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| Moooi - Knitty Lounge Chair, design Nika Zupanc |
What do you get when you gather the world's most innovative designers, architects and creatives in one place? The answer is Salone del Mobile. Here are the main trends presented at the exhibition in Milan this year.
Of course, first is the inevitable topic of sustainability, but no longer just formally, like "correct" speaking, but with real examples that do not compromise with aesthetics.
Reuse, regeneration, circularity and energy saving are at the heart of the event, but attention is also paid to the sources of materials, new installations that can be dismantled and reused, innovative production methods and products designed with a circular approach. And durability of products: “The word sustainability is often overused and inappropriate. As designers, we have to work hard to produce objects and products that will really stand the test of time," says designer Piero Lissoni, explaining that rather durability and the creation of long-lasting valuable objects that can be passed down from generations, is one of the main goals when it comes to sustainability.
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| Minotti, photo Alessandro Russotti |
The main inspiration is nature – most of the stands were filled with plants and trees, and outdoor and indoor furniture is becoming an important focus of new production for many furniture companies. The sofas and armchairs are far from the familiar straight classic lines and with a rethought shape and design, and bold colors and patterns prevailed.
Erasing the boundaries between inside and outside and the idea of flexibility and freedom: we want to pass freely, to be without the restrictions of special requirements. But this also applies to workplaces – increasingly reducing the difference in style and materials used for desks and chairs at home and in the office.
And all this is probably the reason for many commentators to designate green as the color of the season at Salone. One of the impressive new models shown at the fair, the Mickey armchair - designed by India Mahdavi for Gebrüder Thonet Vienna is also upholstered in green and combines the company's traditional technology with a modern interpretation of fairy tales.
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| photo Gebrüder Thonet Vienna |
Luca Nichetto is a name that was seen in many places during Milan Design Week. The designer presented a range of products for several companies - from Gebrüder Thonet Vienna (bent wood furniture) and Lladró (lighting) to Steinway & Sons (pianos). Paying homage to Gio Ponti, the godfather of Milanese architecture and design, Nichetto developed the Ginori 1735 Domus collection in collaboration with the Italian brands Barovier&Toso (glasswork) and Rubelli (textiles).
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| Nichetto studio |
Focus on materials
Alcova introduced the first fully compostable Peel Chair, designed by Prowl Studio, which is a finished commercial product. It's injection molded from PLA, derived from corn and hemp fibers, and even the cushions and upholstery are made from hemp-based foam. Many brands have already explored the possibility of making chairs from industrially compostable bioplastic. But they still rely on solid wood or steel frames to support the weight. The Peel chair solves this problem by using a composite developed by M4 Factory for the structural frame, which mixes a common bioplastic called polylactic acid (PLA) with hemp processing byproducts that are normally thrown away.
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| Peel chair |
In general the main trend we saw in Milan is an overflow of boundaries - between outside and inside, between work and leisure, interpenetration between fashion and interior design. It was interesting to note how often products with an element of knitting, knots, handwoven could be seen on the exhibition stands and in the window displays throughout the city - both in furniture design and in fashion.
Tribu showroom window display - wicker lampshades and wicker furniture for indoor and outdoor use - photo Temenuzka Zaharieva
An elegant collection of work furniture with this theme was presented by Kettal - Collection A can serve us equally well both at home and in the office. It is designed is by the famous Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa and includes tables and chair elements in natural and dark oak wood, and desk dividers in natural wicker.
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| ph. Kettal |
Is it because we live in a world in which we communicate more and more online and many people feel a sense of physical isolation, and in parallel with this the fields of application of artificial intelligence are growing, concerns are beginning to appear about the future role of designers, for that design can become more and more detached from tangible, manual processes, at Salone we saw a reinforcement of this trend. Perhaps quite purposefully, to address these concerns, many companies are turning to traditional hand-made materials and processes.
There were many examples of crossing the lines between fashion and interior design. The provocative art installation "More or Less" located in the spectacular church of San Paolo Converso in Piazza Sant'Eufemia presented an interesting partnership between the fashion brand G-Star RAW and the Dutch designer Maarten Baas, known for his unconventional works. The exhibit, featuring a striking private jet clad in panels of recycled denim as well as a quirky triptych of cabinets made from recycled denim, aimed to showcase a provocative and new design concept based on the circular economy and make visitors think about the environmental consequences of the fashion industry. “I designed a series of three jeans-shaped cabinets made entirely from recycled G-Star jeans, designed to hold new jeans. Therefore, what used to be waste has become an artistic and useful container," says the designer.
A major highlight of the fair was the return of Euroluce - the biennial dedicated to lighting - after a four-year hiatus. For its 31st edition, Euroluce presented the works of 315 exhibitors (with almost half from outside Italy). Holistic approaches to design blur the once rigid boundaries between decorative and technical lighting, with lamps that are sculptural and geometric, colorful and poetic. Like acoustics, lights have ceased to be a strictly functional aspect and have taken on a more "fun" (other than decorative) function. Yes, this is not a particularly new phenomenon, but now the shift is in the perception that light can only be "designer" in luxury spaces. Good design is key to well-being, and good lighting design is one of the most important factors in good interior design.
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| The new Ensō table lamp by the Italian company Catellani & Smith is a hand-drawn circle. Hand-painted in bright blue, Ensō is reminiscent of the ancient art of Japanese calligraphy and is a symbol of completion and enlightenment. |
The famous lighting company Flos shows its concern for the environment by eliminating the use of glues and welds, making it easier to disassemble and repair the various parts. She presented a new lighting idea - an extendable wall lamp in the shape of a minimalist flag - Black Flag by Konstantin Grcic. It is also available in a PRO version with Eco Mode, a sensor that adjusts the brightness of the light according to the setting, thus reducing consumption while extending the life of the bulb.
But the booth of the luxury designer brand Tom Dixon gathered the most visitors. Not only because after 20 years of participation in Milan Design Week only in Fuorisalone, now for the first time they have a stand at the fair itself, but also with their interesting new products. One of them - PORTABLES - is a new category in the company's lighting collections: PORTABLE. The new series of rechargeable lamps with a beautiful design and extremely compact size includes MELT, STONE and BELL, which can be used indoors and outdoors.
Haute couture in the bathroom
This year again the GESSI stand was one of the most impressive. The company defines its approach to design and production with the neologism "high culture" - Haute Culture GESSI - as an expression of the most extreme experimentation with materials, forms and techniques so that the final product has the qualities and radiance of haute couture. The new PERLE line perfectly captures the attributes and meanings of jewelry, which is the ultimate symbol of refinement and elegance. And for its new JACQUELINE collection, the company uses bamboo, a natural material that has never before been used in bathroom furniture. To create the faucets and other furniture that transform the bathroom and wellness area into a haven of harmony and well-being, the hollow bamboo roots are individually selected based on their diameter and the distance between their nodes. Each piece of the JACQUELINE collection is individually handcrafted and the craftsmanship is so inventive and specialized that it qualifies as a genuine GESSI patent invention.
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| GESSI |
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