This article is part of the special Design report previewing Milan Design Week.
A cruel irony of Milan Design Week, which runs until Sunday, is that it requires enormous effort. Visitors must walk briskly from booth to booth and from exhibition space to exhibition space if they hope to see even a fraction of the goods in town. And yet many exciting new products, such as the chair, sofas and bedding featured below, are all about rest and relaxation. On the bright side, one can usually spend some time soaking in the screens to see how comfortable they are. Ah!
An armchair for everyone
American designer Stephen Burks has once again collaborated with outdoor furniture company Dedon to create a new piece that uses the company’s signature woven fibers. Mr. Burks introduces the Kida lounger, adding to an existing collection that includes a hanging swing chair and one dinner chair.
“The original brief for Kida in 2019 was to make a fully woven outdoor swing,” Mr Burks said in an email. “What’s so exciting is that the result is just the opposite. The fully wrapped structure is the first of its kind in the Dedon collection to treat fiber as a surface texture and color while maintaining a structurally open lightweight frame.”
Like the rest of the Kida pieces, the new lounger incorporates coiled strips of fiber that form the seat frame, creating a look that Mr. Burks said is “at home in both residential and contract settings.” The color stripes that run across the back of the chair add a vibrant pop to the piece and can be left exposed or propped up by a cushion for extra comfort.
“I would love to see Kida loosely dispersed in urban and natural public spaces,” Mr Burks said, “open and available to all.”
The project will be exhibited Tuesday through Sunday at the Salone del Mobile, Hall 9, stands L01/L03. dedon.us. — LAUREN MESSMAN
Furniture that does double duty
In the past design weeks, Alberto Biagetti and Laura Baldassari, the founders of the design studio Atelier Biagetti, in collaboration with the curator and journalist Maria Cristina Didero, have explored public themes ranging from the spiritual to the satanic. From 2015 to 2017 they presented consecutive exhibitions with the themes of “God”, “No Sex” and “Body Building”. As for this year, Ms Didero said: “We wanted to talk about the future.”
In collaboration with luxury fashion and leather goods company MCM, they present the ‘Wearable Casa’, furniture that doubles as clothing and accessories. The seven pieces in the collection are housed in the Palazzo Cusani, a 17th-century palace in the heart of Milan.
“It’s about modern nomadism,” Ms. Didero said of the collection. “We are all connected through the internet and social media. Life is dynamic for people who are constantly on the move.”
Items include the Chatty Sofa, a bulbous, white upholstered loveseat whose shape spells out the word ‘CASA’. The studio incorporated a version of a neck pillow used on airplanes in the center of the letter ‘C’.
“It can be removed from the structure of the couch and taken with you on a flight,” Ms Didero said.
Multi-functionality also guided the creation of the Magic Gilet, a tough leather vest that turns into a locker, and the leather rugs called Tatamu that fold into daybeds.
“The way Atelier Biagetti designs moves between reality and irony,” said Ms. Didero, “there’s always something to make you smile.”
The exhibition runs from Monday to Sunday at Palazzo Cusani, Via Brera 13/15. atelierbiagetti.com. — LAURA MAY TODD
A sofa that honors a designer
Hannes Peer’s new sofa for Minotti is named Yves as a tribute to Yves Saint Laurent. Why; Because the French designer “broke the rigidity in fashion,” Mr. Peer said, he would like to do the same with furniture.
“My sofa is two systems that work as one,” he continued. A synthesis of geometric lines and organic shapes, Yves offers a variety of modules that can be arranged at different depths, creating alcoves where a small table or ottoman fits. The upholstery is tailored with asymmetrical stitching (another fashion tribute). “You can be conservative or organic with forms and shapes or mix them up,” Mr Peer said.
“I like to play with perfection,” added the 47-year-old architect and designer, who represents a new generation of collaborators for Minotti and whose embrace of curvature is a departure for the family-owned furniture company. (Minotti sofas are traditionally square, in the best way.)
The seat is layers of polyurethane of different densities covered with a soft, thick quilt. The back and arms are removable and can be upholstered with various fabrics and leathers. The Yves rests on delicate chrome-plated aluminum legs and will be available in the United States in the fall. Show at Salone del Mobile, Hall 11. minotti.com. — Arlene Hirst
Taking cannabis to bed
Hemp textiles have long been valued for their ability to keep people warm in winter and cool in summer, as well as their antibacterial and durable properties. Such fabrics also become softer and smoother with use, extending their lifespan. But cannabis is not what one would describe as luxurious, perhaps until now.
Japanese brand Majotae presents a new line of luxury hemp bedding called Majotae 9490 in two presentations during Milan Design Week, both designed in collaboration with Teruhiro Yanagihara Studiowith headquarters in Kobe, Japan and Arles, France.
The presentation at the Secci Milano art gallery (Via Olmetto 1) is the more sensual of the two, offering visitors the chance to interact with the richly colored sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases that make up the Majotae 9490 collection. (The name refers to number of days slept in the average person’s lifetime.)
In the bridal shop Berta (Via Cesare Correnti 14) there will be a historically detailed overview of hemp. Known as taima-fu In Japan, where it was introduced more than 10,000 years ago, the fabric was adapted into ropes to ward off evil spirits and underwear worn by sumo wrestlers. It served as a breathable undergarment that slipped under armor and as a warming layer for hunters in winter. Examples from Majotae’s archive of more than 1,500 cannabis items will be on display.
Both exhibitions can be viewed from Tuesday to Sunday. The products will be released worldwide from May on majotae9490.com. — PILAR VILADAS