First official day of the fair at the Rho Fiera (exhibition ground) and the bustle begins at the station. Nicky Lobo and the team make it in for their first look at what’s being launched at Milan 2013, here are their picks
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Bolon – bolon.com
Bolon launched a new studio shape called The Wing, as well as their autobiographical book about the last 10 years of the business.
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The Story of Bolon – A book by Bolon
A decade ago, the current generation of the family (the company began with their grandparents) undertook a series of designer collaborations.
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Bolon stand at Salone
Bolon friends, such as Jean Nouvel and Missoni, have taken the company into some fantastic projects, and onto many of the stands at this year’s fair.
Bolon stand at Salone
Wing – A new tile design from Bolon
Melbourne Movement – melbournemovement.com
Continuing to carry the torch each year, Melbourne Movement – led by the inimitable Kjell Grant – proudly shows at Milan as one of the only Australian exhibitors.
Blossom – Jiyoon Kim, The Melbourne Movement
Lumps – Tracy Jung, The Melbourne Movement
The group of RMIT students takes part in SaloneSatellite, the section of the fair that promotes emerging design. It’s one of the most interesting parts of the fair as it shows purely creative works, and brands such as Moooi cast a keen eye over the designs to scout for new talent. Good luck to Ed Lineacre and Jiyoon Kim for their entries into the annual competition, which are judged by a panel of industry leaders.
Ribbon Chair – Vivianne Kollevris, The Melbourne Movement
The Nest – Ed Linacre, The Melbourne Movement
Tokujin Yoshioka for Kartell – kartell.it
We spoke with Tokujin about his Sparkle range for Kartell, on their ‘Galleria’ stand. It’s a further exploration of light playing across and through surfaces, a fitting concept for the primarily plastic brand.
Sparkle Table – Tokujin Yoshioka for Kartell
Tokujin graced Australian shores recently and we’d love to see him back sometime soon.
Sparkle Stool and Table – Tokujin Yoshioka for Kartell
Missoni Stand at Salone del Mobile 2013
Missoni – missoni.com
We’re loving their new ranges, which are a balance of surprisingly earthy palettes, and the more dazzling colour combinations we’ve come to know and love.
Missoni Stand at Salone del Mobile 2013
The large pouffe seating is still a winner, but the feature of the stand was the light fixtures, which dripped Missoni-coloured threads from on high to the display floor.
Adam Cornish and Michael Young for Wovin Wall
Wovin Wall – wovinwall.com
Another Australian company exhibiting and launching some impressive new designs. Michael Young’s metal panels belie their acoustic nature; the faceted surface invites the sound in and perforations allow sound waves in to the soft, noise-absorbing surface underneath.
Adam Cornish for Wovin Wall
Adam Cornish has taken inspiration from unfurling petals to create his decorative panels; each ‘petal’ can be curled up individually and held in place by a concealed magnet. The varying colours of the back panel and the petal panels, and the physical curling up of them, creates great depth for a dynamic wall treatment.