Milano is back in finest form. Salone del Mobile 2024 and Fuorisalone 2024 were – with people, furniture launches and installations in what seemed like a remarkable return to pre-COVID-19 levels. The FOMO returned as well. With so many stands to visit and events to attend, many visitors were simultaneously absorbing the sights and pounding the pavement while checking out what they were missing on each others’ Instagram feeds.
Despite all this stimulus overload, a few design trends rose to the surface : soft, slouchy seating that emphasized cushions, expressive stone finishes for kitchens, luxury in art-design, jewel-tone reds and eclectic tables.
The standout installations at Fuorisalone 2024 were many: Lasvit’s incredible Porta display by Maxim Velčovský showed how the Czech glass company is supersizing its offerings with custom architectural glass; Alcova’s outside-Milan foray to two jaw-dropping villas was well worth the trip, with its room after room displays of rarified furnishings and decor; even the French artist JR took part, with his transformation of Milan’s central station into a palimpsest of past and present. To say that Milan remains the Mecca of design is an understatement: both Salone del Mobile 2024 and Fuorisalone demonstrated that any brand or creative talent wishing to go big and bold will get the attention they deserve in the Italian capital of design.
Zaha Hadid Design staged the Poesis Materiae, a sculptural installation for Iris Ceramica Group, in front of the Duomo, Milan’s central cathedral.
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Another immersive installation, this one in the Durini Design District, invited passersby to take a seat on one of 30 Spun rotating chairs by Magis.
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Eric Mutrie
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Salvatori’s new collection The Small Hours by Patricia Urquiola combines natural stone with stainless steel.
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Eric Mutrie
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Faye Toogood’s Rude Arts Club — a pop-up showcasing new designs for Tacchini and CC-Tapis — drew a stylish crowd.
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Eric Mutrie
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The rugs were more art than floor covering, and were displayed along with paintings that depicted their eclectic patterns.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Artemide’s new launches included Criosfera, designed by Giulia Foscari, which takes inspiration from ice cores drilled from Arctic glaciers.
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Eric Mutrie
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Alambicco, designed for Artemide by Neil Poulton, is a modular suspension light that can be hung vertically or horizontally.
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Eric Mutrie
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L’Appartamento by Artemest filled the ornate rooms of Residenza Vignale with luxuriously crafted furniture and decor, including Roberto Cambi’s Green Bubbles Sculpture.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Giuseppe Rivadossi’s Madia Intagliata Chest was another opulent delight presented by Artemest.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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B&B Italia’s introductions included Narinari, an armchair designed by Tiziano Guardini and Luigi Ciuffreda.
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Eric Mutrie
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The front area of Cassina’s showroom was anchored by Cornaro, a 1973 design by Carlo Scarpa featuring a beech frame lacquered in glossy oxblood.
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Eric Mutrie
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After previewing the Galaxy lamp by Charles and Ray Eames in prototype form last year, Cassina is now putting the historic design into production.
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Eric Mutrie
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Rounding out Cassina’s lighting collection was 3TO9, a collection by Neri&Hu that takes inspiration from kite flying.
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Eric Mutrie
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Debuting a new Via Durini flagship, Zanotta reintroduced the Gomma armchair by Italian design trio De Pas, D’Urbino, Lomazzi.
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Eric Mutrie
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Lasvit’s “Re/Creation” exhibition filled the courtyard of Palazzo Isimbardi with fused glass panels that demonstrated the company’s architectural capabilities.
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Eric Mutrie
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Flos returned to Palazzo Visconti — where it had once hosted its first launch by an international designer, the one and only Philippe Starck, back in 1988 — to showcase SuperWire by Formafantasma.
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Eric Mutrie
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Barber Osgerby expanded its Bellhop family of Flos lamps with a new suspension light and table lamp.
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Eric Mutrie
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Foscarini showcased Habitus, a research project involving experiments with lighting and beadwork that may one day evolve into a product…
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Eric Mutrie
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A closeup of the beadwork in Foscarini’s Habitus display.
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Eric Mutrie
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Chinese artist Jiang Qiong Er collaborated with Roche Bobois on its latest collection, the lovely Bamboo series of seating, tables, rugs and screens.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Irish brand Orior displayed its Fearn planters — each carved from a single solid slab of stone — in the garden of Bocci’s Milan apartment.
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Eric Mutrie
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As part of “Design is Language; Speak for Yourself” — an exhibition exploring the personal connections we develop with objects — Rapt Studio imagined a cozy living space for a fictional couple.
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Eric Mutrie
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Moooi previewed its upcoming Peaks Sofa, a collaboration with Yves Béhar.
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Eric Mutrie
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Moooi’s next big reveal was Big George, an oversized armchair by Cristián Mohaded.
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Eric Mutrie
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The rest of the scene at Moooi’s magical exhibit, dubbed “A Life Extraordinary.”
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Eric Mutrie
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Visiting Muuto’s Brera apartment felt like stepping into a friend’s dinner party — with the Earnest extendable table by John Tree at the heart of the kitchen setup.
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Eric Mutrie
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Muuto’s next introduction was the screw-like Set lamp by Jamie Wolfond.
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Eric Mutrie
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At Poltrona Frau, Faye Toogood delivered more ultra-cushy furnishings in the form of Squash, seen here in both side table and armchair form.
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Eric Mutrie
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Sebastian Herkner’s graceful family of Nymph lamps for Poltrona Frau takes inspiration from mythological Greek deities.
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Eric Mutrie
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“Ottave,” a site-specific artwork by Daniele Papuli shown at Poltrona Frau, used cardboard strips to imitate the look of soft brushstrokes.
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Eric Mutrie
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The scene at Poltrona Frau’s cocktail event.
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Eric Mutrie
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A perennial favourite of Rossana Orlandi, Draga & Aurel presented the ultimate vanity/desk.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Liquides Imaginaires conjured an olfactory “imaginarium” full of fragrant fruit aromas at Rossana Orlandi.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Perhaps Rossana Orlandi’s most interesting focus was on Korean crafts.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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The Korean Craft & Design Foundation presented numerous artisan contributions, including this wall mural made of tea leaves.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Ciffo, a company that makes silicon resemble marble, filled a room at Rossana Orlandi with massive faux-stone furnishings.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Moving on to Salone del Mobile…
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David Lynch’s Thinking Room tucked a cerebral space behind a red velvet curtain.
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Eric Mutrie
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Visitors were invited to take a seat at a golden chair and draw whatever the room inspired them to think about, highlighting connections between interior design and the interior mind.
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Eric Mutrie
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Patricia Urquiola’s boucle-upholstered Aaland family (which includes the armchair shown as well as a larger sofa version) is based on aerial views of archipelagos.
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Eric Mutrie
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Poliform’s stand including its Artex Pro kitchen, released for Eurocucina.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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The Ernest collection by Jean-Marie Massaud for Poliform includes tables that come together like loose puzzle pieces and a sofa defined by cylindrical cushions (which was a bit of a trend at Salone).
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Sebastian Herkner played up Pedrali’s penchant for soft colour combinations, an effect enhanced by a stand design care of DWA.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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The Lamorisse sofa and lounge chair by CMP Design for Pedrali.
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Eric Mutrie
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At Gervasoni, modular, pyramidal cushions popped up in Federica Biasi’s Semat High seating.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Made using rotational moulding technology, Thomas Heatherwick’s In-Side collection for Magis showcases recycled polyethylene in all its multi-flaked glory.
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Eric Mutrie
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A “Choose your fighter” display of seating at Mattiazzi.
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Eric Mutrie
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Marking its 25th anniversary, the SaloneSatellite exhibition once again showcased work by an inspiring mix of up-and-comers, including Italy’s WM Metal Design, which is behind this purple chair.
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Eric Mutrie
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Kotaro Usugami’s stacked Moment lamp (left) was another SaloneSatellite standout.
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Eric Mutrie
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Under the Surface, a feature installation at Salone del Mobile, took the form of a submerged island. Designers Accurat, Design Group Italia and Emiliano Ponzi (Salotto.NYC) used projections to convey information about water resources.
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Eric Mutrie
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Fantini offered a first look at an upcoming collection by Vincent van Duysen.
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Eric Mutrie
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Designed by Stephen Burks, Dedon’s Kida lounge chair felt ever-so inviting.
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Eric Mutrie
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Knoll introduced its beloved Wassily armchair (as well as three other Bauhaus-era collections) in three new ultra-matte finishes: white, black and dark red.
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Eric Mutrie
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Knoll’s other big launch was the Perron Pillo sofa by Willo Perron — the next best thing to a pillow fort.
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Eric Mutrie
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Delicate reliefs in Atlas Concorde’s 3D Wall Plaster collection of tiles.
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Eric Mutrie
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At Cosentino’s booth, Formafantasma developed a new Silestone collection, Earthic, to make the most of recycled glass, PET, bio-resin and Dekton fragments.
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Eric Mutrie
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Minotti’s Nico table exemplifies a trend towards expressive table bases – as much architectural statement as functional frame.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Arper’s Catifa Carta project reimagines the manufacturer’s Catifa chair in an innovative PaperShell material made of composite wood byproducts. At the end of its life, the chair can be reduced to biochar fertilizer, feeding a circular production cycle.
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Eric Mutrie
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Maruni’s quietly beautiful offerings included Shoto, a series of tables (ranging from coffee table to side table) by Cecile Manz as well as the Lightwood sofa by Jasper Morrison.
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TechnoGym encouraged us not to skip arm day.
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Nanimarquina celebrated the emotional beauty of handmade craft.
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Lapalma was one of several booths leaning into warm earth tones.
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A rotating basin display at Laufen.
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Kohler’s Yabu Pushelberg-designed booth greeted fairgoers with a swirling fish mobile.
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Admiring concrete basins by Kast.
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Kohler teamed up with Samuel Ross on a limited edition toilet.
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A mobile of fabric samples on the way into Paola Lenti’s Milan headquarters.
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Following up on its first Metamorfosi collection with the Campana brothers, Paola Lenti teamed up with Nendo for a new range of seats, tables and lights made from fabric and trim remnants.
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Paola Lenti also hosted a special exhibition by Nendo, “Whispers of Nature.” Here, translucent shelving mimics the look of hazy clouds.
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A series of textiles with patterns informed by the way that spools of thread had been dipped in black dye.
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Eric Mutrie
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Paola Lenti also introduced Maiolica side and coffee tables.
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Formafantasma’s Wonderglass contribution was Graft, a suspension light that rebelled against rational Modernist ideals with handcrafted Murano glass flowers.
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Eric Mutrie
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This year’s edition of the offsite exhibition Alcova was spread across two historic villas.
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Eric Mutrie
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Objects of Common Interest with Garden House, an inflatable folly that invited people to lean against its bulbous base.
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These lamps are made of 3D printed wood.
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Eric Mutrie
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Harry Thaler’s EconitWood collection also includes tables and seating made of repurposed sawdust.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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The scene on the stairs at Villa Bagatti Valsecchi.
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Eric Mutrie
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Vancouver studio A-N-D showed off a columnar installation of its luminaires, alongside a rug for CC-Tapis by Bethan Laura Wood and a sofa (with Alcova founders Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima perched atop it) by Uma Objects.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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PET Lamp is behind this ingenious series of tapestries made of post-consumer plastic bottles.
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Eric Mutrie
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Kickie Chudikova took inspiration from jellyfish to create Pulpopolis, a set of three Murano glass lamps.
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Eric Mutrie
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Heading into the subterranean realm of Alcova.
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Eric Mutrie
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To create the Flump stools, displayed in a colonnade of Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, Heirloom employed 3D printed ocean-derived plastics.
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Eric Mutrie
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Post-apocalyptic performance art by Geneva University of Art and Design.
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The lobby of Triennale di Milano, the city’s design museum.
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Eric Mutrie
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One exhibition commemorated 25 years of the SaloneSatellite exhibition dedicated to emerging designers. Wall displays drew attention to now-established talents who got their start in previous editions of the show.
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Eric Mutrie
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Giles Tettey Nartey’s Communion, made in American Hard maple by Jan Hendzel Studio, was a standout in *Wallpaper’s Class of ’24 show at the Triennale.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Yet another Triennale exhibition honoured Alessandro Mendini.
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An Emeco employee’s Carhartt chore coat, seen in the Triennale exhibition “Emeco to Emeco.”
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Eric Mutrie
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Moving to the group show Capsule Plaza at Spazio Maiocchi, BD Barcelona introduced two launches by Muller van Severen: a series of geometric cabinets…
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Eric Mutrie
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And a sofa, Pillow.
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Eric Mutrie
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Another Capsule Plaza display, “Futura Akari” featured Noguchi lights hand-painted by artist Futura2000 (and available for purchase on retail platform GOAT).
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Eric Mutrie
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Norwegian aluminum company Hydro worked with designers Inga Sempé, Max Lamb, Andreas Engesvik, Shane Schneck, Rachel Griffin, John Tree, and Philippe Malouin to create a series of aluminum furnishings.
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Eric Mutrie
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Paola Navone’s Oblò pendants were the highlight at Lodes showroom.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Cesar kitchens dialled up the luxe in its latest collections.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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A whimsical take on ubiquitous terrazzo, this kitchen concept by Dutch interiors firm i29 was just one of three systems that the studio presented at Valcucine’s showroom.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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Marsotto’s modular Ratio kitchen by David/Nicolas.
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Design studio Masquespacio sourced a range of wares from makers in the Isola Design District (rounded out by a series of Cilinder lamps by Mas Creations) to create a spectacular tablescape celebrating the neighbourhood. On Thursday, the dining environment hosted a pasta-making class led by Macaroni Event.
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10 Corso Como staged a range of experiences, including this ode to Verner Panton.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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JR took over Centrale station with his La Nascita installation, which superimposes an Alpine landscape over the architecture, connecting the site’s past to its present.
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Elizabeth Pagliacolo
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