Highlights From Milan Design Week 2019.

Some sample pages from our mighty MILANTRACE 2019 Digital Report. WOOHOO!

COME TO OUR ROCKING TALKS!

Brisbane: Wednesday, 15 May 2019 (Evening Session)
Perth: Thursday, 16 May 2019 (Evening Session)
Sydney: Thursday, 23 May 2019 (Lunchtime Session)
Sydney: Thursday, 23 May 2019 (Evening Session)
Melbourne: Tuesday, 28 May 2019 (Lunchtime Session)
Melbourne: Tuesday, 28 May 2019 (Evening Session)
Adelaide: Thursday, 13 June 2019 (Evening Session)

Related:
Welcome to MILANTRACE 2019.
Milan Design Week & Salone del Mobile 2019 Preview.

Gucci’s temporary ‘apartment’ pop-up on via Sant’Andrea was a thrilling manifestation of the fashion brand in a more-is-more home environment. Squeal! A riot of colours, pattern on pattern, was the name of the game here, showcasing the latest additions to the luxury brand’s homeware collection of furniture, dinnerware, crockery, porcelain, textiles and wallpaper. Photography © Dana Tomic Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

More details from the Gucci apartment pop-up. How great is that wallpaper in the middle? Can’t deal! Photography © Dana Tomic Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The design rock stars of Milan, Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran of DimoreStudio, staged multiple shows during the week. This was their Interstellar installation showcasing the brand’s latest evolution, furniture brand DimoreMilano, set within the former Cinema Arti building, which absolutely captured the duo’s rock star status within a very dramatic, dark and moody setting accompanied with signature loud punk music. As many of you would know, I’ve been very critical of Dimore’s output in Milan over the last few years, but this year I was presently surprised, and at times even delighted. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Next door, Dimoremilano’s textile collection was displayed in a sequence of semi-abandoned rooms. On the walls were photos by Andrea Ferrari shot in various Milanese locations, forming part of the new Progetto Tessuti catalogue. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

At Spazio Maiocchi, iconic luggage brand RIMOWA and contemporary art magazine KALEIDOSCOPE presented Guillermo Santomá’s Gas. The young Spanish designer’s progressive outlook unfolded as a short film, a printed publication and an installation, which was inspired by the idea of a conceptual gas station, centred around a fully functioning car transformed with RIMOWA aluminium into a light and sound sculpture. So freaking cool, and you know it! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The main reason we visited Spazio Maiocchi was for Google’s installation “A space for wellbeing”, created with International Arts + Mind Lab at John Hopkins University and Suchi Reddy of Reddymade, entirely furnished by Muuto furniture. We didn’t take any photos during our visit, allowing instead to immerse ourselves in the quiet experience devised to understand how the brain responds to our aesthetic experiences, thereby exploring design’s impact on our biology. I’ll obviously share more in the coming talks and our Milan digital report, so stay tuned! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The entrance to Studiopepe’s manifesto project Les Arcanistes. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Les Arcanistes was largely considered a universal highlight from the week, and it’s not difficult to see why. Studiopepe are masters of capturing sublime beauty while keeping things fresh and unexpected. Ten points from me! Goes without saying we will dive into this installation in more detail soon. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Louis Vuitton’s Object Nomades took place inside Palazzo Serbelloni this year. And although these images look pretty damn spectacular, I have to admit the overall experience left me somewhat underwhelmed as I didn’t feel LV hit their usually extremely high presentation standards. (for example, I do not wish to see bare scaffolding rigging up the lights inside a palazzo where Napoleon once used to hang out with Josephine, if ya know what I’m sayin’, etc, etc.) Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Two of my favourites from the latest Objet Nomades release – Anemona tables by Atelier Biagetti, and super fun new chair collection by Raw Edges. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Stellar Works’ new collection was unveiled at Galleria Manzoni, presented as a series of theatrical installations titled ‘The Montage’, conceived by the brand’s creative directors Neri&Hu. Available in Australia from Living Edge. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Stellar Works also launched The Crawford Collection by Australian designer Tom Fereday (yay!) and Lane Crawford, shown in the image on the left. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Vogue Italia hosted the second edition of Life in Vogue, created by eight internationally acclaimed designers, which was probably even better than last year’s presentation. Shown here was my personal favourite – News Room designed by Storage Milano. Bliiiinnnnggggg! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

A couple more from Life in Vogue – Talent Room by Pierre Marie, and Meeting Room by Massimiliano Locatelli. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

There were many moments I cherish from Milan this year, but as an Australian, perhaps the most remarkable one of all was Local Design’s 4th outing in Milan, curated by the tireless dynamo Emma Elizabeth, who assembled the largest ever group of Australian and New Zealand designers under one roof – 44 in total. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Local Milan was housed in a beautifully presented space accompanied by a bespoke soundscape by Australian DJ Mason Mulholland, arresting floral installation by Berlin-based, Australian floral stylist Ruby Barber, while the Milan-based, Australian graphic designer and creative director Bradley Seymour put his spin on the visual identity of the show. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Local Milan represents an extraordinary effort by the young designer, stylist and curator who highlights just how much home-grown talent we have in this country while placing Australian Design on the global map, having doubled the participants and raised the bar of the show’s presentation year on year. Kudos! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The Symbolic Room by Atelier Aveus transforms Martina Gamboni PR agency’s meeting room for another year. On the right is the spectacular view from the office terrace back towards the Duomo, with Masquespacio’s Land for Poggi Ugo terracotta planters in the foreground. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Masquespacio’s site-specific installation celebrated 100 years of one of Italy’s most important ancient furnaces – Poggi Ugo, used to produce terracotta. Curated by Valentina Guidi Ottobri, the project explored new aesthetics visions for Terracotta and its natural essence, as a lush and peaceful oasis. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Palazzo Litta hosted the sensational ECHO courtyard installation by respected Chilean architects Pezo von Ellrichshausen, which was entirely mirrored on the outside, while the inside offered a different point of view. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Chatting to the charming French designer Emmanuel Babled, who’s Prime Matter Photobooth installation took place at the landing of Palazzo Litta’s main staircase. On the right is Lithea’s Bisanzio collection of small furniture and decorative marble wall tiles. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

LA-based cool kids from Atelier de Troupe launched their latest collection Neo Noir at Palazzo Litta. Extreme love! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Kawashima Selkon Textiles is a Japanese company founded more than 170 years ago, specializing in kimono sashes, curtains, and screens. This year, the traditional silk textures are recreated in synthetic fibres with truly incredible results – the colours of the panels change in response to light and the viewing position. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Over on Via Solferino, Salvatori staged a series of installations ‘Hidden Rooms’, designed by the brand’s long term collaborator Elisa Ossino – who’s a total design rockstar and needs to be, mega-famous if you ask me. (She kind of already is, but I’m talking CRAZY FAMOUS so even your mum knows who you’re talking about, type thing.) Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

More scenes from Salvatori’s ‘Hidden Rooms’, overlooking the famous and super beautiful Via Solferino 11 shared courtyard. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Up on level 3, Dimore Gallery hosted Visioni, a poetic installation of furniture and lights by the late Italian artist-designer legend Gabriella Crespi. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The seven reissued pieces were originally designed by Crespi in the 1970s – from lamps to wall sconces, to furniture made from brass, bronze and lacquer, reproduced by Dimore after approaching her daughter. As well as the pieces reissued for Dimore Gallery, the exhibition included original items from the Crespi archive made from bamboo and brass, displayed in the final space and also two styled rooms which were blocked off by a perspex partition (shown in the middle image). Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Milan’s newest design destination — Palermouno — is located in a 3rd-floor apartment in Brera. Founded by interior designer Sophie Wannenes, the 150sqm gallery brings together vintage, modern and contemporary pieces in a space that feels effortless, yet stamped with a distinctive Milanese kind of glamour. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Bold colours, striking patterns and statement furniture pieces harmonise and clash in equal measure, proving once and for all, we ought to take a leaf out of the Italian style book and become unafraid to take risks with colour and pattern. Yes, please! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Planetario by Cristina Celestino took place inside Brera Design Apartment, which saw the talented designer wrap the entire space in carpet. Call me crazy, but I’m totally into this wild 70s vibe action. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Planetario was created by Celestino for Besana Carpet Lab, exploring the potential of the carpet as more than a material that belongs on floors. P.s. You may recognise this space from this installation we talked about previously. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Sony presented ‘Affinity in Autonomy’ – an interactive installation that envisions a world in which intelligence and technology are integrated more into our day to day lives. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

‘Affinity in Autonomy’ explored the emotion, companionship and behaviour of robotics; how humans interact and co-exist with them – both now and in the future – looking at the impact on our senses through technology. The installation ultimately proposed that robotics will play an integral role in our lives, society and infrastructure in the coming years. Scary slash exciting. I think. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Broken Nature at Milan’ Triennale is the gallery’s major exhibition this year, and not formally part of Milan Design Week. We visited the day we arrived in Milan, and although I was massively flat-lining through what was one of my worst jet lag experiences on record, I cannot recommend this exhibition enough. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Curated by Paola Antonelli, alongside a seriously talented team, Broken Nature is poignant, timely, eye-opening, informative, broad in outlook, poetic, confronting, incredibly well researched & thought through, and must see. If you find yourself in Milan before September 1^st, 2019 – just go, ok? Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

A few scenes from the epic Salone del Mobile at RHO Fiera – consider this your ‘scratch and sniff overview’ for now. Vitra stole the show with their always-on-point styling, exciting colour combinations and up-to-the-minute object & art selection. Available in Australia from Living Edge. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Glas Italia’s beautiful new screen system designed by Piero Lissoni. Right: Montana with Rakumba Lighting. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Turati Collection by Sancal. Right: The dramatic presentation by Czech lighting brand Lasvit, Available in Australia from Living Edge. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

FLOS stand formed part of Design Holding, the new furniture and lighting group also made up of B&B Italia and Louis Poulsen, which has the most epic presence at RHO. Flos is available in Australia from Living Edge. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Fritz Hansen had a rebrand earlier this year, which they brought out in full effect at Salone this year. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: The very beautiful Boffi | De Padova | MA/U Studio | ADL combined stand. Right: The somewhat genius stand by Cleaf, called C-HOUSE. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

nendo’s ‘Breeze of light’ installation for Japanese air conditioning company DAIKIN was the work of subtle genius. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

nendo’s concept revolved around the experience and sensation of “invisible air”. By focusing on an invisible subject, the installation offered a unique opportunity to experience with sight what we can only feel in real life. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Cristina Celestino reimagined the Milanese icon, Pasticceria Cucchi, with a project dubbed Caffe Concerto. The installation was a tribute to the city without nostalgia, reinventing the iconic gathering place through a series of interventions within the interior, the shop windows and the outdoor seating area. Naturally, we stopped in to check it out, coincidentally enjoying one of the best coffees we’ve ever had in Milan. For real. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Next stop was Rossana Orlandi’s gallery, where spring blooms awaited in the festive courtyard filled with design goers. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: ANOTHERVIEW video art project. Right: On Entropy marble sculptures. They had me at “Please Do Touch” sign! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

More Rossana Orlandi’s courtyard magic, because – well, why not? Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Se Collection’s sublime new collection and the most beautiful installation at Rossana Orlandi had me feeling slightly light-headed, in the best possible way. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Delicious scenes from Rossana Orlandi’s bonkers maximalist retail space. Unfortunately, I couldn’t work out who the glass objects were by, but they were amazing and if you happen to know – do share! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek’s signature works at the back of RO’s upstairs retails space. I am quite partial to the grid cabinet, if you must know. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Great to see Rust Harvest project by young Japanese designer Yuma Kano we spotted at Salone Satellite last year – read more here. Right: Guilty Pleasure by Siri Bahlenberg. Wowzer. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Seed Light by Vezzini and Chen. Right: Fucking around with Mandalaki ‘s captivating Celebration of Light installation. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Chatting to the clever Dutch-born, Spain-based designer Marre Moerel about her sublime Memento Mori collection of candles, which was the first moment that almost made me cry (in a good way) during the week, as you can see from Exhibit A. I must admit, it’s the overall experiences that usually make me cry in Milan (and elsewhere) – not usually from observing an object, or a collection, so this experience definitely breaks new ground for me. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: The stunning Exploring Eden collection by Bethan Gray, created in partnership with Nature Squared, championing natural materials, artisanal craft, cutting-edge sustainability and social responsibility The collection consists of a capiz shell shelving unit, jade and pheasant feather lounge chairs, pearl shell cylindrical stools, with the hero items including a scallop shell table and a pen shell coffee table. Available in Australia from Living Edge. Right: Pankalangu Wardrobe from Broached Monsters Collection by Trent Jansen spotted at Rossana Orlandi. Read more about the collection here. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Milan Moment in Sant Ambrogio. Right: Sara Ricciardi for Serge Ferrari at 5vie. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Founded by David Giroire and Jérôme Bazzocchi, Theoreme Editions debuted in Milan with a chic collection designed by emerging contemporary French designers Emmanuelle Simon, Francesco Balzano, Garnier & Linker, Joris Poggioli, Pool and Services Généraux. Right: Garnier & Linker’s Collection Romane for Ormond Editions – eight new pieces designed with sculptural and contemporary lines, made from variations of different timber, plaster, slate, Vals stone and bronze, all handcrafted in France. Serious beauty. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

New York-based darlings Apparatus debuted Interlude – a Limited Edition collection of furniture and lights that indulge in fine handcraft pushed beyond the boundaries of the studio’s production pieces. Hand embroidery, alabaster, Carpathian burl and eel skin ground the collection in decorative references conceived as a suite of furnishings designed for an imagined, modernist concert hall. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Gipoato&Coombs debuted ‘To The Moon and Back’, a lighting collection that combines the surreal with the ordinary – a reoccurring theme in the gorgeous duo’s work. Representing a departure from their usual style, the collection is inspired by imaginary treasures collected from an exploratory mission to space and brought back to Earth. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Volker Haug Studio versus John Hogan featured the collaborative works of Melbourne-based lighting practice and Seattle-based glass artist. The show introduces four scaled-up works of aluminium and engineered glass, stacked and fused together in illuminated block compositions. So good! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Entry to Volker Haug Studio versus John Hogan show at 5Vie. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Created by London-based French architect Arthur Mamou-Mani for fashion brand COS, Conifera was a largescale 3D printed architectural installation conceived to blend the digital with the physical world while addressing sustainability through the use of compostable bio-plastic. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

That awkward moment when you realise you’re dressed to match the installation. Oppsies. Naturally, Nick had to take the photo to commemorate the occasion. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

As visitors journeyed through Conifera, the architecture shifted from timber and bioplastic composite in the courtyard to a translucent and white bioplastic found within the garden, communicating a digitally fabricated bridge between the manmade and the natural world. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Melbourne-based lighting design studios Christopher Boots and Lost Profile Studios staged a fantastic collective show TROVE at Spazio RT. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

More scenes from TROVE by Christopher Boots and Lost Profile Studios. So great! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Gustavo Martini’s circular marble ‘love seat’ at the entrance of Love-themed Wallpaper Handmade show. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Love vases by Pete Pongsak and Espasso. Right: Echo of Love lamp by Brendan Ravenhill Studio and Maison Integre at Wallpaper Handmade. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Lara Bohinc’s latest collection; love-themed custom pink USM cabinet and Chan + Eayrs, Sebastian Cox and American Hardwood Export Council’s blushing bar at Wallpaper Handmade. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Still/Life collaborative installation by Calico Wallpaper with Ladies & Gentlemen Studio and Mud Australia, and Muse wallpaper collection by Faye Toogood for Calico Wallpaper. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Draga & Aurel’s Transparency Matters was Como-based designers first solo show in Milan, and a personal highlight – so you can bet yo ass we will be sharing more about this soon. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

BassamFellows staged Elemental Exhibition inside their lifestyle gallery, featuring the latest collection inspired by the prosaic, elemental nature of some of the duo’s favourite materials like stone, wood, metal and leather. Available in Australia from Living Edge. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Hermes was back at La Pelota with an installation that launched their latest homewares collection. Criticized by quite a few for not being as impressive as last year’s spectacle (which, let’s face it, is possible to top), what I appreciated about this installation was its quiet sophistication and subtlety – materials traced a line, permeated a motif, delineated an object. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

One of the stand out piece from the Hermes the collections were Barber & Osgerby granite or porcelain Halo and Hécate lamps shown in the middle image. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Brodie Neill presented new works from his self-produced furniture collection Made in Ratio – new high bar stool version of his now-iconic Alpha chair, and the all-new Theorem screen/ room divider. Available in Australia from Living Edge. Right: Aesop Brera hosted an installation imagined by the landscape and interior architecture practice Inside Outside. The store was reinvented as a conceptual botanical garden, with copious amounts of soil seeming to pour in freely from the windows, literally bringing the outdoors in. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Herman Miller presented All Together Now, a five-part exhibition that celebrates and unites the Herman Miller Group’s growing global family of brands, including Colebrook Bosson Saunders, Design Within Reach, Geiger, HAY, Maars Living Walls, Maharam, naughtone and Nemschoff. Herman Miller is available in Australia from Living Edge. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Adjacent Field by Melbourne-based artist Linda Tegg for Jil Sander was a large living installation of spontaneous plants picked from abandoned sites in the Milan area. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The installation introduced a new series of Jil Sander+ collections of durable products, for both women and men, made for life outside of the city: time spent in the mountains, by the sea and in the countryside. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Vinyl flooring company Tarkett collaborated with Stockholm-based Note Design Studio on a striking installation set within the historical Circolo Filologico Milanese. Epic multi-coloured totems wrapped in vinyl sat at the centre of a triple height space topped with a heritage skylight, successfully subverting notions of scale and playfully distorting architectural archetypes. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Not only beautifully executed, becoming one of the most Instagrammed installations of the week, what was most remarkable about this installation, dubbed Formations. is that it managed to elevate a humble material, often perceived as ‘budget’ or ‘substitute’ option, into a finish comfortably able to hold its own alongside granite or marble. Genius! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Tom Dixon opened The Manzoni, the new 100-seat restaurant designed by Tom’s Design Research Studio. Previewing during Milan Design Week, the venue will re-open just after Salone as a permanent restaurant and a showroom. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

New collections on show at The Manzoni include Fat, Opal and Spring, plus I was quite partial to the lovely metal credenza shown on the left. Nice. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

For their fifth and most ambitious instalment in Milan, LOEWE approached 10 prominent international artisans and invited them to interpret the theme of basketry, hand quilting and calligraphy in their own inimitable way. The result was a gallery of one-off works that are both decorative and practical. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Entrance to ‘LOEWE Baskets’ on Via Montenapoleone. Right: Atelier Fevrier showed their beautiful handmade rugs in a small show conceptualised by Studio Milo. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Nilufar Gallery celebrated the design week with three projects featuring some of the designers who have worked with the gallery the longest and who, also thanks to the creative exchange with Nina Yashar, now play a leading role on the contemporary design scene. Left: Piano Nobile installation on the ground floor featured works by Michael Anastassiades, Martino Gamper, Brigitte Niedermair in collaboration with DEDAR. Right: Nilufar25 is a new space in the gallery featuring work by Bethan Laura Wood. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Ground floor space on Via Senato features historical pieces by Osvaldo Borsani alongside new contemporary projects edited by Nilufar and artworks by Tommaso Fantoni. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Nilufar Gallery’s ground floor space on Via Seanto, featuring Osvaldo Borsani’s impressive Mod. L60 bookcase made from brass, timber and parchment. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Elle Décor explored the evolution of the workplace in their installation at Palazzo Bovara, created in collaboration with DWA Design Studio. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Mosh pit situation at the Shape of Gravity installation by nendo for Wonderglass. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

We’ve written about nendo’s collection for Wonderglass in the past, which was expanded with additional pieces in Milan, including the arresting chandelier seen at the back of the ‘runway’ installation. And although I felt like I was reasonably familiar with the collection, seeing it in real life was far more beautiful than I could have imagined. Another personal highlight from the week. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

On show at Spotti Milano was Studio Delcourt’s latest Collection The Shape of Shade – “a return to a primary and an academic draw for a new series of pieces oscillating between inertia and gravity, light and shade, magistral proportions and infinite details.” In other words, stunning! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Spotti Milano also presented their selection of Italian and international furniture brands in a show dubbed Selected by Spotti. Right: Storagemilano’s sensational new interior for Bally showroom which we’ve talked about here. So good! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The third edition of Ventura Centrale was bigger than ever, presenting as what can only be described as installation extravaganza. Shown here is Come To Light installation by Luca Moreni and Roberto de Zorzi for Aria. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Kwangho Lee and Wang & Söderström displayed the latest colour combinations from NOROO Group’s trend book in Tide – a solar eclipse-inspired exhibition. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Tell Me More installation by Rapt Studio aimed to establish an emotional connection between perfect strangers who were encouraged to leave questions within the installation. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Lavazza served thousands of free coffees to celebrate the launch of their new machine in a coffee club setting presented in the shape of a bank safe, dressed in furniture by Gufram, available in Australia from Living Edge. Right: Walter White standing inside ‘A Piece of Sky’ installation by Stephan Hürlemann for Sky-Frame, designed to transport the visitors for a moment into the illusion of being in space. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Unfluencer – De-Sinning the Designer by Freitag and Georg Lendorff was a 3D video & light installation that invited the visitors to recognise, confess and ask forgiveness for their design sins, encouraging us to, for once, instead of talking about good design, we reflect on bad design. Right: The crowd got dancing at Humanscale, where bodily movements were captured by sensors and transferred to beams of light in the installation designed by Todd Bracher and Studio TheGreenEyl. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Maarten Baas’ ‘I think, therefore I was’ installation included a galaxy of screens transmitting thousands of video fragments, all repeating the very same words – “I think”. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Over at the second edition of Alcova, Swiss backpack label QWSTION staged a Shelter Installation, debuting Bananatex® – a textile that showcasing the potential of plant-based fibres for the architecture and design realm. This waterproof and durable fabric is made from sustainably grown banana plant fibres, is fully biodegradable and has the potential to replace the technical plastic materials dominating today’s outdoor applications market. Right: Scenes from happening Cafe Populaire by Lambert & Fils and DWA Design Studio. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Cafe Populaire served as the launch pad for the preview of Lambert & Fils’ latest Sainte lighting collection, which reimagines the rectangle in layered, colourful glass, supported by robust nylon straps. So hot, it hurts. Available in Australia from Living Edge. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Founded by design collector and dealer Boris Devis, radical new design gallery alfa.brussels presented a trio show at Alcova Populi Uniti, including the provocative feminist seat collection by Anna Aagaard Jensen shown on the right. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

In collaboration with the food designer Francesca Sarti, founder of Arabeschi di Latte, CIAM presented Keeping Life project – a union of technology, design, nature and food. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

After over three years of research and experimentation, Dzek has released ExCinere, a collection of volcanic ash-glazed tiles developed in collaboration with Formafantasma. The collection is the result of Formafantasma’s ongoing exploration of lava and it’s many applications in design –a fascinating naturally occurring, self-generating, and abundant material. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

At the newly opened Alcova Sassetti, Bloc Studios presented three new collections created in collaboration with Federica Elmo, Odd Matter and Studiopepe. The standout ONDAMARMO collection by Federica Elmo sees a specially developed 3D inkjet printed industrial finish applied to marble, resulting in an exciting visual clash that plays with the ambiguous qualities that sit somewhere between fiction and reality. So cool! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Bloc Studio’s new collections were immersed in the dreamlike atmosphere created by Justin Morin and the textile company 4Spaces. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Sydney-based DesignByThem’s debut Milan solo show celebrated the brand’s 12 years in business and launched the very sexy collaboration between GibsonKarlo and Australian fashion designer Dion Lee. Read more the collection here. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The Green Life installation by Sabine Marcelis at La Rinascente saw the so-hot-right-now designer take over the department store’s windows as well creating a series of botanical installations outside and throughout the store. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The Green Life by Sabine Marcelis at La Rinascente. How great is the lady with the poodle? F*ck I love Milan! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Textile company Alcantara presented De/Code at Palazzo Reale – four-part installations that explored performance textiles. Left to right: The Wardian Case by Space Popular, Dimensions of medea by Sabine Marcelis and Scylla by Constance Guisset. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The premier design gallery for contemporary Brazilian design, ESPASSO, debuted at Milano Design Week with a small installation in collaboration with premier British lighting company Tala. Alongside iconic mid-century modern pieces by Brazilian masters Oscar Niemeyer, Sergio Rodrigues, Ricardo Fasanello, Jorge Zalszupin, and Jose Zanine Caldas, new international releases by Fernando Mendes, Claudia Moreira Salles, and Arthur Casas completed the highly-curated collection. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Gaetano Pesce’s ‘Suffering Majesty’ installation at Piazza Duomo paid homage to the designer’s 50^th anniversary of the Up Series armchair and ottoman. Although indented as a critique of the patriarchy and women’s oppression, the installation caused outrage among Italian feminists group Non Una Di Meno, who staged the protest in front of it during Milan Design Week. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Regardless of the controversy caused, the installation, although striking, was just plain weird, and executed in poor taste – in my humble opinion. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Moroso celebrated 10 years of M’Afrique collection in their Brera showroom. The range of outdoor products is entirely handmade in Senegal and drawn by some of the greatest international designers. For me, the hero of the installation was the show-stopping floor pattern reminiscent of patchwork Italian mosaics. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Rossana Orlandi hosted RO Plastic-Master’s Pieces Exhibition, conceived by some of the biggest names in design, who were invited to reuse and reinvent plastic waste. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

RO Plastic-Master’s Pieces Exhibition was hosted at the Leonardo da Vinci museum’s Railway Pavilion. Middle: Tapestry by Jaime Hayon. Right: Chase by Patricia Urquiola. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

For their 70^th anniversary, Kartell staged “The art side of Kartell”, an exhibition conceived by Ferruccio Laviani, hosted in the prestigious halls of the Appartamento dei Principi in Milan’s Palazzo Reale. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The ongoing dialogue between art and design that Kartell has nurtured over its 70 years becomes the narrative for an exhibition that winds through eleven rooms. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Each space within “The art side of Kartell” was characterised by a unique identity made possible through a combination of the heritage and the contemporary. Consider me impressed. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Six Gallery presented another beautiful installation which brought together carefully chosen vintage furniture with contemporary pieces by David Lopez Quincoces and Fanny Bauer Grung. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

So many seductive moments inside the Six Gallery – yum! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Six Gallery also unveiled a little preview of their latest project, The Sister Hotel, set to launch later this year. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The establishment occupies a 16th-century building that once served as a convent, decadently furnished with a mix of old and new pieces, evoking a “timeless atmosphere”. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The name of the hotel is a playful nod to the site’s past, with the word sister often used to describe a female member of a religious order. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

A little corner from David Lopez Quincoces and Fanny Bauer Grung’s Quincoces-Dragò studio, the entry courtyard and the Sixieme Bistro. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Camp Design Gallery presented the colourful work of Adam Nathaniel Furman, created in collaboration with Abet Laminati. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Marni paid tribute to the Moon by presenting Marni Moon Walk: “a space in which primitive allure blends with imagination of the future.” The products on show were the result of the work of a community of Colombian artisans which have been working with Marni for many years. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

“No Man’s Land” by Raf Simons for Kvadrat celebrated fashion designer’s sixth collection for the textile brand. The show was not just an exhibition, but a destination — vintage furniture covered in the new textile collection was placed within and around original Jean Prouvé prefab cabins, all part of the monster cool presentation, accompanied by a super fresh auditory experience that made me feel like I needed to up my Spotify playlist game. So cool, it hurts. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Nilufar Depot’s consistently well-received exhibitions were matched with their presentation this year, which for the first time ever focused solely on emerging designers. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

‘Far’, curated by Valentina Ciuffi/Studio Vedèt, was presented as an eclectic display of ‘radical experiments’ housed within giant bubbles, designed by Space Caviar. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Visitors were able to enter the bubbles, after signing some kind of release form/ disclaimer, so naturally, we had to give it a go in the name of research. Conclusion – plastic bubble structures still smell bad inside, but the experience was kinda cool. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Inside the permanent gallery spaces, Nilufar paid homage to the work of late Gabrielle Crespi, alongside other prominent designers – past and present. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

More scenes from Nilufar Depot, including the New Sculptural Presence exhibition shown on the left, curated by Libby Sellers and exhibition designed by Studio Urquiola. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Brut Belgian collective was back for their second display in Milan, with a show dubbed Bodem (soil). Stay tuned for more on this exhibition later next week. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Antonio Maras’ arresting courtyard transforms into the most beautiful spot for coffee or lunch during the design week. Just look at all the wisteria – gaaah! Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Nonostante Marras hosted Ceramiche elettive, created by Antonio Marras with Kiasmo. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Little corner of Norwegian Presence collective show on Via Savona. Right: Australian brand SP01 showcased with two distinct areas, an indoor bar and an outdoor lounge, designed to celebrate the 10 new product releases. Shown here is the new chair collection by Tim Rundle. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

One Off Collection by Paola Navone for Corsi Design was a playful take on rubber material. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

The very slammed scenes from the Tortona area, with British sculptor Alex Chinneck’s installation which gave an illusion of an unzipped building façade. Ummm, ok then. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Final stop this year was the Masterly Dutch Pavilion at Palazzo Francesco Turati, complete with their signature ‘carpet’ of Dutch tulips in the courtyard. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left to Right: Beautiful lights by Studio Kalff, Delft Blue cabin by Eigen Gijs and Team Yellowtrace snapped by Nick, in the final hours of our bat-shit-crazy design week. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

A different kind of rooftop view over Milan. And holy crap – I am officially spent, you guys. Thanks for reading the last of my 6000+ word Milan Design Week 2019 highlights summary. And let’s just say – this was only the tip of a very large iceberg I’m going to dish out at the Milantrace talks. True story. Ciao for now!

[Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.]