TOP 5 MOST IMPRESSIVE DESIGN INSTALLATIONS-MILANO DESIGN WEEK 2019

At Temza we love everything that has to do with colour combinations, trendy shapes and textures and beautiful furniture. We love and appreciate design and architecture as an art form and creative industry that could potentially educate and make a difference. 

Today we are sharing our top 5 design exhibitions and installations that we visited. We will discuss the common aspects and the reason why these specific brands or spaces impressed and inspired us the most! 

First on the list was Sala Reale and the unique exhibition, Pleasure and Treasure. Queuing for almost an hour was well worth it.

The exquisite Sala Reale in Milan’s central station once served as a private waiting room for the royal family. This year it housed furniture and interior products from various Austrian designers. The installation showcased a range of marble and pastel furnishings with signature rounded edges, all against the backdrop of candy floss pink cloud and cushioned by a sea of Styrofoam. 

On the ground floor, in the Sala delle Armi, we were welcomed by a treasure chamber. The most precious objects were presented in a black structure and placed on pedestals resting on a bed of gold chocolates, all lit by soft lights. Visitors were invited to take chocolate coins as a small souvenir to take home. Needless to say, we didn’t bring this home… 

Continuing to the first floor, the visitors had to walk in a pool of small balls made of 100% recycled, reusable and antistatic polystyrene, exploring the space and discovering high-level design products from all over Austria, from home accessories to office furniture, from tableware to lighting.  

The Royal Room of Milan Central Station rarely opens to the public, and this year it became a creative Designpool, encouraging creative discovery and promoting mindfulness. Through stimulating all the senses, one is invited to be present in the moment and in the space.  

As huge fans of quirky and playful design, we were more than happy to be back at Moooi showroom this year. Hosted at a new location in Milan’s design district Brera, the brand once again showcased what a life extraordinary means, offering visitors to submerge themselves in a world that’s luxurious, whimsical and original.

During this year’s Salone del Mobile Moooi introduced its newest member of the Extinct Animal family, which presents revolutionary denim suitable for interior usage. Furthermore, Moooi showcased two new designs which will be immediately available for purchase; the BFF Sofa, by Marcel Wanders and The Party, by Kranen/Gille.

Luckily we even had a chance to meet with Marcel Wanders, the founder of the brand. The new collection is daring, playful, exclusive and extravagant, based on the belief that design is a question of love.

 “We don’t tell designers what to do, we listen to what designers want to make, try to realise their dreams.”

Moooi Carpets also made an appearance with a selection of four recognised designers from the Nordics to create a compelling Signature Collection with a typical Nordic aesthetic. The four separate con­cepts are each inspired by elusive elements like faceted crystals, colourful clouds, stained glass and abstract labyrinths. The results are sparkling designs which show us the beauty within these precious things of life.

Read more here.

Next on the list is the beautiful architectural installation by French architect Arthur Mamou-Mani. His studio in collaboration with fashion brand COS assembled a structure from 700 bioplastic bricks in the courtyard of a 16th-century palazzo.

The final result was a large-scale parametric structure made up of modular bio-bricks, each 3D-printed in a mixture of polylactic acid (PLA) – a fully compostable bioplastic that is made using renewable resources – and wood. They are secured together using PLA cable ties. 

The installation Conifera was meant to demonstrate the potential of bioplastic and inform people about design and its potential through technology.

“Technology alone doesn’t really matter, it’s what you do with it, and to me, it’s only interesting if we are helping the planet,” Mamou-Mani told Dezeen.  

Being designers it is one of our main aims to think of and protect the environment, come up with new solutions and empower people to think creatively. With this installation, both COS and Mamou-Mani,  informs about the qualities of bioplastic, as well as teaches us about sustainability. 

A democratic material, and a democratic approach to technology and innovation. With relatively affordable machines, open source codes the studios encourage and accessible revolution where 2 industries come together to tackle a common problem.

We are moving onto an exquisite exhibition of tasteful and artful work of some of the most renowned creative designers. Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades collection showcased experimental and innovative home furnishings. The product of a collaboration with Atelier Biagetti and Zanellato/Bortotto were displayed exclusively at this year’s Salone and featured Mandala-inspired forms, meshwork and block colouring. 

Since its creation in 2012, the Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades collection has invited renowned designers to imagine creative, functional and innovative furniture and objects, which are then elegantly crafted using Louis Vuitton’s savoir-faire. 

This year Milano paid homage to its strong, bold shapes and contrasting colours. Furniture and products were given a sculptural meaning and presence in most of the exhibitions, and Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades collection was on the top of the design pedestal. 

We end up the post with Bulgari. Just as we thought we were too late for the exhibition and were on our way to the famous Baxter party, we stumbled across the two installations exploring the connection between design, science and art.

The first structure, by Argentinian artist, Tomás Saraceno. Following the galactic theme of the Salone, Bulgari invited Saraceno to draw inspiration from the meteoric origins of gold, with his resulting “cosmic web” using constellations of spider webs to create floating galaxies.

The second installation in the surrounding gardens showcased the evolution of B.01, a 20th-anniversary celebration of the iconic Bulgari ring. Gold and blue were used to represent the duality between materials and technique, highlighting how the ring first broke the jewelry rules through Bvlgari’s adoption of the Roman Tubogas style. The heart of the exhibition though was a set of mirrors that infinitely reflect the ring in front of visitors’ eyes, offering a truly immersive experience.

Space might be just what’s next for the design industry, no surprise most of the materials and general design look represented this cosmic, galactic connection.  

Read more here.