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    Alessandro Mendini was an “atomic bomb of fantasy” says Philippe Starck

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    In this video produced by Dezeen for Triennale Milano and Fondation Cartier, Philippe Starck describes the “genius” of Alessandro Mendini following the opening of Io Sono Un Drago, an exhibition celebrating the designer.

    French designer Starck, who has contributed an immersive installation to coincide with the exhibition, emphasised the impact that Mendini has had on his own work, citing his sprawling approach to creativity.
    “Mendini is something special for me,” he said in an exclusive video interview with Dezeen. “His brain was an atomic bomb of fantasy, with no limits.”
    Starck’s installation accompanies a retrospective exhibition celebrating Mendini at Milan design week, presented by cultural institutions Triennale Milano and Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.
    Titled Io Sono Un Drago (I am a dragon), the exhibition contains more than 600 pieces by Mendini across his 60-year career. ​​Mendini passed away at the age of 87 in February 2019.

    Mendini was a key figure in the radical design movementThe exhibition sets out to explore Mendini’s influence on 20th-century design and architecture, particularly in his multidisciplinary approach to creativity.
    “Alessandro Mendini was a key figure of the last century, not just for design but also for art and architecture because he was able to link all these disciplines and blur the lines between them,” explained Michela Alessandrini, curator for Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.
    “He revolutionised the idea that design is a well-drawn object,” added Triennale Milano curator Nina Bassoli.
    “He worked with design as a tool for communicating art, poetry, literature, feelings.” said Bassoli.
    The exhibition brings together work from across the realms of art, architecture and designThe title of the exhibition comes from a drawing of a dragon by Mendini, with different parts of its body associated with different professions. Created as an allegorical self-portrait by Mendini, the image was highlighted by the curators as a representation of Mendini’s vast breadth of work across many different practices.
    “[When] talking about Mendini it is quite impossible to have a clear distinction between what is art, what is useful, what is object, what is designed,” said Bassoli.

    Triennale Milano celebrates Alessandro Mendini at Milan design week

    The exhibition is split into six thematic sections and opens with a section titled Identikit, which showcases a series of self-portraits Mendini created over the course of his life.
    Through the display of architectural models, furniture pieces, sculptures and artworks, the show explores themes such as Mendini’s architectural practice with the Atelier Mendini workshop, his experiments with postmodernism and radical design, and his research within design theory.
    Mendini created an optical illusion-like installation towards the end of his careerThree installations created by Mendini towards the end of his life also feature in the exhibition, and engage with the concepts of dreams and nightmares.
    Starck’s installation, titled What? A homage to Alessandro Mendini, is located in the Triennale’s Impluvium space, in accompaniment to the main exhibition.
    The audiovisual installation was designed to take viewers into a sensory journey through Mendini’s mind.
    The installation uses surreal visual projections and fragmented audio to immerse the viewer. Image by Delfino Sisto Legnani DSL Studio, courtesy of Triennale Milano”When you arrive in this room you receive Alessandro,” said Starck. “You receive his eyes, his face, his voice. I tried to create what I think is inside his brain.”
    “What I learned from Mendini is that the real geniuses are always kind,” he added. “There are no bad geniuses. If they are bad, they are not a genius.”
    The installation will be displayed until 13 October and was conceived, designed and directed by Starck.
    The exhibition was curated by Fulvio Irace, with exhibition design by designer Pierre Charpin.
    Io Sono Un Drago is open to the public at the Triennale Milano 13 April to 13 October. What? A homage to Alessandro Mendini runs from the 16 April to 13 October. See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks that took place throughout the week.
    Partnership content
    This video was produced by Dezeen for Triennale as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.

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      “Less is more is back” says panel during Gaggenau talk at Milan design week

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      Dezeen teamed up with kitchen appliances brand Gaggenau to host and film a talk about reduction in design with representatives from Zaha Hadid Architects, SOM and Industrial Facility during Milan design week 2024.

      Moderated by Dezeen’s editorial director Max Fraser, the talk explored how principles of reduction and essentialism in architecture and design can be employed to improve our lives.
      Titled Design by Reduction, the panel gathered contributors from different industries, with Zaha Hadid Architects associate director Johannes Schafelner representing architecture, Industrial Facility founder Kim Colin discussing industrial and product design, and SOM interiors lead Francesca Portesine representing interior design.
      Dezeen teamed up with Gaggenau to host a talk about reduction in design during Milan design week 2024Amongst the topics discussed by the panel was how the process and aesthetics of reduction in design can improve well-being through fostering simplicity in people’s day-to-day lives.
      Explaining the role of reduction in interior design, Portesine stated: “Generally, it is a very good thing that there is less rather than more to look at, to feel, to concentrate, to give importance to one element at a time.”

      “The balance of a space is created by simplicity, by reduction of materials,” she continued.

      Gaggenau launches nearly invisible cooktop that “allows the architecture to breathe”

      These comments were mirrored by Colin, who suggested that the role of the designer is to counter the complexity of the world by making a complicated world simple.
      “I don’t think we need to build in complexity – complexity is there in everything,” she said. “We really try hard to simplify things and make things easier. We deserve for things to be made more easily and more easily accessible.”
      She went on to describe how, in the field of industrial design, reduction can be used as a means to create products that fit holistically into the lives of users.
      “Often we try to quiet the noise. You can imagine a room full of products that are in the marketplace, shouting for your attention for you to buy them,” she explained.
      “They want you to buy them,” she continued. “But then what happens when you live with them? You’re living with a bunch of things that are shouting at you.”
      The talk coincided with the launch of Gaggenau’s new Essential Induction cooktopSchafelner described how reduction in architecture allows architects to design and build more efficiently, mitigating both the cost and environmental impact of buildings.
      “When we talk about reduction, it’s all about efficiency,” he said. “It’s really minimising the design, minimising the structure to have a better product.”
      He went on to describe how artificial intelligence (AI) can assist the architect in working more efficiently.
      “AI will also help us,” he stated. “There are now new tools which automatically give you realistic images in one second.”
      “It’s a much more intuitive workflow. And in the future, this will definitely help us to be more efficient.”
      Gaggenau exhibited new products in an installation at Milan’s historic Villa Necchi CampiglioAddressing the question of how principles of reduction can help to build a more sustainable future, Colin posited the return of the principle of “less is more.”
      “Using less material, less time, less effort, less shipping – less is more is back,” she claimed.
      “It should be easy to make as well as easy to live with. They should go hand in hand.”
      The talk took place in the conservatory of Milan’s historic Villa Necchi Campiglio, where the brand created an immersive installation called Elevation of Gravity to showcase its appliances.
      The panel featured representatives from Zaha Hadid Architects, SOM and Industrial FacilityAmongst the brand’s new launches was the Essential Induction cooktop, which has been designed to integrate into a kitchen worktop seamlessly.
      Covertly integrated induction hobs are integrated into a conductive Dekton stone countertop, indicated by a small LED light. The only other visible element of the cooktop is a performance dial located on the side of the countertop.
      The Essential Induction cooktop was designed to break down barriers between spaces used for cooking and living in the kitchen, and the principle of reduction at play in its design informed the topic of Dezeen’s talk.
      The photography is by Giovanni Franchellucci.
      Partnership content
      This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Bentley. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Panter & Tourron and Davide Rapp create “speakeasy-style secret lounge” in Milan

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      Experimental furniture and nostalgic films combine in Diurno, a Milan design week installation exploring the past and future of the living room.

      Curated by Gianmaria Sforza, the show features the work of Lausanne-based design studio Panter & Tourron and Italian video artist Davide Rapp.
      Purple curtains framed an octagonal roomIt saw a Milanese studio apartment transformed into a “speakeasy-style secret lounge” where a limited number of guests were invited into an octagonal room surrounded by purple curtains.
      Once they had swapped their shoes for slippers, guests were encouraged to get comfortable on a yellow sofa-bed hybrid. Here, they could chat to other guests, enjoy a drink and watch the montage-style videos playing around them.
      Guests wre invited to sit on a yellow sofa-bed hybridRapp produced three videos, with hundreds of clips that show living room interiors depicted primarily in Italian cinema.

      Each film focuses on a different piece of furniture. The sofa, the television and the bar are all featured.
      “Diurno is an invitation to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Milan’s design week, a speakeasy-style secret lounge where guests can relax in a setup that oscillates between nostalgia and science fiction,” said the design team.
      Other furniture included a tubular floor lamp, a curved display shelf and slender vasesPanter & Tourron founders Stefano Panterotto and Alexis Tourron developed six pieces of original furniture for the space.
      As well as the modular sofa platform, the Hall collection includes a lightweight chandelier, a tubular floor lamp, mirrored stools, a curved display shelf and slender vases.
      Drinks and snacks were served on mirrored traysThe duo hoped to draw attention to the changing nature of lounge and passage spaces in the home.
      The project has an affinity with another of their recent works, Couch in an Envelope, which imagines a sofa that can be folded up and carried from place to place.
      “Looking at the decors from gathering spaces like entrance halls, lobbies and lounge rooms, the pieces in the collection function like a reenactment element, questioning the evolution of these places today and our relationship to shared environments at large,” they said.

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      Drinks and snacks were served on matching mirrored trays, on linen cocktail coasters embroidered with the Diurno brand logo. These were produced in collaboration with La Colombarola.
      Danish textile brand Kvadrat, Italian steel manufacturer Fittinox and material supplier Formtech also donated materials to make the event possible.

      One of the videos featured movie clips of scenes that centred around a sofa
      This isn’t the first takeover of this apartment. Under the name Studio di Pittura, it is primarily an art space with the goal of facilitating collaboration between international and local creatives.
      Diurno was one of Dezeen’s pick of the 12 key installations on show for Milan design week.
      Diurno was open by appointment only from 13 to 20 April. See Dezeen Events Guide to discover our Milan design week guide, or for more architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      Patrick Carroll presents knitted “paintings” at JW Anderson store

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      Artist Patrick Carroll has used recycled yarn to create hand-knitted painting-style pieces for the Days textile exhibition at JW Anderson’s Milan store during Milan design week.

      Carroll presented translucent artworks that look “as if they are paintings”, which were made using a 1970s flatbed domestic knitting machine and displayed on wooden stretcher bars – the skeleton of a traditional art canvas – in the store.
      Days is a textile exhibition by Patrick Carroll”My stuff is a little bit transparent – you can see the architecture of it all,” Carroll told Dezeen at the JW Anderson flagship store in Milan, where the work is exhibited in a show called Days.
      “I was making clothing initially,” he explained, donning one of his own pink creations.
      The pieces are on display at Milan’s JW Anderson storeCarroll decided to apply his practice to artworks, designing pieces made from yarn salvaged from remainder shops that liquidate the fashion industry’s leftover textiles rather than sourcing new materials.

      Recycled wool, linen, mohair, silk and cashmere all feature in the rectilinear works, which are finished in colours ranging from coral to aqua to ochre.
      They range from big to smallLike Carroll’s clothing, each piece was characterised by one or a handful of words lifted from sources including literature, existing artworks or the artist’s own writing.
      The smallest pieces in the collection were displayed on gridded shelving while larger pieces can be found on various walls throughout the store.
      When viewed together, the works were position to create a “modular chorus”, explained the artist, who encouraged viewers to form their own relationships with the words weaved into the textiles.

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      Days follows Carroll’s first collaboration with JW Anderson in 2022 when the artist designed seven knitted outfits for the brand. The clothes were worn by models posing on chunky blue plinths positioned outside the venue of JW Anderson’s Spring Summer 2023 menswear show in Milan.
      “I think what makes the works a little bit unique is that they have legs in all these disciplines – fashion, design and art,” added Carroll.
      Carroll’s artworks display a mix of single words and phrasesFounded by Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson, JW Anderson previously created hoodies and tailored shorts moulded from plasticine for its Spring Summer 2024 womenswear show at London Fashion Week.
      Various other fashion brands have a presence at this year’s Milan design week. Hermès has created an installation that uses reclaimed bricks, slate, marble and terracotta to draw attention to the brand’s artisan roots while Marimekko has transformed a traditional Milanese bar into a flower-clad day-to-night cafe.
      The photography is courtesy of Patrick Carroll and JW Anderson. 
      Days is on display from 17 to 21 April 2024 at the JW Anderson store, Via Sant’Andrea 16, Milan. See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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      Marimekko transforms “real Milanese institution” into flower-clad cafe

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      Jumbo poppies synonymous with Marimekko cover the floor of Bar Unikko, a pink-hued pop-up cafe created as a Milan design week pit stop to mark the print’s 60th anniversary.

      Named after Unikko, the recognisable poppy pattern designed by Maija Isola in 1964, the cafe is a pop-up project at Bar Stoppani in Milan.
      Bar Unikko is a collaboration between Marimekko and Apartamento magazineMarimekko purposefully left the interior layout of the cafe, which is a collaboration with interior design magazine Apartamento, largely untouched to create a contrast between the Finnish brand’s design language and traditional Italian eateries.
      “The idea was to really acknowledge where we are and find a real Milanese institution,” creative director Rebekka Bay told Dezeen at the cafe. “If that hadn’t been our intent, then we could have just taken on an empty space.”
      The cafe features poppy-clad awningBar Unikko is positioned on a corner site with a large pink and orange awning emblazoned with oversized poppies, which also feature on table umbrellas that create a striking landmark when approaching the cafe.

      “We’ve really taken the pattern out of its normal context and let it come to life in a whole new way,” added Bay, who described the contrast between Marimekko motifs and the existing bar interior as “refreshing”.
      “In the Nordics, we’re obsessed with cleanliness, systems and functionality,” she continued. “Whereas here, it’s dramatic and complex.”
      Oiva espresso cups were designed specifically for Bar UnikkoSpread across a single room, the interior kept its existing dark blue accents, burl wood panels, circular tables and a large bar positioned in front of mirrors.
      A neon poppy was placed above one of the tables, which were topped with gold Verner Panton Flowerpot lamps.
      The brand also added its signature pattern to the floor, characterised by poppies finished in two shades of pink, and a blue and yellow curtain at the back of the space.
      All of the crockery is Marimekko-brandedOther than these bold features, Bay explained that the Marimekko touches are found in the “little things”.
      Floral crockery, coasters, napkins and matches appear throughout Bar Unniko, which also includes Oiva – a collection of petite patterned espresso cups designed specifically for the takeover.
      “At first glance, you’re walking into a Milanese bar, and it doesn’t actually look like we’ve done much – but then the more you immerse yourself you start noticing these things,” said Bay.

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      Framed black and white photographs of the late Marimekko founder Armi Ratia were mounted to the walls as a nod to the brand’s history.
      Throughout the day, the changing light alters the pink glow that illuminates the interior while a shifting soundtrack signals the transition from morning to afternoon to evening.
      Bar Unikko is a day-to-night cafeBay explained that communal gathering is at the heart of Marimekko, which is why the brand chose to create a day-to-night cafe to celebrate 60 years of its well-known print.
      “Our founder famously said, I think at the beginning of Marimekko, that the brand could’ve been anything,” reflected the creative director. “Our mission is not only to bring joy to people’s lives but to bring people together.”
      Other highlights from this year’s edition of Milan design week include Faye Toogood’s Rude Arts Club exhibition, furniture made from reused skyscraper formwork and an inflatable gaming chair from IKEA.
      The photography is by Sean Davidson.
      Bar Unikko is open from 15 to 21 April 2024 at Bar Stoppani, Via Antonio Stoppani 15, 20129, Milan. See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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      Triennale Milano celebrates Alessandro Mendini at Milan design week

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      Cultural institutions Triennale Milano and Fondation Cartier are hosting a retrospective show of Italian designer Alessandro Mendini at this year’s Milan design week, showcased in this video produced by Dezeen for Triennale.

      [embedded content]The exhibition takes place at Trienalle Milano
      Triennale Milano partnered with the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain to host the exhibition, which explores Mendini’s work across the fields of architecture, art, design and theory.
      Titled Io Sono Un Drago (I am a dragon), the show brings together over 400 different works and intends to explore Mendini’s philosophical approach to the world around him.

      Mendini was an Italian architect and designer known for his role as a key figure in the radical design and postmodernist movements of the 1960s and ’70s.
      Through his 60-year career he created some of the most iconic design pieces of the 20th century, such as the Proust armchair, which combined baroque references with pointillist patterns. Mendini passed away at the age of 87 in February 2019.
      The exhibition is named after a self-portrait Mendini drew depicting himself as a dragonSplit into six thematic sections, the show looks back on Mendini’s life and work, with the first section, titled Identikit, showcasing a series of self-portraits Mendini created over the course of his life.
      The following sections explore aspects of his work including his firm Atelier Mendini, which designed buildings such as the Groninger Museum and the Arts metro stations in Naples, as well as exploring his research in radical design theory.
      The last section of the exhibition consists of three immersive installations that Mendini created towards the end of his life, which play with the concepts of dreams and nightmares.
      The exhibition covers Mendini’s contribution to the postmodernist design movementAs part of the wider exhibition, French designer Phillipe Starck will also debut an immersive installation created in homage to Mendini during the run of the design week.
      Titled What? A homage to Alessandro Mendini, the installation aims to take visitors into a sensory journey through Mendini’s subconscious.
      Speaking on the installation, Starck said “before being a human, [Mendini] was an idea, a sensation, an osmotic vibration that I wanted to recapture through the installation, conceived as an immersive experience in Alessandro Mendini’s brain”.
      Starck’s installation will be located in Triennale Milano’s Impluvium space.

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      Io Sono Un Drago is open to the public at the Trienalle Milano 13 April to 13 October. What? A homage to Alessandro Mendini runs from the 16 April- 13 October. See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.
      Partnership content
      This video was produced by Dezeen for Triennale as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here. 

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      V-Zug unveils neutral-toned showroom during Milan design week

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      Swiss homeware brand V-Zug has opened its inaugural Milan showroom, combining soft hues and natural materials with high-tech appliances, as captured in this video produced by Dezeen.

      Called V-Zug Studio Milan, the showroom was designed by Italian architect and interior designer Elisa Ossino to encapsulate a “poetic simplicity” through blending objects crafted from natural materials with appliances featuring reflective surfaces.
      [embedded content]V-Zug Studio Milan has opened its doors during Milan design week
      The studio showcases V-Zug’s homeware products and kitchen appliances, such as ovens, cooktops and steamers, which are contrasted by furniture pieces created by Ossino in collaboration with artist Henry Timi.
      According to V-Zug’s global interior art director Gabriel Castelló Pinyon, the open-plan interiors are designed to evoke a “sense of hospitality” for its visitors.

      V-Zug’s minimal Milan showroom showcases its home appliancesThe space is characterised by a neutral colour palette of soft hues, which create a subtle contrast with the materials incorporated throughout the space, such as sculpted stone and mirrored surfaces.
      The showroom is flooded with ample natural light emanating from large glazings, while an off-white monolithic staircase with large circular openings cuts through the space.
      The showroom features sculptural objects and artworks by Ossino and TimiOverlooking the Piazza San Marco, the studio marks the company’s flagship showroom located in Italy, following the recent openings of its studios across Germany, Austria and Australia.
      V-Zug Studio Milan is open to visitors from Monday to Friday during this year’s Milan design week.
      The showroom’s open-plan interiors are defined by a soft colour paletteIn addition to hosting a series of talks throughout the week, V-Zug has also created a sculptural installation titled Time and Matter at Pinacoteca di Brera, which further explores the relationship between human experiences, design and technology.
      See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.
      Partnership content
      This video was produced by Dezeen for V-Zug as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Maria Vittoria Paggini’s gives her home “porno-chic” makeover for Milan design week

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      Designer Maria Vittoria Paggini has used colourful wallpaper and murals depicting nude bodies concealed behind peepholes to transform her home for Milan design week.

      Located in the 5vie design district in the heart of the city, Casa Ornella is annually redesigned by Vittoria Paggini who presents the project during Milan design week.
      This year, the property – which is also partly an art gallery, is themed “porno-chic”.
      Maria Vittoria Paggini has redesigned her home around the theme of “porno-chic””Casa Ornella is a maximalist house” said the designer, who is opening up her home to the public during the week.
      “Porno-chic stems from a strong need for rediscovery and self-awareness. To achieve this, I felt the need to bare myself and decided to use the metaphor of the naked body, pushing it to the extreme to make it invisible to the eyes,” she told Dezeen.

      “Going beyond that, porno-chic aims to be a style of ‘rebirth,’ a recognition of oneself through the home or any place to inhabit.”
      Tatiana Brodatch’s graphic wallpaper features in the living spaceThe interiors feature a living space characterised by artist Tatiana Brodatch’s striking wallpaper. Oversized spots and stripes in pink and purple hues form the backdrop for images of faceless, nude male sculptures touching themselves.
      Finished in Brodatch’s signature lumpy plasticine, the figures look like they are flying through space.
      Illustrative nude bodies decorate brown curtainsTwo boothlike, art deco armchairs with burl wood casing were positioned next to this feature wall, as well as a translucent table designed by Vittoria Paggini and topped with twisting, marble and Murano glass candelabras by Aina Kari.
      Visitors can see Brodatch’s wallpaper through a circular peephole on one of the corridors, which adds to the “sensual” atmosphere of the home, according to the designer.
      A naked mural lines one of the corridorsElsewhere, brown curtains illustrated with naked female bodies and a small but suggestive figurative sculpture sitting on a silver tray are reflected in a swollen gold mirror.
      One corridor is characterised by a large-scale floor mural of a nude woman, created as a set of abstract brown and pink shapes.
      The only private room is the bedroomThe only room not open to the public is the bedroom, which is decorated with a graphic, floor-to-ceiling mural of naked men surrounded by decadent architecture, influenced by 13th-century paintings.
      Visitors can view the bedroom mural, created by Milanese illustrator Damiano Groppi, through another peephole.
      A peephole reveals the room’s muralSugary pink walls, striped and chequerboard accents and multiple mirrored surfaces throughout the home add to its maximalist design.
      Casa Ornella also includes two more Vittoria Paggini-designed products, which are being debuted for the design week and take cues from “the world of jewellery”.

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      These are bulbous gold taps created for Milanese brand Manoli – positioned above veiny Gio Ponti basins in the bathroom – and slender light switches designed for Officine Morelli.
      According to Vittoria Paggini, these pieces are “what is most characteristic of the porno-chic style”.
      “They serve two different functions but have the same language that aims to communicate sensuality and timeless elegance.”
      Sugary pink walls feature throughout the homeThe annual Milan design week has kicked off in the Italian city, with projects on display ranging from a collection of everyday objects designed using algae and sculptural lights by Leo Maher that reference “a hot-pot of queer culture”.
      The photography is courtesy of Maria Vittoria Paggini.
      Casa Ornella is on display at Via Conca di Naviglio 10, Milan, during Milan Design Week from 15 to 21 April 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.

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      Daisuke Yamamoto presents recycled steel chairs under Milan railway arch

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      Japanese designer Daisuke Yamamoto presented recycled steel chairs on podiums of the same material as part of an exhibition in Milan, which has been shortlisted for a 2023 Dezeen Award.

      Yamamoto’s Flow project explores ways to minimise industrial waste by focusing on a single material – light-gauge steel (LGS).
      Daisuke Yamamoto presented his Flow chairs as part of the Dropcity showcaseCommonly used in construction as a strong, lightweight framing option, LGS is also one of the industry’s largest waste products, Yamamoto claims, as it is rarely recycled after demolition.
      The designer therefore chose to create a second life for the steel sheets and components as a series of sculptural chairs.
      The chairs were placed on podiums made from the same light-gauge steelHe also used LGS to form platforms for showcasing the seating designs as part of an exhibition at Milan design week 2023 that has been shortlisted in the exhibition design category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.

      “This project began with the awareness that everyday recycled construction materials are disposed of, then new construction begins – a so-called ‘scrap and build’,” Yamamoto said.
      Each of the recycled steel chairs had a different form”Using the iconic LGS material – one of the most popular materials normally used in framing systems throughout the interior wall structure – we transformed it into beautifully redesigned furniture, giving the materials a second chance,” he added.
      The exhibition formed part of the Dropcity showcase, which took place inside the Magazzini Raccordati spaces at Milan Central Station during the design week in April.
      A workshop bench was also placed at the centre of the spaceThese empty railway arches have a dilapidated, industrial aesthetic with peeling floors, stained tilework and exposed utilities.
      Yamamoto chose to leave the vaulted room largely as he found it but placed a series of platforms in two rows, upon which he presented the series of chairs.

      Six key trends from Milan design week 2023

      Track lighting was installed overhead to spotlight the elevated designs, each of which has a slightly different shape.
      In the centre of the exhibition, a workshop bench also built from lightweight gauge steel was used to fabricate more chairs during live demonstrations between Yamamoto and craft artist Takeo Masui.
      Yamamoto and Takeo Masui built more recycled steel chairs during live demonstrations”This is a landfill, a place where a volume of used LGS is collected,” Yamamoto said. “A place where the designer and craftsmen work hand in hand to recreate what was bound to be disposed into something new, a process of disassembling to re-assemble.”
      The intention was to not only showcase the material’s capabilities for reuse but also to allow visitors to engage with the process and ask wider questions about how society deals with waste.
      The demonstrations allowed visitors to engage with the processUsing waste materials produced by other industries was a key trend that Dezeen spotted during this year’s Milan Design Week, with designers and studios including Formafantasma, Prowl Studio, Atelier Luma and Subin Seol all looking to reduce the environmental impact of their products.
      The photography is by Takumi Ota.
      Future Landfill took place at Magazzini Raccordati from 15 to 23 April 2023 as part of Milan Design Week. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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