating the evolution of Caldas’ design journey, the pieces join good company in Etel’s showroom: works by Lina Bo Bardi, Giuseppe Scapinelli, Oscar Niemeyer and more
This year COS enlisted French architect Arthur Mamou-Mani for installation Conifera at Palazzo Isimbardi, a structure built using open-source 3D-printing software. The pavilion consists of 700 ‘truncated pyramids’ and references the organic connection between the forms, material and garden location
Conifera is intertwined with the 16th-century architecture of Palazzo Isimbardi and the palette of the graphic sculpture changes from wood colour (pictured) to translucent, pure bioplastic
The six-year universe of Raf Simons’ collaboration with Kvadrat gets a theatrical backdrop at Garage 21. The showcase comes paired with culinary treats from London’s Rochelle Canteen, a floral display from Mark Colle, Cassina furniture and more
Bohinc Studio’s third launch at Milan Design Week is taking place at new location Alcova Sassetti. Continuing an exploration of cosmic forms, the designer creates geometric patterns with metal to form curvaceous furniture sculptures. Pictured, ‘Planetaria’ light and ‘Apollo’ dining chair
Comprising tables, pouffes, loveseat, console and a new lighting range, the pieces are both whimsical and bold. ‘This collection reflects my fascination for planets like Saturn, which seem to be caught within their rings, and has inspired these designs of spherical and tubular shapes,’ says Bohinc. Pictured, Saturn chair and pouffe
Danish brand Montana is reviving a 1970s design icon by Verner Panton: the wire Pantonova seating system. Modular and playfully retro, the seating is available in different sculptural silhouettes, liner, concave and convex for multiple configurations
Constance Guisset’s softly pigmented ’Francis’ mirror for Petite Friture gets an expansion into tables. The ethereal watercolour design is first hand-painted by the French designer before the misty layers are produced via digital techniques. Launching at the fair, the three-sided tables are available in white or black bases
Following a snowy landscape-inspired show at Stockholm Design Week, Note Design Studio once again joins forces with materials experts Tarkett, with a little help from Magis. Inside Circolo Filologico, the dynamic qualities of Tarkett’s new vinyl flooring collection, designed by the Swedish collective, comes to life in another immersive environment that includes totemic sculptures
Wisconsin-based bathroom brand Kohler present its latest innovations in a ‘digital garden’ in the Baroque surroundings of Palazzo Del Senato. Creating an installation of contrasts, Kohler allows visitors to wander around its world that fuses bathroom technology and art, honouring its theme for 2019 ‘Experiential Luxury’
Ahead of its official launch at the fair, Flos previews Formafantasma’s new ‘WireLine’ light at the collector’s lounge at MiArt. Building on its ‘WireRing’ design in 2017, this version explores a similar poetry in the field of industrial design, elevating the concept of cable lines in a mix of muted tones of rubber and glass
‘Bodem’, Dutch for soil, is the theme of Belgian collective Brut’s showcase this year. They have paired with architectural surface experts Antoine for the backdrop, and have realised vases, carpets and chairs following research into materials and the construction of the treasure-rich soil of Tongeren. Read more here
Inside historic Palazzo Litta, Japan Creative pairs traditional Japanese manufacturers with two contemporary design duos: Raw Edges and Formafantasma. The former has linked with Conde House to create ‘Crust,’ a series of wooden furniture pieces. Raw Edges explores a sense of playful joinery in stools and tables, inspired by the heritage wood of Hokkaido
The relationship between shadow and light is at the core of Maarten de Ceulaer’s lighting designs for Vibia. The geometric wall-mounted iterations create a gradual glow that can be built up outdoors or inside
In Tortona, the spirit of Norwegian design is celebrated at ’Join.’ This year’s show reveals innovations in sustainability, with craftspeople of the Nordic region questioning why it is necessary to design a new product. For this, Kent Fonn Skåre has created sculptural furniture from granite slabs found on construction sites in Bergen (right), while new design brand Krafted turns to the roots of Nordic design to form crafted pieces from natural materials (left)
‘Join’ has been curated by Norwegian-Italian duo Kråkvik&D’Orazio who were keen to ’highlight how the boundaries between craft and design aren’t as clear as before.’ Left, Klorofyll Planter System by Anderssen & Voll, for Elementa; Varier chair by Ekstrem with Terje Ekstroem. Right, Spenn light by Noidoi
