MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2024

stunning reissues

Cassina, known for its daring re-editions, has teamed up with the talent of Tobia Scarpa to modernise the ‘Cornaro’ sofa designed by his father, Carlo Scarpa, in 1973. The same goes for Flexform, which has updated Antonio Citterio’s tubular ‘Max’ sofa and ‘Lauren’ chairs (1980). Knoll draws on its roots and offers a colourful reinterpretation of its Bauhaus classics, including Mies van der Rohe’s ‘Tugendhat’ armchair and ultra-matt finishes for Marcel Breuer’s ‘Wassily’ armchair, ‘Laccio’ tables and ‘Cesca’ chairs. And we love Gae Aulenti’s ‘Parola’ lamp (1980) for Fontana Arte, re-edited by Gucci for an immersive exhibition in its Via Monte Napoleone flagship.

Baroque ‘n’ roll inspiration

Ostentatious and luxurious, the neo-baroque style echoes a bygone era when design was an art reserved for the happy few. At Edra, contemporary flirts with the splendour of the finest Italian palaces. Minotti has unveiled a collection of armchairs, Supermoon, which draws its inspiration from 70s aesthetics, while the seat evokes a phase of the Moon. More rock’n’roll than ever, Marc Newson is collaborating with Cappellini, revisiting his ‘classics’ such as the Orgone, the Felt Chair and the Wooden Chair version 2024. Gufram, meanwhile, is offering its famous ‘cacti’ in flashy colours.

Belgians in Milan

In Milan, Belgian design is rising to the highest level. There are brands that rival the biggest Italian publishers. Tribu, Manutti, Obumex, Jori. There are recognised designers working for prestigious labels. Van Duysen for Molteni, Lust for MDF, Linde-Freya Tangelder for Cassina, Claire Bataille who is celebrating the 30th anniversary of her H2O table with Bulo and Cosentino. There are also some fine individuals working on their own behalf. Muller Van Severen, Ben Storms, Gerard Kuijpers, Alain Gilles, the visionary craftsmen of Zaventem Ateliers.

Tribute to Gaetano Pesce

He was one of the most influential architect-designers of the twentieth century. A prolific designer who was as interested in industrial production as he was in craftsmanship, Gaetano Pesce turned post-war design on its head, while opening up the prospect of a new, colourful art of living. We owe him as much for B&B Italia’s Up line (1969) as for the visionary Organic Building in Osaka (1989), whose facades are covered with a vertical garden.

The best way to sit

By breaking away from the often rigid symmetry that characterises classic models, designers have developed sofa systems with freer shapes. The interplay of armrests, experimentation with new contours in the treatment of backrests and the juxtaposition of modular elements in ‘panoramic’ seating mean that sitting positions can now be varied ad infinitum.As beautiful from the front as from the back. Driade, Marble Collection (printed fabric marble-effect), by Fabio Novembre (driade.com)

In the city

In Milan, the Salone del Mobile takes place both at the Fiera and in the heart of the city. Flos is exhibiting its new lighting installations in the historic salons of Palazzo Visconti. Giorgetti’s Spiga-The Place flagship (via della Spiga) featured a superb dialogue between tradition and innovation. The same goes for Rimadesio, which is presenting Giuseppe Bavuso’s new collection in town: from the evolution of Rialto furniture to the updating of Altair and Aliante storage units. Roche Bobois has also teamed up with French-Chinese artist-designer Jiang Qiong Er, to present her work in the heart of the Durini Design District. Definitely the place to be.
Talenti opens a new flagship store in Via Manzoni 11. The fashion street for a very cool space. Informal and elegant, contemporary and at the same time linked to tradition, the Allure collection by Christophe Pillet was born of the desire to combine elegance and simplicity.