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Milan Design Week 2015

I am now a veteran of the Milan furniture fair, having been every year since the early 1990s when it was held at the old fairgrounds nearer the city, so you might think I am a bit jaded with the whole experience. But I still look forward to the week with a mixture of excitement and anticipation. Here are my highlights from this year's Salone:

The trend for curving organic shapes continues, illustrated this year by new designs such as the Saen dining table by Gabriele & Oscar Buratti for Alias. The gourd shaped base is made from hollow concrete, an increasingly popular finish which brings an industrial, urban edge to the design. Following on from the success of the Ro easy chair comes another curvaceous chair by Jaime Hayon for Fritz Hansen. Lower and softer than the Ro, the Fri chair will have a broader appeal.

[caption id="attachment_2018" style="text-align: center;" width="480"]Fri chair - Jaime Hayon Fri chair by Jaime Hayon[/caption]

Tal R, the Danish-Israeli artist, has created a stunning new colour palettefor the Series 7 chair Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen. The complex and expressive colours are a real departure from the muted neutrals favoured by most Danish brands in recent years. My favourites are 'Opium Red', symbolising the mystique of Shanghai in the 1930s, 'Huzun Green', meaning wistful in Turkish, and 'Chocolate Milk' - who wouldn't like a colour with that name!

[caption id="attachment_2019" style="text-align: center;" width="480"]Series 7 chair Tal R Arne Jacobsen Series 7 colours by Tal R[/caption]

Cypris Mirror The Cypris mirror by Nina Mair for ClassiCon is reminiscent of 1950s elegancewith its subtle rounded brass frame which surrounds the mirror like a ribbon, giving it grace and elegance. Available in two sizes, the long mirror can be hung in the more traditional vertical position or horizontally to stunning effect.

A comfortable, well designed sofa is often the starting point when updating the home and this year there were a number to choose from. But my favourite was the Scighera sofa by Piero Lissoni for Cassina. This is a sofa to sink into and relax with generously sized armrests and a foldable headrest that can be fixed in different positions ensuring a high level of comfort.

Scighera sofa Piero Lissoni Cassina
Scighera sofa by Piero Lissoni

As more of us are choosing to work from home, the industry is responding with new task chairs, ergonomically designed yet unfussy and visually light. A good example is the Kinesit chair by Lievore Altherr Molina for Arper. Clean lines are achieved by hiding the height and tilt controls under the seat and fresh colour combinations make it an attractive choice for the home office.

Kinesit chair

The Spokes pendant lamps by young design practice Garcia Cumini for Foscarini suggest the delicate spokes of a bicycle or the bars of a birdcage. Launched in two colours and two shapes, they have two LED lamps within the base to create both up and down lighting.

Spokes pendant lamp Foscarini

Mobile Chandelier 9 by Michael Anastassiades was perhaps my favourite product of the fair. I am familiar with his collections for Flos - the IC collection seemed to be everywhere on furniture stands - but the designs produced under his own label were so beautiful as to take my breath away. More sculpture than lighting, they never the less are functional lights which I would love to display in our store.

Mobile Chandelier Michael Anastassiades

Keep your eyes on our website and in store as we add many of these products to our range over the next few weeks.

RUTH ARAM