Milan Design Week

Milan Design week is in full swing and the city is with no shortage of design inspiration.

Goodesign is dedicated to eco-design and sustainable living and showcases designers who utilise low impact environmentally friendly technology and sustainable materials in their designs. Inspired by the bioluminescence of plankton, Bernotat & Co. have created Radiolaria, a family of 11 lights that emit a green afterglow when they are switched off. Curated by Officina Temporanea, The Natural Circle exhibit addresses the dialogue between nature, art and people.

Giulia Berra uses insects, animal parts and other sustainable materials to create large scale installations and sculptures. Cages, is inspired by the life of cicadas, who grow underground and burrow their way out and shed their skin on a nearby plant when they are ready to become an adult and fly away. Cages represents the frozen state of the skeleton of a cicada, it’s teenage state is eternalised on the plant it attaches itself to.

Large scale installations give designs new life and every year in Milan brands pull out all the stops to let their designs shine. Tom Dixon has taken over the abandoned theatre inside Casa dell’Opera Nazionelle Balilla to create ‘The Cinema’, an entertainment show revealing their latest designs at designjunction edit Milan. The incredible installation and light show will showcase Melt, mesmerisingly distorted lighting globes and the new Wingback, a reinvention of the British lounge classic.

Photographer: Peer Lindgreen

Milan is renowned for being the fashion capital of the world, so it’s no surprise that boutiques are joining in on the design buzz. The flagship Vivienne Westwood boutique in Milan will host a design collaboration with Tiipoi and The Cass, London Metropolitan University to present ‘Alchemy: Material Obsessions’. The exhibition will reveal the narrative behind furniture and object making, emphasising the role of the maker in the alchemical transformation from material to object.

Mirror 6 Collection, Mirror 6 by Tiipoi

In a street of disused shops, Lee Broom presents his largest exhibition to date. ‘The Department Store’ will launch over 20 new products presented on a series of sets reminiscent of a department store.