Salone del Mobile - Milan 2016
The Milan Furniture Fair is without doubt a behemoth. As well as in the vast RHO Fiera showground, interesting things are displayed across the length and breadth of the city – in showrooms, galleries and in specially designated design districts. This year, Aram was lucky to have many pairs of eyes scouring the city to bring you our pick of the best items on show.
Overall favourite product was the Avio sofa by Piero Lissoni for Knoll, a comfortable modular sofa system with the option of an elegant marble coffee table cantilevered from the end.
Both Ruth and Daniel were impressed by the prototype Hole table by Kensaku Oshiro for Kristalia. It uses bath-pressing technology to create a simple, sculptural and practical pedestal form. It will be available in a variety of finishes for indoor and outdoor use.
Daniel also liked the new veneer finishes for MDF’s Tense table – opening up the table to new audiences and situations, and the beautifully crafted Hadrian and Hadriana marble tables by Foster + Partners for Citco.
In Fritz Hansen’s new accessories collection, the stand out product for Ruth was the brass candlestick by Jaime Hayon.
She also liked the Siptel lighting by Giullio Iacchetti for Fontana Arte with its versatile design which allows movement in all directions and a magnetic head that can detach from the base and be used in different areas of the room.
Of the Tipping Birds lamp by Umut Yamac, Ruth said “I was excited to see that Moroso had invested heavily in this design as I nominated it for a Homes & Gardens Award a few years ago. It couldn’t win because it was not in production, although all the judges loved it.”
One of the designs Myles chose was the Credenza collection manufactured by Spazio Pontaccio. “A collaboration between Patricia Urquiola and the graphic artist, Federico Pepe, Credenza is a collection of furniture produced in stained glass inspired by the windows Gerhard Richter created for Cologne Cathedral. Made in Italy by artisans skilled in the art of making stained glass, this cabinet and screen stopped me in my tracks whilst strolling through the Brera District.”
Another favourite was the Between sofa by Sara Wright Polmar and Archie chair for Runa Klock, seen at an exhibition of Norwegian design within the Ventura Projects festival in the Lambrate District. “These simple chair and sofa designs really caught my eye with their clean lines, beautifully coloured fabrics and frames and striking silhouettes…ones to watch, I think.”
Marius particularly liked Konstantin Grcic’s Brut collection for Magis. The industrial impression of cast iron trestles and solid wooden beams is given a sophisticated refinement across the range of tables and benches.
Another highlight was Bubblegraphy by Studio Oddness – Adrianus Kundert and Thomas van der Sman, exhibiting in Ventura Lambrate. The mesmerising pattern on these ceramic vessels was created by blowing bubbles into the glaze.
Sarah’s favourite product was the Dream’ AIR dining chair, designed by Eugeni Quitllet for Magis. “Introduced in 2015 with a transparent seat, the overall form is now fully opaque, in a choice of eight colours. The chair is made from a single mould. The curved seat gives the impression of floating and nicely contrasts with the linear frame.”
This is a short edit of our highlights of the annual design week. Some of these products will be seen soon in store.
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