FuoriSalone 2023: the showrooms not to be missed

Battilossi, via dell'Orso 16

If you love carpets and craftsmanship, this is a new address to mark on the map: Battilossi, the historic Turin company specializing in hand-tufted carpets, opens its showroom in via dell'Orso 16 , in the heart of Brera.

And, for the occasion, it presents the collection designed by the legendary American graphic designer Milton Glaser, famous for inventing the "I Love NY" logo and revolutionizing graphics over the years Sixties, creating the image of Bob Dylan with psychedelic hair, with forays into the world of design such as the collaboration with Ettore Sottsass for the launch of the Valentine typewriter.

Glaser has conceived a miscellaneous series of carpets where one does not read a common thread, but multiple research keys and inspirations, from impressionism to tribal painting, from abstract art to graffiti art.

Lanerossi, via Mercato 5

Lanerossi, on the occasion of the opening of the flagship store in via Mercato 5, in the Brera Design District, presents Campanule takeover, a site-specific installation that takes up the pattern of the new collection of plaids and decorative cushions in pure virgin wool designed by Elena Salmistraro.

The colorful and joyful style of the Milanese creative from the interior spaces will also invade the exterior of the showroom.

Bolzan Letti, via Mercato 3

It is a (beautiful) story of common roots, of shared values, of manufacturing expertise but also of experimentation, the one that binds Bolzan Letti, the company of Francenigo di Gaiarine , in the province of Treviso, to the Venetian designers Daniele Bortotto and Giorgia Zanellato.

“We work with “slow” factories, realities that protect workers and the territory, and that at the same time are not afraid to dare”, explain the Treviso-based designers. A virtuous partnership, to be discovered in the new Bolzan Letti showroom, in via Mercato 3.

For the occasion, the re-edition of Bend-e by Zanellato/Bortotto is presented, a bed with a strong artisan matrix in which the creative duo dusts off the working of wrought iron to structure and revisits the fabric from the Torri Lana archive for the headboard and footboard.

"The original Bend-e project", explain the designers, "was born taking inspiration from past furnishings made of wrought iron, whose shapes and curves were obtained by hand-made work directly on the material.

The industrial evolution then ended up removing wrought iron from design, which was relegated to the production of traditional furnishings, with distinctly decorative characteristics, among which there are beds. For this reason we wanted to draw on that ancient imagery and rework it into a contemporary product, combining traditional manual art with a design product".

Kerakoll, via Solferino 16

In the hectic week of design, Kerakoll deserves a pit-stop, which in the Kerakoll Brera Studio hosts Strato, the installation by Martino Gamper. The project explores the concept of stratification, intended as a renewal of the existing, reflecting the philosophy of the brand, a benefit company specializing in sustainable construction.

"Strato is a project that I created thinking about the restyling of the Kerakoll showroom in Milan", says Martino Gamper. "The idea was to play with the past and the present, with the architecture of the spaces and the range of colors, to create a new future.

The shapes I designed have become furnishings that speak a simple and geometric language, but at the same time hide a great complexity in the lines and cuts. The mix of elements, made with Kerakoll colors and woods, was chosen to create a new, stimulating and interactive environment for visitors".

With Strato, Martino Gamper makes us reflect on the meaning of design today: faced with increasingly urgent ethical and environmental imperatives, design does not necessarily have to produce new things, but rather recover and enhance what already exists.

Molteni&C, via Solferino at the corner with via Pontaccio

It is not a new opening, but a restyling: Molteni&C renews, expands the historic exhibition space in via Solferino and opens the doors of Boutique Molteni&C, signed by the architect and creative director Vincent Van Duysen.

On display the new 2023 collections, including the Mateo table, designed by Van Duysen.

The presentation of the first Molteni&C|Outdoor collection, coordinated by the creative director himself and interpreted by some of the most important contemporary designers, is eagerly awaited.

Moroso, via Pontaccio 8

The historic Moroso showroom in via Pontaccio as you have never seen it before.

The space opens up, the perspective changes. The result is a large and bright open space, of which much is still top secret, to tell the story of the new products, and the renewed vision of the Friulian company, which in addition to upholstered furniture also presents tables, storage units and accessories.

To sign the intervention, Patricia Urquiola who, starting from the characteristics of the building and its imposing heights, eliminates all the pre-existing additions to return an installation overflowing with light, with an oblique trend that creates unexpected games prospective.

Among the new elements, the grids used as displays stand out, giving life to a real artistic installation within the exhibition space. A project that is sensitive to the environment, starting with the use of natural, compostable clays from the HD surface company that cover the walls of the entrance and first floor.

Showroom not to be missed during the FuoriSalone 2023

Roche Bobois, via Felice Cavallotti 14

A majestic Valkyrie suspended eight meters above the ground, extending almost 45 meters to the showcase. It is the incredible installation created by Joana Vasconcelos for the Milanese flagship store of Roche Bobois.

After creating the mammoth organic scenography for the Parisian Dior show, the Portuguese visual artist renews the liaison with the French furniture brand with a monumental creation, made to measure for Roche Bobois.

An unprecedented and surprising setting to present the new, playful BomBom outdoor collection by Joana Vasconcelos: sofas, rugs and cushions with fluid and sinuous shapes and from the gourmet nuances inspired by the pastel-coloured facades of the old houses of Lisbon.

“As a woman and a Portuguese, the savoir-faire and materials of my culture are essential,” says the artist.

“The azulejos that cover both the interiors and exteriors of our buildings, or the crochet doilies that are present in all Portuguese furnishings and that cover sofas, tables or televisions.

For me, this collection in collaboration with Roche Bobois represents the perfect alliance between art, design and life”.

Foscarini, corso Monforte 19

Grasses, herbs and uncultivated plants seem to take over the urban space.

It is (Im)possible natures, the new, surprising installation by Ferruccio Laviani which transforms the Foscarini showroom into a wild garden, which invades the road too.

An oasis of peace, a dreamlike Eden that you don't expect during the frenetic Milan design week, where you can discover the novelties of the lighting brand, including Fregio by Andrea Anastasio, a section of a ceramic floral bas-relief that becomes a sculptural suspension and wall lamp.

Lake, via S. Tomaso 6

Lago presents the Lago Sustainability Circle, an accelerator of change in the corporate model towards an increasingly concrete sustainability.

"For a year and a half now we have been organizing open factories in the company in which we meet with opinion leaders to understand, all together, how to improve the company in various areas", says Daniele Lago, CEO and design manager of the family business.

"On the occasion of the FuoriSalone, we will present the results of the six thematic tables on sustainability, in an evening open to all, Wednesday 19 April at 6.30 pm inside Casa Lago, because we must all act if we really want something to change”.

During the event, the living room of Casa Lago will host a debate between the science communicator Ruggero Rollini and the ultracycling champion Omar Di Felice who has just returned from his last adventure Alone in Ladakh which saw him cross one of the higher and colder regions of the Earth.

An unusual point of view on climate change and on how human action has an influence on it, among those who study the earth with precision and those who, on the other hand, experience it on the saddle of their bicycle.

Kartell, via Turati, at the corner with via Carlo Porta 1

Bourgie, the most popular Kartell lamp, designed by Ferruccio Laviani, turns twenty.

To celebrate it, one month before the Salone del Mobile, the brand has invited all Bourgie lovers to publish on their channels with the hashtag #bourgiemania a personal photographic tribute featuring the famous lamp.

The contributions will make up a digital work, like an infinite photo album, which will be unveiled during the FuoriSalone in the Kartell flagship store.

Bourgie, born to make fun of the bourgeois style, and which has become a design cult, will be presented in a special limited edition with exclusive colors, which can be purchased in stores and online during the week of the Salone del Mobile.

Visionnaire, piazza Cavour 3

In the wunderkammer of Visionnaire, in piazza Cavour 3, L'empire dei sensi by is not to be missed Studiopepe, a synesthetic story that invites us to immerse ourselves and abandon ourselves in an all-encompassing experience through tactile coverings and skin-colored nuances, a soft and muffled world that involves all the senses.

In this setting, a capsule of three pieces designed by the female duo for Visionnaire will be presented: the Shibari armchair, the Parade lighting system and the pair of Blanche mirrors.

The plus: the visual, tactile and olfactory experience of the installation will be enriched by a dance performance to further stimulate the sensory sphere.

Poltrona Frau, via Manzoni 30

The Poltrona Frau flagship store is inside one of the most extraordinary buildings in the heart of Milan, Palazzo Gallarati Scotti, and this would be enough motivation to include it in the list of showrooms not to be missed.

In the early eighteenth-century frescoed rooms, the maison presents its new products, including Duo, the collection created jointly with Ceccotti Collezioni, a Tuscan brand specialized in the craftsmanship of solid wood, part of the Poltrona Frau group since 2018.

Mutina, via Cernaia, 1/A

There is great anticipation for the debut of Michael Anastassiades in the Mutina team. The designer of Cypriot origins, but based in London, presents the Fringe ceramic collection at Casa Mutina: “I've always been a fan of this material, but it's the first time I work with a ceramic surface”, says the designer.

“The beauty of Fringe is that it can exist in so many different ways, allowing the end user to play with creativity. What we will show at Milan Design Week is only a small part: stimulating people's imagination and curiosity is the starting point".

The plus: the set-up, designed by Michael Anastassiades in creative tandem with Patricia Urquiola, in collaboration with the Mutina team.

Cassina, via Durini 16

Cassina is always a good starting point for finding out where design is heading and what the new furnishing trends are. On the occasion of the FuoriSalone, the Meda company presents the new chapter of the The Cassina Perspective collection.

Among the novelties: the Hayama bar cabinet by Patricia Urquiola with its geometric purity inspired by Japan, alongside the new projects by Barber&Osgerby and Antonio Citterio, to the celebratory products of the new masters, to the first designer lighting collection by Cassina, and to the decorative objects that enrich the Details catalog of accessories.

CC-Tapis, piazza S. Stefano 10

In the showroom in piazza S.Stefano 10, CC-tapis presents its new collaborations with Formafantasma, Objects of Common Interest, Patricia Urquiola and Bethan Laura Wood.

The Formafantasma collection deserves further study: Telegram, more than a carpet, is an act of love, and a just recognition, towards the refined Nepalese masters who preserve centuries-old techniques and create unique works.

To make the carpets, the artisans meticulously weave the natural Himalayan wool yarns knot by knot, creating a rectangle from which the final shape is cut.

In the sections cut off as excess, the weavers usually mark technical notes, for example if the color of a prototype needs to be changed, or they sew messages for pure vent, to express their creativity.

The idea of Formafantasma was to recover and enhance these personal writings, which can be the name or the country of the weaver, putting them together in carpet-telegrams that tell a lot about the origins and personality of the craftsmen .

A tribute to the human being behind the skillful workmanship. “We wanted to remove the separation between us and the makers,” say Simone Farresin and Andrea Trimarchi. "It's the beginning of a dialogue, instead of just a finished product".

Bisazza, via Solferino 22

For aesthetes, for those on the hunt for beauty and art, the destination is Bisazza, which in its flagship store in via Solferino 22 presents the collection of Vincent Darré, French designer, painter, decorator, set designer and interior designer who was the right arm of Karl Lagerfeld, the artistic director of Moschino and Ungaro, and worked for Yves Saint Laurent , Prada, Chloé, just to name a few.

On display, the Vincent Darré collection, a line made up of the four glass mosaic decorations Caryatides, Calliope, Thalia and Erato, inspired by neoclassicism and surrealism, recurring themes in the imaginative and eclectic universe of Darré.