In Italy for Milan Design Week? Be sure to check out debuts from brands like Herman Miller, Lexus, nendo and more, on view at Salone del Mobile and in spaces around the city.
Courtesy of Herman Miller.
Herman Miller: “100 Years of Herman Miller”
Brera Design District
On April 18, Herman Miller debuted a vibrant presentation in its Milan showroom celebrating 100 years of a monumental journey in graphic design, currently on view through April 22. For the occasion of Salone del Mobile, the innovative brand unearthed an archive of cultural treasures, which will subsequently travel to Chicago’s MillerKnoll Design Days this summer. The brand pays homage to a myriad of visionaries, from its very first design director Gilbert Rohde and his wife Peggy, who designed lively marketing campaigns which positioned the company at the center of modern design, to its partnerships with figureheads like the Eames Office, George Nelson, and the current Studio 7.5. 100 numbered prints of an Eames Soft Pad Group poster, created by John Massey, is now available in the Milan showroom, as well as a special edition copy of the book Herman Miller: A Way of Living.
Installation view of “Shaped by Air,” courtesy of Suchi Reddy and Lexus.
Lexus: “Shaping the Future”
Superstudio
Lexus presented a sweeping installation by Suchi Reddy, as well as the four winning designs of its 2023 Lexus Design Award, on view from April 18–22. Invoking the theme of “Shaping the Future,” Reddy, founder of Reddymade Architecture and Design, created the otherworldly installation: “Shaped by Air,” which celebrates the Lexus Electrified Sport concept vehicle with an enveloping, Matisse-like forest of verdant, suspended forms. “This immersive interpretation in Milan makes use of repetition, multisensory elements, and three-dimensionality to create an emotional environment that envelops the body like a car,” explained Reddy. Alongside the multisensory installation within Superstudio, the dynamic prototypes developed by winners of this year’s design award: Pavels Hedström, Jiaming Liu, Temporary Office, and Kyeongho Park & Yejin Heo, are also on display. The 11th iteration of the award acknowledges outstanding innovation in design for a brighter future ahead. Spectacular creations include Hedström’s Fog-X jacket, a shelter that captures fog which becomes drinkable water, and Park & Heo’s Zero Bag, a package that dissolves in water, removes its own chemicals, and limits waste.
Installation view of Arsham Studio x nendo’s “Break to Make,” courtesy of the artists and Friedman Benda, New York.
Arsham Studio x nendo
Nendo Milan office
From April 18–23, coinciding with Milan Design Week, Friedman Benda unveiled the much-anticipated four-year-long collaboration of American artist Daniel Arsham and Japanese design firm nendo. Multidisciplinary artists Arsharm and Oki Sato of nendo fuse their singular expressive and humorous design approaches to produce pastel, “archaeological” objects—such as an avant-garde loveseat, stool, and console table—which surpass time, space, and even purpose. “After we create objects with no intended use, Daniel creates new functions by breaking them,” explained nendo. “An artist who expresses present objects as past artifacts, and a designer who makes present objects that anticipate the future. The collaboration may be seen as an overlay of these two contrary perspectives.”
Courtesy of Ligne Roset.
Ligne Roset: “Editions — Reeditions”
Fiera Milano
During Salone del Mobile, Ligne Roset debuted “Editions — Reeditions,” the LA Collection 2023, on view from April 18–23. The reissued Kashima settee by Michel Ducaroy offers luxurious all-foam seating in pleasing curves and “pinched” seams, allowing for the ultimate in relaxation as well as support. Named for a woman of beauty and bravery in mythology, the Carrara marble Camma table by Marie C. Dorner will be the highlight of any dining space, its trio of thick monolithic legs holding up a smooth, rounded top, just waiting to be adorned with elegant eats.
Photography by Frederik Lindstrøm, courtesy of FENDI Casa.
Louis Poulsen x FENDI Casa
Fiera Milano
Louis Poulsen and FENDI Casa revealed a legendary collaboration alongside Salone del Mobile, viewable from April 18–23. Five iconic Poul Henningsen designs are reimagined to the tune of FENDI’s opulent Italian style, raising a toast to the supreme heritage of both historic houses. Playful pendants, as well as the notable FENDI pequin pattern, in the form of smooth, elegant table lamps and suspended light fixtures, bring together the meticulous craftsmanship of Danish design and spirited Italian luxury. “This collaboration highlights the ability of FENDI Casa to reinterpret historical heritage with a profoundly contemporary spirit,” said Alberto Da Passano, CEO at FF Design, “while fostering the values of authenticity, uniqueness, and desirability that have always characterized the Maison.”
Courtesy of Andrés Reisinger and Moooi.
Andrés Reisinger: “POLLINATION OF HORTENSIA”
Salone dei Tessuti
On April 18, Salone dei Tessuti presented an ethereal new collection of rugs titled “POLLINATION OF HORTENSIA” by leading digital artist Andrés Reisinger for Dutch lifestyle brand Moooi, currently on view through April 22. The dream-like creations, with sensorial titles such as Spring Pollen, Summer Pollen, and Autumn Pollen, beckon viewers in hazy floral designs and sumptuous shades of violet, honey, and cornflower blue. “I followed my fascination for the realms of flowers and fell in a beautiful rabbit hole; the process of pollination is an enchanting lesson of progress, phases, and life that I wanted to portray in a moving, but still image,” said Reisinger. “So I created the digital artwork series ‘Pollen’ —and because I’ve always found the need to surround myself with physical pieces that recall a natural environment, I gave life to the collection of carpets ‘Pollination of Hortensia’.”
Photo by Andrea Ferrari, courtesy of Dimorestudio.
Dimorestudio: “Silence and No Sense”
Dimorecentrale Gallery
Dimorestudio rejoiced in its momentous 20th anniversary on April 17 in Milan, presenting two paradoxical installations: “Silence” and “No Sense,” on view through April 21. “Silence” debuted within the brand’s new headquarters and is made up of four refined, noble environments, while “No Sense” is shown in the historic Via Solferino apartment and embodies the expressive, organic beginnings of Dimoregallery, Dimoremilano, and Dimorestudio. The comprehensive project breaks new design ground, inviting all into the lively, ever-beating cultural heart of Dimorestudio.
