Milan in April is a design lover’s paradise. The annual design summit in the bustling Italian city, Salone Del Mobile, is the largest of its kind, offering a chance for designers and creatives alike to display their novelties. Showrooms and galleries across the city host exhibitions and parties to launch their new collections and creatives from around the world descend upon the city.
Alongside both established and emerging studios as well as designers and architects, the 62nd edition of Salone Del Mobile sees some impressive collaborations from the biggest names in the fashion, tech and automotive industries – from Sabato De Sarno’s first furniture collection for Gucci to Porsche’s monochrome, giant-netted exhibition. The inclusion of these global brands among the many, many presentations at Salone has solidified the notion that design is now truly a global industry.
Below, we present some of the highlights from this year’s Salone del Mobile.
Bottega Veneta
Matthieu Blazy and Bottega Veneta have partnered with Cassina and Fondation Le Corbusier for a large-scale installation titled “On The Rocks”. Under the creative direction of Blazy, the installation centres on the iconic LC14 Tabouret Cabanon, an embodiment of Le Corbusier’s excellence. A beacon of modernism, the stool is inspired by a wooden whiskey box Le Corbusier found along the South of France shoreline. Additionally, the LC14 stools were used as the seating for Blazy’s Fall/Winter 2024 show. Here, the boxes are rendered in Bottega’s signature Intreccio woven leather in striking primary colours of green, blue, red, and yellow.
Gucci
Entitled “Design Ancora”, Gucci showcases five Italian design icons created from an idea of creative director Sabato De Sarno at its Milanese flagship store in Via Montenapoleone. Co-curated by Michela Pelizzari and brought to life by Spanish architect Guillermo Santomà, the five special-edition objects have been chosen by De Sarno and Pelizzari as symbols of ‘Italianity’ and specifically Milanese style. All objects are re-edited in Rosso Ancora, the red hue chosen by De Sarno to mark the beginning of Gucci’s new creative chapter.
Porsché
Situated in the lavish Palazzo Clerici is a giant net installation devised by Porsche and its collaboration with the Berlin-based artist collective Numen/For Use. Named “The Patterns of Dreams”, the installation is made of lightweight nets whose black-and-white colours dynamically crisscross as they stretch several stories high. During the preview, the Dutch sibling duo Imre and Marne van Opstal and their ensemble choreographed a dance performance within and above the net. Intended as an interactive, climbable installation, visitors were invited to climb in and explore the structure.
LOEWE
LOEWE unveils its collection of lamp designs, featuring lamps created by 24 renowned artists. Each artist explored the properties of light, manipulating materials like bamboo, paper and glass to create innovative designs inspired by natural and man-made objects. Standout pieces include Genta Ishizuka’s lacquer lamp, Dame Magdalene Odundo’s leather creation and Enrico David’s human-form-inspired design. The collection also features homewares and bespoke designs.
Cloud x Sabine Marcelines
Located within a library in Milan’s Brera neighbourhood, Dutch architecture studio Cloud and designer Sabine Marcelis have created a scenography for a lounge to promote the design and culture of AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Evoking rolling desert dunes, the exhibition showcases a series of furniture objects and accessories, which include modular seating systems and biodegradable pots glowing under sun-like lighting.
Hermès
The French fashion house showcases “The Topography of Material”, a theatrical set-up that pays homage to its heritage of craftsmanship, held at the iconic venue La Pelota. The installation is created using raw materials like brick, stone, slate, wood and compacted earth to create a scene illustrating the zigzags of a jockey’s silk jersey – a poignant nod to Hermès’ rich cultural legacy. The jockey silk is decorated in colourful geometric motifs hues of greys, browns and reds.
Featured image: Bottega Veneta
