Design Miami's Most Anticipated

A Preview of Must-See Happenings

Aside from hosting the world’s most prestigious design galleries, Design Miami also provides a platform for forward-thinking collaborations and installations. Below, this year’s six most anticipated.

“Flotsam and Jetsam” by SHoP Architects

Powerhouse firm SHoP Architects will create an undulating, copper-toned pavilion to be exhibited at the fair’s entrance. shoparc.com

“Design Curio” by Virgil Abloh

Abloh’s new commission, to be unveiled at the fair, is an event in and of itself. His work as creative director for Kanye West and designer for his own fashion brand, Off-White, sets expectations high. off—white.com

“The Happy Room” by Cristina Celestino

After having received an award at this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italian designer Cristina Celestino will debut her new collection, “The Happy Room.” Together, her designs constitute an intimate Fendi-branded VIP room, destined to be replicated in boutiques worldwide. cristinacelestino.com

“No Sex” by Atelier Biagetti

This project, which originally premiered at Salone del Mobile, delves deep into the human psyche, presenting preconceived notions of sexuality in unexpected ways. atelierbiagetti.com

“Ice” by Arik Levy

This innovative, sharp-edged installation is the work of artist and designer Arik Levy. Rather than serve as a decorative afterthought, quartz and marble constitute the whole of Levy’s arctic-inspired creations. ariklevy.fr

Objets Nomades by Louis Vuitton

This furniture installation brings new commissions from Tokujin Yoshioka and the Campana Brothers, grouped with bellwether pieces from Patricia Urquiola and Marcel Wanders. us.louisvuitton.com

Perrier-Jouët at Design Miami

Architect and designer Andrew Kudless is the force behind Perrier-Jouët’s “Strand Garden” installation at Design Miami. Here, he reflects on what he’s created.

Part of your interest in collaborating with Perrier-Jouët came from the brand’s association with art nouveau. How does your work relate to that movement?

What I was really interested in, as you see in some art nouveau paintings and designs, are these fibers and strands that are together in one bundle, but then they split apart into separate branches, or hair blowing in the wind, or vines growing. It’s that curving line, constantly bifurcating and coming together and flowing, that really resonated with me.

What do you hope viewers will glean from your pieces at Design Miami?

It was just about creating that space for calmness within a person’s life, in a way. They’re in this fair, seeing all this amazing work, and then you bring them into this installation, which provides light, enclosure, and quiet. That space for reflection is what I’m most interested in; what they reflect on, that’s kind of up to them. It’s more about creating an environment that inspires them. A calm, open space.

You identify craftsmanship as one link between your designs and the Perrier-Jouët brand. How does the technique of winemaking relate to your process?

One of the best experiences for me in this process was visiting with the cellar master in épernay, France. He talked about how the bottling process works, the robots, the riddling process—all these technical terms and equipment that he’s helped develop over the years. Then we had a tasting, and he talked about the wine’s amazing aesthetic qualities and not the technical side. I hope that my work has a similar ability: to deal with the technical, but to also transcend that through expertise and craftsmanship, and get to an experience that’s much more qualitative. I don’t want to fetishize my process, even though I use 3-D printing, scripting, and all these other digital crafts. That’s not the focus. It’s always my aim to produce work that resonates with people on an emotional level.

All presentations will be on view from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, 2017.