Milan Design Week 2023 - Part One

Milan Design Week is one of the most anticipated events in the world of design, attracting visitors from all over the globe to witness the latest innovations and designs in the industry. This year's edition of Milan Design Week has been no exception, with the first half of the event showcasing an exciting array of cutting-edge designs and ideas.

In this article, we'll take a closer look at some of the highlights of the first half of Milan Design Week 2023, exploring the most innovative and thought-provoking designs, and examining the emerging trends in the industry.
Milan

Muuto presents The Butterfly Effect

For this year’s Milan Design Week, Muuto joins forces with Josephine Akvama Hoffmeyer and Elisa Ossino of H+O to create an immersive exhibition across their apartment gallery at Via Solferino 11 in Brera. Sharing a distinct passion for color, form and tactility—Muuto wanted to investigate how these impact our perception of a space and how it affects us. The exhibition is a physical manifestation of the profound effect seemingly small changes in our immediate environment can have on everyday life and our sense of wellbeing. Embodied by the rounded curves of a chair, the deep hue of our bedroom wall or the warm materiality of a wooden tabletop, this idea is folded out across the familiarity of a home.

Milan Design Week 2023

The exhibition is a physical manifestation of the profound effect seemingly small changes in our immediate environment can have on everyday life and our sense of wellbeing. Embodied by the rounded curves of a chair, the deep hue of our bedroom wall or the warm materiality of a wooden tabletop, this idea is folded out across the familiarity of a home.

Milan

The Wrong Shop makes its Milan debut

The Milan Salon Collection will showcase extraordinary edition prints and posters by contemporary designers from across the globe, introducing brand new works by Ronan Bouroullec, Jaime Hayon, Nathalie du Pasquier and Bethan Laura Wood.

Ronan Bouroullec adds three new drawings to his ongoing poster series. Alongside his work as a designer, drawing – which has been a regular activity since early childhood – occupies an important place in Ronan Bouroullec’s daily life. Unlike his previous drawings, where form unfolds progressively through repeated gestures, here line and colour reach across all sides of the composition.

Contemporary posters from artists Jaime Hayon and Rop van Mierlo will also be revealed. Both Hayon’s and van Mierlo’s creative practices move easily between illustration, art, installations, and textiles.

Milan Design Week 2023

Walter Knoll presents Together Again

Located in the Rimessa dei Fiori, designed by Ippolito Fleitz design studio, the temporary showroom had an ephemeral, airy feel, with floral installations by Studio de Pasquale. Walter Knoll showcased new designs in their return to the Brera District.

Maaru Sofa designed by EOOS
Maaru is an expression of lifestyle. A sofa in free-form – rounded, curved lines like a warm embrace. Softness, naturalness and harmony, executed with accomplished upholstery expertise. Maaru comes from Maru - Japanese for circle.

Temno Table designed by EOOS
Temno Table is a fusion of architecture and sculpture. A table inspired by classical and modern sculpture, made of sensual, natural materials. Feigning effortlessness, the vertical column supports the solid wood tabletop. Temno is inspired from the Greek "temenos" for temple.

Ison Bench designed by EOOS
A new interpretation of the classic corner bench – Ison. Light, minimal, complex. The upholstered bench embraces the principle of modernity: less is more. It can be freestanding and radiates lightness. As a corner bench, sofa bench, bench for dining – for working and living. The word Ison is Japanese for legacy.

Milan Design Week 2023

Made In Ratio presents ERA

Brodie Neill marks10 years of Made in Ratio at Salone del Mobile Milano 2023 with Era, an exhibition celebrating a decade of contemporary seating and explorative design.

A sculptural installation in the Brera Design District, Era is a retrospective of Made In Ratio’s exceptional work in seating design, with 10 pieces that tell the story of the brand’s lifetime and explore Neill’s philosophy as a furniture designer. Presented as a single monolithic sculpture for viewers to explore, Era features signature Made In Ratio chairs like the Cowrie (2013) and Alpha (2015) alongside experimental prototype benches and stools. Some pieces have never been presented publicly before, including Core (2020), which is inspired by the archetype of a pillar with two functional reliefs hewn into its stone cross-section, and the Arcbench (2023), which plays with the idea of surface tension with its sweeping curves and contrasting smooth and rigid faces.

Milan Design Week 2023

Memphis Milano presents Enlightened

Memphis Milano and Studio Azzurro present ‘ENLIGHTENED,’ a path made up of small visual deceptions, which aims to show the possibility of an expressive use of video.

The exhibition is conceived as a path of visual deceptions through the rooms of the Milanese Gallery, where the Memphis’ lights are the protagonist of a play of shadows and reflections interlaced with surreal video sequences in a contemporary and surreal journey. The objects will be juxtaposed with screens, treated as the space of a small theatre in which the real object is reflected and comes to life, creating a continuous dialogue between inside and outside the screen, between the static nature of the object and the mobility of the image. The exhibition consists of seven installations through the Gallery rooms, each one dedicated to an iconic light from the Memphis collection.

Milan

Brionvega presents Art Products

Brionvega will showcase the most iconic products developed by Brionvega throughout its history. Including new colourways of several icons.

Brionvega, the renowned Italian electronics company, has made a splash at Milan design week with the release of a new version of their iconic Radiofonografo. This time, the sleek and stylish device comes in a striking shade of blue, adding a vibrant pop of colour to the classic design. First introduced in the 1960s, the Radiofonografo quickly became a beloved staple in Italian homes, known for its combination of high-quality audio and eye-catching design. Now, over 50 years later, Brionvega has updated the device with modern technology while still maintaining its signature retro look. Brionvega's decision to release the blue Radiofonografo at Milan design week demonstrates the company's commitment to both design and innovation. By updating a classic piece of technology with modern features and a fresh colour, they have created a product that pays homage to the past while looking towards the future.

Similarly, the Totem by Mario Bellini is presented in a black lacquered finish, complementing the white finish currently in the collection. The strong identity of this sculptural form is enhanced by the presentation of the two colours that are opposites by nature.

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