Category: smow in Milan


Milan Furniture Fair 2018, at least amongst those more design led manufacturers, is/was largely about consolidation, largely about new materials, new colours, slight changes to existing objects, with one or the other family proudly presenting their latest members. Which is no complaint, far from it, Milan’s speciality traditionally being the new for the sake of the new, that misguided belief that one has to present something new every year. You don’t. Present something new when you’ve got something new to say, something new to contribute, something meaningful.

Largely ≇ exclusively and there were a few new projects to be found which did have something new to say, did have something new to contribute, were something meaningful. If not enough for a handful. Sure we could have added another project just to compete the quintet, there being no shortage of candidates to choose from, but then just as we don’t expect manufacturers to publish for the sake of the new rather for the quality, so we don’t publish for the sake of the five….

As ever we didn’t see everything, have without question missed things we shouldn’t have missed, things we will regret missing later, apologies all round, but, and with that in mind, our Milan Furniture Fair 2018: High Four!!

Milan Furniture Fair 2018 High Five

Backrests appeared to be a major feature of those new products Konstantin Grcic presented at Milan Furniture Fair 2017. Or perhaps better put, from those new product we saw by Konstantin Grcic, we interpreted the backrest as being central components. But it wasn’t all about backrests, a few thoughts on new products for Magis, Plank, Flos and Mattiazzi.

Noctambule by Konstantin Grcic for Flos, as seen at Milan Furniture Fair 2017

Milan Furniture Fair 2014 USM Haller

We round up our Milan 2014 coverage with a company we admire, but about whom we find it all but

Sarah Böttger & Hanna Emelie Ernsting at Salone Satellite

Milan is awash with churches. Milan is awash with monasteries. Basilica. Friaries. And other suitable locations for submitting penitence. We

Meike Langer Blanche Salone Satellite Milan 2014

One of the stand out objects for us in the Young Perspectives exhibition shown in Boffi’s Cologne flagship store during

Triennale Design Museum Milan Italian Design Beyond the Crisis Autarky Austerity Autonomy Tarshito Di Cillo Garofalo Giangregorio Scarcelli Il vaso l Albero e il Rosso Struttura in ferromuschio cortecce e corda 2013

One could be facetious and say that organising an exhibition looking at “the creative potential triggered by crises in the

Milan 2014 Artek Rival Konstantin Grcic

If we’re honest, we really, really, should have seen it coming. We didn’t. Having been acquired in 2013 by Vitra,

Milan 2014 Berlin Design Selection Crossboard LOCKWOOD

In design the term “readymade” is used to refer to products created by giving existing objects a new function; generally

Danish Dynamite Alexander Muchenberger Design School Kolding Milan 2014

“We are red, we are white, we are Danish dynamite!” So sang the Danes their national football team to victory

Moooi Nut Chair Marcel Wanders Prop Light Bertjan Pot

Preparing for his solo exhibition “Pinned Up at the Stedelijk, 25 years of design” clearly helped Marcel Wanders tackle, and

Uncino by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Mattiazzi

“Modern office chairs can be like machines, very technical. We wanted to create something a little softer, more human.” So

Milan 2014 Source Material Kaleidoscope Project Space

Exhibitions in which designers present objects that inspire them are nothing new. But are by their very nature exhibitions that

Thomas Schnur Salone Satellite Milan 2014

As regular readers will be aware, unlike The Kinks we are no dedicated followers of fashion. Millinery is another matter

Vitra Charles and Ray Eames EA 101, 102 104

Older readers will remember how last year one of the Vitra Senior Manager’s quoted from this blog in his pre-fair

Milan Design Week 2014 Le Feu Sacré Designers and glass blowers at Institut Francais cork chairs 01

“With Milan design week, as with life”, we noted in our Milan Design Week 2014 preview, “the best, most interesting, most

Feeds per minute by Raw Color, as seen at Dutch Invertuals - Happy Future, Milan 2014

Many people, if not peoples, could currently be forgiven for reacting somewhat sceptically to the notion of a “Happy Future”.

As a general rule May doesn’t exist for us… it is just a fluid continuation of April. And of Milan.

The biggest April fool is…. us, for always going to Milan! That said, as ever, we did find a few

Milan Design Week 2013 Granoff Sofa by Scot Bailey Taylor McKenzie-Veal Ian Stell Yumi Yoshida

Probably on account of all the wood, upcycling and back-to-basics on show at Milan Design Week 2013, Granoff Sofa by

Milan Design Week 2013 Empatia by Carlotta de Bevilacqua and Paola di Arianello for Artemide

As it was our first event of Milan Design Week 2013, we’re honouring Artemide with the first post from Milan

Object Limited Edition Design at MIART Milan 2013 Libreria Volumi Sospesi Matteo Casalegno Galleria Paola Colombari

Before Milan Design Week and Furniture Fair really get started we took the opportunity to relax a little and to

Moormann Pressed Chair Harry Thaler

At Fuori Salone Milano 2011 we helped Moormann construct their stand. And of course took the opportunity to chew the

Sometimes its hard to remember that Milan isn’t just about showing off how clever you are. Its also about furniture.

Last month we posed the question “Is Milan design Week still relevant?” And Antje was kind enough to join our

For most people naming Swiss designer furniture producers is as much of a challenge as naming famous Belgians or happily