Innholdsfortegnelse for Milan Special Issue i est living magazine

At Milan’s Opera House La Scala on the opening night of Salone del Mobile, Italian architect Piero Lissoni turned around and smiled, “Welcome to Milano”. With this same sentiment, I welcome you to our Milan issue, dedicated to Salone del Mobile and Milan Design Week 2023. We enlisted design commentators Karen McCartney and David Harrison to compile their Milan highlights in a detailed report covering the best of colour, Brutalist forms, organic shapes, iconic designs, outdoor installations, the revival of glass and resin, and evocative materiality. Next, we return to one of our first stops for the week, Nilufar Depot, where Karen speaks with inimitable gallerist Nina Yashar. At the same time, I speak with Milan’s leading design voices in 2023, including Salone del Mobile president Maria Porro, architects Patricia…

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SPACE FURNITURE To conceive their stand Maxalto turned to Antonio Citterio, one of Italy’s greatest contemporary designers, whose concept of a gallery was formed by a series of separate rooms. Softly illuminated by high walls constructed of rice paper, where the brand’s most iconic products held a delicate dialogue alongside fine objects and works of art. The exhibition reflected restrained Japanese beauty, complete with a soft colour palette, clean lines and harmonious proportions. Guests to Salone were drawn into the unifying fusion of contemporary and classic design elements, where every element, from the upholstery to the woodwork, embodied a sense of mastery that elevated the overall aesthetic. In line with the growing emphasis on sustainability in design, Maxalto’s Salone stand also highlighted its pledge to responsible production…

ALEXANDRA DONOHOE-CHURCH Managing Director and Founder Decus Decus managing director and founder Alexandra Donohoe says SEM’s Casa SEM was a standout at Milan Design Week – with the Nuvola armchair by Hannes Peer “summing it up perfectly”. “Visually interesting, comfortable, and versatile – it converts to a three-seater with ease,” she says. “I predict a classic in the making.” The designer also rediscovered the Siecha Zenu rug by Jorge Lizarazo for Hechizoo at the Nilufar Depot opening party. “The rug is woven from mixed metals and so unexpected underfoot,” she says. “I’m drawn to things that challenge the status quo, particularly from a materiality perspective.” When it came to lighting, Alexandra says the cast glass featured in the Folio wall lights by Barconcelli beckoned you to touch them. “On one…

An unafraid approach to colour, pattern and material defines what English multidisciplinary designer Bethan Laura Wood wears – and how she works. “From a young age, I’ve always enjoyed dressing up and finding expression through my clothes,” she says. “Quite often, I will now digest colours and patterns through how I dress, helping me to find a language that feeds into what I’m working on.” Establishing her namesake studio in 2009, Bethan’s portfolio spans textiles, furniture, lighting, sculpture, accessories, installation and set design, underpinned by notable brand collaborations and exhibitions in museums and galleries worldwide. Bethan credits Mexico as having one of the most significant influences on her work, particularly her relationship with colour. “I was first invited to Mexico a decade ago; it was a very important experience for…

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BOFFI STUDIO SYDNEY & MELBOURNE SL: Your name was across multiple standout exhibits, showrooms and products at Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile in 2023. What excited you most this year, especially when thinking about the future? PL: Good question. For me, it was a beautiful week, it was good at Salone del Mobile and in Milan, full of different exhibitions, attitudes and pieces. I think Milan has become the worldwide capital of design again. Importantly, this is due to a combination of Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile. Together, they become something unique. Milan Design Week or Salone del Mobile can’t exist in isolation. For the future, this week is the most important and topical in the world. SL: This year, you opened your…

EDRA Edra Palazzo Durini In keeping with their adventurous spirit, Edra chose an imposing 17th-century Milanese palazzo with highly ornate wall panels and ceiling frescos to showcase their collection. The Palazzo Durini Caproni di Taliedo was chosen for its original features and for its location in the heart of San Babila, home to Milan’s most important lighting and furniture showrooms. The spectacular architecture provides an inspiring backdrop to Edra’s powerfully individual approach to furniture design. NEUTRA Design Variations Palazzo Visconti The spiritual beauty of the famous marble, Verde Alpi, was highlighted in an installation called Vibrations: The Voice of Matter by stone specialists Neutra. The way the monolithic bath rose out from the Verde Alpi floor appeared permanent, as if it had been there forever. The simplicity of the single object was…

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IN GOOD COMPANY Ten years, ten creatives, ten stories; Milan Design Week this year marked the anniversary of GUBI’s beloved Beetle chair and its enduring popularity, which is a testament to its exceptional design and craftsmanship. est living was fortunate to visit GUBI at Bagni Misteriosi in partnership with In Good Company; Australia’s premium design destination. A symbol of contemporary elegance and a staple furniture piece in both residential and commercial interiors around the world, the Beetle chair has become an instantly-recognisable form. Designed by the Danish-Italian duo GamFratesi, the Beetle draws inspiration from the curved shape and structure of the humble beetle with its distinctive shell-shaped backrest and slender yet sturdy legs. Illuminating the meeting point between comfort, aesthetics, and functionality ensured the Beetle chair became…

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LIVING EDGE 1. Brionvega turned heads with the re-edition of the Radiofonografo – this time, in a striking shade of blue. Originally designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in the 1960s, the Radiofonografo fast became a beloved icon of Italian design, combining high-quality audio and eye-catching charm. In reimagining the piece, the brand paid homage to the past while looking toward a bright and modern future. 2. Muuto joined forces with H+O founders Josephine Akvama Hoffmeyer and Elisa Ossino to present an immersive exhibition across their Brera apartment. The purpose of the exhibition was to investigate how colour, form, and tactility impact both our psyche and our perception of space. 3. Made in Ratio, led by creative director Brodie Neill, celebrated a decade of the brand…

You are the president of Salone del Mobile and you are also the marketing and communications director of your heritage family design brand Porro. How do you juggle both hats as an event organiser and brand leader? I try my best, as I always have in everything I’ve started or have been involved in. I like challenges! I can do both because I have a good network helping me at Salone del Mobile, Milano or Porro. Luckily, in the family as well. I strongly believe in teamwork, which is essential. We share the obsession for quality both at Salone and in my company. You can recall attending Salone as a child with your grandfather at its former location. What’s your earliest memory of the fair? It was always a great…

You trained as an architect at the Politecnico di Milano before working in visual communication for the university. Has your architectural background influenced the way you approach creative direction and design? My training is certainly the starting point that I have enriched with continuous research over time. At the Faculty of Architecture of the Milan Polytechnic, I collaborated with a research group formed to explore new multimedia languages. It was a very formative experience that allowed me the opportunity to meet and collaborate with extraordinary personalities from different cultural areas. It taught me to have a varied and layered design approach which has become my modus operandi on all projects. In 2006 you established Elisa Ossino Studio as a multidisciplinary studio focused on residential and commercial interiors, product design, art…

DELTA 117 ROBINSON FERREUX NILUFAR GALLERY Robinson Ferreux designed DELTA 117 for Milan’s Nilufar Gallery. The latest addition to the French designer’s DELTA collection, the floor lamp features seven cotton diffusers threaded onto a brass structure, referencing the ‘esoteric, ancient Egypt and outer space exploration’. NUVOLA LAMP DRAGA & AUREL BAXTER The Nuvola lamp is part of Draga & Aurel’s Nuvola fibreglass lighting collection for Baxter. Available in three different sizes, the new lamp lifts inspiration from the irreverence of Pop Art, iconic 1970s design and the ‘shimmering atmosphere of Studio 54’. WAX STONE LIGHT FLOOR LAMP LINDE FREYA TANGELDER CASSINA Cassina’s first foray into lighting featured the standout Wax Stone Light floor lamp by Linde Freya Tangelder. The lamp reflects the designer’s fascination with ‘liquid materials and how they…

BOCCI Vancouver-based Canadian lighting brand Bocci launched their first permanent home in Milan with an apartment in the area east of Parco Sempione. Their handmade glass lights are showcased in exceptional spaces in Berlin and Vancouver, and this showroom offers a similar level of serene beauty. Via Lorenzo Mascheroni, 2, Milano, Italy FAST Outdoor furniture brand Fast launched its first official flagship store in Milan. The project is a joint venture between architecture and design studio Quincoces-Dragò & Partners and Spotti Milano and interprets the “Living in Nature” philosophy within an urban context. Via Cesare Battisti, 1, Milano, Italy GIORGETTI Giorgetti a five-level luxury showroom on Milan’s premium fashion street Via della Spiga. The showroom is in a seventeenth-century building, though its classic façade is from the nineteenth century. Via…

To set the scene. Nilufar Depot is a cavernous, former warehouse in an industrial part of Milan, reimagined as a showroom and exhibition space by architect Massimiliano Locatelli who used the Teatro alla Scala opera house concept as the genesis of his scheme. Think scale, theatre, lighting and sweeping curtains married with creativity and desire. The internal volume is vast, with 1500 square metres of display space including, a ground-floor atrium for gallery-style exhibits and three tiers of open box-like rooms. Like all ventures by gallerist Nina Yashar, Nilufar Depot, which opened in 2015, illustrates how she is undaunted, backing ambitious projects that have come to define her significant presence on the global design stage in driving the concept of collectible design. In the past she has described her career…

A diverse group of creatives were called on to pay homage to a chair that has cemented itself in our collective imagination. Ten personalities from the worlds of fashion, art, architecture and music were invited to take part in this cultural project with a brief to investigate and respond to the future potential of the Beetle chair. By blurring the lines between material, colour, form and function, designers paid tribute to the Beetle’s original design while reimagining its place in contemporary interiors. Danish Fashion Designer Simon Wick offered up (d)issected Beetle, reusing GUBI’s textiles offcuts and waste materials to reconstruct the Beetle’s unique silhouette. Viennese artist Frank Maria’s soft pink Real Beetle in Epoxy reinterprets the Beetle as an archaeological sculpture adorned with original designs. Bangkok architect Rachaporn Choochuey was…

Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow made their debut at Milan Design Week in 2009 with a ground-breaking collection of upcycled furniture and objects, garnering the attention of some of the world’s biggest brands. Since then, the Como-based design duo have cemented themselves as pioneers in reinterpreting vintage items. In 2019, the couple launched their Transparency Matters collection in Milan, which explores the use of transparent materials in art and design. Drawing inspiration from Space Age design and optical art, the collection is entirely fabricated by hand in their Como studio and is marked by revolutionary approaches to coloured resin, cast glass and metal. The omnipresence of Draga & Aurel at this year’s fair, where they presented works across multiple locations and collaborated with a number of brands, made them…

During this year’s Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile, architect Patricia Urquiola opened her home to friends, which she described as ‘Hotel Urquiola’ – “I woke up this morning to a friend in my shower and another in the kitchen having breakfast,” she laughs. Welcoming friends to her home aligns with the Spanish architect’s perspective on the fair. “It’s a week to share culture and for people to go away having experienced different attitudes, thoughts and emotions,” she says. “We have to enlarge the design conversation. It’s too closed,” she adds. Urquiola is admired for her industrial product design and architecture, including numerous retail spaces, homes, hotels and installations. Counting how many times her name appeared on stands at this year’s Salone del Mobile alone only hints at her…

You began your design career in Italy and spent years exploring Nordic design. How did this influence your work? Purity and immediate simplicity define my work, while cleanliness in design and shapes are the Nordic influences that inform my work. In 2015, you established your namesake studio. As a product designer and art director, does your approach to these two disciplines differ? It is similar but different. When I work as a designer, I create something that represents me and, from my perspective, has a valid concept. As an art director, I work on the company’s strategy and values, always trying to give my touch, but the basis must always be the brand’s communication rather than the single product. When we profiled you at Maison Objet Paris in 2018, you…