Having attempted to show a wide range of new furniture and some of the installations launched at Salone del Mobile and the rest of the city during Milan Design Week over the last few weeks, D.d thought it was about time to focus on some of the smaller items that were on show. While I've strived to keep it to table accessories, vases, mirrors and the like, it's hard not to include a few furniture and lighting pieces, so this post includes a smattering of side tables, lights and the odd valet.
'Mix & Match' copper and ceramic tile trays by Flavia Del Pra Spanish outdoor furniture and rug brand Gan.
While Milan doesn't offer the volume of accessories that a fair like Maison et Objet does, the general quality is extremely high and with a number of alternative design districts and young designer platforms such as Salone Satellite, Ventura Lambrate and 5vie to provide less commercial concepts, there is always plenty to see.
Italian brand Mingardo launched 'Satin' a range of geometric trays in copper and brass by Chiara Andreatti along with a delicate side table with brass top by the same name.
Mingardo is a Venetian brand that specialises in metal objects, lighting and furniture. This year they launched a large collection of objects by a variety of designers including Chiara Andreatti, a drinks trolley by Gio Tirotto, an objet 'art by Marco Zito, a stool and room divider by Omri Revesz & Damian Tatangelo and a wall light by Parisotto + Formenton to name just a few.
Joa Herrenknecht's 'Ora' mirrors combine marble cylinders with patinated mirror surfaces.
Czech glass specialists Dechem launched their 'Bandaska Vase Post Modern' collection at Palazzo Litta.
Italian glass furniture specialists, Glas Italia, showed a version of Nendo's 'Layers' display cabinet originally shown at the massive Nendo Works 2014 - 2015 show held last year during Milan Design Week. Now part of the Glas Italia collection, the piece uses suspended sheets of coloured glass to create shifting colour compositions within a white glass structure.
Nendo's 'Layers' cabinet for Glas Italia. Not brand new but available to the public for the first time.
These might look like table top objects but 'Vela' is actually a series of full sized room dividers by Bernhardt & Vella for Arflex.
Other pieces of note made from glass include several new vessels by Milan based designer Giorgio Bonaguro for Driade (see below), several new lighting collections by Lasvit, glass room dividers by Bernhardt & Vella for Arflex (above) and a haunting cloche called 'Glasgow' by German designer Anna Weber who showed with German collective Haille Berlin at Salone Satellite. For more exciting glass items check out the Design daily post from a few weeks ago that included the work of Swedish designer Erik Olovsson, also known as Studio E.O. His 'Indefinite Vases' are a highly creative combination of cut stone and blown glass.
Shown above are the 'Kapadokya' and 'Red Square' vases by Giorgio Bonaguro for Driade. The designer also contributed a third new glass item to Driade's new accessories collection - clear glass candlesticks called 'Mykes'.
A 10 litre 'Glasgow' cloche in opal and clear crystal glass by Anna Weber.
Elisa Storzyk's 'Ceramic Surface Mirror' with timber shelf blends simple geometry and creative glazing techniques.
A simple use of stone as weighted base. These marble and metal lights called 'Carrière & Lizzatura' are limited edition pieces by Laurent Divorne for an exhibition entitled I Dream of Luxury for Nov Gallery at Rossana Orlandi. Look at more items here.
In ceramics there seems to be a new interest in dark, misshapen and overtly hand made vessels, along with the more minimal porcelain pieces as seen at 2016Arita and many other venues around the city. D.d came across the work of London based South Korean ceramicist Young Ran Lee at the Designers Block in Tortona.
Atipico is an Italian company based in Viadana in Lombardy who works a lot in metal. Their new releases this year included the 'Hutch' mobile bookshelf and hanging shelving object by Chiara Andreatti (it seemed like she was everywhere this year). The brand also launched an extremely simple but graphic bench and stool combination in black stained timber called 'Iperbole' by Federico Angi.
Released last year, but shown as part of the new collection, the 'Roman' candleholders by Rafaella Mangiarotti played on the continuous line concept that has been explored previously by others like Shane Schneck for Hay but manages to create a new lyrical form in the process.
'Roman' candleholders by Rafaella Mangiarotti for Atipico.
'Iperbole' by Federico Angi for Atipico.
Austrian designer Katharina Eisenkoeck's incredible 'Tension' mirror with fine brass band and Alabaster.
A number of ceramic designers and makers worked in blue and white using various techniques that highlighted the possible imperfections of the ceramic process. Rotterdam's studio Oddness uses a thin blue glaze blown full of air bubbles to decorate their vessels in a random soap bubble pattern. These intriguing vessels are available through the excellent Dutch online designer sales platform Crowdy House for a few more days. You can purchase them here - but be quick - the post Ventura Lambrate sale ends on the 26th of May.
'Bubblegraphy' vessels by Rotterdam's studio Oddness.
Berlin based designer Anna Badur also uses blue glaze to create random pattens on porcelain but the look is quite different. With her 'Blue Sunday' plates it was a simple process of dropping small quantities of cobalt glaze and coaxing it to gently run around the rim, while in her 'Tidal' vessels the glaze is forced up the sides of the vessel in such a way as to leave a delicate 'tide' mark.
Anna Badur's 'Blue Sunday' plates - playful experiments in motion using cobalt glaze. Photo Simon Beckmann.
Anna Badur's marble wall clock (above left) not only split the face in two with two different types of marble but express time in two ways - the left in five minute intervals, the right in thirty, one minute segments.
'Piers' mirror by Roberto Paoli for Ronaldo. The wall mounted mirror and shelf comes in a range of great lacquered colours.
In recent years Italian furniture brand Bonaldo have begun to place more emphasis on accessories. This year they launched several mirrors including the delightful 'Piers' mirror with shelf by Roberto Paoli along with the 'New Perspective' mirror by Alain Gilles.
Another look at some different pieces from Grace Souky's 'Domestic collectibles' collection shown at Salone Satellite.
Digitally reproduced fabric cushions based on specific found stones by Japanese designers Yuki Sugiyama & Ken Okamura.
Matteo Thun Atelier's 'Vasi da Colorere' are customisable to create individual colour combinations across the 10 shapes.
Italian designer Matteo Thun launched his own brand during Design Week, Matteo Thuna Atelier. The online only brand will offer a number of customisable collections such as the 'Vasi da Colorere' ceramic vessels seen above.
Vera & Kyte's new floor mounted clock 'Present Timepiece'.
Paris based studio POOL showed their sculptural sofa collaboration with Living Divani at Wallpaper Handmade 2016.
Luis Arrivillaga, a Guatemalan born designer, launched his 'Ceiba' folding valet / clothing rail for Living Divani. The design is available in natural or black stained ash.