Seven Designers of the Future at La Rinascente
The Italian retailer offers limited edition work by emerging designers sourced from Milan Design Week
Each year during Milan Design week, SaloneSatellite is the area of Salone del Mobile devoted to emerging designers and schools. This is one of the true hot-spots—the place to find the future of industrial and furniture design. For the second year Italy’s oldest department store, La Rinascente, has partnered with SaloneSatellite to put into production a selection of the seven best works, chosen from the 650 under-35 designers who took part in the 2014 edition. The prototypes we saw back in April are now real objects, for sale throughout the holidays from the Design Supermarket of Milan’s flagship store. “Design, Innovation & Craftsmanship” is the theme that has inspired this year’s choices. For this reason, each selected design uses both traditional production techniques and materials along with digital manufacturing and industrial processes.
French designer Arturo Erbsman’s “Water Lamps” are inspired by natural processes in everyday life. The lamps recreate the shades and effects of water. The glass spheres contain water, which evaporates and condensates thanks to the the warmth of the bulbs and the temperature of the room. The effect is a poetic and magical use of basic science and advanced design.
“Mush” is a battery-powered lamp, designed by Claudia Garay. It’s clearly inspired by a mushroom, with a wooden base and a ceramic top. The LED lights are reflected under the tiny dome, recreating a cozy and pleasant effect.
Though originally from Japan, Tsukasa Goto fell in love with Italy upon visiting and settled in there in 2004. The transplant surely finds inspiration in his new home—a sentiment seen directly in his marble fruit bowls, which pay homage to the Italian landscape. “Geographical” resembles a mountain, while “Agricultural” uses colored marble to represent cultivated fields.
Uto Balmoral chooses marble as well, but with a more conceptual and metaphorical approach. With “Molding” traditional architectural friezes and ornaments become modular objects for the table. They can be functional, or simply decorative, surreal objects with a purpose.
The charm of mythical women and the beauty of nature come together in the delicate designs by Maria Volokhova. The lower half of famous female bodies (like those of Twiggy and Cinderella) have been turned into porcelain vases, to be adorned with flowers. An unconvetional action thus becomes a radically aesthetic approach.
We first spotted Tania Da Cruz at SaloneSatellite back in 2011. Today she’s at La Rinascente Design Supermarket with “Playmobilia,” a small collection of three colorful stools, shaped like gigantic reproductions of the wigs once worn by miniature play figures. With this new product she proves to be both ironic and poetic at the same time.
Dossofiorito is Livia Rossi and Gianluca Giabardo, an Italian duo based in Verona. “The Phytophiler” is a series of handmade terracotta vases with embellished lips. The unique modular design allows users to add accessories like mirrors and magnifying lenses, through which it’s possible to multiply and enhance the vision of nature.
The “Designers of the Future” collection is available at the Design Supermarket in La Rinascente Milan until 25 December 2014.
Images courtesy of their respective designer
