It’s spring, it’s April and in the international furniture world that can only mean one thing! It’s Milan Design Week– the conflation of design events in Milan organized around the long-running Salone del Mobile.Milano.
Sadly, we, like most of you, were not in Milan for the 2018 edition. But owing to our membership in the international furniture press corps we have received many press releases from the organizers, as well as some from participants. We love getting these and find them inspiring, so with the intent of inspiring you, over the next few weeks before we get completely overtaken by NeoCon’s 50th, officeinsight will share some of the images with you. We can’t reprint all the information we’ve received, but we hope our extended captions will give you a bit of their flavor.
Three years ago in an effort to reward as well as stimulate an atmosphere of friendly completion among the exhibitors, the Salone organization created the Salone del Mobile.Milano award. This year at the awards ceremony the President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, Claudio Lutihad this to say: “The Salone del Mobile.Milano award, presented at a great evening of celebration at Palazzo Marino is intended to pay homage to the extraordinary vitality of a business system that, yet again, has given its utmost, helping to make the Salone del Mobile a unique and indispensible event that is the focus of global attention. We felt it important to give public recognition to the huge creative, productive and organizational effort that has gone into ensuring the excellent quality of the goods on display in each of the pavilions, upholding the leadership role of the event and of the city, and to share in a joyful celebration that is a reminder of the fact that the Salone del Mobile is, above all, an emotion.”
The three winners of the Salone del Mobile.Milano award are Mazalli CC-Tapis, Magis and Sanwa, to whom three prizes of equal merit go for their outstanding contributions to the world of furnishing and design at this edition of the trade fair.
From the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition the award went to Mazalli for CC-Tapis. A perfect combination of product and presentation. Traditional craftsmanship meets art to create a suggestive and captivating atmosphere. Rugs made to be stroked and a stand to be experienced. Photo: Luca Fiammenghi
From the Salone Internationale del Mobile the Award went to Magis. “A small ideal city inspired by the work of Andrea Palladio, with clear references to other great visionary Italians such as Giorgio De Chirico and Aldo Rossi, the Magis stand is a true example of an urban environment. Iconic products sit perfectly alongside new ones, inhabiting and communicating in an open space, in which it is not clear whether they are the guests or the protagonists of this magical story.” Photo: Andrea Mariani
From Euro Cucina the award went to Sanwa. “Amidst all the frenzy and excitement of the Salone del Mobile, the Sanwa stand is an oasis, a breath of fresh air. Clean, minimalist, essential, the space allows the products to speak for themselves, with infinite examples of attention to detail and the equal importance of solids and voids.”. Photo: Saverio Lombardi Vallauri
A “Lifetime Award” was presented to Maurizio Riva of Riva 1920. At the awards ceremony he said, “I want to fight for a better world every single day, because there’s still no other planet on which we could survive.” The jury called him a man whose heart is “half made of wood”, a man who knows how to appreciate and show off the infinite qualities of materials, while remaining firmly in the background. Photo: Luca Fiammenghi
For those of you who’ve never been, the original trade show Salone del Mobile di Milano, at the Milan exhibition center known as “Fiera Rho” consists of several exhibitions. (Rho is the suburb where the huge fairground is located)
Some of the exhibitions rotate years while others are held every year. This year’s lineup consisted of Salone Internationale del Mobile, International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, EuroCucina, FTK – Technology For the Kitchen and a special installation in the Piazza del Duomo: Living Nature. Then Milan Design Weekbrings in an overwhelming number of separately organized events around the city, timed to coincide with i Saloni(plural).
Here we present a small teaser of images from each of those venues.
In the Salone International del Mobile halls, if you were looking for American owned companies you could find Knoll (top) and Haworth owned, Cappellini. Knoll Photo: Agostino Osio, Cappellini Photo: Alessandro Russotti
EuroCucina is just that: European Kitchens, and the big brands in kitchens were all in attendance. Shown are just two of the many: from Arrital on the left and Abimis on the right. Photo Saviero Lombadri Vallauri
The Salone organization sponsored the Living Nature exhibition (La natura dell’abitare) in Piazza del Duomo, The project was a 500 square meter area, conceived with energy saving criteria in mind, containing four natural, climatic microcosms in which all four seasons coexist alongside one another. Visitors are immersed in nature and experience its changes as they make their way through the four different areas – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. Additionally, the exhibition featured a commons area where many seminars and discussions were enjoyed. Photos: Andrea MarianiForms of Movement, by Nendo, for Milan Design Week. “Movement is an inseparable part of our being; we move our bodies, we move objects, and there are objects that move independently around us. Even objects that are completely stationary can convey a feeling of movement. Objects can physically move in reaction to our motion, or can encourage us to move in reaction to them. For example, a chair can be interpreted as an object that urges us to sit. So when designing a chair, are we designing a product or are we designing the movement of sitting down?” Photo: Takumi OtaForms of Movement, by Nendo, for Milan Design Week. “Objects react to people and people react to objects. This exhibition focuses on this relationship and displays 10 projects that deal with the concept of movement; a container collection that introduces different lids that open and close according to various ways of touch, zippers that explore new functions by reexamining the familiar linear motion, a window shade that automatically opens and closes according to the movement of people and light, and an hourglass collection that designs time itself by controlling the movement of the sand within.” Photo: Takumi OtaForms of Movement, by Nendo, for Milan Design Week. “These objects and various others presented, embody movement in their shape and function while incorporating advanced technologies, state of the art mechanisms, and unconventional materials.” Photo: Takumi OtaInto Marble, a design for Marsotto edizioni’s exhibition space during Milan Design Week 2018, by Nendo. “The idea for this space originated from Marsotto’s expertise in marble processing, leading to the decision to use marble for the pedestals, as well as the objects presented. Since this exhibition showcases linear and sharp furniture, the pedestals were designed in contrasting rounded shapes that resemble puddles. The edges were softened and gentle ripples were added on the top surfaces to accentuate the soft appearance. Each piece was produced by a multi-milling machine“Furniture pieces were placed on top of the puddle-like stands, creating an ambiguous expression that can either look as if the objects are melting into liquid or emerging from it. Moreover, some pieces seem as if they are sinking into others, like a bowl sinking into the table it is placed on.” Photo: Takumi Ota“N01, a wooden chair designed for Fritz Hansen, the Danish furniture company founded in 1872. “The chair was aimed to have an iconic shell design, using nine layers of veneer. This is the first time in 61 years, since Arne Jacobsen’s Grand Prix chair, that the manufacturer produces an entirely wooden chair, one that is contemporary yet maintaining the traditions and heritage of the brand.” Photo: Yoneo Kawabe“Normally the joints between a frame and a shell are thickened to increase its strength, sometimes resulting in a heavy appearance. To provide a lighter appearance, these joints were carefully designed to look as though they are barely touching. The backrest shell is fixed into slits engraved on the frame, making it look as if the frame is pinching the shell from both sides, and the seat is connected with concealed joints making it seem as if it is floating.” Photo: Yoneo Kawabe“The short-length armrests allows to move the chair as close as possible to the table and still maintaining support for the arms when seated. Both sides of the seat have a gradual incline, allowing a comfortable seating experience that feels like the body is embraced, while at the same time maintaining the style of the Swan and Egg chairs that are the flagship chairs of the company. This puzzle-like assembly of 23 wooden pieces is a mix of solid wood and veneer all produced by hand, ensuring the construction comes across as seamless as possible in its design.” Photo: Yoneo KawabeTransitions by Panasonic Design, an immersive installation at Milan Design Week exploring the future of air quality. “The immersive installation is contained within a large ‘water-drop pavilion’, 20m in diameter, in the impressive courtyard of the Pinacoteca de Brera, home of the Brera Art Gallery. Visitors are invited to embark on a transition of their own: from the busy fair environment to a moment of calm and relaxation. Inside, they are transported from the hectic fair into an oasis of calm with the cleanest, purest air in Milan from Panasonic’s latest air purification technology. Visitors will wander through a cooling, ultra-fine, dry mist created from Panasonic’s green air conditioning technology. Atmospheric sound design, lighting and visuals will add to the calming experience. The installation is subtitled ‘Air Inventions’, referencing Panasonic’s transition to products and experiences that address the more intangible elements of everyday life.”Transitions by Panasonic Design. The installation explores the role design will play in improving our physical environment and emotional wellbeing in the future. It also marks Panasonic’s transition towards a new creative philosophy: designing products and services and experiences that go beyond physical products to address emotions, the environment, and wellbeing.
