The Design District
Even More From Milan
So the Milan furniture fair is over, but Damon has some final thoughts and trend analyses to share. Catch up on previous posts (including an interview with Philippe Starck) here, here, and here.
Overall this year, the fair was well attended but more Americans stayed home. There was an increase in representation from countries with rising economies, including Russia, China, Korea, and India. Many of the established companies said the weak dollar didn’t affect the overall business because the average client was wealthy enough not to be affected.
Color was again this year very muted and earth-toned. Materials still include wenge, and dark brown or black stained oak still dominates. Bulthaup, a premium German kitchen manufacturer showed a new kitchen system that featured new oak cabinets with stainless steel. There seemed to be only small changes in the overall palette of materials.
Alessi, a company known for their tableware, introduced a massive kitchen display. The colors were very vibrant: Acid yellow-green glass counter tops and commissioned art adorned many of their displays. Surely a lot of buyers will tone down these colors, but they worked well for the show. The technical innovation that Alessi showed was by far the best of all the kitchen lines. They also had a strong focus on sustainable food, which was unexpected since Italy is not known for being particularly eco-conscious.
Swarovski Crystal Palace was a beautifully executed exhibition. Entering from the street in the newly developing warehouse district, ZonaTortona, it was almost black with minimal projected graphics on each side. Inside the main hall were several large installations by several designers. Some were new and some were reworks of existing products. They were very strict about no photography, so sorry there aren’t any pictures to share. Even though Swarovski is an Austrian company, the palace felt like being in Germany. So many things were “verboten.” There were many excellent installations, but I particularly liked a curtain of crystal donuts, which was illuminated by projector. Looking directly at it, I could only see the crystals lit up, but when viewed in a suspended mirror you could see the face of the Mona Lisa. Very appropriate for Milan’s adopted son Leonardo da Vinci.
Edra seems to have taken the place of Cappellini as the most cutting edge company for design. Since Poltrona Frau purchased Cappellini and grouped it in the family with Alias, Cassina, and Thonet, they seem to have lost some of their magic. Edra has continued with the wild creativity that has been their trademark. Their display looked like a haute couture fashion show, and although the furniture designs aren’t for everyone, they are important to help enlarge the envelope of accepted taste.
Stayed tuned for two more posts!
