More From Milan 2012: Sophisticated Wares- Nature Included!

Although it’s been a considerable amount of time since Salone del Mobile concluded in Milan, I’m anxious to share some of the wondrous sights I saw there.

Every year the event has a different feature emphasis, and this year it was “Euro Cucina” so Kitchens and appliances figured prominently in what I saw. One of the trends I noticed with many exhibit spaces was an overt display of plant life and nature…it was everywhere and the scale of these features were impressive.

Huge plant walls, ancient olive trees and even a wall of tomatoes made up these references to nature. Here are some of my favorites:

An enormous Olive tree at Liebherr…

A “green wall” at Stosa…

Another “green wall” at Rimadesio…

Yards of blooming Jasmine at Smeg (featuring a denim clad refrigerator)….

 

The most impressive by far was the booth for Minacciolo, which featured enormous walls created with crates of real tomatoes…

More dispatches from Italy (and the Design world) to come…

Ciao!

David J. Hansen

A Bit of Sophisticated Fun!

Bonaldo Multi-use Chairs

The Italian company Bonaldo, which was started in 1936, has always been dedicated to experimentation and innovation. Like most Italian furniture companies they are not afraid to push the envelope when it comes to trying new and different approaches to furniture. One of their credos is ”Furnishing items that express design and emotion for the contemporary home”

As part of their range they produce fun, versatile polypropylene chairs that are stackable and have been produced for indoor and outdoor use. These chairs which have the versatility to be used in both commercial and residential applications are, some would say the future of design as they are as affordable as they are beautiful.

Many pieces have been designed in collaboration with Karim Rashid, the international star of Industrial design. Mr. Rashid has worked for numerous clients globally such as Prada, Giorgio Armani, Foscarini, Guzzini, Zanotta, Estee Lauder, and Issey Miyake.

The company’s “Poly” chair which was designed by Mr. Rashid won the prestigious Red Dot award in 2008 for furniture design.

The "Poly" chair

The "Poly" chair in color range shown stacked

Another one of their great designs is the “Viento” which has either a solid or perforated back, and has an amazing range of colors including gold and silver.

The "Viento" chair

The "Viento" chair shown in Silver

Their most recent and notable design, which was introduced in January is the “Giuseppina” chair, which was designed for Bonaldo by Giuseppe Viganò. The “Giuseppina” recalls a paired down “Shaker” style of furniture in it’s simplicity, and moves the idea into the present in a way that the “Louis Ghost Chair” became a modern interpretation of a classic French style.

The “Giuseppina” chair

As always, I have my eye on the Italian design firms to predict the future of contemporary design. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

David Hansen
All photos from www.bonaldo.it