It was frenetic and fascinating to be in Milan last month, when the 57th edition of Salone del Mobile Milano was unveiled at Rho Fiera. Besides showcasing the world’s top furniture manufacturers — along with young designers and schools of design at the SaloneSatellite — the city also came alive with custom-designed events at venues ranging from churches and construction sites to theatres and warehouses, as part of FuoriSalone. At the fair, bright colours and soft curves headlined design trends, with natural stones and brass accents being popular materials. Fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, Loewe and Dolce and Gabbana unveiled their latest collaborations. And with the fair’s focus on kitchens and baths, I also discovered fascinating new finishes and colours. But what was of most interest: the integration of sustainability and technology through everyday objects, a thematic thread woven throughout the exhibits, and delightfully highlighted in Softwear, the first exhibition by tech giant Google. Of the countless offerings on view, exploring the best in design, here are my favourite five:
Hermes
The fashion and home goods giant gave the fair a shot of colour with its zellige-tiled pavilions at the Museo della Permanente. The space — designed by Charlotte Macaux Perelman, Hermès’ deputy artistic director, with curator-publisher Alexis Fabry — showcased its latest collection of home textiles, furniture, furnishing fabrics and wallpapers. An architectural play of coloured volumes clad in tiles made in Morocco, the installation, with its palette reminiscent of Le Corbusier’s in Chandigarh, included the maison’s precious sabot wood stools lined with suede. Details: hermes.com
Salvatori
The renowned Italian stone company based in northern Tuscany, near the famous Carrara stone quarries, débuted their new work, the ‘Love me, love me not’ table, commissioned from Cypriot designer Michael Anastassiades. The green side table in Verde Alpina marble, with a conjoined triple leg, showcases the company’s skill in creating complex shapes. A design classic in the making, this curvy piece is both sexy and elegant. Details: salvatori.it
MOOOI
The Dutch design house known for its playful and inventive offerings, débuted a 3D printed wallpaper collection — inspired by archive drawings of extinct animals — in collaboration with Belgian studio Arte. Also adding to their lighting collection was the new Meshmatics chandelier — a sophisticated wire mesh offering designed by Rick Tegelaar — available in both brass and chrome finishes. Details: moooi.com
ILO
The début of this fresh new brand of rugs by Mumbai-based creative director Thierry Betancourt impressed, with one-of-a-kind fibres and textures, including pashmina and phospholuminescent (glow in the dark) threads. Designed and made in India (and Nepal), the hand tufted and hand woven patterns — that draw from natural elements like the textures of marble, and a collagist sensibility — can be centrepieces to elegant day looks and glamorous evenings. Details: instagram.com/ilo.rugs
Jeonghwa Seo
A newcomer he might be, but this young Korean designer trained in Eindhoven, Netherlands, captures the timeless and the new in his line of versatile, acrylic-topped tables and stools. Made of mixed materials, including metals, resins and glass, his jewel-like works always surprise in the way they distill classic ideas into new materials. Details: jeonghwaseo.com
