il SALONE

THERE WAS A NEW EXUBERANCE and optimism this
year at the Milan Furniture Fair. It was welcome change from
recent years where there had been a decidedly dark and cautious
outlook on design. The economy wasn’t forgotten, but rather
than a bleak, intellectual conceptualising of the world’s financial
woes through design, there was a consistent sticking-to-one’sknitting
approach by all of the big design companies. This meant
an absolute focus on quality and detailing, the small moments
that reinforce the value of a quality design piece.
The Fair wasn’t all about the products. Installations at the
city centre showrooms and in the Tortona area of the city, small
design exhibitions and street art and design all combined to
create an energetic atmosphere that permeated the entire city.
Even locals who I would have thought would have dreaded
Design Week and the full-to-bursting metro cars, inflated prices
and tourist-filled city centre that it brought with it – instead
had real excitement. Even a young mother who was doing her
laundry at a laundromat alongside us (the not-so glamorous side
of having an extra week in Milan and no underwear) explained it
was the best week for Milan as the city came to life. In the central
city, key shopping avenues were hung with oversized lampshades
each designed and decorated by different designers and design
companies giving the centre a whimsical and playful makeover.
Many of the other installations were on show not as part of
the Fair grounds, but in showrooms in the city or in the Tortona
district. Kartell had a stunning installation of snow-flake like
polycarbonate clusters, while BMW exploded a car putting
the interiors on show with a fabric collaboration with Patricia
Urquiola at Kvadrat with Flos. Audi also created a beautiful
moment with their Lucid Flux piece. Sony created a triangular
utopia based on the muffling insulation found in anechoic
chambers, which was stunning. Swarovski’s Crystal Palace was
a crowd favourite with long queues outside the Tortona stand as
people lined up to get a glimpse of Tokujin Yoshioka’s hanging
crystal orb. Veuve Clicquot celebrated their creative vision by
partnering with famous designers Fernando and Humberto
Campana and Mathieu Lehanneur (who was profiled in Urbis’s
recent Paris article). Lehanneur took the opportunity to create
a fantastical sleep pod, based on scientific studies on insomnia
to create a cocoon designed to help people recover from jet lag
more quickly. Let’s just say I wish my hotel room had had one
of these.
THE NOVELTIES
THOUGH THE STANDS AT THE MAIN SALONE were
less flashy this year (and I would argue that might have been a
good thing), the products were, on the whole, very strong. Key
pieces that I noticed were: Philippe Starck’s Magic Hole chair for
Kartell – Starck manages to live up to the hype and pulled out the
unexpected with this bright gem. The Wood chair designed by
Front for Moroso momentarily annoyed me because five years
ago I thought of designing a chair using those car-seat wooden
beads. I must admit, Front did it better than I ever could, and this
bubbling frothy chair is unusual enough to become one of those
quirky design classics, but comfortable and neutral enough to fit
1. Barovier & Toso installation. 2. Lumiblade by Philips. 3. Rock Chair for Diesel
Home. 4. Pylon Chain table from Dielsel Home. 5. Alfred Chair by Covo 6.
Dress Sofa by Gärsnäs 7. Campanas exhibition design for Costintino surfaces.
8. Tom Dixon Void lights. 9. Aplomb lights for Foscarini. 10. Pit lamp from Made
in Berlin. 11. Spun light by Flos. 12. Tool floor lights by Diesel Home.
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