28 Apr Salone del Mobile, Milano 2016
One half of the Tangram team flew out once again to Milano for Salone del Mobile! It was the 55th year of the world-renowned furniture exhibition which seemed to be as vibrant and inspiring as ever. Sarah & Jenny take over Tangram Talk to share some personal highlights and the top trends of 2016…
Oh how lovely it was to leave the coolness of Edinburgh behind and be embraced by warmth, enthusiasm and amazing design in Milan. As ever, time doesn’t allow us to see and do all that we would like. The most we see of the many outstanding exhibitions & installations is a quick glimpse when we hurry past them en route to our next meeting! We do however get to see the launch of new designs from the best of the best in contemporary furniture – so it’s not all bad…
Bla Station’s stand was a particular highlight. As ever a beautiful stand with some unique and clever products. Bla do not follow trends, they simply produce pieces which they think will enhance our lives based on their creativity and passion for great design. The stand had an amazing display of Ginko wall panels however they also launched Gaia acoustic panels which were stunning – the applications for this are endless.
Always one to watch in terms of trends and always striving to be the best, this year B&B Italia celebrated their 50th birthday. We were lucky enough to attend their party, listen to an amazing speech by Giorgio Busnelli and then witness the biggest birthday cake ever – a great night!
With regards their product launches, the Edouard Sofa designed by Antonio Citterio was a definite highlight. Available as armchair, sofas or modular elements, there are two back heights and two leg options. Finally we have a high backed, really comfortable, refined and tailored sofa!
Moooi: always a stand out manufacturer not least because they eschew the fair ground and take an enormous old tram shed in the Tortona area of the city to display products new and old. Moooi treat the whole space as a theatre and there is a great sense of anticipation on entering. It was great to see the products launched last year in settings; the Nut dining chair remains a favourite as do the Charles armchair and the Heracleum light in both the circular and endless variants.
New products were exceptional with the Perch light fitting taking central stage. Available in many different formats and designed by Londoner Umat Yamac, the individual birds are made from folded polypropylene and brass.
The chandelier was exceptional whilst the table and wall lights were on a far more domestic scale. Technically this range was very clever, the birds feet carry the current and can be positioned in different places allowing for birds to ‘fly off’! The birds have brass beaks and tails which add weight and allow gentle movement – simply stunning!
Marble & metallics continue their reign as the top trends. We saw marble used everywhere; from the classic black and white to the more unusual red, green and brown. It was used on table tops, sideboards, walls and floors and even carved into a huge armchair.
Brass was also a front-runner. Used at MDF Italia to re-invent the Tense table, B&B Italia with the Psiche mirror and on Fritz Hansen’s newly launched accessories range by Jaime Hayon.
We could easily go on and on about all of the lovely things we saw in Milan this year, but we thought we’d limit it to our top picks and save your fingers from all the scrolling! If you’d like to find out more about any of products mentioned, please do get in touch via 0131 556 6551 // [email protected].