The design week in Milan is about to finish, and I am sitting by my desk with a cup of coffee thinking about all the things that happened. A summary will follow. But here is an introduction. As part of an international network of trend hunters and people active on social media (desperately trying to avoid the word “influencer”…), I was invited to a day at the fair with more indepth discussions and talks to a handful of selected Italian brands. Everything organised by the magazine Design Diffusion. And this is something I did last year as well. Look at the stories from 2018 here.
During a day we got to talk to brands and design companies like Poliform, Flou, Boffi, Depadova, Nardi and Kartell.
This is what it looks like. A group of people eagerly taking notes and publishing things online. My group consisted of Italian Bark, Passion Shake, Interiors Design and That Scandinavian Feeling.
Busy, busy…
Poliform showed plenty of new things. Focusing on rounded edges.
They were also looking at new materials as lava. A trend indeed…
But everything is round.
Flou is a luxury brand focusing a lot on beds. They also had a lot of mix-and-match textiles.
Always focusing on beds, they still manage to introduce some interesting pieces. These are bookshelves with light in the center.
Depadova had a whole range of new stuff. I liked the 70s touch on the back of this sofa.
Same collection. You comfortably fit two people in this easy chair.
And this table in Corian. Nice balance act. By Piero Lissoni for Depadova.
Boffi showed how they mix materials in the bathroom. Stonce and painted wood.
We already saw similar actions last year, but kitchens must be much more flexible. Here you cover up the whole cooking section and turn it into a bar.
Can’t help to love details like you have a garbage sink with good lid in the cooking section.
Nardi was a new acquaintance for me. They are Italian and make funky outdoor furniture. This year they focus on flexibility. The backrest can be moved and you can easily change colours on the cushions.
The day ended off with a visit to Kartell. I will talk more about them in my feed tomorrow. But the new AI chair is absolutely one of the biggest “talk of the town” from the fair.
Last year Kartell introduced a lot of new concept. Things that might come into production in a few years. So this year they changed and fully focused on talking about things that can be in stores by summer. This year. Not next year. So, of course it is nice and interesting to see how they talk about bio plastics. Good. More sustainability.