MILAN FURNITURE FAIRMARIEL BROWN AND KAREN ROSENKRANZ, OF DESIGN AND INNOVATION COMPANY,SEYMOURPOWELL, SPEAK TO CID ABOUT THEIR KEY TRENDS FROM THIS YEAR’S EVENT46 MAY 2011 | Commercial Interior Designwww.constructionweekonline.com
MILAN FURNITURE FAIRThis year marked the 50th anniversaryof the popular MilanFurniture Fair where visitorswere keen to explore thebroader relationship between cuttingedgedesign and cultural trends.According to Mariel Brown and KarenRosenkranz, of design and innovationcompany, Seymourpowell, highlights ofthe event included Raw, a take on lastyear’s trend where designers combinecontemporary forms with traditionalmanufacturing techniques, and EasternInuence, a trend that has been gainingstrength over the last few years wherethere is a melding of cultures as designerslook to the East for inspiration.“The global recession, concerns overfuel shortages, highly documentednatural disasters, and political unrest allcontributed to a feeling of unease, thedesire to be self-sufcient and to live ‘offthe grid’,” said Brown.In Milan, the design response to thistrend was seen through the creation ofproducts encouraging independence.“One of our favourite design expressionsof this trend was Jorge Mañes’project Ultreia, which explores analternative and more exible process ofmanufacturing,” said Rosenkranz.“He created a portable self-sustainablefactory on wheels comprising of arotational moulding machine, a tent anda solar panel. To show off Ultreia’s capabilities,Mañes cycled his factory aroundthe 700km El Camino ancient pilgrimroute in Spain. On his two-week trip hecreated a series of products that wereinformed by the locations, materials andpeople he met along the way.”Ultreia celebrates the sociable natureof this trend and reects the need towork together with like-minded peoplewho make a success of the concept of‘off the grid’ living.The Survivalist trend is intrinsicallyeco-friendly in nature and as such, Seymourpowellsaw examples of designersexploring new uses for waste products.From Mieke Meijer and Vij5’s KrantHout,which is wood created from oldnewspapers to Gionata Gatto and MikeThompson’s Trap Light, which convertswaste energy back into visible light. Theemphasis is on creating less of a drainon the world’s resources and re-thinkingthe way we make life’s necessities.Brown added Studio Formafantasmahas taken the thought of using sustainablematerials to the extreme end withits project Botanica.“Imagine a post-fossil age where fossilenergy sources have been completelyexhausted. Botanica is based on theprinciples and science of botany andtakes inspiration from the 18th and 19thcenturies, a time when scientists rstbegan experimenting with plant secretionsto create new material sources withplasticity,” she said.“The studio explores plant derived materialsincluding Rosin, Dammar, Copal,Natural Rubber, Shellac and even BoisDurci, a 19th century material composedof wood dust and animal blood. To underlinethe origins of these new resins,Formafantasma created plant like forms,whilst colour palettes of natural amberand honey-like tones were chosen toevoke early bakelite objects.”With Botanic, Studio Formafantasmahas created a strikingly ingenious projectthat is both archaic and contemporary.Whilst this new aesthetic may not appealto every taste, it has a strong impact inthe long term.To many, the Survivalist trend impliesa rustic design language, however,renowned Anglo-Indian design duoDoshi Levien showed this trend canlook sophisticated when it presented itsproject Impossible Wood.“Impossible Wood uses a new material(a synthetic bre) that is an eco-compatiblecompound, which can replacethe usual plastics while maintainingcharacteristics of pliability and strength.The elegant chair is testament to the factthat Survivalist living ideals needn’t beniche,” said Rosenkranz.NEW MYTHOLOGYFolklore and mythology offer an opportunityto magically escape the boundsof human existence and reconnect withthe planet. Designers are going back tothe early origins of man and are reviving1www.constructionweekonline.com Commercial Interior Design | MAY 2011 47
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