The 52nd edition of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile (otherwise known as Milan Design Week) took place April 9 to 14, seeing more than 2,500 exhibitors, each with collections of various products and home designs vying for the most attention. From furniture to light sources, there is a lot to wade through, sending many people hunting for the best of the best. Well, to answer that query, here are some of our favorite stand-out designs we would love to have in our own homes.
Candy Collection Lamps
Designed by Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas for Zonca, these geometric lamps are pretty amazing as separate pieces but are stunning grouped together as an art installation. Each colorful lamp is made up of 12 pentagonal faces, meant to play off of exposed structures and be installed in various ways. A massive group of them can be hung from the ceiling (which is my favorite look), they can be stacked on the floor in the shape of your choosing, or used as mere decoration.
Serac Benches
Made from resin and quartz, this white furniture piece makes me think of wind-created sand patterns along a deserted beach (even though the design was apparently meant to evoke ice and glacial formations). Designed by architect Zaha Hadid (in partnership with street furniture company Lab23), this urban bench is made up of smooth ridges with an arch fluidly rising up for the backrest. I love how, even though it’s made from tough resin quartz, the design looks soft to the touch.
Flux Table Lamp
The Flux table lamp is part of GAIA&GINO’s new collection “Enlightenment” and was designed by Noé Dechaufour Lawrence. A series of three, the lamps are made from hand blown glass, with a column of glass within and a marble base. According to the Lawrence, the central column is meant to represent air passing through glass, helping the overall delicateness of the design.
Splinter by Nendo
This unique collection of furniture was designed by Nendo for Conde House and may seem simple at first glance but it’s actually pretty impressive when you consider how they are made. Comprised of chairs, standing mirrors, stools, and a coat stand, each minimal wood piece peels away to create various aspects of the design — for example, the coat stand starts as a whole piece, only to have the grain splinter off to create branches.
PARAGON Lamp
The PARAGON lamp was designed by Daniel Libeskind for Artemide, to be included in the company’s decorative table lamp collection. Hinges segment the lamp in four, creating a versatile design that can be bent to mimic several different looks, including that of a bird bent over to drink and a rocket ready to launch.
Vilu Light Collection
Designed by the Chilean Studio gt2P for DHPH, this neat Vilu light was inspired by a Chilean myth about two strong forces (Cai-Cai Vilu, the spirit of waters, and Tren-tren Vilu, the wise and protective spirit) fighting over the same chunk of land. Once the battle had wrapped up and the proverbial smoke cleared, the land mass had been segmented into balanced islands. The design interprets this story through separation, creating geometric spaces of light and dark.
Tools for Life
The Tools for Life furniture collection by OMA for Knoll centers around the simple idea that furniture can be a functioning instrument and not just a design piece to be looked at. The furniture designs strive to meet many different needs from people balancing their social lives with work. My favorite in the array of pieces is the 04 Counter, a stack of three horizontal blocks that are able to rotate and transform from a place of socialization to a place of function. The top two bars can be moved into whatever configuration you want, making it shelves for your books, a unique desk, or even benches to sit on.
Yoko Table Lamp
Inspired by the Northern Lights, the Yoko table lamp was designed by Norwegian team Anderssen & Voll. The light is set within a delicate soap bubble of glass, bringing together two intersecting spaces that emit a pale light that reflects the tint of color in the glass. At a fairly large size, the Yoko could easily be the centerpiece of any room and would especially great in a minimally designed living space.
