Milan : M D W 1 8

The most influential event in the global design calendar, Milan Design Week was back this year with a whole host of exhibitions, pop-ups and new collection launches.

Highlights from this year’s event included Studiopepe’s hidden club, ode to the seventies and a collaborative exhibition celebrating contemporary Norwegian craft.

H A Y

Danish brand HAY showcased design for modern living in a 17th century Palace. Milan’s Palazzo Clerici provided an ornate backdrop, with its Italian baroque interior elevating the modernity of industrial design.

Among the new product launches was a collaboration with American ceramicist Jessica Hans, who created a range of dreamy ceramic vessels with a distinctly handmade flavour. Read more about HAY’s exhibition here.

Img: HAY

S T U D I O P E P E

After last year’s installation proved to be one of the most talked about shows, interior experts, Studiopepe, returned this time with an equally impressive project.

In a secret location, Club Unseen provided an exclusive space that served as an informal refuge at the centre of Milan’s design week buzz. The interior design duo created a space ode the 70s, featuring tactile materials that showcased furniture, lighting and textiles from contemporary Italian brands.

Img: Studiopepe

B E T H A N L A U R A W O O D X

C C – T A P I S

London based designer Bethan Laura Wood presented an explosive collection of rugs for CC-Tapis, inspired by the clash between the man-made and nature. Each piece based on a different rock formation, Wood used the surface patterns as a reference, with the finished product alluding to the many layers of sediment created in rock formations over time.

CC-Tapis is an Italian company producing contemporary hand-knotted rugs, made in Nepal by skilled artisans.

Img: CC – Tapis

C O S X P H I L L I P K S M I T H III

Fashion brand COS teamed up with California based artist, Phillip K Smith III, to create an altered reflection of the city at the heart of Milan. The immersive installation combined nature with the built environment, employing light and space as materials.

Centred in the courtyard of Milan’s Palazzo Isimbardi, a shining crown-like structure appeared like 14 metre wide beacon, reflecting the historic architecture of the palace and the open sky above. Read more about the installation here.

Img: COS

N O R W E G I A N P R E S E N C E

This group exhibition, showcasing the best of contemporary design from Norway, was based around the concept of “fellesskap”, meaning togetherness.

A celebration of solidarity, the focus was on the importance of supporting one another in the design and manufacturing industries. The exhibition, situated in Zona Tortona, aimed to create a social meeting place where visitors could experience the drive behind Norwegian making.

Img: Lasse Fløde & Torjus Berglid