Day five: 2014 Milan Furniture Fair

The Milan Furniture Fair is the premier forum for the world’s most renowned manufacturers to present their latest products and concepts. In the design districts across the city, off the grid exhibitions and interactive installations showcase the latest products and ideas. Last week, Architecture Media editorial director Cameron Bruhn scoured the city. Below are his favourites from day five. For more highlights of the fair, follow Artichoke magazine on Instagram and Twitter.

Animal House installation by Marni

The Animal House installation by Marni has come alive at Viale Umbria 42. Giraffes, ostriches, rabbits, ducks, donkeys and flamingos, made of metal and bright-coloured PVC, have taken over the space, joining the products. Marni has collaborated with a group of Colombian women to create new handmade furniture pieces where each one is unique, but tailored in different colors. This limited-edition range is characterized by asymmetry and the freedom of choosing different compositions.

For more information, visit the Marni website.

Floating Forest installation by Cassina

Designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, the installation blends the exterior landscape with the interior world of Cassina. Fujimoto imagines a future where we rediscover our natural origins, creating a stand with walls and ceilings fading away, morphing into weightless trees floating through the stand. Mirrors suspended from above reflect this natural setting creating an immersive space infinitely multiplied.

Corporate Culture is the Australian supplier of Cassina.

DR bathtub from Agape.

DR bathtub from Agape.

DR bathtub from Agape

This flexible bathtub for two is the first project designed in collaboration by Marcio Kogan, Mariana Ruzante and Studio MK27. The designers say, “The intention is to create a friendly, sensual and charismatic object. The smooth, flowing lines of DR offer great versatility.” The bathtub is made of bentwood outside and solid surface inside, with wall- or floor-mounted taps.

Artedomus is the Australian supplier of Agape.

Cucina Blade kitchen system

Designed by Andrea Bassanello for Modulnova, Blade features a new functional order that creates original visual effects: parallel volumes and straight lines. The wall is fitted with tall units that house the most advanced appliances. The fully-fitted central island unit has plenty of workspace and a practical breakfast bar.

The Nest 45 is the Australian supplier of Modulnova.

AHNDA chair from Dedon

The AHNDA chair by Stephen Burks embraces luxurious comfort, hand craftsmanship, advanced materials research and a spirit of openness and inclusiveness. AHNDA features a clearly articulated structure, visible through what Burks describes as a “transparent upholstery” of woven textile cords. To achieve the effect, Burks worked closely with Dedon’s master weavers in the Philippines. AHNDA comes in two rich colourways: Elemental, comprising rich, warm reds and browns; and Stardust, with silvers, greys and midnight blues.

Corporate Culture is the Australian supplier of Dedon.

Nest sofa from Moooi.

Nest sofa from Moooi.

Nest collection from Moooi

The Nest collection’s linear, clear metal structure lifts the plumpest and softest cushions from the floor, creating a comfortable, elevated nest for one or more people. For the lovers of fresh, colourful prints, designer Marcel Wanders has developed two signature textiles: One Minute, with its instant splashes of blue skies; and Flower Bits, with a bloom of flowers and butterflies.

Space Furniture is the Australian supplier of Moooi.

The Washington collection for Knoll

Knoll has teamed up with London-based architect David Adjaye to create the Washington collection. The collection consists of seating that transforms Adjaye’s architectural vision into accessible objects for the home and office. The two cantilevered chairs – Washington Skeleton and Washington Skin – establish a play between propping and balancing, so that they are simultaneously functional and sculptural. The chairs, with their unique leg design, are available in two materials: die-cast aluminum (Washington Skeleton) and reinforced nylon (Washington Skin).

Dedece is the Australian supplier of Knoll.

A marble shelf from the Solid Senses exhibition.

A marble shelf from the Solid Senses exhibition.

Solid Senses exhibition

Solid Senses is a creative exhibition presented by Robot City Italian Art Factory. Four important personalities from different generations and trends in architecture and design were invited to work on a valuable material, Carrara marble, to create unique objects. Cini and Stefano Boeri, Stefano Giovannoni, Alessandro Mendini and Paolo Ulian made a series of original works for the exhibition. Each designer enhanced the expressive and functional potential of marble, transforming it into advanced contemporary expressions according to their personal style and language. All the objects in the Solid Senses project were made from a single block of marble, weighing 38.750 tonnes. The marble was worked on with a combination of high-technology and robotically controlled processes, with skilled supervision by expert marble artisans.

For more information, visit the Robot City website.

Frames collection for Expormim

The Frame collection, designed by Jaime Hayon, exudes Mediterranean flavour. The rattan used on the chair was inspired by “La Exportadora de Mimbre” of the sixties, when furniture was created to complete the attractive terraces of the Mediterranean. The Frames collection includes an armchair, a room divider and a side table. In order to create them, skilled craftsmen select the rattan rods, curve them with heat and manually introduce them into the moulds.

KE-ZU is the Australia distributor for Empormim.

Customizable SodaStream by Yves Béhar.

Customizable SodaStream by Yves Béhar.

Customizable SodaStream by Yves Béhar

An interactive installation in Milan, curated by Yves Béhar, shows how SodaStream is entering a new digital era by allowing the consumer to personalize their machine. A SodaStream App offers a choice of six interchangeable colours across the three core components. Béhar says, “I wanted to create a ‘do-it-yourself’ environment by extending people’s experience of mixing their own drinks to building their own machines. It’s a simple idea that awakens the ‘maker’ in all of us, while making the right consumer choice environmentally and having fun in doing so.”

For more information, visit the SodaStream website.

De Natura Fossilium by Studio Formafantasma

Studio Formafantasma, in collaboration with Gallery Libby Sellers, presented De Natura Fossilium – a new body of work that investigates the culture of lava in the Mount Etna and Stromboli regions of Sicily, homes to two of the last active volcanoes in Europe. Historically, local craftsmen would mould molten lava erupting from small craters into celebrated and elaborate forms. In more recent times this craft has effectively been devalued, as the technique has mostly been used to produce inexpensive souvenirs. Formafantasma’s explorations and the resulting objects are challenging this situation and realizing the full potential of the lava as a material for design. Geometric volumes have been carved from basalt and combined with brass structural elements to produce stools, coffee tables and a clock. By returning the rocks to their original molten state Formafantasma is reversing the natural timeline of the material and forcing a dialogue between the natural and man-made.

For more information, visit the Studio Formafantasma website.

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