il SALONE

il SALONE
SALONE INTERNAZIONALE DEL MOBILE
2010
The Milan Furniture Fair is the design equivalent of
the catwalks of New York or Paris. At this exposition
new furniture pieces are released setting trends,
shapes and styles that will influence interior, product
and graphic design for years to come.
WORDS NICOLE STOCK /PHOTOGRAPHS SHANNON M C GRATH AND SUPPLIED
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SALONE
INTERNAZIONALE
DEL MOBILE
INSTALLATION
‘BLUE’ - Paola Navone
Barovier & Toso
Alongside Superstudio Piu, one
of the central sites in the Tortona
district, a wall of rough-sawn
overlapping boards painted in a
Yves Klein-like blue, marked the
entrance to Barovier & Toso’s
dramatic lighting installation.
A dimly lit maze wove visitors
past this extraordinary Murano
glass chandalier, a glass jellyfishlike
curtain and a dining room
lit with delicate lamps with dark
blue bases. The contrast of the
unfinished timber siding and
the ornate luxury of Barovier &
Toso’s glass work was perfectly
orchestrated showing designer
Paola Navone’s remarkable
talent for the dramatic.
‘ICARUS ’
David Trubridge
David Trubridge and fellow
assemblers – his wife Linda,
designer Ben Pearce and Paris
design store owner Rod Fry – all
looked exhausted on the first
day of the Fair. Trubridge’s entire
installation and all the products
were carried over in suitcases,
and assembled by hand in
Milan in an effort to create a
sustainable presentation. The
intricate nature of the frondlike
curves of the Wing lights,
in particular, made production
an exercise that went late into
the night. Designed around the
myth of Icarus – who flew too
close to the sun – Trubridge’s
latest offering is a powerful
metaphor as well as a stunning
aesthetic work.
SALONE
INTERNAZIONALE
DEL MOBILE
DESIGNER
PROFILE
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THERE WAS A NEW EXUBERANCE and optimism this
year at the Milan Furniture Fair. It was welcome change from
recent years where there had been a decidedly dark and cautious
outlook on design. The economy wasn’t forgotten, but rather
than a bleak, intellectual conceptualising of the world’s financial
woes through design, there was a consistent sticking-to-one’sknitting
approach by all of the big design companies. This meant
an absolute focus on quality and detailing, the small moments
that reinforce the value of a quality design piece.
The Fair wasn’t all about the products. Installations at the
city centre showrooms and in the Tortona area of the city, small
design exhibitions and street art and design all combined to
create an energetic atmosphere that permeated the entire city.
Even locals who I would have thought would have dreaded
Design Week and the full-to-bursting metro cars, inflated prices
and tourist-filled city centre that it brought with it – instead
had real excitement. Even a young mother who was doing her
laundry at a laundromat alongside us (the not-so glamorous side
of having an extra week in Milan and no underwear) explained it
was the best week for Milan as the city came to life. In the central
city, key shopping avenues were hung with oversized lampshades
each designed and decorated by different designers and design
companies giving the centre a whimsical and playful makeover.
Many of the other installations were on show not as part of
the Fair grounds, but in showrooms in the city or in the Tortona
district. Kartell had a stunning installation of snow-flake like
polycarbonate clusters, while BMW exploded a car putting
the interiors on show with a fabric collaboration with Patricia
Urquiola at Kvadrat with Flos. Audi also created a beautiful
moment with their Lucid Flux piece. Sony created a triangular
utopia based on the muffling insulation found in anechoic
chambers, which was stunning. Swarovski’s Crystal Palace was
a crowd favourite with long queues outside the Tortona stand as
people lined up to get a glimpse of Tokujin Yoshioka’s hanging
crystal orb. Veuve Clicquot celebrated their creative vision by
partnering with famous designers Fernando and Humberto
Campana and Mathieu Lehanneur (who was profiled in Urbis’s
recent Paris article). Lehanneur took the opportunity to create
a fantastical sleep pod, based on scientific studies on insomnia
to create a cocoon designed to help people recover from jet lag
more quickly. Let’s just say I wish my hotel room had had one
of these.
THE NOVELTIES
THOUGH THE STANDS AT THE MAIN SALONE were
less flashy this year (and I would argue that might have been a
good thing), the products were, on the whole, very strong. Key
pieces that I noticed were: Philippe Starck’s Magic Hole chair for
Kartell – Starck manages to live up to the hype and pulled out the
unexpected with this bright gem. The Wood chair designed by
Front for Moroso momentarily annoyed me because five years
ago I thought of designing a chair using those car-seat wooden
beads. I must admit, Front did it better than I ever could, and this
bubbling frothy chair is unusual enough to become one of those
quirky design classics, but comfortable and neutral enough to fit
1. Barovier & Toso installation. 2. Lumiblade by Philips. 3. Rock Chair for Diesel
Home. 4. Pylon Chain table from Dielsel Home. 5. Alfred Chair by Covo 6.
Dress Sofa by Gärsnäs 7. Campanas exhibition design for Costintino surfaces.
8. Tom Dixon Void lights. 9. Aplomb lights for Foscarini. 10. Pit lamp from Made
in Berlin. 11. Spun light by Flos. 12. Tool floor lights by Diesel Home.
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SALONE
INTERNAZIONALE
DEL MOBILE
INSTALLATION
‘CONTEMPLATING MONOLITHIC DESIGN’
SONY with Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
Sony’s design team invited London-based designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
(BarberOsgerby) to create an unexpected architectural landscape involving light
and sound. As well as BarberOsgerby’s imaginative and experimental lighting and
speaker designs set within the triangulated surface, Sony was dedicated to creating a
“personal visual soundfield” Nearfield speakers and a Bravia television are combined
with specially created stands aimed at cocooning a single person.
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‘STRETCHY SILICON TABLE’
Well Groomed Fox and Nudge
Wellington design studios Well Groomed Fox and Nudge worked together to show at
Salone Satellite. Well Groomed Fox – Emma Fox Derwin and Nigel Groom – designed
a range of folded steel furniture based on the sucessful linear work of their XYZ suit
rack. The stacking chair, LED light and table were all strong and mature pieces,
belying the short space of time the designers had to prepare protypes for the
Fair. Nudge – Jonathan Mountfort and Natasha Perkins – developed an undulating
acoustic panel with an imprint based on a Well Groomed Fox design.
SALONE
INTERNAZIONALE
DEL MOBILE
DESIGNER
PROFILE
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in with most decors. Thomas Heatherwick’s Spun stools; Ligne
Roset Ruché collection; and the Bohemien sofa by Busnelli with a
soft skirt that seamlessly becomes the tufted cover were all good.
Vitra’s Chairless, a sort of band that allows one to sit comfortably
on the floor while keeping the hands free, has garnered a lot of
attention for its ‘thinking outside the box’ premise.
TRENDS
WITH SO MUCH TO SEE and so many different designers
descending on the city, you would think it would be difficult to
pull out any similarities or trends. What was interesting, though,
is that many trends were easy to spot.
Colour
Colour was huge, especially a muddy limey yellow, dove-grey
blue, or a jewel-toned aqua. Splashes of a neon orangey-red
were also around the place, which would instantly give a punch
of modern colour to any room.
Go Softly
The other overwhelming trend was a softening of shapes and
coverings. Very rigid, boxy forms were difficult to find, and
amoeba-like organic shapes were also rare. Some of the best
were Patricia Urquiola’s Bend sofa for B&B Italia, and the
Carmel sofa for Poliform. The best examples still had a tightness
in their concept – they weren’t floppy or untidy – but just had a
relaxed, liveable vibe. A style that would work incredibly well in
our part of the world.
Big Guns
Part of this sophisticated consideration for how real people
interact and respond to design could be due to the prevalence of
a few key design stars involved in multiple and varied projects
for many of the top brands. Every second stand seemed to have
a range or piece designed by either Patricia Urquiola, Antonio
Citterio, Front, Piero Lissoni or Paola Navone. Brands were
obviously hoping to consolidate their design investment with
big names to generate interest and respect. While younger, and
perhaps more innovative designers missed out this year, these
experienced designers really did create strong work over and
over, for a wide range of companies, in particular Citterio’s Ray
sofa inspired by Charles and Ray Eames for B&B Italia, Patricia
Urquiola’s Bend sofa again for B&B Italia, Linteloo’s sofa by
Paola Navone, and also her dramatic installation for Barovier &
Toso and Flexform’s Feel Good Alto by Antonio Citterio.
Traditional Woodworking
Some stunning examples of modern bespoke-looking furniture,
in particular desks, that embraces those old world traditions of
carpentry craft. The use of solid timber, often mixed with other
traditional and luxurious materials like leather, show a turn back
to a restrained feeling towards design. Perhaps in response to
the economic crisis, all through the Fair, there was much less
sycophantic curliness, there was a definite return to quality, hardwearing
materials, and crafted details.
1. Piccola Papilio by B&B Italia. 2. Colour showed a new optimism. 3. The Wood
chair by Moroso. 4. Bloom lights by Kartell. 5. Tiuku wall clock by Covo. 6.
Table lamp by Ceramiche Bosa. 7. Magic Hole by Kartell. 8. Soft shapes were
everywhere this year. 9. Memory chair for Moroso. 10. Campana designed
pendant lamp for Edra. 11. Leatherworks chair for Edra. 12. Attila sofa for Edra.
13. Vitra stand. 14. Sponge by Edra. 15. Lampade Compatte by Ceramiche
Bosa. 16. Bolle stools by Living Divani. 17. Plastics Duo couch by Kartell.
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Back again
Recycling materials or reusing traditional forms was seen
in particular in the Salone Satellite with young designers
expropriating traditional drawers, fabrics and lighting styles, and
transforming them into new, worked up versions. Throughout
the Fair, however, many pieces took various inspiration from
established furniture or design shapes, like the Ray sofa for B&B
Italia, or the Wood Chair by Front for Moroso. Designers weren’t
just mining a European neo-Rocco period, but everything from
indigenous cultures and 20th century forms were made new.
Ceramics
Perhaps on a sort of multi-functional note, a hugely popular
form that many stands had was a slick cylinder, often white, or
with a band of colour, again often that mustard yellow, which
was coffee table, stool, storage bin, or tray. Ceramics featured
heavily in smaller work too, like candlesticks. These plain single
colour shapes, would often play on traditional turned forms, but
with a manipulation of scale and proportion to become very new
and modern.
SATELLITE
THE SATELLITE SECTION of the Salone is always a highlight.
This area of the Fair showcases young and emerging designers’
work. Some are straight out of design school, while other stands
have already had some commercial success, but are hopeful that
their design might be noticed by a design manufacturer and be
picked up for production.
It was here that Kiwis Well Groomed Fox – Emma Fox
Derwin and Nigel Groom – (along with Nudge – Jonathan
Mountfort and Natasha Perkins) and Tim Wigmore showed their
collections. The standout at Wigmore’s stand was his beautiful
hand-turned wood and hand-blown glass Pil lights. With their
capsule shape, these had a light-hearted allegory but unlike
many young designers, Wigmore confidently steered his design
away from being too tiresomely ironic, and the craftsmanship
and choice of materials showed a real design maturity. These
are quite a simple light, but that is their strength, I could imagine
them going in a bathroom, above a kitchen island, a group of
them in a lounge or bedroom, or in a workplace.
Well Groomed Fox have recently shown at IMM Cologne,
their XY and Z suit rack was shortlisted for the covetable d 3
emerging designer prize. In a short space of time, they have
developed their suit rack into a full range of bent steel products,
including a chair, desk light and table. For the Milan Furniture
Fair they joined forces with Jonathan Mountfort and Natasha
Perkins from Nudge to create an acoustic panel using Nudge’s
technology and design that was then imprinted with a Well
Groomed Fox motif. Well Groomed Fox received a lot of
attention at the Fair, and have since been listed in many roundups
of the best new designs from the Satellite, including design
website yatzer.com
Aussie Darcy Clarke was the Oceania speaker for the Satellite,
and his work showed design with a strong Antipodean and
Pacific feel with woven and bent fibres and cane.
1. The Moroso stand. 2. Doll chair by Billiani. 3. Lieve table by Horm. 4. Portico
table and shelves by Living Divani. 5. Latva coat stand by Covo. 6.Cambré couch
by Natuzzi. 7. Sinapsi shelves by Horm. 8. Klara chair by Moroso. 9. Wallace chair
by Poliform. 10. Bend sofa by B&B Italia. 11. Grand Plie couch by Driade. 13.
Bohémien couch and chair by Busnelli. 14. Lancaster chair by Emeco. 15. The
Thonet stand. 16. Eracle by B&B Italia. 17. Boss sofa by FlexForm.
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SALONE
INTERNAZIONALE
DEL MOBILE
INSTALLATION
‘THE DWELLING LAB’
Kvadrat, Flos and BMW
Designed by Patricia Urquiola and Giulio
Ridolfo (colour selection), five geometrical
cones attached like huge bullhorns to
a model of the new BMW 5 series Gran
Turismo were covered in Kvadrat textiles
and provided five different points of view
into the vehicle, revealing the usually
sealed-off interior to the outside gaze.
Patricia Urquiola explains, “Usually we
perceive cars from the outside, and then
the inside follows. However, our direct
interaction is with the inside: it is the core
that protects and comforts us, the space
in direct contact with our bodies and our
functions and needs in the process of
travelling. I investigated this interface and
tried to understand the possible evolution
as a softer, dwelling experience.”
‘PIL’ - Pendant Lamp
Tim Wigmore
Tim Wigmore’s work often plays with a recognisable
objects. Though his take is a canny mix of irony and
craftsmanship. In the past, he did this to great effect with
his Giddyup rocking stool from 2008. That rocking motion
was developed in the range he showed at this year’s Fair,
with a collection of loungers and stools, but it was his
Pil lights, made from hand-blown glass and turned wood
that really drew attention. “I strive to connect people
with their things – to design objects that people will enjoy
conceptually, physically, and emotionally.”
SALONE
INTERNAZIONALE
DEL MOBILE
DESIGNER
PROFILE
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The Satellite show had a lot of pieces that played with concepts of
re-inventing traditional forms. While this is also a trend happening
with more established designers, here it was more raw and
unrefined, but also edgier and at times more compelling. There was
also a lot of playing around with materials. Some experimentation
with new materials – lights made from inflatable plastic pillows
– but more often it was a pushing of rather established furniture
and lighting materials that was most exciting to see. Matthias Ries
experimented with jointing with concrete, Lisa Hilland created
playfulness with combinations of fabric ruffles in the middle of
wooden chair legs, Myriam B. Maguire took leather and made
it into a vase, while d-vision made a beautifully inventive blown
light where the pulled glass housed the LEDs as well as being the
structural supports for the lamp. Maybe less imaginative, but still
one of my favourite pieces from the Satellite, was the beautifully
crafted walnut and leather desk by Dare Studio.
ZONA TORTONA
ZONA TORTONA is in a young and hip area of Milan. As
the Furniture Fair runs through the same week at Design Week
in Milan, Tortona has become a key stop on the design circuit,
especially as some designers – usually the more innovative and
cool – show here rather than at the Fair. Tom Dixon showed a solid
and seductive collection, drawing on many of the shapes that he
has been playing with over the last few years. David Trubridge also
showed here, his minimal installation a welcome change from the
often-overwhelming cacophony of objects and decoration at other
stands. The opportunity to put his work in contrast to international
designers was also fascinating, you really realize how different
and original his shapes and designs are, especially his furled leaflike
lights this year based on the myth of Icarus. Flos, showing in
Tortona, was one of the few companies that I felt really pushed
designs into uncharted territory. Their lighting projects that are
all to be plastered seamlessly into walls or ceilings, remove that
separation between structure and fitting, and makes each a part
of the other, some really beautiful effects of droplets and crevices
were created. Paola Navone’s work for Barovier & Toso was one
of the few stands that pushed into sensuous, over the top luxury,
and the visitors loved it for its theatricality. With the high rents, it
seemed as if some of the more established venues in Tortona had
been taken over by surface companies – tiles, flooring, and wall
systems. To be fair, they did do a good job of making their stands
quite beautiful and interesting, but if you were looking for objects
and lighting, you had to peek into sites just off the main drag.
EUROCUCINA
ANOTHER KEY PART of the Fair was the Eurocucina and
bathroomware halls. All the big appliance companies including Sub
Zero, Miele and Electrolux had new ranges which showed how our
kitchens would soon develop with technology. Kitchen companies
like Poggenpohl showed new aesthetic looks for the cooking area.
Tapware and bathroomware had some appealing new shapes and
modern updates, particularly Hansgrohe’s new Axor range. Urbis
will report on the trends and new products in our next issue which
will focus on kitchen and bathroom design. u
1. ForbiddenVase by Myriam Maguire. 2. bonBON poof by MissBaba. 3. Forest
in a New Form chairs by Swedish Ninja. 4. BedBug by Poliform. 5. Circus
lamps by Warm. 6. Troag lamps by Foscarini. 7. Normann Copenhagen town
bike. 8. Tom Dixon Jack light. 9. Katdesk by Dare Studio. 10. Small Ghost
Buster unit by Kartell. 11. Barista chair and stool by Swedish Ninja. 12. Taxi
poof and Town motif by Swedish Ninja. 13. Industrial Upholstery by Bakery
Studio. 14. Bau pendant by Normann Copenhagen. 15. Nature of Material by
Bakery Studio. 16. Moooi 5 o’clock chair. 17. Lift by M. Braun from Made in
Berlin. 18. Bahia wall lights by Foscarini. 19. Once upon a Dream by Mathieu
Lehanneur for Veuve Clicquot. 20. Sidewall by Porro. 21. Léger duo by spHaus.
22. Modrobe by Matthias Ries. 23. Slot table by Matthias Ries.

SALONE
INTERNAZIONALE
DEL MOBILE
INSTALLATION
‘STELLAR’ - Tokujin Yoshioka
Swarovski Crystal Palace
Swarovski Crystal Palace showed designs byTokujin
Yoshioka, Gwenaël Nicolas, Vincent van Duysen, Rogier
van der Heide and Yves Béhar. Steller by Tokujin Yoshioka
was a one metre diameter globe encrusted with 10,000
Swarovski crystals and lit from within by 600 LEDs.
Other works included a 10 metre string of crystals
incorporating LED lighting programmed to set off
‘sparks’ that jumped along the rope, glowing ‘beams’
encrusted with Swarovski crystals, and crystal-shaped
paper lanterns lit with refracted light.
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