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      Markus Benesch designs Alpine home for fabled “tuntschi” doll

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      A vengeful doll from an Alpine folk tale was the imagined occupant of this colourful cabin-style home created by German designer Markus Benesch at Milan design week.

      The maximalist Alpine Rising installation featured decorative Alpine-style furniture and multi-coloured wall coverings, all filled with references to life in the mountains.
      Benesch developed the design after becoming fascinated by the fabled character of the “tuntschi” doll.
      The exhibition featured Alpine-style furniture and multi-coloured wall coveringsAccording to the story, the tuntschi is fashioned out of wood, straw and cloth by herdsmen who spend the summer tending cattle on the mountain and crave female company.
      The doll comes to life, yet the herdsmen continue to objectify her. So when the time comes for them to return home, she takes murderous revenge on one of them.

      This got Benesch thinking about what happens after the story finishes.
      Stui dining chairs and Hockerl stools both combine ash wood with colourful resin”I wondered, what is this doll doing when she is alone in the wintertime?” he told Dezeen. “I thought, maybe she has the time of her life.”
      One of the starting points for the design was to think about the types of pastimes that the doll might enjoy.
      The Tuntschis Chapel cabinet is based on traditional Alpine architectureOne idea was that she might ski. This resulted in swirling motifs – reminiscent of snow tracks – that appeared throughout, plus a pair of bespoke skis.
      Benesch also thought the doll might take up pottery, which led him to the work of Austrian ceramicist Florian Tanzer, founder of Vienna-based studio Luma Launisch.

      Six interior designers style rooms at Artemest’s L’Appartamento in Milan

      Tanzer’s rough and enigmatic ceramics often depict unusual characters.
      For Alpine Rising, he created vases and vessels that integrate the face of the tuntschi. Some pieces had more than one face, in reference to her two-faced nature.
      The wallpaper combines images of wooden shingles with different colours and tonesBenesch and his small-production furniture, textile and wallpaper company Curious Boy created a completely custom interior for the tuntschi’s Alpine cabin.
      Divided into rooms, it was filled with farmhouse-style furniture pieces that combined traditional Alpine woodcraft with colourful motifs typical of Benesch’s designs.
      Benesch creates these patterns by inlaying wood with pigmented resin.
      The zigzag-patterned Hochzeitsschrank wardrobe was crafted from pineIn ash wood, designs on show included the cabin-style Tuntschis cabinet, the elaborate Himmibed and the playful Stui dining chairs.
      Walnut was used for the amorphous Splügen lamp, while the zigzag-patterned Hochzeitsschrank wardrobe was crafted from pine.
      Florian Tanzer created ceramics that refer to the two-faced nature of the dollFor the wallpaper and textiles, Benesch created repeating patterns using images of wooden shingles that typically clad Alpine chalets, then overlaid them with various colours and tones.
      Underlying the entire design was an idea about getting away from today’s digital world and the harmful effects it can have on mental health, and instead celebrating “an analogue lifestyle”.
      Benesch also produced hand-carved ash and walnut spoonsThis idea was emphasised by hand-carved ash and walnut spoons and a pack of custom-designed playing cards.
      “We want to disconnect from the crazy of our today’s world and reconnect more with ourselves in nature,” added Benesch.
      The exhibition formed part of the 5Vie district during Milan design week, where other exhibitions included Artemest’s L’Appartamento, a 1930s apartment redesigned by six different studios.
      Following Milan design week, we collected ten standout installations and projects on show during the week.
      Alpine Rising was on show from 15 to 21 April 2023 as part of Milan design week. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.
      Exhibition and furniture photography is courtesy of Markus Benesch Creates. Ceramic photography is by Gregor Hofbauer.

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      IKEA reflects on “the past, the present and the future” of the home at Milan design week

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      Swedish retailer IKEA marked its 80th anniversary at Milan design week with Assembling the Future Together, an immersive exhibition that charts the furniture company’s history and addresses its future.

      Assembling the Future Together took place at Padiglione Visconti in Milan and explored the brand’s progression since the 1950s.
      Assembling the Future Together is on display at Milan design week”The whole exhibition is about the past, the present and the future,” said IKEA designer and chief creative officer Marcus Engman.
      “So it’s a little bit like telling the story of IKEA furniture, things we have done and things that we will do even more,” he told Dezeen in Milan.
      Furniture from IKEA’s history is on display to reflect its pastTo reflect this idea, the space was divided into three main sections. One area dedicated to the past features designs from IKEA’s 80-year history displayed on geometric white shelving.

      Among the pieces was furniture from the 1970s with bright fabrics and bold shapes, which were influenced by the increasing emergence of youth culture during this decade, according to the brand.
      Chunky children’s furniture from IKEA’s Mammut series was also included. The line was first designed in the 1990s and has remained popular ever since.
      IKEA is also debuting its new Nytillverkad collectionFor the present portion of the exhibition, the brand launched the first products in its new Nytillverkad collection.
      Characterised by “simple, functional and playful” elements, the furniture, bedding and accessories intend to pay homage to past iconic IKEA pieces in line with the current wide-spread revival of interest in vintage designs, according to the brand.
      The colourful collection takes cues from previous IKEA designsWhile the collection nods to IKEA’s roots, the brand used contemporary materials to create the pieces.
      “It’s putting old things into a new perspective,” explained Engman.
      Crowd-sourced images of people using the brand’s iconic Frakta bag are suspended in the spaceLarge-scale contemporary photographs, which showed members of the public sporting IKEA’s recognisable blue and yellow Frakta shopping bag in unexpected ways, were suspended from the ceiling throughout the venue
      One image showed a bride protecting her dress inside one of the shoppers on her wedding day, while another has been adapted to transport a dog on the subway in New York.
      “Even if we perceive our products as ‘ready design’, people see them a bit more like Lego pieces to play with,” acknowledged the designer. “People use the Frakta bag in so many ways we didn’t expect.”
      The ‘future’ section references the four elements with installationsThe future area of the exhibition features four towering installations dedicated to the elements of fire, water, earth and wind, which include an illuminated tree and smoke dispensers.
      “The future part is all about showing how we are using design and product development to nudge people’s behaviours into doing something that is good for people and the planet,” reflected Engman.
      “It’s also where we try to challenge people to be part of this – not just wait for IKEA to do stuff, but actually ask, how can we do things together?”
      “We have set out to be fully circular by 2030 so that affects everything that we do,” he continued.
      IKEA intends to urge people to think about the role they can play in shaping the future of designDesigned as an inclusive, “down-to-earth” space that is open to all, the exhibition drew together many other experiences, such as a cinema zone showing portraits taken by photographer and IKEA’s first artist-in-residence Annie Leibovitz that document the “real lives” of people in their homes.
      The project is part of IKEA’s annual Life at Home Report, where members of the brand’s team visit people in their living spaces and document their findings.
      A cinema zone is showing portraits of people at home taken by Annie LeibovitzVarious talks and music events took place in the space throughout the week alongside a dedicated “record shop” and on-site IKEA cafe serving branded food and drinks.
      The aim of incorporating music into the exhibition was to bring people together, according to Engman. Communicating the sacredness of the home is at the core of the IKEA exhibition, said the designer.

      “We have done cutting-edge things that people didn’t see coming” says IKEA’s Marcus Engman

      “This is something for us that we need to constantly work on – finding new ways of getting people to understand how important the home is,” he explained.
      “I mean, the challenges during covid and now the cost of living crisis has been where we can help out even more.”
      “Because people have had to spend more time at home – but how can we make the home also something that is really not just a functional thing, but an emotional thing?” he continued.
      “So I think that’s our biggest thing, but making sure we do that in people- and planet-positive ways. Because that’s the only way forward.”
      The exhibition was designed to be inclusivePreviously, IKEA donated its products and design services to create a series of United Nations-led refugee support centres in Eastern Europe to offer sanctuary to vulnerable groups displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The brand’s research lab, Space10, developed a concept for connecting physical furniture to an ever-evolving NFT tree.
      Assembling the Future Together is on show from 18 to 23 April 2023 at Padiglione Visconti, Via Tortona 58, Milan. See our Milan design week 2023 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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      Six interior designers style rooms at Artemest’s L’Appartamento in Milan

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      Six interior design studios, including Kingston Lafferty Design and T.ZED Architects, have overhauled a room at the 1930s L’Appartamento for commerce platform Artemest at Milan design week.

      The designers each used furniture, lighting and art from the brands, designers and artists represented on the Artemest platform to showcase their own style in a room at the apartment in Milan’s 5Vie district for the L’Appartamento exhibition.
      “We wanted to bring this stunning apartment back to life and show how different interior design studios, each with its own style and design approach, can work with Artemest to create inspiring and surprising interiors that celebrate authentic Italian beauty,” said Artemest founder Ippolita Rostagno.
      T.ZED Architects designed the entrance space at Artemest’s L’AppartamentoIn the entryway, Dubai-based studio T.ZED Architects aimed “to set the tone for what is yet to come” by preserving the character of the room and adding selected pieces.
      The studio choose a mix of furniture in off-white, cream and brown, including copper and leather finishes that plays off the green tones of the richly patterned, period wallpaper.

      Mirrors – including a Sybilla mirror with console by Ettore Sottsass for Glas Italia, and an Itaca floor mirror by Atlasproject – were placed to illuminate and enlarge the space, while amplifying the period details.
      Kingston Lafferty Design placed a golden block in the living roomIn the adjoining room, Dublin-based studio Kingston Lafferty Design aimed to “challenge visitors’ sense of what a living room should be” by placing a sculptural monolithic block seems to glow with a soft golden sheen in the centre of the space.
      The block splits the room into two distinct spaces and contains a mirrored space described by the studio as “a gallery of lights”.
      The golden block divides the space into twoOn one side of the block is an informal living room that evokes a sense of playfulness through the use of oversized furniture in bright colours, including the Osaka Blue Sofa by Pierre Paulin for La Cividina.
      The other side has a rich palette of jewel-tones to creates a more decadent atmosphere.
      Moniomi aimed to create a room on the terraceLeading from the living room a large terrace was reworked by Miami-based studio Moniomi, which aimed to create an outside room that felt like an interior space.
      The studio used a combination of large-scale upholstered pieces, gridline patterns and graphic blacks and whites, softened by lush greens to reference the outdoor location.
      The design language here features saturated colours and layered patterns – including the Nuovola 01 dining table by Mario Cucinella for Officine Tamborrino, which represent the studio’s Hispanic roots.
      Nina Magon designed the apartment’s dining spaceAnother US-based designer, Nina Magon, created the L’Appartamento dining room, playing with monochromatic hues to enhance the authenticity of the original finishes here.
      Sculptural furniture, such as the Trompe-l’oeil Trois dining table by DelMondo Studio, topped with a cluster of Flow[t] pendant lamps by Nao Tamura for WonderGlass was added to the space.
      The bedroom was designed by Styled HabitatIn the bedroom, Dubai-based studio, Styled Habitat, delved into the history of the 1930s to translate the romance of that era into the modern day and evoke a sense of timeless glamour.
      To capture the experimental and avant-garde trends of European modernism, Styled Habitat juxtaposed new and old, with a Czech Chair by Hermann Czech for Gebrüder Thonet Vienna, alongside pieces like the Calle Pinzi Murano Glass Chandelier by Luci Italia.

      Paola Navone to give away hundreds of objects at Take It or Leave It exhibition

      Finally, for L’Appartamento’s hallway and the studio, Paris-based interior designer Anne-Sophie Pailleret was informed by her first reaction to seeing the apartment.
      The long, narrow hall, has been covered with the textural Tra 1100 Wallpaper hand-crafted by La Scala Milano Wallcovering, contrasting with geometric Alfabeto Tiles by Margherita Rui for Ninefifty, on the floor.
      Anne-Sophie Pailleret styled the corridorThe walls are further decorated with Ninfea wall lamps by Giovanni Botticelli in collaboration with Paola Paronetto, functioning as a gallery-style grouping of lights.
      For the studio room, Pailleret created a mix of warm colours and graphic patterns, with comfortable and curvaceous furniture.
      The photography is courtesy of Artemest.
      L’Appartamento takes place from 17 to 23 April 2023 at Via Cesare Correnti 14, 20123 Milan, Italy. See our Milan design week 2023 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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      Dimore Studio gives historical Milan palazzo “celestial” makeover

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      Over the course of Milan design week, architecture and design studio Dimore Studio transformed its gallery into “a dreamlike space” filled with lighting, furniture and textiles shrouded in plumes of smoke.

      Dimore Studio founders Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci wanted the interiors to help visitors forget the difficult years of the coronavirus pandemic and instead evoke “hope and joy”.
      Dimore Studio has transformed its gallery space into an installationTucked away in a cobbled courtyard in the city’s Brera district, the hazy space was also informed by its name: oublié translates from French to “to forget” in English.
      Upon entering the second floor of a nineteenth-century apartment turned gallery, visitors are met with classical music playing softly.
      Visitors journey through eight rooms inside the historical buildingAs they walk through the eight interconnected rooms, smoke is blown throughout, making the interior hazy and dusty.

      “This year, the name of our exhibition Oublié is a clear message for our visitors: forget the past two years and embrace our poetic vision of hope and joy through the installation,” Moran told Dezeen.
      “Visitors will find themselves in a dreamlike space where time stands still, where rays of light are cast through half-closed shutters and a soft haze accompanies the movement.”
      Every room is kitted out with Dimore Studio furniture and soft furnishingsThe studio chose a neutral colour palette of muted beiges, browns and ivory white for the space, which the studio used for a previous installation at Milan design week 2017. Splashes of gold can be found in the lighting while the doors are painted silver.
      “The space has undergone a radical change following its transformation: the warm-toned, enveloping walls have become pure, immaculate and almost celestial,” explained Salci.

      Design eras converge in Dimore Studio’s moodily coloured Milan exhibitions

      To add to the dreamlike atmosphere, Dimore Studio played with light. Opting to avoid technical lights, the space is instead lit by lamps such as the Belle de Jour table lamp and the Abatjour lamp. Meanwhile, natural light pours through the open windows.
      “We decided to avoid the technical lights in order to have a more natural and cosy atmosphere with ambience light.”
      “We closed our shutters in order to reduce the natural summer light that in addition to the smokey atmosphere, create this oublié – forgotten environment.”
      Light pours through several shuttersOublié captures the studio’s signature aesthetic which it describes as “nostalgic” yet contemporary through an eclectic mix of the brand’s permanent collection and new pieces such as a chair and a floor lamp.
      Previously the studio has applied its distinctively opulent aesthetic to a London art gallery and a shop in Paris that features textiles in three-dimensional patterns draped across the storefront.
      The photography is by Paolo Abate.

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      Attitude of “permanent renewal” drives retail success says Colette co-founder Sarah Andelman in Liganova talk

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      Promotion: Sarah Andelman, co-founder of Parisian concept store Colette, has discussed the unexpected approaches needed to succeed in the future retail landscape in a talk hosted by Dezeen and brand retail experts Liganova during Milan design week.

      Andelman was in conversation with Dezeen’s chief content officer Benedict Hobson at brand and retail experience company Liganova’s Salone Club, a live event held in a lounge overlooking the rooftops of Milan.
      The event explored the topic of the future of retail and how brands can create relevant and meaningful experiences in stores through curation and collaboration, with Andelman drawing on her decades of experience helming Colette alongside her mother, Colette Roussaux.
      The talk included Mathias Ullrich, Ben Hobson and Sarah AndelmanThe Paris boutique – opened in 1997 and widely considered one of the most influential stores in the world – brought together fashion, streetwear and beauty products. The space also included a gallery, bookshop, cafe and “water bar” serving more than 100 varieties of bottled water.
      Mother and daughter kept things fresh by changing the windows and displays every week, and Andelman said that it was the fact that they would always “renew ourselves” that meant people would come back to see what’s new.

      “We would always push and try to introduce things we haven’t seen yet, and this permanent renewal,” she said. “It was a mix of brands and mix of events. I think this energy helped create what Colette was.”
      Andelman is the co-founder of Parisian concept store ColetteColette closed in late 2017 when it was almost at the height of its popularity and Andelman says going out on a high when the time felt right was “the best decision we took”.
      The next year she founded her consulting agency, Just an Idea, which has worked with brands including Valentino and Nike to produce unique and tailored retail experiences.
      Andelman considers collaboration one of the keys to current and future retail success but says it has become harder than ever to make an impression in the space.
      Sarah Andelman was in conversation with Ben Hobson at Liganova’s Salone Club at Milan design week 2022″Now there are so many unexpected collaborations that you’re not surprised anymore,” she said. “It’s really everywhere.”
      “We had so many collaborations of brands with artists, brands with brands, I think now maybe we’ll talk to writers, to architects, to hospitality, to find new ways of developing a new format of collaboration to bring a new dimension to the classic collaboration,” she continued.
      Curation is also key according to Andelman, who urges curators to embrace their idiosyncracies without fear. It is something she and Roussaux were known for at Colette, which presented high-end labels alongside undiscovered emerging designers.
      Andelman spoke in front of an audience of Liganova partners, clients and friends”For a good curator I think you need knowledge, you need to know what exists, you need to be super curious, to have to go to multiple trade shows, showrooms, anything,” she said. “You hear, you read, you follow information, you really just follow your instinct, to not try to duplicate something you have seen somewhere else.”
      In the future, she believes the real world and metaverse will come to intersect in the retail space, requiring continuity of approach from brands.
      At the same time, there will continue to be a place for bricks-and-mortar stores, especially “retail experiences” that capture the senses and are almost museum-like in their approach.
      The live talk took place in a rooftop lounge looking out over Milan”I think bricks and mortar are here to stay if there is this extra touch to make it the opposite of the internet, this human service, maybe a drink, this extra service that you won’t find online,” she said.
      “I think it’s fantastic for brands like Jacquemus to have a concept like its pop-up at Selfridges,” she said. “It’s a focus on one bag. You feel the water, you hear the sound.”
      “In an experience, I think you need all of these: the sound, the smell, the touch and the fact that it’s not a system that they will duplicate in Tokyo, New York, but they really take the time to design something different for each market,” she continued. “The challenge is to keep it short and to renew and do something completely different next time.”
      To learn more about Liganova, visit its website.
      Milan design week 2022
      Salone Club took place on 8 June as part of Milan design week 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for Liganova as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Watch a talk on post-pandemic design with Gaggenau at Milan design week

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      Dezeen teamed up with luxury kitchen appliances brand Gaggenau to host and stream a talk about the design world’s response to the coronavirus pandemic with Dara Huang and Michel Rojkind during Milan design week 2022.

      Moderated by Dezeen’s editor-at-large Amy Frearson, the talk explored how design responds to crisis with innovation, how designers can foster resilience in difficult times, and the increased interest in local manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and the design of communal and interior spaces in the past two years.

      Watch a talk on designing better kitchens with Gaggenau at Milan design week

      The panel featured architect and designer Huang, who is founder of Design Haus Liberty, and Rojkind, founder of Mexico-based architecture firm Rojkind Arquitectos.
      The talk took place in the conservatory of Milan’s historic Villa Necchi Campiglio, where the brand created a 360-square-foot interactive installation called A Statement of Form to showcase its highest-grade appliances.
      Dara Huang is the founder of Design Haus LibertyHuang founded Design Haus Liberty in 2013. The studio has offices in London and Hong Kong, and was awarded three RIBA awards in its first three years as a practice.

      She also launched lighting brand DH Liberty Lux, and co-founded Vivahouse, an initiative that turns disused commercial spaces into co-living units.
      The daughter of a Taiwanese scientist who emigrated to the USA to work for NASA, Huang has a masters degree in architecture from Harvard University. Before founding Design Haus Liberty she worked at Herzog & de Meuron in Basel and Foster + Partners in London.
      Projects by Design Haus Liberty include Villa Mosca Bianca on the shore of Lake Maggiore in Italy, and a cluster of apartments in Shoreditch, London.
      Michel Rojkind, founder of Rojkind ArquitectosMexican architect Rojkind founded Rojkind Arquitectos in 2002. Born and raised in Mexico, Rojkind studied architecture and urban planning at Universidad Iberoamericana.
      He founded Rojkind Arquitectos in 2002. One of the studio’s recently completed projects is a concert hall on the Gulf of Mexico, built for the philharmonic orchestra of Boca Del Rio. Other projects include the renovation of Mexico’s National Film Archive and Film Institute and the Liverpool Department Store.
      The talk takes place at Milan’s historic Villa Necchi CampiglioThe talk was the last in a series of three hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with Gaggenau running 7-9 June, which were all moderated by Frearson.
      During the first talk, which took place on Tuesday, designer Søren Rose, BIG’s director of interiors Francesca Portesine, and Foster + Partners’ head of industrial design Mike Holland discussed sustainability and longevity in design.
      Yesterday, Dezeen hosted a talk about designing kitchens that form “the hub of the home”, which featured a panel including Dada’s director of product development Andrea Molteni and designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg.
      A Statement of Form is on show between 7-11 June during Milan design week, daily from 11am to 5pm. To visit, register at www.gaggenau.com. You can watch all the talks live on Dezeen here.
      Milan design week 2022
      A Statement of Form is part of Milan design week 2022, which takes place from 6 to 12 June 2022. See our Milan design week 2022 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for Gaggenau as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Bethan Laura Wood wraps boudoir in swirling marble-like pattern

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      A psychedelic print in summery shades adorns the walls, bedspread and furniture inside Summer Room, an installation at Milan design week by British designer Bethan Laura Wood.

      Wood created the site-specific installation inside the art gallery Nilufar Depot as a reference to Ornate, a furniture exhibition set inside a boudoir that she debuted at Milan design week 2021.
      Wood has installed Summer Room inside Nilufar Depot”Summer Room is a continuation of the solo show Ornate that I had in September,” Wood told Dezeen.
      “I wanted to show the Ornate project in a very different environment. I specifically picked colours and added in a lot of yellow and greens to kind of have this kind of sugar summery colour tone which is slightly different,” she said.
      The living room and bedroom are furnished in a psychedelic printThe living area is wrapped in Wood’s new design Endless Meisen – a looping repeat pattern made from high-resolution scans of bespoke Alpi Wood veneers.

      This pattern was then used around the two-roomed interior to upholster bedding, cushions and also furniture such as the desk and shelving unit.
      The bedspread is covered in the same bold patternVisitors can wander from the living room through to the boudoir – the traditional term for a woman’s bedroom or private interior space, in another nod to the Ornate exhibition.
      “In here we wanted to play with what it looks like in a much more enclosed space, and with a much darker background behind aluminium so that it really kind of pops in a very different way,” she explained.
      New objects installed in the maximalist space include Temple Panda wall sconces, while a wiggly headboard above the bed is among previously featured items.

      Bethan Laura Wood’s Ornate exhibition features furniture informed by boudoirs

      In the corner of the living room is a new piece called Trellis Column, a hanging light that Wood designed to recall the metal structures often found behind traditional lighting fittings.
      “When I visited factories like Venini or these old school glass houses, a lot of the armature behind the light fittings is something I’ve always found really beautiful,” she said.
      “I really wanted to make a project where the armature and the decoration were more in conversation rather than the decoration [alone].”
      Wood has displayed a hanging light called Trellis ColumnNilufar Gallery showcases existing and new pieces by 24 other designers selected by Nilufar’s gallerist Nina Yashar, who founded the centre in 1979.
      Other projects by Wood include an installation of giant canapé-shaped sculptures and a group exhibition that explores the friendships between designers.
      Photography is courtesy of Nilufar Gallery.
      Summer Room is part of Milan design week 2022, which takes place from 6 to 12 June 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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      Lee Broom presents Divine Inspiration lighting in theatrical Milan exhibition

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      British designer Lee Broom has unveiled his largest exhibition at Milan design week to date, showcasing six new lighting designs in a setting that echoes brutalist architecture and places of worship.

      As part of the exhibition, called Divine Inspiration, Broom has taken over an entire building in Milan’s Brera district and filled it with more than 100 lights.
      Across a series of rooms, the designer is presenting pieces that borrow from the monumental, ethereal quality of religious buildings and artefacts, particularly those designed in the mid-20th century.
      Divine Inspiration is Lee Broom’s largest-ever Milan exhibitionDesigns on show include Vesper, a geometric pendant design with its roots in modernist cathedral lighting, and Requiem, which takes the form of draped fabric.
      “I have always loved brutalist architecture, even as a child,” said Broom, reflecting on his early years growing up in Birmingham and visits to buildings such as the now-demolished Central Library by John Madin.

      The exhibition showcases six lighting designs in a church-like setting”I wanted this collection to be mainly inspired by that,” he told Dezeen. “But when I started researching, I discovered the places I was most drawn to were places of worship.”
      “This led me on a fascinating journey to researching cathedrals, temples and churches, from antiquity to mid-century to the present day,” he added.
      “I wanted to create a lighting collection that invoked that same sense of awe and mysticism as those buildings and their interiors.”
      The tile-like Pantheum light illuminates a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed urnThe exhibition starts in a relatively small room that Broom describes as being like a decompression chamber.
      At its centre is a large-scale stone urn designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, in a nod to the Unity Chapel built by the modernist architect in Illinois in 1908.
      Illuminating this space is the Pantheum wall light, which takes its cues from the coffered concrete ceiling of the Pantheon in Rome. Several of the lights are arranged like tiles, cast in Jesmonite and sandblasted to give a rough texture to their tiered forms.
      A six-metre-long pendant of fluted Hail lights is reflected in a mirror belowThe next room is a large hall, where Broom’s fluted aluminium Hail lights are arranged to create a six-metre-long hanging installation, positioned above a mirror to create the impression that the pendant stretches into infinity.
      “When you walk in, you see a 12-metre extension of this light,” said Broom. “The idea is to reference the idea of the rapture, of going up into the heavens.”
      The Altar pendants consist of illuminated tiles encased in sculpted oakA staircase leads up to a mezzanine showcasing the slender Altar pendants, which combine illuminated tubes with a smooth body of carved oak.
      These are organised around a contemporary altar, where a matching carved-oak font is framed by a large vertical disc of stainless steel.

      Twelve unmissable exhibitions and installations at Milan design week

      A grand installation of the extruded aluminium Vesper lights takes over the next space.
      Here, Broom’s team designed a stained-glass decal informed by mid-century designs and applied it over the windows. The brushed silver and gold-coloured lights are suspended in front, arranged both vertically and horizontally.
      “It’s a dramatic, ecclesiastical moment but it’s uplifting because of the colours and the amount of natural light,” said Broom. “You get to see all the different angles of these lights. They’re like brutalist sculptures with these modern, illuminated connections.”
      Dozens of Vesper lights are installed in front of windows with a stained-glass effectThe penultimate room is a basement featuring Chant, a light inspired by glass blocks, while the final room showcases the four different forms of the Requiem light.
      Unlike his other products, Broom makes each Requiem light himself by hand. The process involves dipping fabric into plaster and sculpting it around illuminated rings, tubes or spheres.
      “The process reminds me of draping fabric on a tailor’s dummy,” said Broom, who studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins before becoming a product designer.
      The Chant lights take their cues from glass blocksRequiem comes in four versions and Broom will make a limited edition of 15 for each.
      “I’ve been in business for 15 years and things have grown rapidly,” Broom explained. “So I thought for this piece it would be really nice to get back to basics.”
      “I really wanted to get my hands dirty and actually get my hands physically on the pieces,” he added. “The idea was to make them look like pieces of draped fabric with light sculptures inside them. But they’re actually solid plaster.”
      The final room features the four limited-edition Requiem lightsBroom has created many extravagant Milan exhibitions in the past, including the celestial Observatory in 2018, the carousel-style Time Machine in 2017 and the Salone del Automobile delivery van in 2016.
      The designer hopes that the Divine Inspiration exhibition – and the soothing soundtrack that plays throughout – will provide visitors with a calming, ethereal experience.
      The Requiem lights look like draped fabric. Photo by Arthur WoodcroftAlthough he doesn’t describe himself as a religious person, Broom believes that places of worship have a uniquely powerful ability to provoke introspection and reverence.
      “The key thing is to take people on an emotional journey,” he said. “I don’t see why design can’t evoke some of the same emotions we feel from art, architecture or theatre.”
      The photography is by Luke Hayes unless otherwise stated.
      Divine Inspiration is part of Milan design week 2022, which takes place from 6 to 12 June 2022. See our Milan design week 2022 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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