Milan Design Week 2019: 5 highlights from the 'fashion week of furniture'

We sent our style editor, Geoff K. Cooper to check out the best of Milan Design Week. Here's what caught his eye 
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Geoff K. Cooper17 April 2019

Milan Design Week is the world’s most famous furniture and interior design fair and over the past few days (from April 9-14th) the design cognoscenti and creative enthusiasts from around the world have hit the Italian metropolis for a pre-eminent aesthetic-intrigued adventure.

Comprising Salone del Mobile Milano (staged at the exhibition centre of Fiera Milano in Rho-Pero) and Fuorisalone (a collection of off-site events), there was no shortage of design exhibitions and installations to see and experience. After traversing the massively packed Italian city, I managed to consume the most tantalizing offerings for what is certainly the fashion week for furniture. Here's my pick of the top five.

Avant Toi – Eden Jungle

Avant Toi

Avant Toi staged an exhibition which deluged onlookers into a multi-textural tropical enclave in the middle of Milan. Curated by co-founders (and siblings) Mirko and Fiorella Ghignone, and realized by art director Yuri Catania, the installation reflected the brand’s experimental approach in the treatment of cashmere, wool, silk and linen and served as the backdrop against which the Avant Toi collection was presented.

Avant Toi

Every nook, be it the jungle bathroom or bedroom, featured Avant Toi Home seamlessly. The showcase also featured live dance performances and audio-visual effects – all providing artistic liveliness typical of the polychromatic essence which defines Avant Toi.

Dimore Gallery – Interstellar and Visioni​

Paola Pansini/Dimore Studio

Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran, the creative duo behind Dimore Studios, are the cool kids of the design scene in Milan. This was evident by the dizzying lines outside their two exhibitions during Milan Design Week - ‘Visioni’ and ‘Intestellar’.

Paola Pansini/Dimore Studio

At their studio they presented ‘Visioni’, a reproduction of seven pieces from iconic Italian artist-designer Gabriella Crespi, reimagined in brass, bronze and lacquer. Not too far away at the former Cinema Arti they also unveiled their latest furniture collection, ‘Interstellar’, a dark contemporary offering. As if that wasn't enough, Dimore also presented collaborations with Dior, French malletier, Au Départ and Soho House.

Marni – Moon Walk

Stefano Candito

Marni took us to the moon for Salone del Mobile 2019, paying tribute to the Universe with its presentation Moon Walk. Their Salone locale featured a miscellany of Marni-esque furnishings produced using unexplored materials – each crafted by Colombian artisans who have been working with the house for years.

Stefano Candito

The colourful and quirky pieces included coffee tables, stools in the shape of animals, rocking chairs and varied objects d'art, with some of the profits benefiting the OTB Foundation’s “Future Brain” project. All in all, the mood was very modern and very Marni.

Fondazione Pini – The Accursed Hour

Fondazione Pini

There were no new furniture or lighting fixtures to be displayed at Fondazione Pini but there was a swarm of 15,000 black butterflies which engulfed the entire space. This visually arresting scene was Carlos Amorales’ exhibition, ‘The Accursed Hour’.

Fondazione Pini

Curated by Gabi Scardi, the exhibition focuses on the Mexican artist’s reflection on the theme of human-to-human violence and taps multiple elements from his prior installations, Black Cloud and Life in the Folds. Certainly, it was a must-see for the Design Week set. This exhibition stays open until July 8th.​

Trussardi – A Friend

Fondazione Nicola Trussardi

Fondazione Nicola Trussardi commissioned Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama to construct a public installation and Mahama’s monumental creation mesmerized all of Milan – he blanketed the two neoclassical tollgates of Porta Venezia in a gigantic patchwork of used jute cocoa sacks.

Fondazione Nicola Trussardi

Seen all over social media, Mahama’s creation was also one of the most visible in Milan thanks to its location and sheer size. Although this was launched at Milan Art Week, the creation coinciding with Milan Design Week amplified its presence.​

Versace – Versace Home

Courtesy Versace

In a rare move, Gianni Versace’s private home at Via Gesù 12 was opened to the public to present Versace’s latest Home Collection. Eccentric and effusive with colour, the exhibition featured collaborations with American interior designer Sasha Bikoff and Canadian artist Andy Dixon.

Courtesy Versace

For Bikoff’s positing she tapped Versace’s Fall 1994 campaign for inspiration. The pastel colour palette of fashion donned by supermodels Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford and photographed by Richard Avedon could be seen in the furnishings, delivering a Miami mood to Milan. As for Dixon, his oversized Versace shirts (which feature hand-painted reproductions of the iconic Versace prints) commanded attention.

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