Celebrating Design

Celebrating Design

Milan Design Week, also known as Milan Furniture Fair or Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano, is the largest trade fair of its kind. Collating designers from across the region and the rest of the world, the annual event is eagerly anticipated by industry professionals, collectors, designers and enthusiasts alike. We round up a selection of must-see sections and exhibitors from this year’s edition, which runs in venues across the city of Milan and within the Rho Fiera Milano until Sunday 9 April.

1. Everything is Connected is a collaboration between Klubben, DOGA Design and Architecture Norway, Norwegian Crafts and Jotun. Curated by designer and interior architect Katrin Greiling, the exhibition brings together a collection of emerging and established talents straight from the heart of Norwegian’s craft and design industry. In 2017, it returns to Ventura Lambrate to tell the story of the region’s diverse and creative scene today.

2. A promising part of the week is Swedish furniture giant IKEA‘s very own festival. The company takes over a prominent warehouse space in Milan’s Lambrate district from 10am to 8pm throughout Milan Design Week. Notable sections include Rooms for Life, which features an interactive set comprised of various living rooms styled by leading designers such as Faye Toogood and Pella Hedeby.

3. Staged within the Jil Sander Showroom at Via Luca Beltrami 5, Invisible Outlines invites visitors to explore 16 new collections by prolific Japanese studio Nendo. Within the exhibition, 30 silicone vases are submerged in an aquarium-like tank to mimic the movement of jellyfish. This presentation showcases the studio’s innovative use of new technologies.

4. Paul Cocksedge joins the line-up this year with Excavated: Eviction. The London-based designer reacts to his eviction from his apartment and studio in a creative and expressive way. Following the news that the building was going to be redeveloped into luxury condos, the designer excavated material from the floor and transformed it into five new furniture pieces. At the Fondazione Luigi Rovati.

5. Arper’s Arcos collection designed by Lievore Altherr Molina revisits classic shapes and discreetly reprises and pares down the Art Deco style. Part of the Workplace 3.0 programme at iSalone, the designer’s chair, armchair and sofa are all intended for public spaces. Particular care is taken over colour, and the covering and the opaque metal frame achieve a monochromatic effect reminiscent of the nuances of velvet.

6. New York architecture firm SO-IL contributes a newly-built prototype house to the MINI Living space. The building, designed to filter out city air pollutants and encourage green living, boasts a PVC mesh exterior and a plant-covered roof. The project promotes better air quality and an overall brighter urban future, which co-exists with vegetation.

7. Large-scale light installation S.F_Senses of the Future sees designer Tokujin Yoshioka collaborate with technology company LG at Superstudio in Tortona. The showcase, which features Yoshioka’s new S.F. chair, uses state of the art technology to create an interactive tapestry of light.

8. Lee Broom celebrates his studio’s decade in design within the disused vaults of the Milano Centrale station. The studio will present a limited edition collection of furniture, lighting, and accessories created over the last 10 years. These works will be reimagined in an entirely white colour palette and showcased on a modernist interpretation of a fairground carousel set.

9. Curated by Euroinnovators, Venice Design Week, and co-produced by 5vie, ARTDESIGN highlights the skilled and innovative working methods of makers from a variety of regions. A selection of pieces made from different materials such as glass, metal, wood, fabrics and yarn promotes cultures and handcraft traditions of creators coming from European and non-European countries.

10. Local Milan is now in its second year. Held in the historic Oratorio della Passione on Piazza Sant’Ambrodgio, the event is organised by the Australian design hub and collective, founded by stylist Emma Elizabeth. A collection of 11 hand-picked studios and individuals represent the best of contemporary Australian design. Featured artists include the likes of creative duo Dowel Jones.

Salone del Mobile.Milano, until 9 April, Quartiere Fiera Milano, Rho.

For more, visit www.salonemilano.it.

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Credits
1. Dowel Jones, Local Milan, 2017.