Now in its 18^th edition under the white tent in Pride Park, Design Miami officially opens November 30, showcasing more than 35 galleries of bespoke furniture, lighting and other curios that merge art, design and high-end fashion in a way only Miami knows how to do. The city will be bustling with art seekers attending Art Basel Miami and taking in a host of off-site displays the entire week. Here’s what we’re excited about.

1

Fungi Future by Stella McCartney and B&B Italia

B&B Italia has linked up with Stella McCartney to bring her conscious ready-to-wear brand to the world of interiors. The inaugural collaboration is a remake of Mario Bellini’s iconic Le Bambole armchair from 1972, now upholstered in ecologically friendly fabric featuring a fungi pattern hand-drawn in the pastoral style of French toile du jouy. McCartney was the first fashion designer to make vegan leather clothing using mycelian, and has been continuing to do so for years. The armchair, currently a one-off, can be disassembled for recycling and reuse at the end of its life.

On view at 4141 NE 2nd Ave Miami Design District

2

Triclinium by Lukas Gschwandtner

Austrian artist Lukas Gschwandtner made a splash in 2021 with Pillow Portraits, a stunning visual display devoted to the state of rest. His eye has now turned to Renaissance art and the reclining nudes of the period that are as much a study of the female body as they are a tribute to the invention of the chaise lounge and the piles of pillows that support the human form when half awake, half asleep. Developed in partnership with Fendi, Triclinium turns the reposed position into wearable sculptures. Gschwandtner describes the experience of wearing one of his pieces made of natural canvas as “directing the body to impersonate the corresponding painting or artwork.”

3

The Ares House by Daniel Arsham

There are scads of metaverse happenings taking place during Miami Design Week, but one that aims to merge the virtual with the physical seamlessly is Ares House, a 3D projection mapping of a digital structure belonging to some futuristic civilization saturated in sunny pastel hues. Visitors move through the interior and exterior while a physical installation of furniture and sculptural works anchors them to reality. Delight will be found in the tension of existing in both worlds simultaneously. Designed by New York artist Daniel Arsham, Ares House is part of The Row, a members-only real estate community by metaverse technology company Everyrealm, which is presenting the feature alongside Jayaram, Future Galerie and Mona.

On view December 1st through 3rd at 3925 North Miami Avenue

4

Gaetano Pesce’s Come Stai? presented by Bottega Veneta

When Bottega Veneta’s creative director, Matthieu Blazy, presented his Summer 2023 collection during Milan Fashion Week, he commissioned design legend Gaetano Pesce to fabricate 400 resin chairs to surround the runway with an equally vivid resin floor to match. The creative collaboration practically broke the internet. For those who missed the experience, the runway is being recreated at Design Miami and each one-of-a-kind chair is now available for purchase. Pesce will be on hand for a book signing and a discussion with Maria Cristina Didero, Design Miami’s curatorial director, on November 30, starting at 2 pm.

On view at Design Miami, Convention Center Drive and 19th Street

5

Rock | Roll by Germane Barnes

Each year, the Miami Design District commissions an up-and-coming artist to activate the exterior spaces around the big white tent and to spice up the Design District’s central pedestrian corridors. This year’s award goes to local architect and designer Germane Barnes. His Rock | Roll is a multi-faceted installation comprised of mop-shaped seating capsules that rock back and forth when in use and brightly hued music-making ornaments suspended from palm trees. The project draws on Miami’s vibrant carnival history, its love of Soca music and the BIPOC communities that define the city’s polyethnic culture.

At the entrance of Design Miami and throughout Miami Design District