People power, FOMO and Instagram: Narratives of Milan 2014

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Instagramming Philippe Starck
Instagramming Philippe Starck

By Penny Craswell

The story you tell yourself about your world, your life, so often becomes your reality. It’s the same at the Milan furniture fair. It is impossible to see the number of things that are on display during the citywide plus fairgrounds event – or to go to all of the parties. So, each fairgoer’s experience is necessarily different, though there is a lot of overlap.

On Dezeen last week, Marcus Fairs claimed that “The star of Milan this year was Instagram” and this was certainly the first year that I used Instagram as the main tool with which to share in real time the show, and check what my friends and fellow journalists were seeing and doing. The fact that it feeds directly to twitter and facebook is also handy. Read more →

Materiality and innovation at Milan Design Week

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By Penny Craswell

As the Milan Furniture Fair ramps up, one of the common themes across the products from around the world is that of materiality – using materials in new ways, developing new material innovations and unexpected combinations of materials.

Me ringing a ceremonial bowl in brass
Me ringing a ceremonial bowl in brass

At the Triennale, a number of Asian design exhibitions were on display, including “Constancy and Change in Korean Traditional Craft” which displayed the work of contemporary Korean artisans working with traditional processes and concepts.

The ceremonial bowls of Master Lee Bong-ju are made in brass and each one, when struck, resonates at a different pitch. Lee Bong-ju is one of the last of a generation of artisans working in this way and has been named a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Treasure. There is a stillness to the vibration of the bowls which, combined with the beauty of the beaten copper, provides a sense of serenity and majesty. Read more →

Milan preview: collaboration and cross-disciplinary design

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“From the highly commercial exhibits of the mega furniture brands, through to the experimental work by designers from all corners of the globe, Milan’s Salone del Mobile 2014 is set to be another extravaganza celebrating all things design.

“This year’s Salone del Mobile is the first chance to see the changes that new president of the fair Claudio Luti has proposed, including making sure there is a concentration of the big brands and making Milan a better experience for those visiting, including doing something about expensive accommodation and improving transport to the fair.”

Here I am in Milan ready to be inspired by the 2014 Salone del Mobile and share all the best design ideas with you.

My preview of the fair for DesignEX is available to view here.

Design and illusion: Jinil Park, YOY Studio

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By Penny Craswell

Last year, Korean designer Jinil Park exhibited his Drawing Series chair and armchair – two chairs that look like drawings. They are so realistic it is difficult to believe the photograph of the chair is not a drawing. The designer created these one-off pieces as an experiment, wanting to see whether he could turn his rough drawings into actual three-dimensional objects that work as a seat: “I created the objects by hand without even a single CAD plan,” says Park. “Choosing the materials, refining and welding them together to make an object was very difficult. But simultaneously it is a difficult and a fun process.”

Janil Park Drawing Series
Janil Park Drawing Series

Also last year, the Canvas series, this time by Japanese design studio YOY, also plays with the idea of turning a drawing into a three dimensional piece of furniture. Hanging Canvas Sofa, which was shown at Salone Satellite during Milan Design Week 2013, is on first glance a print of a drawing of a chair (or sofa) on a stretched canvas. However, these pieces, whose frame is constructed out of wood and aluminium, feature an elastic fabric which allows the user to sit on the canvas – rendering the two-dimensional image of the chair, an actual chair that it is possible to sit in (and is apparently surprisingly comfortable). Read more →