Milan Design Week 2024
Coexistence has been attending Milan Design Week for the past 50 years. As always, 2024’s offering has blown us away. In no particular order, these are a few of our favourites.
The Knoll Pavillion featured a reissue of the Tugendhat Chair and new finishes for four Bauhaus-era collections, all showcased amongst rich greenery. The showstopper was the Pillo Sofa by Willo Perron, which takes the form of a stack of oversized pillows and offers equally unforgettable comfort.
Ondarreta’s colour-blocked edit included the newly launched GUMI sofa, a plump modular system designed by Made Studio. The installation featured a dynamic metal structure embellished with polypropylene SUPRA shells. Launched in 2023, SUPRA is a highly flexible, and very comfortable range of chairs, designed by NOTE Design Studio.
Kvadrat’s Corso Monforte showroom was the place to be on Thursday!
The seductive Acerbis & MDF Italia stand included Due Piú chairs, an undulating Array sofa and an NVL table in deep, earthy green. This year, Acerbis unveiled Lokum, a stunning collection of glass tables by Sabine Marcelis.
Over at Gucci Design Ancora, which celebrates symbols of Italianity and Milanese style, Mario Bellini’s Le Mura, designed in 1972 for Tacchini, is presented in deep red, shiny leather.
Arper’s display at Salone del Mobile demonstrated the brand’s commitment to improving sustainability. Arper has partnered with PaperShell to launch a new version of the iconic Catifa 53 chair, where the shell is made from 29 layers of paper and is the first of its kind.
Coexistence came away from Cassina’s showroom with more than one highlight; we loved the revisited Cornaro sofa designed by Carlo Scarpa in 1973, which features a sculptural wooden frame, either natural or finished in high gloss lacquer, and it has a recycled PET fibre interior. We also loved the 3to9 lamp by Neri & Hu and the new lounge chair edition of last year’s memorable Tamburound chair.
Cassina also collaborated with Bottega Veneta this year. The installation, On the Rocks, breathed new life into Le Corbusier’s LC14 Tabouret Cabanon, celebrating artisanal craftsmanship and the intersection between design and fashion. Le Corbusier’s original design was inspired by a washed-up wooden whiskey box he’d found on the beach. For the On the Rocks installation, custom wooden editions designed for Bottega’s Winter 24 show are accompanied by new limited editions in signature Bottega Veneta leatherwork.
Flexform’s stand was impressive this year. The focus was Camelot: Antonio Citterio’s new modular sofa for Flexform, with beautiful piping, generous proportions and highly customisable configurations.
Spazio Maiocchi had a lot to offer and we particularly liked the 100R exhibition by Hydro, which featured an ambitious new design by John Tree; the Billet chair, formed by two extruded profiles that clip together.
Upholstered in soft satin, Faye Toogood’s pillowy designs for Tacchini are presented alongside her new collection of rugs, titled Rude, for CC-Tapis. On display at the CC-Tapis showroom, the designs feature gentle curves and comforting textures and her new rugs depict abstract shapes, all reminiscent of the female form.