This year I’m reporting on the fair from home in Sydney, but thanks to email and social media (hello Instagram), there is plenty filtering through already from the world’s largest furniture design event, the Milan Furniture Fair. Here’s five designs that have instantly caught my attention, from designers near and afar, even before the fair begins.
1. Ross Gardam’s Polar Desk Lamp
Since launching his studio in Melbourne in 2007, Ross Gardam has launched several furniture and lighting pieces and his Polar desk lamp is being shown at Ventura Lambrate in Milan this year. These photos by Haydn Cattach show a variety of colours and backdrops – it will be interesting to see how these translate to different environments.
2. WES by Tom Fereday of Local Design
Tom Fereday is one half of Sydney-based Local Design with partner Emma Elizabeth and the pair are behind a fantastic exhibition of 12 independent designers showing in Milan this year. The exhibition is being shown at a beautiful old Milanese church-turned-theatre, the Teatro Arsenale, situated near the Duomo and the designers exhibiting are: Tom Fereday, Emma Elizabeth, Shilo Engelbrecht, Kate Banazi, Tom Skeehan, Toby Jones, Rachel Vosila, Andrew Simpson, Mr.Frag, Coco Reynolds, DAAST & Alex Fitzpatrick. The WES range is distributed by Zenith in Australia and is inspired by film director Wes Anderson.
3. Last Stool Splatter by Max Lamb for Hem
Hem is a Swedish design studio with pieces by a number of globally-famous designers, including London-based Max Lamb who has added a paint-flecked version to his stool design with the Last Stool Splatter. Also launching are works by Philippe Malouin, Karoline Fesser and Studio deFORM, while the launch will offer (for those at the fair) ice-cream inspired by the splatter – you can’t go wrong really.
4. Puzzle tile by Barber Osgerby for Mutina
British design duo Barber Osgerby are presenting their latest collaboration with Mutina, a range of tiles called Puzzle, with geometries that encourage a creative response in layout. Beautiful work again from one of my favourite design teams (you can read my interview with Barber Osgerby at the fair in 2014 here).
5. Fashion by Anouk van de Sande as part of “What’s the Matter”
Frame publishers are pushing the boundaries once again, holding an experiential exhibition called What’s the Matter: Design for a Phygital World in Milan’s Brera district this year. One of the exhibitors is recent graduate of Eindhoven Design School Anouk van de Sande whose collection “Print in Motion” features fabric layers with geometries worn on the body that vibrate with colour and movement. What a talent.
These are the early pieces that caught my eye – what have you seen that you loved so far this year?
