During the Salone del Mobile last week, more than 300,000 people descended on Milan in search of the most exciting innovations in design. It is no longer just about furniture. Away from the main fairground, where brands such as Kartell, Poltrona Frau, Molteni and Vitra showcase new collections, the city centre was peppered with hundreds of exhibitions and installations, some supported by car, fashion and technology companies.
Despite the uncertainty Brexit might bring for the design industry lurking in the background, it was business as usual. Trendwise, the design-world’s ongoing fixation with brass, wood and marble shows no signs of abating, but there was plenty of interest elsewhere.
Tom Dixon and Lee Broom pulled out the stops. Dixon set up camp in a vast deconsecrated medieval church to show both his restaurant-style installation with quartz manufacturer Caesarstone and his own collection. Broom took to the streets with a delivery van fitted out as a mini-palazzo featuring his new Optical lights, which pitched up in design-populated locations each day. Wallpaper* magazine’s Handmade exhibition, which pairs designers with manufacturers, offered the hotel as its theme, asking participants to explore travel and hospitality. American starchitect David Rockwell and Stellarworks presented Valet, a streamlined collection for modern, compact living.
Here are some of my favourites…
Mosaic occasional tables by ACdO
Inspired by a trip to Marrakech, Spanish designers Alvaro Catalán de Ocón and Francesco Faccin have created a mosaic table, which was shown at the cult destination store Spazio Rossana Orlandi. The tables needed to be as lightweight as possible, which apparently the designers tested by standing on them. There are 10 designs, which look amazing when clustered together. Good for both inside and out, the table comes flat-packed: all you have to do is affix three screw-in metal legs to a metal node under the cement top (€390, acdo.es).
Tables by Raw Edges
London-based duo Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay are extremely good at colour and pattern. They’re also great at simple silhouettes, which allows the pattern to zing a bit. Herringbones, a new collection, is made from short planks of untreated jelutong and pine. They are dipped by hand in buckets of dye, tilted at 45 degrees, to create the herringbone shapes. The effects are simple, direct and lovely. The collection includes screens, tables and chairs (made to order, raw-edges.com).
Mirrors by Ron Gilad for Cassina
In his first collaboration with the Italian brand Cassina, Israeli designer Ron Gilad has created a series of 12 mirrors that combine his love of function with something more abstract. Each piece places two mirrors 12mm apart, with the back of the front one coloured red, orange or blue to reflect the geometric forms. The effect creates varying graphic perspectives depending on where you stand (from £740, cassina.com).
Swing by Philippe Starck for Kartell
The new Kartell Kids line is a smart move for the Italian plastics brand. As well as scaled-down classics, such as the Louis Ghost chair, there are plenty of launch pieces, such as an adorable rocking horse by Nendo and a tractor by Piero Lissoni. My money is on the Starck swing, a clear polycarbonate seat with a choice of four brightly coloured ropes. Grown-ups will love it, too. (Launches in September. Prices yet to be announced, kartell.com).
Porcelain by 2016/Arita
This is my personal highlight of the week. A new brand that combines the 400-year-old artisanal skills from the pottery-making town of Arita in Japan with the contemporary designs of 16 international designers, including Tomás Alonso, Scholten & Baijings and Teruhiro Yanagihara, who together creatively directed the entire project. The results are exquisite in their craftsmanship and simplicity. (The full collection from all 16 designers launches in November. Prices yet to be announced, 2016arita.com).
