With another Milan Design Week in the books, we’re still thinking about these new Design Debuts from Minotti, Poliform, and Poltrona Frau.
From Minotti, we saw its 2023 collection featuring furniture and design pieces for the inside of the home and outdoors. Conceived by designers Rodolfo Dordoni, Marcio Kogan of studio mk27, Inoda+Sveje, Gordon Guillaume, Gam Fratesi, and Oki Sato, founder of nendo, the introductions included beds, chairs, sofas, tables, ottomans, rugs, and more, imagined in shades of black and fresh neutrals that were at once chic and contemporary. Among our favorites were the Twiggy bed (a low frame and tall headboard in brown quilted leather), the Pilotis console, which offered a pleasant surprise turning shiny silver tubing into a sleek tabletop, and the oblong Torii Nest outdoor chairs and sofa with the wicker cane backing.
Six new stylistic suites were added to Poliform’s outdoor furniture collection, titled Ketch, Soori Day Lounge, Sunday, Monolith, Mad Out, and Magnolia, respectively. The Ketch pieces included a sofa, a detachable canopy, and a chair in iroko wood and recycled polyester reminiscent of canvas. The Soori Day Lounge features a black woven backrest and an oversized rounded seat with removable covers. Also among our favorites were the Monolith tables which fittingly resemble ancient stone monuments—including a large dining-sized surface with a unique three-legged shape and a lower version on a single base, both available in variations like the brand’s Cementoskin, natural or stained iroko, and mat brushed basalt stone.
Enticing shapes and textures were among the first things that stood out about Poltrona Frau’s latest, the “Pleasures” collection. Blending history, tradition, and culture, the collection is made up of smaller suites, designed by the likes of Roberto Lazzeroni, Simona Cremascoli, Jean-Marie Massaud, and reimagined icons from Gio Ponti. Displayed in a gorgeous range of scenography from monochrome blue environments to those of palazzo-inspired murals and molding, we saw pieces like a new take on Ponti’s Dezza Relevance seat in a funky geometric print and the modular Bay seating system with Foster + Partners, with endless configurations of modules and curves perfect for waiting spaces. Accompanying these debuts is a series of new materials and upholstery fabrics, like the fluffy cotton chenille Mollis, the Botè jacquard (reinventing a Persian motif), the earth-friendly Pelle Frau Velvety nubuck, and 16 colorways of Ziggy, a fire-resistant, washable velvet made of recycled fibers.