Salone de Mobile @ Milano Day 2.0

The Salone party is roughly built up in 3 parts in Milano. Of course the fair, you have the City Centre where the regular shops are combined with art & furniture and there is the Zona Tortona.  

Day 2.0 was reserved for Tortona. A neighborhood located a bit southwest of Milano’s city centre, all around Via Tortona. This is where art meets commerce, in a neighborhood of old warehouses, plants and production facilities, with an architectural 50-60's feeling.

Roughly there are 3 groups: Young and upcoming professionals, not able or not willing to pay the high booth rates. Cool, urban and trendy design brands that do not want to be seen in such a commercial area as the fair. And the final group: some major companies sowing their state of the art creative solutions.  



First we bought an umbrella since the weather did not meet our Caribbean spring standards. Bisazza Mosaic had to be visited first, as we are working on Mambo with them. One of the most innovative glass mosaic producers created a kind of church & bathroom feeling in an old warehouse. Our Italian friend displayed a dark but a gorgeous feeling.



Next steps, Moooi, Linteloo & Modular; 2 Dutch & 1 Belgium companies have a permanent showroom @ Via Tortona, all in a building designed by Paolo Navaro.  

Linteloo, famous for their variety in sofas & rough tables. The “Pleasure” is their new sofa model, great comfort in sitting, covered with tender linen in mixed colors. Roderick Vos designed the new “xxx” table, the next development of his father's VNU table.



Moooi, just next door, had several new icons. A remake of the foot of the container table series, Marcel Wanders' “Barok” feeling pur sang.  Studio’s jobs contribution was the “Alt Deutsche Mobel” series: a cabinet, a clock and a books coffin, and a mid size version of the Paper Chandelier.





Marcel Wanders also designed the Big Ben, a 180cm round clock, and the Valentine, a nice and shiny suspension light in 2 sizes and 4 colors.

The final spot of the day was the Temporary Museum for New Design. A huge old plant with many big and small spaces or rooms. Every room has it’s own identity, sound, feeling and atmosphere, created by its designer. Some with ancient basics some with state of the art techniques, brought into creativity.

If you want you easily can spend hours at this creative cell, and fall from one surprise into the next one.

A funny small LOT1038 item; we arrived at the Mosa room where we found one of our projects displayed at their touch screen LCD monitor; coincidence or did they know we where showing up? We will never know...