Cassina’s Via Durini showroom has had many facelifts. From Mario Bellini’s initial design in 1968 and Achille Castiglioni’s lighting project for the space in 1987, to Piero Lissoni’s industrial makeover in 2012 and now, artistic director Patricia Urquiola’s overhaul. The new design has had many phases, with architectural interventions seen across the Venetian terrazzo flooring to the dramatic helix spiral staircase that takes centre stage
Danish Italian designers GamFratesi got the chance to work with Poltrona Frau’s main material – leather for their inaugural collection for the Italian behemoths. Included in the collection are these rotund coffee table with a handwoven basket-like base made from saddle leather straps with tone-on-tone-dyed edges. Read more about the new collection here
Inside the opulent walls of Palazzo Litta, Nude released its new collection with Ron Arad. The ‘Concentrics’collection see layers of glass overlapping to make sinuous vases that create poetic shadows in the light
In Tortona, furniture brand E15 collaborated with David Chipperfield for a new trestle table, Basis. Solid wood trestle and beams come together for a simple model with the option of a top in walnut, oak or glass. To coincide with the launch, the brand tapped food designer Laila Gohar for an installation titled Sobremesa that explored Spanish rituals of sharing in both life and work
For Editions Milano’s third Salone it presented several new collections. Patricia Urquiola designed Piani, a range of furniture that combines iridescent lacquering with cane and Versi a range of carafes and tray in Tuscan marbles (pictured next) – Fior di Tesco Carnico, Rosso Francia and Arabescato
Meanwhile Federico Peri created Bauhaus-inspired pendant lighting called Palazzo and a series of mirrors. There were additional pieces by Studiopepe, David/Nicolas and Bethan Gray
La Posteria in the Brera district played host to an interactive installation by Preciosa Lighting, Bohemian crystal glass-making specialists. Breath of Light was a constellation of bubble-like glass spheres in translucent and clear glass that were programmed to illuminate and respond to human breath, visitors blew on one of two receptors and its set off a reaction of melodic sound and light. In addition, the brand showed Pearl Drop, a statement chandler by Frank Tjepkema, shaped like a teardrop and inspired by a pearl necklace
Inside Milan’s La Permanente museum, French fashion house Hermes created a village of vibrant tiled pavilions as the backdrop to its new accessories, textiles and wallpapers. Read more about the installation here
Swiss architect and designer Stephan Hürlemann collaborated with Switzerland’s oldest chair and table manufacturer Horgenglarus to create a playful interactive exhibition that scooped the Milano Design Award Unicorn category, for most surprising installation of 2018. Giants with Dwarf occupied a concrete arch in Ventura Centrale, the six large-scale figures and one smaller (a monkey, bee, duck, tired solder etc) were assembled from discarded timber furniture parts found in the 100-year old Horgenglarus archive
The characters were built from 30 parts or more, these were connected via cable ties which could be animated via control wires – allowing visitors to ‘communicate’ with each figure
Fair goers got excited about a new exhibition space this year: a historic panettone factory in the district of NoLo that housed exhibition Alcova. Aside from the glorious light and shadows the location created, design highlights included Bloc Studios who showcased new pieces by Valentina Cameranesi, Nick Ross and Objects of Common Interest. Photography: Giulia Piermartiri/Studio Vedèt
The initiative, organised by Space Caviar and Studio Vedèt, invited 20 different international exhibitors including Maniera Gallery who presented new furniture by Mexico City based PRODUCTORA and Milanese duo piovenefabi (left). In addition, Duccio Maria Gambi revealed its experimentation into the synthetic beauty of the brick and its sculptural qualities (right). Photography: Giulia Piermartiri/Studio Vedèt
In Ventura Centrale Japanese brand AGC Asahi Glass unveiled thin cutting-edge glass capable of producing sound in an immersive installation entitled Soundscape. Designed by Japanese architect Motosuke Mandai, glass fragments were mounted on floor stands and suspended from the ceiling, bringing the space to life with the sound of birdsong and classical music
This auditory magic is made possible with a special intermediary layer that mitigates the inherent resonance characteristics of glass, making it possible to produce clear sounds ranging from high to low, through the spectrum of audio frequencies. There was also a Listening Room, with glass speakers playing classic music and jazz
At Rossana Orlandi, European furniture brand Sé debuts a new collection with Ini Archibong. Below the Heavens includes sculptural, handcrafted furniture that taps into mythology and spirituality with sensual silhouettes and muted colour pairings
Downstairs in the basement space, Archibong’s ‘Morai’ chandelier of graduated glass elements illuminates with poetic effect
Following its debut in Milan last year, Australian furniture brand SP01 returns to Salone with a fresh array of designs by London-based Tim Rundle. At the exhibition in Tortona, these designs were interspersed with its current collection by Metrica and Tom Fereday for a textured display
Atelier Biagetti provides a playful design for the WallpaperSTORE* pop-up store concept at the Wallpaper* Handmade space. Taking its inspiration from the Brillo prints by Andy Warhol, the space is an ironic take on commerce with rows of washing powder cartons plastered with BUY NOW interspersed with refined pieces up for grabs
Milan-based duo Studiopepe created the ultimate hospitality suite for its Salone showing this year. Titled Club Unseen, the private members space included designs from the likes of Atelier de Troupe and Pulpo, plus Studiopepe’s own bespoke pieces in a space that included living rooms, a mixology installation, beauty boudoir and a latex and neon-lit lounging space
British designer Lee Broom returns to Milan this year with Observatory, a pared-back installation conceived to ensure his new lighting pieces take centre stage. Seven new products were unveiled with new stellar-inspired designs playing with vertical and horizontal space and sculptural and spherical forms
Eclipse is formed from two interconnected discs in mirror-polished stainless steel and acrylic and comes in several iterations, Orion (left) is a modular pendant tube light with opposing opaque and solid polished gold spheres and Tidal (right) is a polished chrome and opaque acrylic table lamp
Veneto-born Chiara Andreatti is the in-demand designer of the moment since she collaborated with Fendi with her Seventies-inspired Living Room installation for Design Miami 2017. On show in the Brera design district was her Coquille collection for Paola C which comprises of table centrepieces, fruit bowls, vases and cake stands inspired by the organic forms of the shell in earthy tones of terracotta, carmine and rose – all are united by a ribbing that creates a fold in each surface
For its annual showcase, quartz specialist Caesarstone enlists Snarkitecture for an installation that investigates the notion of a kitchen island as a social hub. The exhibition is set inside long-shuttered Palazzo dell’Ufficio Elettorale di Porta Romana, soon to become the Milan Edition Hotel. Photography: David Zanardi
The New York practice explore the changing states of water, the most elemental ‘ingredient’ used in cooking for amphitheatre-style and calming centrepiece that is surrounded by more than 250 pedestals, made using three different Caesarstone colours from its new industrial collection. Photography: David Zanardi
London gallery SEE••DS appointed six designers to create tube-shaped products for its show in 5Vie. Highlighting the importance of tubes in everyday life, from scientific to electric, the outcome was a series of eclectic experiments that push the boundaries of its form like Jochen Holz’s dynamic neon glass tubes (pictured)
Amsterdam-based designers Bcxsy used brushed brass tubes that are bent, ordered and cut by hand to create a console, screen and vase for the project, an abstract take on an industrial element
Italian coffee experts Lavazza joins forces with Toiletpaper magazine for a graphic pop art-inspired bar inside the Wallpaper* Handmade space this year. The space serves up Aperitivo treats and reworking’s of traditional Italian dishes, while giving guests a taster of its new vibrant coffee machine collection
Persian gardens have long inspired artists throughout the centuries; for Milan-based Golran carpets (whose own story began in 1898 in the Persian city of Mashad, now Iran) colour maestro India Mahdavi has looked to these lush enclosed gardens to create a new collection of hand-knotted wool rugs: Garden of Eden. The two designs are distinguished by a pattern of smooth overlapping leaves which appear swept up by a gust of wind. Each design comes in four colour ways corresponding to the seasons, one is rectangular in shape with irregular leaves framed by a regular diamond pattern, the second is a wilder with irregular edges
Forscarini turned design obliquely on its head with the Reverse Room immersive installation created by father and daughter duo, American artist and architect James Wines and Suzan Wines. The dark, monochromatic upside-down room in Foscarini Spazio Brera highlighted Wines’ new Light Bulb Series, with table lamps appearing to hang down from the topsy-turvy table and pendant bulbs sprouting up from the angled floor
Wines has a longstanding relationship with Foscarini, his new pieces are clearly inspired by the classic light bulb, but these blown glass versions disrupt expectations appearing to to melt, crack or turn black. It’s lighting from a new perspective
Milan-based design duo Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran, aka Dimore, creates three sensorial installations for Salone del Mobile 2018. Dimore Gallery housed Transfer, a compilation of their archive and vintage pieces presented in five different tent scenarios accompanied by complementary thematic soundtracks. Meanwhile Dimore’s contemporary designs are lent more clarity in the Studio space, for which they conceived a ‘cocoon’ of rooms lined in billowing white parachute silk with just one piece displayed per room. Read more about Dimore’s Milan projects. Photography: Andrea Ferrari
In a nearby vacant shop, Emiliano Salci presents Limited Editions, a collection of deconstructed and reassembled 18th- and 19th-century pieces, dramatically spotlit in a misty-atmosphere. Photography: Andrea Ferrari
Pirouetting lights, composed of cast glass shades with individual petals that opened and closed like flowers, brings Spazio Krizia to life this year. London-based duo Raw-Edges produced the solo show in collaboration with WonderGlass who crafted the limited-edition mechanical revolving light which was inspired by Horah, the traditional Israeli dance. Thirty pieces of varying sizes are on display, creating a spectacle of movement and light. ©Raw-Edges
Nendo returns for 2018, focusing on Tortona for a solo spectacle at Superstudio. Set across 800 sq m, the Japanese studio tells the story of its collaborations with 10 Japanese manufacturers in the theme of movement with designs, sketches and processes on view. Photography: Takumi Ota
The showcase is exudes the studio’s notorious powerful atmosphere. Pictured: 10 pieces of furniture made from polycarbonate sheets that challenges upholstery-based approach to furniture. Photography: Takumi Ota
Schloss Hollenegg for Design have enlisted Sara Ricciardi to recreate the magic of the Austrian castle in the 5VIE district. The playful and interactive installation, titled Arcadia, sees a large inflatable balloon floating across an immersive space dressed in green velvet curtains and accompanied by an aerial soundtrack. Photography: Delfino Sisto Legnani
Located at the Università degli Studi di Milano, one of three different locations for the Interni House in Motion exhibition, this experimental pavilion designed by Stanton Williams, titled Baldacchino, is a reference to the ornamental canopies above altars or thrones. Made of raw steel, chosen for its texture and materiality, the design is a response to the theme of the exhibition that focuses on residence, mobility, and transformable space within the home and the notion of nomadic, transient habitats. See more architectural pavilions across Milan for design week here
Welcome to Wallpaper’s finely tuned and expertly turned world of wellness, a specially commissioned collection of unique designs, created by the world’s finest makers and dedicated to soothing the fevered modern brown and calming turbulent souls. The path to a better you starts here – at Wellness + Wonder, Wallpaper* Handmade found at Mediateca Santa Teresa
At Wellness + Wonder, you will find yourself in the Sunrise mirror, palliate gently at the Indo-Roman post-gym dispensarary, and enjoy the free love of our hugging column. It is a sanctuary for the self but also for communal ceremony; a place for wonder and also for play
Inside Istituto dei Ciechi, WonderGlass presents a universe of its wares in a sublime installation that showcases the dynamic capabilities of glass
The shimmering showcase hosts new cast glass collections by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, a Fornasetti installation and works by Dan Yeffet and studiopluz from its research arm WonderLab
A sequence of modular chandeliers by London-based lighting supremo Michael Anastassiades illuminates the Flos showroom. Jewels After Jewels After Jewels features three large-scale lighting pieces composed of his Arrangements, linear geometric forms which are interlinked like precious glowing chains
Taking over the courtyard of Palazzo Serbelloni, Swarovski created its own palazzo complete with Daniel’s Café offering Austrian fare from praline chocolates to viennoiserie. New Atelier Swarovski pieces showcased in a series of rooms included the flexible Brillo vessels by Patricia Urquiola, combining flat-back fashion crystals with mouldable textiles, and John Pawson’s pure crystal Vessels displaying his trademark simplicity in fine, irregularly faceted forms
Prolific designer Nendo presented Tangent, home accessories combining rigorous metal frames with circular crystal elements and Softpond, organic shaped shallow bowls inspired by ponds and lakes
Over in 5vie, Apparatus’ creative director Gabriel Hendifar introduces a new collection of lighting, furniture and objects that are imbued with his Middle Eastern heritage. Courtesy Apparatus
Stellar Works will be showcasing new designs by long-time collaborators Neri + Hu. The Industry collection of modern seating includes stackable dining and lounge chairs with a minimalist aesthetic
Paris-based designer India Mahdavi has been invited by Bisazza to create a new candy-hued bathroom range that includes a bath tub, wash basin and mirror, plus a candy striped mosaic patterned tile called Pinstripe
American lighting designer Lindsey Adelman joins forces with Calico Wallpaper for her first standalone show during Salone del Mobile. Both studios align with their creative vision merging art with design through experimental chemical reactions in the new collections
These new Drop pendents by Adelman consist of small blown glass droplets set on tubes that have a patina thanks to a nifty scientific mixture of salt and ammonia. Calico Wallpaper‘s print is not that different, made via a salt-resist process combined with watercolour painting, and then digitalised
Bloc Studios are releasing new works in marble by designers Valentina Cameranesi, Nick Ross and Object of Common Interest studio
COS has collaborated with Phillip K Smith III on an immersive installation at Palazzo Isimbardi. The mirrored structure directs people along its circumference of the courtyard until they are faced with reflections of the Renaissance architecture on the mirrored inner surface, which peels away to reveal an almost 360 degree view of the sky. Meanwhile, in the garden behind further mirrored artworks reflect statuary and the verdant surrounds. Photography: Lance Gerber
Lara Bohinc channels her obsession with all things geometrical for a collection of metal-framed furniture, on view at new exhibition Alcova. The chic metal pieces include this Celeste console in brass, galvanised steel and blue verdigris
The London-based designer also launches abstract chairs inspired by planetary and lunar orbits
Last year saw Really and Kvadrat challenging the narrative of textiles with Max Lamb’s creation of benches from Solid Textile Board. This year, the Danish brands are inviting a further seven designers to utilise the sustainable material. For this, London-based studio Raw-Edges is creating a table and wall console with Solid Textile Board Cotton Blue: a blue board composed of a white cotton core sandwiched between outer layers of indigo cotton and denim
For her fourth collection, Marta Sala Editions continues her collaboration with architects Claudio Lazzarini and Carl Pickering for a range that is easy to move around your home. Case in point: this new leather-clad Christine desk with metal handles
For its debut kitchen design, Fendi tapped Marco Costanzi, the architect behind the Fendi Private Suites in Rome. The industrial-style model has a strong yet slender look with its different textures of the stainless steel allowing for dynamic finish
British design studio Pinch is showcasing its dynamic marquetry techniques with the launch of this new armoire, Elan. The cupboard is composed from three birch veneers that create sinuous patterns on the outside, while inside, the shelving systems, handles and hinges show elegant attention to detail. The piece will be on view at Mediateca in Brera alongside Wallpaper* Handmade
Global bathroom brand Kallista, a Kohler company looked to the De Stijl movement to inspire the silhouette of its new industrial Grid faucets that launches at Maxmin, the Wisconsin-based company’s show at Museo Bagatti Valsecchi
Dimore Gallery has launched the Debatable table by Ilaria Bianchi. The console explores the importance of a table as a functional object, and its relation to humans
Brooklyn-based designer Fernando Mastrangelo showcases his experimental material play in a new Dream bookcase made of sand and crushed glass. Photography: Jacob Gosset
For its third edition, Doppia Firma, an initiative by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, will present collaborations from the likes of Studio Swine, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Ini Archibong and David/Nicolas. Left, rendering of India Mahdavi’s project with Venetian lacemaker Lucia Costantini. Right, a rendering of Philippe Tabet’s project in collaboration with Venetian mask maker Sergio Boldrinof LaBottega dei Mascareri
The yearly celebration of Norwegian creativity takes a new space in Zona Tortona this year. Designers, craftsmen and manufacturers have been handpicked to show a concept-to-creation picture of making in Norway today. Photography: Lasse Fløde
Florentine brand Bitossi will be showcasing Nathalie Du Pasquier’s ceramic totems alongside new products by Formafantasma. Photography: Delfino Sisto Legnani
At the fiera, Natuzzi will be celebrating its new collaboration with Marcel Wanders who is inspired by Puglian landscapes for his inaugural collection for the Italian brand. Pictured: the ‘Furrow’ sofa
Building on the success of last year’s pop-up restaurant Italian fashion designer Antonio Marras hosted up to 60 diners again in the events space neighbouring his atelier. This time his Nonostante Marras bistro was created in collaboration with the restaurateurs behind Domus Rana and Canadian lighting designer Matthew McCormick. Above diners heads a canopy of floral motifs by Wall & Deco added to the decorative, flamboyant feel
Dining chairs were upholstered in Saba ecru linen hand-painted like canvases with faces and figures by Marras. Meanwhile vases, tiles and tableware was co-designed specifically for the project by Marras and Vincenzo D’Alba and made by Kiasmo
