The most impressive collections showcased at the Milan Design Week ’21
- Art Featured Lifestyle
Schenelle Dsouza
- 18 minutes read
Schenelle Dsouza
Milan Design Week is known to be one of the largest and most anticipated fairs worldwide showcasing everything from art to home accessories to furniture. While there was an enormous selection of pieces this year, here’s a roundup of designs that are simply unmissable.
Artemest
Italian design retailer Artemest introduced a magnificent collection of custom-made pieces created by artisans from across the country, compiled in a collection called Aqva.
The collection, inspired by water, included an ethereal assortment of artworks and objects like the Monica Gasperini swing chair, Biancodichina cloud-shaped floor lamp and more.
Bulgari Metamorphosis
Bvlgari asked four international contemporary artists to recreate their personal ideation of metamorphosis at the Galleria D’arte Moderna. For Japanese flower artist Azuma Makoto, ‘metamorphosis encapsulates and expresses the notion of ‘life’ as seen in her ‘The Garden of Eden’ featuring a huge brass tree sprouting real fruits and flowers.
Daan Roosegaarde’s ‘Lotus Oculus’ pays homage to the grandeur of Roman architecture. A large surface of smart plates inspired by the lotus, which open up responding to heat and light. Roosegaarde calls it ‘a metamorphosis of technology and a metaphor of nature.’
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Ann Veronica Janssens’ interpretation ‘Gam Gam Gam’ embraces the shifting images created from the optical effects of reflected light, resulting in fascinating visual effects.
The final piece by Vincent Van Duysen is called ‘Shelter’. A monolithic object, the installation has been created as a refuge offering shelter and silence, a composition of surfaces and walls which offer guests a new perception of space.
Dior Medallion Chair Exhibition
Dior invited seventeen artists and designers from all around the world to reinterpret its iconic 1947 medallion chair. Described as “sober, simple, and above all classic, and Parisian,” the chair was used by Christian Dior himself to seat guests at his fashion shows. A symbol of Louis XVI’s style, the traditional furniture piece was reimagined in several artistically defined creations.
Gucci
Presenting a temporary, last-minute collection, Gucci showcased a whimsical selection in a pop-up shop filled with flying notebooks and furnished micro-apartments for mice.
Right from logo-clad stationery and desktop goods to silk travel pillows and skateboards, the collection is decorated in graphic patterns, floral designs and quirky Disney characters.
Poltrona Frau
Italian furniture brand Poltrona Frau presented its first-ever outdoor collection called Boundless Living.
An expression of beauty, comfort and craftsmanship, the collection featured Mediterranean inspired teal-tiled dining tables, sleek solid teak lounge sofas with two-toned upholstered cushions, and cage-style Sparkler lanterns among other creations.
Rick Owens
Known for his signature artistic and visual archetypes, Paris-based designer Rick Owens exhibited a collection called Dialog with emerging Italian designers.
The collection saw clean, brutalist lines contrasted with a “childlike touch” of contemporary Italian designs. This includes items like minimalist camel hair upholstered bench, a small alabaster table fitted with a moose antler as a foot, and smaller knickknacks such as bronze vases and candle holders.
Seletti
Italian homeware brand Seletti showcased a colourful selection of home decor in collaboration with Italian magazine- Toiletpaper.
The wild, eccentric edit featured mirrored cabinets, screens and wardrobes punctuated with pop-art motifs. Seletti showcased side tables shaped like bars of soap with snakes, lipstick and trumpet motifs.
Tom Dixon
Partnering with iconic Italian luxury leather goods brand Valextra, Tom Dixon exhibited a collection called Black Light. The collection was commemorated with an extraordinary breakfast filled with artfully presented fruits and fresh juices.
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The highlight of the exhibit, however, was the Melt chandelier, which featured semi-metallized shades that created a show-stopping optical effect.
Versace Home Collection
In collaboration with Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba, Versace presented a collection of quirky home and furniture pieces.
Celebrating the brand’s eclectic style, the collection featured pieces that combined silk, metals, marble, solid jewel tones with Versace’s signature patterns and motifs.
