Milan Design Week 2021
Nature, craftmanship and soft pastels – with strong sustainability manifestos
What is going on in the Supersalone in Milan? The world’s biggest annual design gathering just took place in Milan. We took a sneak peak what is going on in the Salone del Mobile – the furniture fair that is the key event during the Design week. Designs in focus celebrated nature, craftsmanship, soft pastels but with strong sustainability manifestos. According to Eclectic Trends, sustainability was the overriding message at the fair. Company manifestos like “Going greener”, “Second life”, “Renew our connection with nature” adorned the Salone’s walls and booths.
Kaarigari by Rashmi Bidasaria
Rashmi Bidararia encoded the movements of block printing artisans into a visual data – channelling their unique signature styles. The project pays homage to the craftsmen and their work in a beautiful execution.
Hypatia Project by Tair Almor
The Hypatia Project was born out of answers from 100 women about their body, nudity, pain and pleasure. From the sequence of answers from each woman, Tair Almor created a unique ceramic vase using modular molds, telling the story of each woman’s experience of the female body.
Seam of Skin by Chiaki Yoshihara
Interior and product designer Chiaki Yoshihara presented Seam of Skin, a furniture collection born from a unique process. Yoshihara has taken polystyrene foam and turned it into furniture with a wood grain-like texture and sheer pastel colours. For the chairs and stools, Yoshihara used polystyrene for its insulation properties together with actual wood, so heat doesn’t escape and the seating surface feels warm.
I’ll be your mirror by Josephine Akvama Hoffmeyer and Elisa Ossino
I’ll Be Your Mirror is a colourful yet calm installation staged throughout a Milanese apartment, featuring contemporary frescoes, classic Scandinavian furniture and mirrored surfaces. The designers said:
“While the balance of material, colors and texture lay at the very surface of interior, we urge spectators to contemplateon their own significance and appearance within space and time.”
The Venus power collection from Patricia Urquiola
Venus Power is a collection of rugs by Patricia Urquiola created for Italian design company cc-tapis. The collaboration between designer and maker explores the idea that all people, regardless of gender, carry a level of femininity within them, and encourages it to be embraced, listened to and accepted. The idea is expressed through the metaphor “We all come from Venus”.
