Milan’s marquee design fair Salone del Mobile continues to grow towards pre-pandemic levels as more brands and designers return to what has always been ground zero for the design industry. Here we put the spotlight on some up-to-the-minute updates from a scan of brands that are A+R favorites.
For Design Week 2024, BD introduced Interzone, the playful Barcelona brand’s first collection of cabinets and sofas with Belgian design duo Muller Van Severen. In bold and vibrant colors, the Bridges storage pieces have an engaging sculptural vibe while keen design updates bring even more dreamy comfort to the Pillow sofa system.
Known for its hand-carved detail, Bosnian maker Zanat grouped its new offerings under the banner “Pattern of Life”, in league with design luminaries such as Jean-Marie Massaud, Sebastian Herkner and Naoto Fukusawa. The Bunna Chair by Fukusawa plays a striking sculptural form against a softly textural seat while Herkner juxtaposes multiple top surfaces in his Sinja coffee tables, and De Lucchi’s completely hand-carved Kula nightstand elevates any bedroom.
The global Asian brand unveiled its latest collections in Milan with an immersive installation, “The Canvas and the Plinth," curated by creative directors Neri&Hu—who also launched several new collections for Stellar Works. Their Qi range represents a fusion of minimal Asiatic aesthetics and modern design while the Lyrical collection is a tribute to woodcraft artistry. Iconic Taiko drums inspired Studio Stefan Scholten’s side tables of the same name while the Stay dining furniture and Float seating debuted by renowned Italian architect Michele De Lucchi.
With the theme “Natural Contrast,” curated by Norm Architects and design director Keiji Ashizawa, Karimoku Case juxtaposed the warm, lighter shades of locally sourced keyaki wood with rich darker timbers in pieces originally developed for specific interiors. Sister brand Karimoku New Standard transformed an artist’s studio into a living environment that featured a new take on the Spectrum Round Table by Geckler Michaels without the cable management system, making it also suitable as a dining table.