Metal and steel brought fresh edge to Milan exhibitions like Capsule Plaza — and established one of the biggest design trends of 2024 in the process. Here are 10 designs kicking off a new industrial revolution.

1

100R by Hydro

Norway-based aluminum manufacturer Hydro produces Circal 100R entirely from post-consumer scrap, with a carbon footprint 97 per cent below the global average for primary-grade aluminum. To demonstrate the material’s potential, Hydro asked seven designers to put it to use at Capsule Plaza, a group exhibition held in Spazio Maiocchi.

2

Radia by Arflex

Made with a single sheet of Ultra Mirror steel (coloured sapphire blue with a PVD treatment), Arflex’s Radia wall mirror by David Dolcini exists halfway between the club and the hardware shop.

3

Set lamp by Muuto

Toronto designer Jamie Wolfond’s screw-inspired Set lamp for Muuto shines light upward onto an aluminum shade that can be twisted up or down to rest at a range of heights, altering the radius of illumination in the process.

4

Emeco to Emeco

During a year when much of Milanese street style was defined by fashionable chore coats, the ultimate workwear flex was Emeco’s custom Carhartt shirts, featured in a Triennale exhibition celebrating the brand’s 80th anniversary — and its own commitment to scrap metal re-use.

5

Menhir moka pot by Alessi

“That’s that me, espresso.” Alessi’s stainless-steel moka pot by Michael Anastassiades takes its neatly chiselled form (and its name, Menhir) from prehistoric stone monoliths.

6

Moment lamp by Kotaro Usugami

SaloneSatellite, the section of Salone del Mobile dedicated to emerging designers under 35, celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. One standout from the 2024 edition was Japanese designer Kotaro Usugami’s poetic Moment lamps, which use delicately cantilevered steel tubes to create a sense of time standing still.

7

Al-Form by Format

At 10 Corso Como (which served as the second outpost of Capsule Plaza), Seoul-based studio Niceworkshop partnered with upcycling brand Format to build furniture from aluminum formwork — some of it re-used from construction sites and still bearing the remnants of cast-in-place concrete.

8

HUM by Philippe Malouin

QuadroDesign built out its catalogue of stainless-steel faucets with HUM, a collection of taps, handles and pipe-like spouts by Philippe Malouin that puts a charming, sculptural spin on familiar plumbing forms.

9

Origata by Porro

Working with Porro, Japanese designer Nao Tamura took inspiration from the straight lines of zero-waste kimono patterns to develop Origata, a bench cut from aluminum sheet material and held together with screws to limit offcuts.

10

Stedelijk chair by BD Barcelona

Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum will unveil a revamped entryway this fall, complete with a set of stackable, 100 per cent aluminum chairs designed by Sabine Marcelis and produced by BD Barcelona, which previewed the design at Capsule Plaza.