For anyone who loves design – or just being in a super-creative environment – Spazio Rossana Orlandi is an incredible place. During Milan Design Week, each space in the building – which wraps around a scenographic central courtyard filled with unique pieces under a verdant canopy – is taken over by small exhibits. This year, Nika Zupanc was the star of two shows: one featuring her new Mad Men-inspired collection for Sé, and the other devoted to her other works, including a super-feminine Murphy bed and a soaring writing desk.
The showroom also gave the public a first glimpse at the Arita collection, which pairs 16 designers with 16 potteries in Japan’s historic pottery region. The line was art-directed by Scholten & Baijings, and highlights the Dutch duo’s masterful approach to soft colours. While it will officially launch this time next year, a display of prototypes showed the variety of gorgeous vessels that the collection will contain.
In one of the complex’s outdoor spaces, a group show called Marmo Fluido consisted of a series of quirky vases made with natural resin, including 3D-printed versions by Massimiliano Adami. And upstairs, inside the actual store – where rare design pieces fill every nook and cranny – Piet Hein Eek displayed his latest experiments in recycled-material furniture and objects, including a giant sculpture of a head made with electrical wire. Throughout, the space was replete with great work, by designers emerging and established, including Teresa van Dongen’s Lumist, a lamp and humidifier in one; Alessandra Baldareschi’s Grandmother Tips project, with packages of natural home remedies inside paper cut-outs of househould utensils; and new furniture pieces by Luca Nichetto, including a wonderfully sculpted wood chair.