Design Debuts from UniFor, Ethnicraft, SolidNature, and More

UniFor 
Fondazione Feltrinelli
Marking the brand’s rekindled partnership with firms Snøhetta and Foster + Partners, UniFor has invited the artist Ron Gilead to imagine an installation at the Herzog & De Meuron-designed Fondazione Feltrinelli. For the occasion, Gilead has employed the Snøhetta Bokhus shelves (previously designed for libraries) and the XYZ shelving system (which features three distinctive parts—the X Timber shelf, the Y table, and the Z desk) by Foster + Partners in a geometric concept that creates a sort of maze. 

Ethnicraft
Salone del Mobile
The spring collection from Ethnicraft was the house’s choice debut for Milan Design Week, embracing themes of renewal and nature that are associated with the season. The responsibly made collection features a light, airy feel, employing neutral colors, organic shapes, and materials like teak wood and Nubuck leather. Featured are designs like the wooden Eye lounge chair, those seen in the “Roller Max” collection, and the “Polished Imperfect” collection, which includes sleek items like floor mirror, candleholders, and a wall-hanging coat rack. 

Fantini x Boffi: “ABOUTWATER"
Fuorisalone
Fantini highlighted its ongoing collaborations with Boffi in an optical illusion of mirrored sinks entitled “ABOUTWATER.” In addition to the latest “Ex.Series” of bathroom fixtures, the presentation saw three previous collaborative collections on display—“PIPE” by Marcel Wanders, “GARDEN” by Piero Lissoni, and “ECLIPSE” by Studiocharlie.

SolidNature: “Beyond the Surface”
Spazio Cernaia’s Casa Maveri
For its first solo presentation during Milan Design Week, SolidNature introduced the dreamscape that is “Beyond the Surface” at Spazio Cernaia. Acknowledging the power of nature, the stone-centric installation was conceptualized by Ellen Van Loon and OMA’s Giulio Margheri, offering parallels between the act of dreaming and the formation and quarrying of stone. Stretching from the basement to the gardens of Casa Maveri, the presentation offers entrancing visuals made of stone, encompassing aspects from the blue onyx entry and multicolored staircase, all the way to the multiple environments and structures outdoors. 

FLORIM
FLORIM Flagship, Spazio CEDIT, and Salone del Mobile
Two design initiatives by FLORIM were introduced during Milan Design Week, viewable at multiple locations throughout the city. At Spazio CEDIT and Salone del Mobile, the brand is showing “Compata” by Federico Peri—a series of ceramic stoneware surfaces with a play on light and shadow, looking at the most primitive aspects of the earth. Also at Salone del Mobile as well as at the FLORIM flagship in Brera, Matteo Nunziati’s “Scenarios” creatively interprets the 13 new stone surfaces introduced by the brand, applicable to the Magnum kitchen range.

H+O x Muuto: “Butterfly Effect”
H+O Apartment Gallery
On view within the 18th-century structure of its Apartment Gallery, H+O’s “Butterfly Effect” conveys the concept that our lives and states of mind can be directly affected by the things that surround us. Proposing a living environment as a sensory experience, the beautifully conceived space (curated by Elisa Ossino and Josephine Akvama Hoffmeyer) has been filled with furniture, lighting, and accessories by MUUTO offering a fresh, upbeat mood. “Butterfly Effect” also includes a journey of flavor by V-ZUG in the kitchen, a presentation by TUBES giving a fresh take on heating elements, and more.