We're Already Geeking Out Over These Milan Design Week Debuts

As the Italian fashion capital undergoes its annual overnight transformation into a sleepless design mecca, it’s easy for your Instagram feeds to quickly become saturated with the latest and greatest product prototypes, immersive installations, and Boomerangs of infamous Negroni Sbagliati clinking at Bar Basso in the wee hours. Below is a first taste of what to expect, but stay tuned for real-time coverage of Milan Design Week’s most memorable moments.

LUNA pendant by Gabriel Scott

Gabriel Scott’s latest lighting collection, debuting at Euroluce, unexpectedly departs from the Montreal-based studio’s portfolio of geometric, angular pendants—some of which were permanently installed in Bar Basso this past year. For the LUNA series, on the other hand, tube lights staggered with brushed metal support plump hand-blown Murano orbs that emit a soft, pastel glow.

SCRAP_CMYK by Rikako Nagashima and Kinnasand Lab for Kvadrat

Japanese graphic designer Rikako Nagashima joined forces with Kinnasand Lab to create a series of large-scale recycled polyester curtains, inspired by the accidental patterns on test-print paper sheets, for Kvadrat. “I often consider how I can use the concept of upcycling in my work,” says Nagashima, “and give something that was once considered waste a new value.” Explore the collection, dubbed SCRAP_CMYK, at Kinnasand’s showroom at Corso Monforte 15.

73V by Bocci

The venerable Canadian lighting brand’s popular 73 Series sees creative director Omer Arbel embark on a technical tour de force. Glass is forced into the fibers of a Kevlar-based fabric—typically used for industrial processes—that, once cooled, creates a distinct texture that evokes the delicate creases of drapery.

Oaxaca by Nanimarquina

How can one bring the intimacy and warmth of an interior space to the outdoors, where walls and delineated spots are absent? Spanish rug purveyor Nanimarquina harked back to ancestral techniques to create water- and weather-resistant statement pieces such as Oaxaca, in which black-and-white checkers intermingle with chromatic pixelated florals.

CH30 Chair by Carl Hansen & Søn

Originally conceived by Hans Wegner in 1954 but having fallen out of production for several decades, the CH30 Chair is once again seeing the light of day. Its curved backrest tilts slightly backward—a form mimicked on its backward-sloping rear legs—which ensures optimal back support and stability. Plus, the chair isn’t burdened by armrests, meaning it can be easily tucked under a table.

Muse by Calico Wallpaper and Faye Toogood

Nick and Rachel Cope, the husband-wife duo behind Calico Wallpaper, translated an original hand-painted artwork by Faye Toogood into a large-scale love letter to the endless diversity and variety of the female form. Toogood’s sweeping brushstrokes create a painterly tableau of feminine expressions and poses that evoke such iconic muses as Coco Chanel and Marie Curie.

Raw by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance for Tai Ping

The origins of humble earth inspired visionary French designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance to mine his own creative memory, which came to be during his childhood spent on the wild coasts of Brittany. He seamlessly transposes the sculptural language of stone into something soft—specifically, an ethereal new collection of rugs crafted in wool, silk, jute, lurex, and Field, one of Tai Ping’s enhanced synthetic yarns.

Circe Sofa by Ini Archibong for Sé

Sé’s highly anticipated sequel to the 22-piece Collection IV: ‘Below the Heavens’ sees Ini Archibong deepen his understanding of the eternal interplay between heaven and earth. If the first series skewed celestial and sky-gazing, the sequel is more terrestrial and monumental—Archibong credits “the monolithic shapes of standing stones” as primary inspiration.

Wireline by Formafantasma for FLOS

Formafantasma recasts the power cable as standout design feature for WireLine, which resembles a series of ceiling-suspended rubber belts.

Silhouette by Space Copenhagen for Nude

Space Copenhagen’s debut for Turkish glassware mainstay Nude suggests the work of experts, not beginners. But founders Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou had never ventured into glasswork. The resulting family of three serving vessels, available in caramel and colorless varieties, explores glass’s delicate balance of edge, volume, and curve.

Kolho Collection by Matthew Day Jackson, Made by Choice, and Formica

Hauser & Wirth–represented artist Matthew Day Jackson, known for his resplendent paintings of flowers, first visited the town of Kolho, Finland, this past year to prepare for his upcoming exhibition at the Serlachius Museum. Serendipity prevailed when he discovered Kolho’s hidden relation to space and toured the town’s Formica factory—two themes that inform his new collection of tables and chairs for Made by Choice. Four different varieties in a full spectrum of colors, soon to become a permanent Made by Choice offerings, meditate on the stars, including through a custom Formica laminate that replicates the surface of the moon.

Fat by Tom Dixon

Tom Dixon’s latest chair, cheekily titled Fat, is a true balancing act. Not only does the chair hug its user with a moulded foam backrest, it maintains a humorous—yet charmingly simple—silhouette that embodies form following function.

Fordite by Patricia Urquiola for cc-tapis

Prolific designer Patricia Urquiola’s latest show-stopping rug for cc-tapis has unlikely industrial origins—its namesake is a mystical agate composed of hardened and polished paint layers from automotive factories. And much like the agate itself, the rug’s vibrant layered section are ever-changing; it’s made from wool reclaimed and recycled from other cc-tapis creations.

Triple Desert Bowl by Hagit Pincovici

Israeli designer Hagit Pincovici felt a whirlwind of emotions after experiencing the endlessly chromatic rocky formations during an extensive period of desert travels. She channels Mother Nature’s grandeur into a curious new collection of sandy-textured design objects on display at Lorenzelli Gallery.