out and about :: ventura lambrate

One of the main design districts for Milan Design Week is Lambrate, so that was the second stop on our trip. Luckily for someone with no sense of direction like me, Dezeen had produced this handy guide, which was available to download from the Ventura Projects website and pick up around the district.

It’s quite a compact area with a real festival feel so we got into the spirit and started with a gelato (and an espresso… well, when in Milan!)

Caffeine, icy, sugary cravings indulged we got down to some serious design hunting. Here are my top picks from Ventura Lambrate…

I absolutely loved the simplicity of Hook by Line Depping, part of Mindcraft12, a collection of Danish craft and design. The exhibition included a section downstairs which deconstructed the making process – I always enjoy getting a glimpse behind the scenes like this.

Lee Broom‘s Public House was an absolute highlight and it was a pleasure to meet the man himself – he’s so lovely! Interview to follow, but in the meantime, these are the newest addition to Lee’s collection, hand-blown and hand-cut crystal light bulbs.

Werner Aisslinger‘s Chair Farm was a treat too – imagining a future when we can grow furniture rather than manufacturing it. I love the stuffed rabbit (although I’m hoping it wasn’t real!).

I thought Viminibidi was fantastic. Designer Giulia Cavazzani describes it as a ‘parasite’ that grows on mass-produced plastic chairs found in gardens and beach bars, giving them additional functionality – in this case a magazine pocket. It is made entirely from hand-woven wickerwork.

This Alice in Wonderland inspired tea pot was made by Rachel Boxnbolm by creating the desired shape from fabric and using it as a form for the ceramic, then burning off the fabric during the firing process. The result is a kooky but entirely functional and quite lovely teapot.

This Book Light by Barbara Vos caught my eye too – I love the shapes the curled pages make.

The Bubble Chair by Kevin Yu Jui Chou, on display as part of the Han Gallery exhibition, combines traditional skill and materials in the bamboo balls with a modern assembly and style.

The sign says it all! This fab collection of objects is Next Sofa by Mikolaj Wierszyttowski, Cousin Cuento Pillows by Katarzyna Cebulak and Plum Table by Tomasz Augustyniak.

I loved Neven Kovacic‘s reinterpretation of traditional katriga stools, part of a collection of work by Croatian designers inspired by tourism.

All in a all, a great morning in a fabulous area – even the graffiti, wall patina and flyers were inspiring…

Further reading for the especially geeky:

• out and about :: salonesatellite
• out and about :: blog tour nyc
• out and about :: stockholm furniture fair
• out and about :: maison et objet