Ventura Lambrate // Milan 2013.

I have to start off by saying that reporting back on Ventura Lambrate 2013 is a seriously overwhelming task. Why? Because it was all sorts of amazing and huge, and I now have so much to share with you! I’ve been working on this post for over a week and I feel like I still need more time to do it justice. Anyway, enough complaining – it’s time to get stuck into it.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Ventura Lambrate, it is a curated exhibition precinct located in the industrial area of North-East Milan. The event was brought to life by Margriet Vollenberg & Margo Konings, the founders of Dutch studio Organisation in Design. This dynamic duo and their team have created a unique and inspiring event that captures the true spirit of creativity. This is where you can find a diverse mix of upcoming designers from around the world, leading design schools and established names all coming together for the same cause – celebration of design. Hooray!

In the space of just 4 years, Ventura Lambrate has established itself as a must-visit destination on the incredibly busy Milan Design Week circuit. I have to say that this was probably my favourite day during the week – in fact, it was so good that it literally took me by surprise, and you gotta love it when that happens.

With this in mind, I am about to give you a seriously massive post on what I saw during our day at Lambrate, accompanied by Husband’s fantastic shots. We are a small team but a (f#@%ing) ridiculously enthusiastic one, can’t you tell? Good, just checking.

Swedish designer Lisa Hilland exhibited with Malmö by Proxy collective. Her pieces included (clockwise from top left) “Baby it will never end” cabinet and mirror – a furniture series exploring repetitive mirror reflections as a metaphor for eternal, unconditional love. Bottom right – Bow Chair for Gemla, renowned Swedish bentwood factory from the late 1800s. Bottom left – June armchair with a metal structure and a textile covering,” making the most of the material and showing off the textile at its best, like a red carpet dress!”

Andréason & Leibel showed a number of fantastic new product. Top image is of their Babylon Tower Desk inspired by the sixteenth century painting by Bruegel. On the desk you can see some of their other playful objects – porcelain Hedonist Skulls, and Inkwell Vase/Jar made from lacquered 3D printed PLA plastic. Bottom image of their brilliant flyers designed for the exhibition Malmö by Proxy. Extreme love!

The Lamp by Apokalyps Labotek. Leftover paper, yesterday’s news and new music are the ingredients in this swirly Eurovision party lamp. The lamp is made from waste paper and old newspaper articles about sustainable developments and environmental issues. It was designed as part of the Fan Area during Eurovision Song Contest which will be held in May 2013 in Malmö. (P.S. Do you guys watch Eurovision? If not, you seriously need to get onto that shit – Eurovision is The Best. I’m not kidding, I’m a huge massive fan. I guess that’s what growing up in Europe does to a person…)

The Meadow by Louise Hederström. “Flowers and trees from my childhood’s meadow meets traditional Turkish handicraft, inspired by old Scandinavian wool embroidery.” Hand woven in Turkey, made of naturally dyed wool and hand-spun wool.

Ash & Copper furniture and lighting by Ola Wihlborg also on show as part of Malmö by Proxy.

Saddle stool designed by Studio 06 for YOUTOOL and produced by Curti Metallo in 2013. The seat is made by folding a single sheet of metal that mimics the cowboy saddle.

Dutch collective 010-020 presented seven young design studios from The Netherlands. In case you’re wondering, the numbers 010 – 020 stand for area-codes. 010 is for Rotterdam & 020 is for Amsterdam. How do I know this? Cause I’m awesome! (I figured none of you would be reading this far, so I can write whatever I want now). Here are some favourites, with a lot more images in the gallery.

Studio WM presented some new and refreshed pieces. Clockwise form top left – Circular Lamp (either rubber coated or in pressed textile by Kvadrat.) Porcelain Lamps inspired by the shipyards of Rotterdam (adjustable in height with a pulley system). Dining Chair inspired by the amazing fabrics that can be produced with a circular knitting machine, and Troche Side tables in two sizes that can also be used for storage.

True colour shelves by Lex Pott. Ok, these aren’t exactly new but I simply didn’t see that as a good enough reason not to share. These beautiful shelves are made by oxidising Copper, Brass and Steel to reveal their true colours and patina. Seriously amazing! Also on show were Transience Mirrors by Lex Pott in collaboration with David Derksen (featured previously).

Face Value side tables by Earnest Studio. Aren’t these just a little bit fabulous? A series of low tables made of three flat components. Each component is produced from a range of materials, representing a range of values –  Corian, Marble, Padoek, Colored MDF, Plywood and Brass. These components (and values) are then assembled to create varying compositions of texture, color and cost.  They can be used individually, in a line or stacked as shelving. Various configurations are illustrated in the Face Value posters. Brilliant!

Osmosi by Emmanuel Babled Studio. A limited edition of unique glass and marble pieces, marrying the two materials into sculptural objects and furniture. These pieces combines new technology with traditional craftsmanship – the fusion between marble and hand-blow glass are put together with a precision only possible by high-level digital technology. The glass is produced by the Venini furnace in Murano and the marble by Testi in Verona.

Scintilla Light by DANTE from their new collection “Admit One Gentleman“. Turning their attention on the myth and legend of the Gentleman, “this collection reflects his impeccable manners, timeless elegance but also the decandence of his vices.” Many more excellent pieces in the gallery (get the hint – you have to check out the gallery for the rest of the photos man.)

Recession Chair by Tjep. “Receding is the act of withdrawing and diminishing. We were interested in exploring the visual impact of receding in relation to a design object. We took a popular mass produced chair and started sanding it to the finest possible version. The result is a process where the chair goes from normal, to diminished, to skeleton like.The resulting object looks as if it won’t withstand the weight of the person it’s supporting, yet the bronze casting provides the necessary strength for it to serve as a functional object.” – Frank Tjepkema

FOODMADE at Padiglion Italia was a collective exhibition of projects “inspired and created BY and not FOR food”. Transubstantia by Ctrlzak is a series of delicate vessels and lighting pieces made from altar bread that was softened with water and formed into super-fine, translucent pieces.

Also at FOODMADE – Tofu Chair by Leonardo Talarico. Through a dehydration process and subsequent thermal shock, tofu gains important mechanical properties and it can be used as a structural material. The armchair is treated with a natural colour that is able to change shades based on the acidity of the material.

For the second year, Swedish clothing brand COS commissioned a pop-up concept store created by French design duo Bonsoir Paris. Reflecting the values of the brand, the focus of the installation was on rational simplicity and function. So clever and super cool.

Muller Van Severen, a furniture project by Belgian duo Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen was presented by Valerie Traan Gallery (previously). A series of their exquisite pieces were on show at the LAP building. (In fact, some other pieces were also shown at Spazio Rossana Orlandi & La Triennale di Milano). Super hotness.

Also at LAP Building, State of Transience, an on-going project by Sander Wassink. Using the relatively simple design archetype of a chair, Wassink repurposes materials, making additions, subtractions and mutations, to suggest the impossibility of a final or fixed form. Each new version of this chair, documented in incremental stages, shows evidence of it’s future potential.

Storywall by Analogia Project. These 3D white tiles are the result of collaboration with master ceramist Alessio Sarri. The surfaces accurately reproduce archaeological fragments and ruins from the Museo del Castello Sforzesco di Milano, Museo Civico Archeologico di Milano, and from Musei Capitolini di Roma. Stunning, no?

Grand Cabinets by Swedish designer Mathieu Gustafsson and furniture maker Niklas Karlsson are inspired by the use of woven rattan and brass clasps in vintage handbags. These pieces were first launched at Stockholm Furniture Fair in February, however I think they definitely deserve another mention.

Circus Sideboard from the debut collection by London-based Studio Roso. Check out this video to see how this piece works. A little bit of trippy fun never hurt anyone, innit?

Disco Dish by Bertjan Pot for DH PH. Seriously, what do you want me to say here? It’s AWESOME!

Altered Appliances by master students from Rotterdam’s Piet Zwart Institute. This was one of the four projects on show – Rollware, a set of laser-cut rolling pins designed by Joanne Choueiri, Giulia Cosenza and Povilas Raskevicius to produce edible plates and dishes made from dough.

Flare light by Studio Besau Marguerre, with assistance from Kosta Pamporis. This project examines the deeply responsive nature of copper as a material, inspired by the warm glow of archaic fires.

Sedimentation urns & vessels by Hilda Hellstrom. These pieces are inspired by ancient rock formations and the strata within them – the pieces are a contemporary interpretation of such geological phenomena. “Using Jesmonite with an array of different pigments while constantly experimenting during the casting process, produces undulating coloured strata and fantastical patterns.”

Objects built with the Thread Wrapping Machine by Anton Alvarez. This tool for joining different types of material with only a glue-coated thread to bind the objects means that no screws or nails are required to join the different components and/ or different materials such as wood, steel or plastic. GOLD!

Ok, I am going to have to stop here as I fear this post is already becoming so big that it might actually break The Internet. I have to say that my little heart is breaking because there is still SO MUCH MORE left to share, and I feel like I need to apologise to all the amazing designers I’ve met who’s work I’ve loved but simply couldn’t include. To this end, I urge you to have a look at the gallery below with our photos from the day we visited. So much more amazing stuff to be discovered, I promise. But only if you really, really love great design and seriously cool shit! For example, if you look at just one thing, then you simply must check out the photos from the Diesel Social Cafe Club & Amaro’s Extravaganza – an 800 square meter café, restaurant and social hub at the Lambrate Warehouse. The ultimate definition of cool – it was seriously BEYOND!

[Press images courtesy of respective designers. All other photos by Nick Hughes for Yellowtrace.]