Celebrating the Pinnacle of Creativity at Milan Design Week 2024

The much-awaited event in the design industry had swiftly approached, and the city of Milan had eagerly readied itself to embrace the fraternity with its finest offerings. From April 15- 21, 2024, Milan had opened its doors wide, showcasing the 62nd edition of the Salone del Mobile, alongside a series of exhibitions and events scattered across the city. Here are some highlights…

Evolution and innovation stand as the defining pillars of the international design industry’s most crucial moment at the 62nd edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano. The Salone serves as the catalyst, positioning Milan as the focal point for attracting the design community. With its rich history of orchestrating events of this magnitude, the Salone remains unparalleled in its ability to discern the needs and aspirations of the design community. It adeptly curates design exhibitions and showcases that accurately reflect the real-time demands of the industry. Let’s look back at some of the most significant design events that one simply couldn’t have missed in Milan this year.

Introducing Alternative Artefacts Danto:

A Fresh Tile Brand Featuring Collections by India Mahdavi and Teruhiro Yanagihara Studio

Launched in Milan in April 2024, Alternative Artefacts Danto (A.a. Danto) emerged as a novel tile brand, rooted in the legacy of Danto, one of Japan’s oldest tile manufacturers, thriving for 140 years on Awajishima island. A.a. Danto embarks on a dialogue between tradition and innovation, melding avant-garde creativity with meticulous craftsmanship.

The journey unfolds with “Archaeology of Tiles”; an exhibition at 5VIE, an 8th-century Milanese
residence resonating with historic narratives. Curated collections by Teruhiro Yanagihara Studio
and India Mahdavi beckon exploration, alongside glimpses of Awajishima’s ceramic heritage.
The Milan Design Week allowed visitors into a new interior realm at 5VIE to embark on Danto’s visionary tile odyssey.

Unveiling the Ethereal

EARTHIC LAB X FORMAFANTASMA at Fuorisalone

Cosentino presented EARTHIC LAB X FORMAFANTASMA at Fuorisalone, an enchanting installation hosted at Teatro Gerolamo, promising a glimpse into a fresh era of surface design.

In a partnership with Formafantasma, celebrated for their ethical design ethos, Cosentino tries to redefine surface aesthetics, championing sustainability at its core. This immersive journey within the historic walls of Teatro Gerolamo is a testament to innovation, blending reclaimed materials with visionary design. This debut release of EARTHIC by Silestone XM, curated by Formafantasma, heralds a new dawn for sustainable surface solutions.

Prada Frames Returns: “Being Home” Symposium Explores the Intersection of Design and Environment

Prada Frames, the annual symposium alongside Milan’s Salone del Mobile, returned in 2024 for its third edition. Themed “Being Home,” this year’s multi-day event delved into the intricate relationship between the natural environment and design. Beyond comfort, the home is seen as a dynamic space, addressing contemporary challenges as both shelter and infrastructure.

Curated by Formafantasma, the symposium featured contributions from esteemed scholars and professionals like Paola Antonelli and Kate Crawford.

Hosted at the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum, a historic neo-renaissance house, the event offered intimate conversations and thematic lectures. The museum’s unique setting, adorned with 15th and 16th-century objects, provided an ideal backdrop for discussions spanning various spaces, from the living room to the library. Prada Frames aims to foster collective exploration and idea-sharing with a scientific yet accessible approach.

Gucci Presents Design Ancora: Rediscovering Italian Design Icons

Storet by Nanda Vigo X Acerbis

Under the creative direction of Sabato De Sarno, Gucci introduced Design Ancora, a special project co-curated by Michela Pelizzari, highlighting five iconic pieces of Italian design. From April 15th, 2024, these reedited and customised objects were showcased in an immersive exhibition at Gucci’s flagship store on Via Monte Napoleone, 7.

Design Ancora celebrates Italian design’s golden age, featuring curated selections like Storet by Nanda Vigo and Parola by Gae Aulenti and Piero Castiglioni. These pieces, reimagined in Rosso Ancora, Gucci’s chosen red hue, symbolize the brand’s new creative chapter.

The exhibition, designed by Spanish architect Guillermo Santomà, blurs boundaries with curved green walls, creating a metaphysical space where each object stands as an idea rather than a product. Through innovative presentations in store windows, including a magnetic installation featuring Gucci Cub3d sneakers, the exhibition pushes the boundaries of traditional design showcase, inviting viewers into a realm where form, materiality, and colour converge.