With previews of new products, events and installations pouring in from studios and brands alike, it seems its high time for Design daily to show a few tasty previews of Milan 2017.........It's interesting which brands are prepared to show everything in advance of the fair and which ones keep it all close to their chest.
As 2017 is a Euroluce year lights are bound to feature large and the pick of the previewed designs comes from French brand Petite Friture. There has been a lot of interest in simple geometric lighting in recent years but the Celia-Hannes designed 'Kling' lights for Petite Friture adds a little French deco into the mix. The result is delightful and timeless.
Rather than write about everyone of these new product designs D.d has chosen to resort to captions only for this post (theres a lot of new product to get through!).
While Euroluce is a pretty slick affair with lots of shiny metal and glass, there will be plenty of furniture and lighting pieces elsewhere that use more tactile, natural materials. Timber and stone remain popular materials but the way in which they are worked has completely changed in recent years with a massive take up of c'n'c technologies. From timber companies like Mattiazzi to stone specialists like Salvatori and CItco, computer controlled cutting techniques are allowing the designer to experiment with extraordinary shapes.
The floor mirror above looks positively ancient but is actually quite hi-tech. This is best explained by the designer:
"In order for the user to reveal the reactive surface of the (Dispersion) mirror, the user is forced to blow into a wind sensor located on top of the frame, encouraging them to participate in the act of ‘Repair’. The interactive mirror is coated with two types of black thermo-chromatic pigment mixed with bio-resin, as a metaphor for an oily surface, which visibly transforms to become clear when heated. A custom made heating system is attached behind the mirror which activates via the ‘wind’ sensor through a micro-controller, results in a slow transformation of the surface from black to clear (Copper). The Dispersion Process takes 7-8 minutes, forcing the user to slow down and contemplate the man-made activities that are destroying our planet and the ways to love and restore it" Nila Rezaei.
Citco is a stone specialist from in Italy They have shown their incredible ability with designs by Zaha Hadid's studio in the past but this year have taken a group approach with work by some of designs biggest names such as Ora Ito, Arik Levy, Jean Nouvel, Daniel Libeskind, Ferruccio Laviani and of course Zaha Hadid Design. The cabinet on the left above is called 'Dama' and is by Stefano Bigi. The 'Ginevra' table is on the right. Don't overlook these are being made from carved marble............
And just to prove it's not all hard-edged design and relentless seriousness, Studio Job and Seletti have teamed up to create what they refer to as "Fast Food Furniture". The Dutch duo of Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel have revisited the Claes Oldenburg 'Floor Burger' of the 60's and created a 'Hotdog Sofa' and 'Hamburger Armchair' in its image - complete with pickled cucumber armrest and sliced tomato back cushion. Less in the McDonalds vein is their 'Tiffany Tree' lamp and 'Banana' lamp - billed as "affordable unlimited edition design". I wait with baited breath to see the real thing but in the mean time I have to be content with the studio's delightful sketches.
At the complete other end of the spectrum there are brands and studios that would rather die than produce something from synthetic materials or which might be seen as Pop Art inspired. There appears to be a growing interest in limited edition work worldwide and this is fueling a resurgence in exotic materials and traditional craftsmanship. It can border on conservative good taste but it also has the positive effect of maintaining industries that without this type of support would be disappearing.
Stay tuned to Design daily in the coming weeks to receive more new design from Salone del Mobile and Milan Design Week.