The house as an interior landscape. And the furniture and objects that we use daily as milestones in the space, providing functionality through multiple materials, profiles or textures. But, at the same time, capable of transmitting and evoking on their own. The Salone del Mobile in Milan has just been held, which together with the countless exhibitions at the Fuorisalone, throughout the city, make up the largest current international event on furniture design.
Today the house, in addition to its introspective idiosyncrasy, cannot stop looking outwards: to the complex relationship between natural environments and design, with a new awareness of sustainability. In this context, strategies are growing to minimize the use of raw materials, productive energy or increase recyclability and, at the same time, not detract from sophistication and creative elegance.
Along with rounded and compact sofas, modular ones stand out in sinuous compositions, which add flexibility and the possibility of reconfiguration. The objective: to adapt to the spaces, but also to be very careful about the environmental impact. Like the model designed by Snøhetta offices, a customizable solution with small bio-foam modules, easy to transport and disassemble. A concept of comfort that extends beyond ergonomics.
100% recycling is at the base of the Babar table series by Patricia Urquiola, manufactured with gravel conglomerate and glass flakes. Its irregular geometric top is an example of a new trend in dining tables that avoids the usual squared spirit, and its perimeters invite you to break hierarchies.
The most innovative designs breathe vitality and outline a house free of corsets, where very diverse pieces converge in harmony. The glossy lacquer finish, in refined tones, reaffirms the furniture in the space. The upholstery adheres to the colorful universe of unprecedented combinations and textured fabrics or vibrant mixes. The touch of warm orography reaches the buffet cabinet with felt-upholstered doors or corrugated solid wood surfaces.
The console reclaims its function as a useful welcome with suggestive appearances and materials. Along with the density of some domestic landmarks, glass provides transparency to varying degrees. The tables feature engraved, tinted or smoked finishes. With effects that filter as if we were seeing through water or wind.
On shelves it is combined with mirrored surfaces. Furniture built with thin metal sheets tempers environments. Also cast aluminum, rougher and more brutalist. Large formats capture attention in accessories: turned wooden chandeliers or human-sized mirrors.
This is a year in Milan of presenting new things in good company, through intertemporal meetings. The best Italian furniture companies have an advantage with their solid history since the dawn of design. Thus, along with the most recent pieces, Tacchini added the Additional System armchair (1967) by Joe Colombo, Acerbis, the Free System archipelago sofa (1973) by Claudio Salocchi, or Flos, the legendary Taraxacum lamp (1988) by Achille Castiglioni.
