we continue our build up to milan design week 2018 — the city’s busiest and buzziest time of the year! in PART II of our TOP 30 must-sees and not-to-be-misseds (see PART I, here), we satisfy your planning needs with our pick of the best shows and installations to visit.

 

 

fornasetti exhibition and public art installation

milan design week guide

 

 

what: ‘the fornasetti trumeau. 1950-2018. history of an icon’ exhibition 
when: april 14-22
where: fornasetti store, corso venezia 21 
and public installation ‘obelisco di san glicerio’, via marina/via boschetti

 

prepare to dive into the fornasetti archive to discover more about its most iconic pieces of furniture. elsewhere, one of milan’s historic monuments adopts a new look, sporting a typically fornasettian dash of irony. the bottonuto obelisk is located ‘in the very part of milan where I would have grown up,’ says barnaba fornasetti, ‘if my father had managed to fulfill his dream of living in the porter’s lodge of the villa reale…’ like a lighthouse illuminating the way ahead for those traveling by sea, this slender monolith signals to passers-by the power of fornasetti‘s imagination and visual language. 
FORNASETTI

 

 

LAUFEN /kartell by LAUFEN

milan design week guide

 

 

what: LAUFEN @ salone del mobile | kartell by LAUFEN flagship store 
when: salone del mobile: april 17 – 22
9:30AM – 6:30PM  | april 17 – 21, 10AM – 9PM; april 22, 10AM – 6PM

where: salone del mobile: booth hall 24, stand F21-G14 
and kartell by LAUFEN flagship store in via pontaccio, 10 

 

at salone del mobile, discover the new collections by LAUFEN bathrooms with work by patricia urquiola, konstantin grcic, and more. meanwhile at the kartell by LAUFEN flagship store, ludovica and roberto palomba, the two creative masterminds of kartell by LAUFEN, continue the phase of experimentation and exploration of the unique bathroom project, presenting an engaging conceptual exercise on washbasins that combines design and research. the conceptual exercise, based on the established partnership between the iconic design of kartell and the innovative quality of laufen is a voyage of evocative ideas, in which east meets west. this temporary exhibit with the name ‘dim sum’ takes form in a game of color and architectural design that narrates the cultural essence of kartell by LAUFEN.

 

 

‘historical promiscuities’: adam nathaniel furman for bitossi

milan design week guide

 

 

what: exhibition displaying the work of adam nathaniel furman
when: april 16 – 22, from 11AM – 6PM
where: vudafieri-saverino partners studio, via rosolino pilo 11

 

british designer and artist adam nathaniel furman brings ‘historical promiscuities’ to milan design week this year. under the curatorship of luca molinari, the exhibition features a series of exclusive limited-edition ceramic works realized with bitossi, pieces from the sir john soane’s museum in london, and furman’s drawings, prints and videos. the show is hosted within the milanese studio of vudafieri-saverino partners, where tiziano vudafieri and claudio saverino have been able to construct a narrative work space occupied by eclectic artistic references. 

 

 

MINI LIVING – BUILT BY ALL

milan design week guide

 

 

what: MINI LIVING – BUILT BY ALL installation
when: april 17 – 22
where: via tortona 32

 

once again mesmerizing by making creative use of a small space, MINI LIVING presents a new visionary living concept at milan design week 2018. in collaboration with studiomama, the MINI LIVING – BUILT BY ALL installation embellishes upon the brand’s progressive themes while highlighting the importance of the principle of participation. with this, the architecture aims to understand and address each individual’s requirements, needs and ideas, enabling the potential for close collaborations between residents and architects in the not-too-distant future.
MINI LIVING

 

 

nilufar gallery: chez nina by india mahdavi & nilufar depot: lina bo bardi giancarlo palanti exhibition

milan design week guide

 

 

what: chez nina by india mahdavi
when: by invitation only 
where: nilufar gallery, via della spiga 32

 

named after nina yashar, founder of nilufar gallery, ‘chez nina’ has been designed by paris-based architect and designer india mahdavi. colored velvet banquettes and acid candy glass tables have been designed specifically for the space, contrasting with the silk mural geometric landscape produced by british tailor of the homes, de gournay. meanwhile, a selection of lights and furniture pieces from nina’s collection add a layer of sophistication — a rare lamp by angelo lelii, hans agne jakobsson pendants, four ‘casa e giardino’ armchairs by gio ponti, and a fine joaquim tenreiro table; contemporary pieces range from a scenic room divider to a selection of stools designed by martino gamper. NILUFAR

 

milan design week guide

 

 

what: nilufar presents ‘lina bo bardi giancarlo palanti – studio d’arte palma, 1948- 1951’
when: april 17 – 22, 10AM – 8PM
where: viale vincenzo lancetti, 34

 

 

nilufar also presents ‘lina bo bardi giancarlo palanti – studio d’arte palma, 1948- 1951’ – the first exhibition on the work of the two italo-brazilian designers. the show, produced in collaboration with instituto bardi / casa de vidro, is the result of extensive research conducted by nina yashar on lina bo bardi and her activity as designer of furnishings, an often overlooked aspect of her work. the exhibition takes on a character of fundamental importance for design history and collectors, investigating the forgotten work of giancarlo palanti and the less familiar aspects of the output of lina bo bardi from 1947 to 1987. NILUFAR

 

 

ventura centrale

milan design week guide

 

 

what: ventura centrale
when: april 17 – 21, 10AM – 8PM; april 22, 10AM – 6PM
where: via ferrante aporti, 17

 

 

the second edition of ventura centrale will host the following exhibitors: stephan hürlemann with horgenglarus, surface in collaboration with david rockwell and 2×4, baars & bloemhoff, editamateria with antonio aricò, nitto, asahi glass, a project by fabrica with pierre frey, denis guidone, franco mazzucchelli, and eileen fisher presents designwork, curated by li edelkoort.

 

featured will be ‘una stanza’ by antonio aricò — a room that ‘collects and reunites the essential aspects of an intimate and social italian way of living.’ the project brings an almost archaic and primordial vision of a closed and intimate place: a place that lives, a place to live in, a place that contains everything and where everything is contained. VENTURA CENTRALE

 

 

vegan design – or the art of reduction by erez nevi pana

milan design week guide

 

 

what: ‘vegan design – or the art of reduction by erez nevi pana’, an exhibition curated by maria cristina didero
when: april 17 – 22, 10AM – 7PM 
where: spazio sanremo, via zecca vecchia 3

 

curated by maria cristina didero, the exhibition ‘vegan design — or the art of reduction’ presents the work of eres nevi pana, who asks the question: it is possible to design without using any material from animals? produced by 5vie art+design, the exhibition comprises objects made in compliance with the rules of a specific ethical position. born in israel in 1983, nevi pana is himself a vegan who transfers his attitude of deep respect towards life, human beings, and nature to his design methodology by refusing to use any kind of product containing animal molecules — such as fabrics (wool, leather) or any other material which is normally used in design (rubber gloves, paint, plastics, resin, industrial glues).

 

 

HEM

milan design week guide

 

 

what: HEM introduces new works at an exhibition space in brera 
when: april 17 – 22, 10AM – 6PM (weekend hours 11AM – 4PM)
where: via statuto 8

 

at a special exhibition venue in milan’s brera district, HEM will introduce new design works by: norwegian designers anderssen & voll, italian designers lucidi pevere and luca nicchetto, as well as fashion designer arthur arbesser. HEM

 

 

rossana orlandi exhibitions and installations

TOP 30: designboom's ultimate guide to milan design week 2018 - PART TWO

 

 

what: a series of exhibitions and installations at rossana orlandi’s milan showroom
when: april 17-22, 9AM-8PM
where:  rossana orlandi, via matteo bandello 14

 

the installation brings to life the sensorial experience of hardware as envisioned by ivy ross, vice president of hardware design at google. curated by leading trend forecaster lidewij edelkoort, ‘softwear’ features a new lifestyle audiovisual and exhibition catalogue produced by edelkoort and her team, six specially commissioned by google one-of-a-kind wall hangings by dutch designer kiki van eijk, and elements from an actual domestic interior. elsewhere, matthew mccormick will exhibit ‘MILA’, a new chandelier that will be displayed on the second floor of spazio rossana orlandi. meanwhile, japanese brand yamakawa will present new collections by studio irvine, jun yasumoto, marta ayala herrera, tsujimura hisanobu. ROSSANA ORLANDI

 

 

gufram celebrates disco’s golden era

TOP 30: designboom's ultimate guide to milan design week 2018 - PART TWO

 

 

what: gufram presents a collection of disco-inspired furniture
when: april 17-21
where: mediateca santa teresa, via della moscova 28

 

the history of gufram and nighttime furniture dates back to the tumultuous and fascinating times of the italian radical design of the sixties and seventies. during this year’s milan design week, the italian furniture brand pays homage to its extravagant past with disco gufram, a space that combines past and present through a collection of disco-inspired furniture. GUFRAM

 

 

“oh oh, milano..I love you too…” by studio job at garage traversi

 

TOP 30: designboom's ultimate guide to milan design week 2018 - PART TWO

 

what: the famous design duo celebrates the rebirth of the historic garage traversi with a love letter to milano
when: april 17-22
where: garage traversi, via bagutta 2

 

after years of neglect, garage traversi is ready for its rebirth. to celebrate the building’s new life, on the occasion of milan design week 2018, contemporary-renaissance design duo studio job have designed a pop art inspired love letter for milan on the stunning rationalist facade of the garage. the graphic design, clearly inspired by the iconic america pop-art visuals, combines the well-known themes in studio jobs’ imagination – the lips – with a love declaration to the city of milan. STUDIO JOB

 

 

artemide and alejandro aravena present new lighting designs

TOP 30: designboom's ultimate guide to milan design week 2018 - PART TWO

 

 

what: artemide and alejandro aravena present ‘workshop elemental’
when:  april 17 – 22, 10AM – 9PM
where: artemide showroom, corso monforte 19

 

at the lighting brand’s milan showroom, artemide presents two new lights designed by pritzker prize-winning architect alejandro aravena. ‘O’, is an attempt to reconcile the needs of the natural and the urban environment, while ‘huara’, is a table-top design that seeks to integrate ‘the first and the last moment in the history of light’. ARTEMIDEALESSANDRO ARAVENA

 

 

nagami displays robotic 3D printed furniture

nagami

 

 

what: ‘brave new world’ exhibition of 3D printed furniture pieces
when: april 17-22, 10AM -8PM
where: spazio theca, piazza castello 5

 

nagami will present four avant-garde chairs, which will go on display as part of a new exhibit. they will be the first products ever presented by the new spanish company, who partnered with some of design’s biggest names to bring the imaginative chairs to life. in particular, zaha hadid architects’ bow and rise chairs stand out, in the innovative arsenal of nagami’s first project titled, ‘brave new world: re-thinking design and large-scale robotic 3D printing.’ NAGAMI DESIGN

 

 

peep o-rama. the furniture show | dolce&gabbana metropol

TOP 30: designboom's ultimate guide to milan design week 2018 - PART TWO

 

 

what: an overview of ferruccio laviani’s furniture collection for emmemobili
when: april 17-22
where: dolce&gabbana metropol, viale piave 24

 

at the dolce & gabbana metropol theater, a show exhibiting the work of ferruccio laviani will examine some of the architect’s best known works. EMMEMOBILI

 

FLOS presents a pair of exhibitions

TOP 30: designboom's ultimate guide to milan design week 2018 - PART TWO

 

 

what: ‘if you are not curious, forget it’ | ‘jewels after jewels after jewels’
when: april 17-22
where: FLOS store, corso monforte 9 | FLOS showroom, corso monforte 15

 

at the FLOS store, visitors can discover re-editions of some of achille castiglioni‘s best known works. meanwhile, nearby at the FLOS showroom, ‘jewels after jewels after jewels’ is a lighting installation by michael anastassiades for the launch of the new modular chandeliers ‘arrangements’. FLOS | MICHAEL ANASTASSIADES

 

 

A BONUS TRACK

ONE TWO FIVE – STEVEN HOLL

TOP 30: designboom's ultimate guide to milan design week 2018 - PART TWO

 

what: ONE TWO FIVE, exhibition of steven holl
when: april 18 – june 3
where: antonio jannone gallery, corso garibaldi 125

 

antonia jannone gallery presents one two five, an unprecedented exhibition of steven holl, curated by marco sammicheli. drawings, projects’ sketches, watercolors, limited edition furniture and sculptures will be presented at the historical location. ANTONIA JANNONE GALLERY | STEVEN HOLL

 

 

designboom guide of TOP 30 must-sees and not-to-be-misseds —- see PART I, here!