EDIT by designjunction, a smaller version of the London Design Festival’s designjunction, was back in Milan for a second year, this time in the 18th century Palazzo Morando, in the heart of Milan’s fashion district.
Design duo Laetitia de Allegri and Eva Feldkamp were showing their debut collection, Issue No.1, a tribute to feminine sensibility. I loved their bright yellow magazine rack.
Also by de Allegri / Feldkamp, a foldable stool was inspired by the mood and feel of sailing…
…and doubles up as a decorative wallhanging.
Tom Raffield hails all the way from Cornwall, the very South West tip of England, so it was great to see his work in Milan. He invented a new steam bending technique while he was still at university and has been making innovative furniture ever since.
Utopia & Utility launched a new collection, Branch Bowl, featuring their trademark handblown glass combined with a section of a tree with a small branch growing from it. This is shaped to act as a lid, and the glass is blown to fit it.
Lady Cage was designed by Massimo Rosati for Zava. Inspired by the old-fashioned workshop light, the rough ‘cage lamp’ sketches the outline of a classic shade and “dreams of being a real lady”. The cage is made of iron with a black plastic handle and coloured cables are available on demand.
The Lily chair by Michael Sodeau looked great in bright yellow against the monochromatic backdrop of the Modus space.
Jamie McLellan, a former designer at Tom Dixon, designed the Fibre Light for New Zealand design studio Resident, using paper-thin carbon-fibre strips around a central acrylic diffuser.
The Bramah Light was EOQ’s first exploration into lighting, hence its simple and recognisable silhouette. It’s extruded from a solid block of aluminium, creating a form which throws delicate shadows across the room.
Sir Kenneth Grange, founding partner of world-renowned interdisciplinary design consultancy Pentagram, and the man behind iconic British designs such as the Parker Pen, Kodak cameras, the London cab and the Intercity 125 was in Milan to launch the April sofa for Modus, designed in collaboration with recent RCA graduate Jack Smith. Grange said, “It all started some years ago when I got a job at the Royal College as a visiting professor, and this young man was one of the more tricky students…”
Designer, entrepreneur and sustainability advocate Yves Béhar was in town to launch Sodastream Source, which uses tap water to make sparkling drinks, saving the average home 550 plastic bottles a year. He says, “People love the idea of things which are made just in time, as well as the idea that sustainability really makes sense.”
I worked with Crane TV to make this short film for Design Milk about what it meant to them to be in Milan and the work they were presenting…
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- out and about :: ventura lambrate, milan 2014
- out and about :: zona tortona, milan 2014
- out and about :: wallpaper*handmade, milan 2014
- out and about :: milan 2014 preview
