The Fourth Edition of LOCAL MILAN Unveiled at Milan Design Week 2019.

In the largest independent showcase of Australian design to date at Milan Design Week, Local Design unveiled its fourth edition with works by 44 Australian and New Zealand designers. Local Design’s founder Emma Elizabeth curated the exhibition with a vision to promote understanding and awareness of Aussie design amongst a global audience.

The exhibition took over a ten-room, two-level Palazzo in the historic 5 Vie district, including pieces from New Volumes™, furniture brand nau, and selected pieces from the Local Design X Lane Crawford collection. The bottom floor also hosted the nau café, offering a moment for visitors to stop and reflect over a quirky Australian snack.

“It’s hard to describe Australian design as it draws from so many cultures and influences,” says Emma Elizabeth. “The objective of LOCAL MILAN over the past four years has been to present a collective of Australian design that allows guests to start creating their own dialogue in regards to our design industry. In time heightening the global perspective of our Australian aesthetic and style, encouraging and supporting local designers to continue advancing and developing the industry.”

The diverse presentation included Objects of Desire by New Volumes, the inaugural collection for home and office by Artedomus. Machine cut stone objects are finished by hand, creating a stylistic dichotomy between futuristic and organic, primitive form.

A more direct homage to Australia, the Greenway Crackle by ADesignStudio is a lighting collection that references Sydney’s maritime architecture and Richard Kelly’s principles of light, shaped by experimentation with primitive glass processes. Glass components are handblown into five shapes, referencing deconstructed forms of the Macquarie lighthouse.

Custom botanical sculptures from Berlin-based Australian floral stylist Ruby Barber, bespoke soundscape by Australian DJ Mason Mulholland, and graphics by designer and creative director Bradley Seymour echoed contemporary Australian culture throughout the exhibition rooms.

Related: LOCAL DESIGN For Lane Crawford To Launch During Art Basel In Hong Kong.

[Images courtesy of Local Design. Installation photography by Emanuele Zamponi.]