With Milano Design Week upon us, team ND headed out to enjoy a glorious spring day in Italy and join the largest annual gathering of the design world.
Greeted by a 90s-esque sky high Emporio Armani sign, we were off the plane and in a taxi on our way to Salone del Mobile.
Nothing less than grande, the 56th edition of Salone continues to be the centre point for furniture design and industry. Entrance into Salone Internazionale showcased office furniture and the developments in the simplicity of design with technology. Coming out of the trade buzz, we headed along the long corridor to the back where SaloneSatellite was based, hosting 650 young emerging designers.
Our highlights included the 20 years selection of original works by 46 international designers, paying homage to SaloneSatellite itself who has welcomed them throughout its years. Marrying up Italian and international design there was a heavy presence of appropriating furniture and questioning its role within the home.
Exhibiting university graduates from across the world displayed their inspiring collections, with a running theme on weaving powerful colours and textures in textiles into everyday pieces.
Part 2
Anyone has been to Milan will attest to the eclectic metro system. Think Wes Anderson meets brutalism. A godsend for any tourist mumbling their way through a language they wish they had learnt ahead of time, Milan’s coloured metro lines are matched with the metro themselves. The train station leading to your platform, the platform and the train all match the colour of the line.
Making our way to San Babila (that’s on the red line and one stop away from Dumo, location of one of the most spectacular site in Milan), we found Cinema Arti, previously a cinema and temporary home of the installation ‘ New Spring’ by Cos x Studio Swine.
Part 3
Venturing into one of the coolest design districts for Ventura Lambrarte and Ventura Centrale. The younger (cooler) sibling of Milano Design Week, Ventura is a necessary journey for any design lover. The moment we got out of Lambrarte station, we were handed a map and told to follow (the very) unmissable signs to the numerous popups located int he districts warehouses.
The most noticeable theme throughout was the use of greenery and nature with concrete. The designs and objects matched the brutalist architecture around, and intertwined plants, forestry and anything else growing to tell a new story of design where the interior becomes the exterior. Everything is connected, and what a joy it is to see.