Milan Part 2

We appreciate not only the fantastic amount of effort put into designing and manufacturing products but also showing new products. Whether a brand builds a stand at the actual fairgrounds, or uses one of the many unique venues in Milan, we applaud the vast effort that goes into the Milan fair every year.

Here is part two of our highlights from our trip to Milan:

Our hearts stopped when we saw the Ingo Maurer installation. 3000 floating mylar flags above a fluoro-painted sidewalk. It was Ingo's spirit floating above Milan. We wanted to stay there for hours. Since his death in 2019, his design team has continued to work on bringing new designs to market. It made our hearts so happy.

Since Fernando Campana's death, the Campana brothers' work has been quite sought after. Edra, who produces much of the brother's commercial designs, showed a new mirror from the studio, and, of course, the entire Edra collection was shown in their very iconic way. Edra has a permanent showroom that is worth visiting at any time!

Glas Italia works with many designers to manufacture the most exquisite pieces made of glass. The colour of the console left us breathless. Technically, no one does it better.

Flos showed an amazing heavy light by Canadian designer Philippe Malouin, which featured a flexible magnetic connection — Flos is always on the cutting edge of technology. We will patiently wait as the products are not yet available in North America. 

Magis is design. A delightful family business that takes time to invest in new and old designs. The new depth on the radical Costume sofa by Sephan Diez is a case in point. Now available for inside and outside use, the seating comfort is top-notch.

A.N.D., our old friend Andlight, showed up in a beautiful, exciting part of the Euroluce fair and offsite at Alcova. We were particularly enamoured with how the new Vector lights hung outdoors in Alcova's ruins. They have incorporated the dim to warm technology for the lighting, which is so gorgeous to see and makes it possible to always have perfect light.

Davide Groppi shows their minimal lights in stark white spaces. The designs are almost sci-fi; they are so minimal. The magic of light.

Zanotta has 50 years of history and showed a mix of designs from all those decades. Seeing the old Superstudio pieces mixed with the new designs was so refreshing.

ClassiCon produces Eileen Gray designs. This year they showed her original gouache paintings paired with matching one-off carpets hand knotted in Nepal. They will be part of a travelling show, and we are on the list to display the show in the future.

Michael Annastasiade's lighting is fabulous. His work exploration of geometric shapes is always refreshing and inspiring. The booth was simply beautiful.

Mangiarotti had a fantastic exhibition this year at the Triennale. It showed his engineering, design and artwork together. At Agape Casa, they have continued to slowly introduce more Mangarotti designs. Now after seeing the show on his complete work, I see his work differently. It is elemental, refined and beautiful.

Ciao Milano, see you next time.

Warmly, Nancy