DLN a Milano: Highlights From Milan Design Week

By Melissa Feldman

The 62nd annual Salone del Mobile, April 16-21, along with Milan Design Week (MDW) just wrapped in the fashion-forward city of Milan, celebrating design with a capital D. With access to hidden palazzos and stylish displays in newly renovated showrooms, the DLN community had a full slate of activities during the celebrations. Members were given firsthand access to Fuorisalone showrooms and booths at the Rho fairgrounds. The schedule was jam-packed, with hundreds of events stretching North from Varedo—where the 7th edition of Alcova was held in two historic Villas—to the Brera District in the center of town. “Visiting the source, where the designs were created in the design studio of Fornasetti was a treat. The house is full of idiosyncratic details down to the custom-made tiles adorned with butterflies on the kitchen floor,” remarked member Clive Lonstein about his visit to the home of legendary designer Piero Fornasetti. 

“Milan was all about friends and family! Supporting and celebrating the people we admire. Meeting the most interesting talented people from all over the world. And bumping into our local community from NYC in the backdrop of Milan,” said designer and DLN Board member Christine Gachot about the week. 

Read on for a few highlights from the week including activations from Rubelli, Ralph Lauren Home, Officine Gullo, Kohler, Artemest, Cosentino, Poggenpohl, Loro Piana, and Armani Casa.

 

Monday, April 15

 

Rubelli: Nicolo Favaretto Rubelli, CEO and fifth generation of the eponymous textile manufacturer is the current caretaker of this beloved Ventian textile house, which also encompasses Dominique Kieffer’s sumptuous fabric line. The research based design studio Formafantasma are the Creative Directors behind the new iteration of Kiefer’s textiles as well as the refurbished showroom. Italian designer Martino Gamper’s new modular Figura chair was exhibited in 16 out of 81 possible seating variations. Fabricated in four parts (seats, backrests, armrests and legs), its offered in three shapes and can be reconfigured in multiple combinations depending on whim. Also on view, Parade, a large-scale custom wallpaper collection envisioned by British artist Luke Edward Hall, that compliments his “Return to Arcadia,” fabric collection. “It was inspired by Pompeii, but also Bloomsbury and Renaissance frescoes,” Hall said about his use of decorative motifs.

 

Tuesday April 16

 

Ralph Lauren Home: American brand Ralph Lauren Home welcomed DLN members to a spectacular palazzo, formerly Casa Campanini Bonomi, which has served as the brand’s Milanese HQ since 1999. The positioning of Lauren’s prized Jaguar XK120 Roadster installed in the entrance courtyard could not be missed. Its very presence underscored 2024’s Modern Driver theme. “The cars I’ve collected over the years have a kind of functional beauty. Most of them were hand-built and designed for speed,” Mr Lauren was quoted, referring to his affinity for utility and craft. Overseen by Dennis Adler, Senior Brand Creative Director, the room settings in a palette of dark polished wood, saddle leather, and chrome featured iconic pieces including the classic Beckford Table lamp now offered in metal mesh, inspired by the grilles of Mr. Lauren’s 1929 Blower Bentley. The RL-CF1 Lounge Chair with a cantilevered carbon fiber frame in 2003 was originally inspired by the McLaren FI Race Car and now is introduced as the Carbon Fiber Side Table, in square or round with rosewood shelves. After previewing tableware, dark charcoal grey bedding punctuated with the latest accessories a light Italian-style breakfast was served in chic RLH fashion, up on the roof.

 

Officine Gullo: Officine Gullo’s Managing Director Matteo Gullo hosted DLN members Monday evening for an aperitivo in the kitchen manufacturer’s newly minted Brera flagship. The sleek offices and showroom were designed by Milanese firm Studio Superspatial, who reimagined the space as an urban quarry, emphasizing natural stone and steel, and manufactured by Officine Gullo’s artisan workshop in Antella, in the Tuscan hills. Italian hospitality was on offer and procured through a newly installed bar and lounge area, constructed in modular polished chrome, accompanied by bar stools. Five models of the new Isola Collection in varying widths also debuted, available in 14 special colors including Matcha Green. 

 

Poltrana Frau: Poltrana Frau’s impeccably styled showroom on Via Manzoni was brimming with newness from a roster of international creatives emphasizing Imagine, highlighting Reality, Softness, Culture & Crafts, Boundless Living, Versatility, and Well-Being and all upholstered in the brand’s supple Italian leather. British designer Fay Toogood’s Squash, a collection of soft sculptural future forward pieces including a armchair, ottoman, side table, mirror and rug, provided a comfy place to plop while Italian duo Draga & Aurel presented Parka, their take on a squishy modular sofa. British-Ghanaian menswear designer Ozwald Boateng’s printed purple upholstery was inspired by traditional Ghanaian Kente cloth, and German designer Sebastian Herkner’s Nymph table lamp and Stock’n Roll cylindrical bedside cabinet were also wrapped in subtle shades. 

 

Wednesday April 17

 

Kohler: The morning began with a breakfast preview of Kohler’s immersive Terminal 02 located inside the courtyard of the Palazzo del Senato. British artist and designer Samuel Ross, with his firm SR_A collaborated with the Wisconsin bath manufacturer on the monumental installation as well as a limited-edition smart toilet Formulation 02. “The first thing that came to mind, was less about an end product and more about how we look at the way we deliver water,” Ross said about the project brief. The designer chose a vibrant orange powder-coated aluminum pipe structure signifying the magnitude and volume of water beneath our feet. “Something we are not typically exposed to,” he said, while explaining the urgency and importance of the safe delivery of water via sanitary solutions. The space provided a reflective moment before a departure to tour additional bath and kitchen displays at the fair.

 

Artemest: Founded in 2015 by CEO Marco Credendino and Creative Director Ippolita Rostagno, the digital retailer Artemest has since evolved into an online shopping destination emphasizing refined Italian craftsmanship. For the second year the brand presented L’Appartamento by Artemest, a showhouse located in the 5Vie district presenting six unique spaces including a grand entry hall, living room, cocktail room, dining, courtyard and bedroom, with each room curated by an international designer including Elicyon, Gachot, Rottet Studio, Studio Meshary AlNassar, Tamara Feldman Design and VSHD Design. The room settings featured Artemest products, highlighting a mix of old world elegance with cutting-edge furniture, lighting, tabletop, rugs and décor, all chosen with the historic Residenza Vignale in mind. Originally built for Austrian royalty, the property easily acommodated 100 DLN members who came to peruse the room décor and sip prosecco in a courtyard transformed by Gachot Studio into an outdoor living room.

 

Cosentino: Los Angeles designer and DLN member Claudia Afshar praised Spanish surface company Cosentino, (whom Claudia has previously collaborated with) and their Milan presentation for its thoughtful integration of sustainable materials while pushing the design community towards more conscientious choices. “The Earthic Lab x Formafantasma was captivating for its innovative approach, demonstrating a harmonious blend of design and sustainability,” she said about the otherworldly display by the Italian design duo installed in Teatro Gerolamo. The designers combined their thoughtful research with an unconventional manufacturing process resulting in a new hybrid surface in dark speckled grey. The combination of minerals and recycled materials, along with a significant reduction in silica—a key component in the manufacturing of bricks, glass, concrete, and hard surfaces—has resulted in Earthic by Silestone XM,  a new surface material launching later this year.

 

Poggenpohl: Located in Palazzo Landriani, is the Lombardo Institute – Academy of Sciences and Letters founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797. It’s also where German kitchen manufacturer Poggenpohl presented Gravity of Light, featuring three new iterations of their MODO kitchen originally designed in 2005. The sleek culinary workbench or stage, offered a clean platform to cook on, interact with and dine upon. It was also reimagined in multiple finishes including Cosentino surfaces as well as a backlit lava stone called +MODO Design Studies. Utilizing an app the user can alter the light’s intensity, creating a moody backdrop that adds drama even when sipping tea. The lighting focus as well as another +MODO prototype was presented in collaboration with Bernd Kussmaul—a specialist in automobile, yacht and jet innovation—and outfitted with blue leather lined LED drawers.

 

Thursday April 18

 

Loro Piana: Fabric manufacturer Loro Piana paid tribute to Milanese architect Cini Boeri with a striking installation marking her centenary. Presented at the company’s stylish headquarters on Via Moscova, the exhibition was produced in collaboration with the Cini Boeri archive and Arflex, manufacturer of the original 1968 furniture range. After working with maestros Gio Ponti, and later Marco Zanuso, Boeri opened her own firm where she created residential as well as corporate interiors and award-winning industrial design highlighting her minimalist oeuvre. The designer’s Strips System, a sofa series won the distinguished Compasso d’Oro in 1979. Also designed as a modular bed, the pieces were shown upholstered in Loro Piana’s ultra-soft undyed cashmere, and displayed where visitors could sit, lounge and touch. Other Boeri pieces included her puffed Pecorelle (sheep) sofas and armchairs, Botolo series of three-legged chairs as well as multiple red Boborelax chairs accompanied by the quote, “You think better when lying down.” 

 

Friday, April 19

 

Armani/Casa: A grand tour of Armani/Casa introductions was held at Palazzo Orsini, an historic 18th century building located in the Quadrilatero dell moda, the downtown fashion district of Milan. New furnishings were introduced alongside statement fashion from the Giorgio Armani archives. And with a renewed interest in Mr. Armani’s command central, visitors queued around the block to pass by frescoed walls and under gilded arched ceilings. The globetrotting designer’s souvenirs were interspersed throughout, adding a bespoke dimension to the presentation “Echoes from the World.” With an emphasis on artisanal details, representing Europe, America, Japan, China, Arabia and Morocco, the vignettes were juxtaposed with signature couture throughout six rooms. Arabian Nights were channeled through the Morfeo Bed in Canaletto walnut wood, covered in Vienna, a new jacquard silk velvet referencing Berber geometries while Samurai armor was omnipresent in the VIRTÙ cabinet, crafted in Greige Tulipier wood and black lacquer with shagreen and satin brass details, lined in a graphic tatami motif.