As the rust and gold hues continue to unfold across the Colorado hills this extended Fall, we can’t help but think of our time at Design Week in Milan, where warm earth tones and nature-based materials were everywhere.
Though we've been home for a month, busy with new projects, new team members and a new Boulder office, our adventures in Milan have left impressions that will inspire our work for years to come.
Here are a few design mementos from our trip that we hope you will enjoy!
Fashion Meets Furniture
Milan is a place where fashion and furniture overlap, perhaps more than anywhere else in the world. This creative mix has given rise to furniture and home interior lines by many of the great fashion houses, such as Armani, Versace and Hermes. (The marble and saffron kitchen above is by Fendi.)
One of the most memorable exhibits this year was by Hermes, with the construction of an earthen temple-like space in the heart of Milan, where they showed their richly textural furnishings, textiles and home goods.
Earthy Hues & Outdoor Views
Echoing current trends in the fashion world, we noticed a distinctive shift in the world of furnishings towards warm, earthy hues like saffron, sage, ochre, olive, terra cotta, rose, and aubergine.
After all of the time spent indoors in Covid isolation, clearly we are craving warmth and a return to nature. To satisfy this craving, numerous furniture makers have introduced new outdoor lines, like this "Boundless Living" collection by Poltrona Frau.
New Sustainable Lighting
An impassioned emphasis on sustainability was a noticeable trend at the Salone del Mobile furniture fair in Milan's vast convention center, and in the showrooms, expositions and pop-ups all around the city.
At the Lost Graduation Show, top industrial design students from around the world were invited to share their work, which included lighting fixtures made from solar-forged glass and extruded clay.
And at the Alcova installation on the outskirts of the city, designers from around the world showed their wares, including sculptural light fixtures made from recycled resin and sand.
Bathrooms Redefined
The movement toward curves, earthy colors and spa-like spaces continues into the bathroom, where Falper showed sculptural sinks and tubs with a soothing clay-like quality.
And at Elle Decor's exposition, called "Fluid Home," the bathroom was shown as an open flowing space of curving walls, rich hues, handmade Moroccan tiles, Italian terrazzo floors, and next-level wellness amenities.
Island Tables & Handmade Tile
Moroccan Zellige tile, with its natural variation and handmade quality, is a perfect fit for the current impulse towards all things earthy (as seen on the bathroom walls above and kitchen island below).
In this kitchen by Antonio Cittero, the tiled walls, floor and island create an inviting space that is both playful and serene. The table attached to the island, a feature that evokes ease and togetherness, was something we noticed in kitchens all over town.
Zen Influences
It makes sense that the calming lines and natural textures of Japanese craftsmanship are resonating at the moment.
De Padova has launched a new collection of large scale Noguchi-style lanterns that bring the cozy glow of illuminated washi paper to any space.
The Japanese and Danish duo, Inoda + Sveje, have developed an exquisite line of highly refined caned benches, tables and chairs.
And at Rosana Orlandi Gallery, Mandalaki and Koi Koi have created a new way to bring light and life-force into any space, with their suspended Living Lamps, "where plants, flowers and bonsai become an integral part of a luminous object."
Design Makes Things Better
After a year and a half of wondering if we would ever make it back to Italy, it felt especially sweet to be there, in person, with our Italian friends and fellow design fanatics from around the world.
In that ancient land, where the walls show the wear of millennia, we found that some things had changed for the better - like fewer tourists, and a healthier more-sustainable approach to design.
And many other things - like the food, the friendship, and the shared passion for an artfully designed life - had not changed at all!
Wishing you all of these things and more,
Matthew & Joe
