david chipperfield architects opens its milanese atelier to the public

david chipperfield architects + kasthall at fuorisalone

For this year’s Fuorisalone edition, 2023 Pritzker Prize winner Sir David Chipperfield has teamed up with Swedish manufacturer Kasthall to design ‘Tegel’, a brand new family of architecturally-inspired colorful rugs. David Chipperfield Architects (DCA) will be opening its Milanese atelier to the public to introduce its homeware collaboration, which will be on view at via Vigevano 8 from April 18th to 23rd, 2023 (10 am-6 pm).

Following this occasion, Casabella laboratorio, a cultural venue near DCA’s office, will extend its ‘Procuratie Vecchie’ photographic show until April 23rd. Rehabilitated by the architecture practice itself (see designboom’s interview feature here), the Procuratie Vecchie building in Venice comes to life here in a special showcase, initially launched in December 2022, depicting a series of 26 images that illustrate the continuous dialogue between old and new.

DCA atelier in Milan | image © Paola Pansini

discover the ‘tegel rug family’ collection

The seed of this collaboration between David Chipperfield Architects (see more here) and the Kasthall team has been nurtured carefully during the past couple of years, and the result of the united efforts of these two prominent design entities is ‘Tegel’ – a family of rugs inspired by the color palette and façades of the historical brick buildings at Kasthall’s headquarters and factory.

Sir David Chipperfield’s words echo strongly here: ‘As an architect, I’m in a way the guardian of meaning, memory, and heritage… we choose ourselves, and the concept of only protecting the best is not enough. It is also protecting character and qualities that reflect the richness and the evolution.’ Those very words reflect the design of ‘Tegel’; a marriage between past, present, and future – paying homage to the knowledge and culture at Kasthall while incorporating the beautifully aged colors and naturally weathered variations of the bricks: earthy tones composing a palette of intuitive and engrained harmony.

DCA atelier in Milan | image © Paola Pansini

With context and function as design starting points, material and spatial configuration evolved to form a series of arrangements where different-sized carpets were layered, following various alignments. ‘The wool gives depth, warmth, and volume. The linen adds a discrete and vibrant note to the overall texture. The three design variants Corner, Side, and Centre, each displays three color areas in separate (but related) structural compositions affecting the perception of the surrounding. And in doing so, suggesting multiple uses for organizing the space,’ elaborates the Swedish brand.

‘Tegel Rug Family’ by David Chipperfield Architects for Kasthall | image courtesy Kasthall

Lena Jiseborn, Design and Range Director at Kasthall, shares her enthusiasm for this collaboration: ‘Together we’ve achieved an artistic and creative feat rooted in Kasthall, yet versatile and exciting design that appeals to a multitude of tastes and uses. I am truly happy for this project to have taken place. We have created a rug that is not only beautiful but also functional and sustainable. We are confident that this rug will be a hit with design enthusiasts and homeowners alike.’

image courtesy Kasthall

‘Procuratie Vecchie’ photographic show extended

The ‘Tegel’ collection is launching parallelly to the ‘Procuratie Vecchie’ photographic show, extended until April 23rd, at Casabella laboratorio. The latter is a multipurpose cultural space that re-opened in Milan with the launch of this latest exhibition back in December 2022. Organized in partnership with Generali and Casabella magazine, it features 26 images of the DCA-renovated building captured by Alessandra Chemollo, some of which depict photographs of the restored historic rooms on the first and second floors, the new vertical circulation, and the renovated attic spaces on the third floor, now home to The Human Safety Net, Generali’s global social enterprise.

David Chipperfield and Francesco Dal Co (Casabella), together with Simone Bemporad and Emma Ursich (Generali), introduced the project at the opening through an open discussion of intentions and accomplishments. Located adjacent to David Chipperfield Architects’ Milan office, the re-opening re-establishes the connection between the practice and exhibition space that existed from 2018 to 2020.