D'SIGN's Weekly Dose: Design Week Milan "The City"

Milan Design Week 2012

From 7 to 22 April, the Salone Internazionale del Mobile and the FuoriSalone or together "The Milan Design Week 2012", were held from 17 to 22 April. Inte­rior design pro­fes­sion­als and addicts from around the world were gear­ing up to the great­est home fur­nish­ing exhi­bi­tion at the moment. The Milan Design Week is the design event of the year, and if you want to build a name for your self, or count at all in the international design world... this is "The event" to exhibition your work. And that shows... with more than 2500 exhibitors and with more than 200.000 square metres of exhibition space, a lot to see and ground to be grasped and for those who hadn't the time or the opportunity to go.. we made sure to do a overview with the newest designs and all that is showing and got our daring eye. Let start with a bit of information about the The Milan Design Week.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile was held for the 51st time. New this year was the special Saloni for bathrooms, kitchens and furnishing accessories so well as the Satellite expo where 750 talents under the age of 35 showed there creative and innovative designs. The hole event is enormous, the activities where located in 5 itineraries, which integrate whole districts into creativity and there where special created showrooms next to the residential shops and workshops to attend to. There was a abundance of stunning art, performances and amazing installations all located in the centre of Milan. Fresh and daring according to Salone del Mobile it self; "it’s the fringe fes­ti­val of the trade fair and fine art". This year they made it possible for public to visit this event to days in state of one, "the public is getting more and more involved in design and that was our idea behind it to open it the whole weekend". Explains Salone the Mobile to D'SIGN magazine. "People want to make there own opinion about design and what they want to use it in there home and environment".
 

And like each year, a large number of Dutch designers travels to Milan to present their latest designs. Our Dutch Designer, Premesela was supporting and promoting Dutch design and fashion during the Milan design week. With the exhibition "Spring" consisting the work of 30 Dutch designers. And a symposium with Hella Jongerius and breakfast meetings with the possibility to discus design where a huge success. All with all there a number of 176 Dutch furniture designers and brands presenting there work during the Milan design week. Because the Milan design week is so enormous, it's hard to maintain an overview, and not enough space or time to let you see everything of this event. But we have tried to show you the highlights. And you know why you have to go next year.

'Juliet' by Benjamin Hubert is the winning design of italian furniture 
company Poltrona Frau's international competition whose brief 
asked participants to utilize traditional upholstery techniques 
under the theme 'a chair to spend time in'.

Hubert’s Juliet chair was inspired by the Italian Renaissance fashion 
detail the “Juliet sleeve,” a sleeve which tightly fits the arm and has a 
 large deconstructed “puff” on the shoulder.Catifa

Designer/architect Andy Martin will be showing a table 

that can be modified by the user.

By inserting colour plugs into a grid.

 

 The Dandies Mirror by benandsebastian. Inspired by historic 

plate glass manufacturing techniques.

Beetle Chair with a beetle's tough exterior and soft interior. The "insect's 

dynamic movement in space is reflected in a four-legged chair on wheels."

Papercuts is a series of lamps made ​​of paper by Louise Campbell.

All Good Things Come in Threes by Peter Johansen. Three nesting 

tables inspired by the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Designer Charlie Davidson showing his Crane Lamp, featuring 

a 1:50 scale model of the worlds tallest crawler crane. 

Collection of contemporary fine porcelain works by Heinrich Wang

Lighter than White is an interpretation of traditional Chinese culture 

and philosophy in a modern context.

  

Tray table from Katie Stout Made from laser cut plastic cafeteria trays. 
Blue chair by Neven Kovacic, a collection of work inspired by tourism. 

STRIKKS developed this fabric as part of the Tea Time project curated 

by the Academy of Fine Arts Maastricht and open to their graduates. 

Still Life by Tadeas Podrecky 
Studio Aberrant Architecture have created pub tables that can be adapted into desks 

by day and games tables by night. In rest mode each table provides a simple dining 

surface, but in work mode this tabletop folds open to reveal a 
bureau-style desk concealed beneath. 
These skittle also open up to become pen-pots. 
Australian designer Marc Newson presented this child’s rocking 
horse for Italian brand Magis. Called Rocky, the toy is moulded 
from plastic in one colour with a rope slotted through the mouth as reigns.  
JoeVelluto (JVLT) with the bedroom set called Jules et Jim. Made of walnut, 
this bedroom set made of a nightstand, bed, dresser, and wardrobe. 
I loved Gorgiera Pack by Macarena Pollock. Made of Yupo paper, this fruit 
packaging turns into a display stand with a simple twist.  
Ana Fatia presented something much more organic – the Mother 
Mine All of Us Collection is inspired by human anatomy 
Portuguese Rui Alves works under the title My Own Super Studio, 
he is a third generation craftsman working. 
Display system created by Fabrica, the research group for Benetton.  
Object Coloré is a modular shelving and display system designed to 

complement the product its meant to showcase.  

Alvaro Catalán de Ocón design studio, based in Madrid, Spain,  

has created the geometric-inspired Rayuela. 

Chinese architect zhang ke of beijing-based practice 

 standardarchitecture has designed 'hidden dragon', physical  

interpretation of the dragons usually invisible movement. 

Slovenian designer Nika Zupanc presented a set of outdoor furniture and lamps 

like huge pink bubbles at Spazio Rossana Orlandi. 

The Summertime collection includes folding chairs with metallic pink frames, 

and a table with turnkeys at the sides so the top flips upright to become a blackboard. 
'Kart' by ed carpenter is a family of wooden serving dishes on wheels. The variety of 
shapes and sizes are ideal for snacks and hors d'oeuvres, encouraging sharing 
across the dinner table. the simplicity of the design allows the food to stand out. 
German-born, london-based new media designer moritz waldemeyer 
presents his LED candles, showcasing the soft lighting pieces 
in a threaded chandelier, as well as scattered throughout 

the space as candlesticks.

 
full view of chandelier.
 

Chameleon Cupboard for Porro, a colour changing cupboard.

 Gentle Chair for Porro, a chair in the shape of two joined arches. Made of 
wood and upholstered leather. Front comprises a thick spring 
wrapped in black leather. 
Doodle Sofa for Moroso.

 

 Discipline present their collection at Via Pietro Mascagni. Discipline 

has involved an international team, now including 14 designers from 

10 different countries. A life that is increasingly focused on respect and 

on a natural need for everyday harmony.

With copper furniture and accessories by Max Lamb

Stools with cork seats by Lars Beller. 
The students from the Department of Interior Architecture at 
Rhode Island School of Design have created a collection entitled  
Prototyping the Domestic Environment. Spiral Stack 
partition wall, console, sitting, shelving unit designed 
by Radhi Desai & Varsha Menon. 
Fanlight Wall wall with lighting fixture designed by Ayisha Verma, 
Beatriz Cardona & Monica Alicea Matos.  
+ONE Modular Shelving room divider & shelving system designed 
by Erin Truax & Sandhya Jethnani.  
Tactile Stars 3-D wallpaper designed by Aarti Kathuria & Srikirti Sreedhar

Source: Dezeen, design blog - DesignAddict, Design Milk, Designboom - Weblog, MoCoLoco

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Related posts: 

                                        Copenhagen Design Week                   Decorex International in London
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