Milan Design Week is a dizzying showcase for design and creativity, with around 2000 exhibitors at the fairground alone – not to mention the countless immersive installations and thought-provoking exhibitions across the city. Celebrated as one of the most important events on the global design calendar, it’s where brands big and small launch new products and where the world’s design community gathers to discover the pieces that will define future projects.
Read on to discover our pick of the best new products at Milan Design Week 2024.
Me & You by Volker Haug Studio & Flack Studio
Two powerhouses of Australian design – lighting designers Volker Haug Studio and interior designers Flack Studio – have teamed up on a new lighting collection. The idea for the collaboration arose when a vintage light fitting broke during construction and Flack Studio called Volker Haug Studio to craft a replacement. The result is 13 new lights, each designed to the size of the original back plate in a palette of perforated brass, ceramic, glass and fibreglass.
“Flack Studio would envision each light’s presence in-situ within a space, while our design team would see the light from all the same angles and push the technical and material features further,” says Volker Haug Studio.
“As designers, both of our studios agree that the relationship between lighting and its context is critical,” agrees the team at Flack Studio. “It holds power in setting the atmosphere, and in shaping the experience of a space. This collection is our response to that.”
Press Chair by LAYER for MDF Italia
Amidst the sometimes garish novelties that have come to define much of Milan, it’s often the simple things that stand out – and the new Press Chair by British studio LAYER for MDF Italia is a study in refined simplicity. The chair takes its name from the production process that allows a single piece of three-dimensional veneer to be pressed into a complex pillowed shape that evokes the comfortable form of an upholstered seat.
“When working with any material, we like to push its potential to the maximum,” says designer. Benjamin Hubert. LAYER also launched the Almo Armchair with Spanish brand Andreu World, and the addition of a table lamp to the successful Strand collection of lighting for Danish brand Muuto.
Adagio by Ronan Bourollec for Mutina
The ongoing collaboration between French designer, Ronan Bouroullec, and Italian tile brand, Mutina, yielded fresh delights during Milan Design Week with several new collections that challenge our expectations – from striking geometric vases and a modular candelabra, to the brand’s first outdoor collection. Perhaps most notable of the three new collections is Adagio, a modular system that blurs the distinction between functional tile and sculptural wall art. The ceramic modules can be assembled to create a three-dimensional wall covering that resembles a woven fabric.
Fred One Seater by Bob Verhelst for Serax
Belgian fashion designer, scenographer, and curator, Bob Verhelst, has launched his first collection of furniture and objects – Sculptural Confluence | part 1 – with design brand Serax.
The collection of chairs, tables, vases, and trays is defined by monolithic forms and striking geometry. The Fred One Seater, for example, is a study in reduction of form, with a solid timber frame softened by simple upholstered cushions and a muted colour palette. “I don’t like fleeting trends – instead, I draw inspiration from the Bauhaus movement, Eileen Gray, Miro and, more recently, [Italian architect] Vincenzo De Cotiis,” says Verhelst.
“I translate my graphic work and sculptures into tangible objects in wood and ceramics, where geometric shapes dominate and bright and earthy colours alternate.”
Tubelight by BCXSY for Moooi
Think statement lighting and it’s unlikely that the humble fluorescent tube comes to mind. Amsterdam-based design collective, BCXSY, however, has reimagined the conventional archetype to create a surreal pendant lamp defined by a snaking fluorescent tube that seemingly breaks free of its rectilinear housing. The playful pendants are available with a 1.5-metre fixed tube that hangs from the fixture, or a 5-metre flexible tube that can be artfully arranged into a unique configuration.
Figura modular armchair by Martino Gamper for Rubelli
Martino Gamper takes a ‘pick-n-mix’ approach to the design of his latest armchair for Italian textile, wallcovering and furnishing brand, Rubelli. The upholstered armchair is ‘built’ by the user from a kit of parts that includes four elements – seat, backrest, armrests, and sides – each available in three different shapes, meaning there are 81 possible configurations.
“I like to create pieces of furniture more than sculptures, objects that can be used by people,” says Gamper. “Of course, I do it with the freedom of expression of an artist. For me, this is what counts, not having to follow well-trodden paths, making products that we already know.”
Volkshaus Series by Herzog & de Meuron for ClassiCon
Architecture and objects are often created in tandem – as was the case for the Volkshaus Basel boutique hotel, a historic building that was reimagined by Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron over a decade ago. The sculptural collection of furniture crafted from solid timber and cord has now been released by Classicon.
Comprising a Lounge Chair, Stool, and Side Table, each piece takes inspiration from traditional Japanese timber architecture, with a complex interlocking connection between the timber legs. ClassiCon predict big things for the Vokshaus Series in residential interiors, high-end commercial spaces, and hospitality projects.
LC14 Tabouret Cabanon Stool by Bottega Veneta x Le Corbusier Foundation x Cassina
At the last Milan Fashion Week, Bottega Veneta created a theatrical catwalk built from stacks of reimagined LC14 Tabouret Cabanon stools. The limited edition stools – a tribute to Le Corbusier’s iconic original, designed in 1952 for his Cabanon cabin on the Côte d’Azur – transform the original simple timber crate into a highly-crafted luxury item using the fashion house’s signature Intrecciato braiding technique. The surface is then burned by hand to create a richly tactile surface. The limited edition stools, made in collaboration with Cassina and the Le Corbusier Foundation, were officially launched during Milan Design Week in an installation titled On the Rocks.
Villa Planchart Segnaposto plates by Ginori 1735 & Saint Laurent
In the 1950s, iconic Italian designer Gio Ponti designed a villa for Anala and Armando Planchart in Venezuela. Not only did he design the villa itself, but also much of the furniture, lighting and even a collection of 12 porcelain plates that were produced by Florentine porcelain manufacturer Ginori 1735. During this year’s Milan Design Week, the collection was re-issued in collaboration with French fashion house Saint Laurent. Each plate features brightly coloured motifs that relate to the design of the villa and the letter ‘A,’ which represents the initials of the clients.
Alder by Patricia Urquiola for Mater
Sustainability is always a buzz word during Milan Design Week – and it’s refreshing to see it used meaningfully. Danish design brand Mater has spent the past few years developing a new material made from waste – including coffee bean shells and sawdust – bound with bioplastic. Dubbed ‘Matek’, this new material was showcased in Milan with a collection of small tables designed by Patricia Urquiola that feature Matek shaped around a 94 per cent recycled steel frame. At the end of its life, the table can be broken down into individual components and upcycled through Mater’s ‘Take Back System.’
