Design Week

Modem was there, visiting and documenting, therefore this is a selection of the shows that we saw and liked in Brera.

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Experimenta Design + Amorim - Materia

<sld(experimenta_amorim)|left>Curated by Experimenta Design for Amorim, the MATERIA collection was launched worldwide at the occasion of the Salone. 22 brand-new objects for everyday life, made from cork. The exhibition featured designers from Portugal and foreign studios, all focussing their research on innovative uses of cork. The set design created surprising contrasts by juxtaposing on the presentation tables the cork products with sleek and bright giant geometrical volumes.
Small boats from BIG-GAME, modular lamp from Raw Edges, precious salt and pepper containers from Nendo, amongst others, the whole collection had been a demonstration of ingeniousness and precise manufacturing.

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Dilmos

Dilmos, was this year welcoming in its empty space the pieces of six young and contemporary design talents. On the ground floor, Ron Gilad presented nine variations on the mirror. The pieces displayed against the walls all over the room were duplicating each other and disturbing the space. Each mirror had a trick, a twist, translating Gilad’ s conviction that the mirrored image contains hypocrisy, which reflects only our exterior selves. Walking from a mirror to another, one can feel dizzy or overwhelmed, but each piece had this extra history and meaning, which made the visit a playful experience.
In the basement, Dilmos displayed the whole collection of glass designs made by Joost van Belisvijk and Kiki van Eijk for Glasstress. The series of blown up statuesque pieces, shining in colours and glowing golden, looked like a collection of crazy and giant chess pawns.

<sld(dilmos)|right>A little further in the room, the Plaid Bench Collection from Raw Edges was a playful combination of archetypal benches and coloured wood slats. Like a construction game the designers arranged endless combinations of benches and slats creating a checked pattern. According to the designers “this project is great, an excuse to play with combination of colours textures and materials.”
In the same space, Peter Marigold presented some pieces of his Palindrome series, an other fascinating game between reflection, copy, and contrasting textures.
Formafantasma, the Italian but Netherlands based duet launched Domestica, a chair that conveys their fascination for tradition, crafts, rituals and history. Inspired by a container usually used by farmers to collect harvested cereals the chair aims at re-introducing objects from rural culture into contemporary life.

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Talking textiles

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Presented in the fashion showroom Spazio Gianfranco Ferré the exhibition Talking Textiles featuring a large selection of design that uses innovative textile techniques, heralding the revival of textiles in our interiors. The curator, Li Edelkoort, gathered an impressive list of leading contemporary designers and textiles partners. From the re-introduction of traditional crafts to new high-tech fabrics, and including clothing, furniture, tablecloths, carpets and objects, the exhibition gave a wide overview on the textile application and on the contemporary creation.

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Michele de Lucchi + Pleyel + Baccarat + Sèvres

<sld(michele_de_lucchi)|right>Glass doors bearing the aMDL logo, by the entrance was laying an umbrella with again the aMDL on the handle, entering Michele de Lucchi’s atelier feelt like entering a sacred space. In the space a raw of elegant glass and black wood display cases, designed by De Lucchi himself, were exhibiting the pieces he created for Baccarat and Sèvres. The Coppe della Filosofia serie is a collection of three duet of vessels, each version beautifully realised in crystal by the Manufacture de Baccarat, and in porcelain by the Manufacture de Sèvres. The shiny deep blue glazing of the porcelain pieces, the reflection of the crystal and the golden details contrasted nicely with the wooden simplicity of the space. All around the space; large pictures of the designer’s drawings, models, inspirations and process gave an extra insight into the prolific artist’s working process.
In the veranda, was presented the piano Lirico and its organic and vegetal features. Fortunately a virtuoso pianist visiting the exhibition decided to try the piano and gave a little concert. Enjoying the sight of beautiful designed pieces on a classic music background, what a luxury!


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Moroso - Twilight

<sld(moroso)|left> The showroom was filled with a dense white smoke, hardly breathable at first but curiosity pushed the viewer to get used to it. Moroso, in order to launch Tokujin Yoshioka’s new chair Twilight created a global experience. A fluffy thick white carpet deadens the steps of the visitors, and projectors from the ceiling mimic with an astonishing accuracy sunlight piercing through foliage. Sitting on one of the Twilight chair, enjoying its enveloping shape, one could easily fall asleep while a relaxing music was keeping the voices low. The chair was soft, flexible, and welcoming. Stepping in Moroso’s showroom during the Salone was a sensory experience.

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Hermès

Established in La Pelota, Hermes unveiled a new home collection in an amazing display designed by Shigeru Ban. Visitors circulated in the space organised as a room. On a journey from the entrance through the bedroom, the living room and the corridor, one could only be seduced by the beautiful materials, shapes and patterns Hermès developed for this venue.
Within Shigeru Ban see-through cardboard architecture, surrounded by comfortable and appealing chairs and sofas, it was definitively the space to visit for a calm break from the excitement of Milan’s streets.

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Showroom il Piccolo – Nodus

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New collection of rugs by Nodus for Il Piccolo.

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Belgium Is Design

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Design Vlaanderen and Flanders Investment & Trade, WBDM (Wallonie-Bruxelles Design/Mode), Designed in Brussels and Bruxelles Export got together to organise an exhibition of Young Belgium designers in the magnificent building of La Pinacoteca di Brera. Stefas Schöning presented all the objects, in a neat and structured set-design. The display unified the presentations of the 3 institutions, and allowed a global overview of design in Belgium.


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Rossignoli – Acciaio – Petite Friture

<sld(acciaio)|left>Max Lipsey, a young USA born designer based in Eindhoven (Netherlands) presented a beautiful collection of seats at Rossignoli, Corso Garibaldi. Inspired by the dynamic features of racing bikes, Lipsey used, for the Acciaio collection, the same lightweight steal (acciaio in Italian), the identical colours and the leather featured on the legendary bicycles.
The series of three pieces: a chair, an armchair and a stool smartly takes on the qualities of both the bike and the racer: elegance, efficiency and ambition.
Inside of the Rossignoli shop, the small French edition Petite Friture was showing its new collection.
On the 14th of April, the annual old bicycles show took place in the wisteria-perfumed backyard of the renowned bicycle maker Rossignoli. It also featured amazing pieces from collectors. During this event, design-addicts and bicycles-lovers had a chance to meet and shared their common passion for beautifully made objects.

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Acheo - Castiglioni

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At the occasion of the Salone, Acheo had wished to promote an historical space : Studio Museo Achille Castiglioni, thus Acheo had organised, during the whole mounth of April, free tours in the museum. The visitors had the opportunity to admire some objects, photographs, sketches and materials which inspired the wellknown designer Achille Castiglioni and also an interesting retrospective of his own creations. The show had been a perfect historical background for Acheo to present its new kitchens and interior design projects.

Charlotte © modemonline.com