At the beginning of Salone del Mobile 2021, Design Holding unveils D Studio Milan, a new furniture design and lighting showroom to showcase B&B Italia, Maxalto, Azucena, Arclinea, Flos and Louis Poulsen. While the first D Studio has already been inaugurated in Copenhagen, the Milanese D Studio, a brainchild of Massimiliano Locatelli and Piero Lissoni, is conveniently set in Via Durini’s 2,150 sq m space that used to house B&B Italia’s historic store.
The aim is to propose an innovative approach to retail, where iconic Italian and Scandinavian brands can interact under one roof, and where professionals, customers and design enthusiasts can not only experience the collections, but also select and plan various interiors projects, relying on in-house experts.
‘In Milan, there was nothing like this, embracing contemporary furniture, historical pieces, in one sense the present, the future and the past of design,’ says Locatelli. While repurposing the space (a former car showroom designed in 1954 by Sommariva Studio), Locatelli Partners revealed previously hidden features, such as a quiet garden overlooking Via Cerva.
‘The concept for the space is simple: it’s the opposite of what showrooms have traditionally done, representing the house in a static way,’ continues Locatelli. ‘Once used by a car dealer, the space was already open and all we had to do was to take out the supporting structure, leaving brands the freedom to rearrange the showroom in a different ways. Rearranging means keeping a space alive.’
D Studio Milan ‘leaves room for emotions’
Also, Locatelli explains, the showroom connects with its surroundings, with all three levels offering continuity through transparency: ‘The light is certainly the most surprising aspect, the large windows overlooking Via Durini are just stunning and the skylights of the internal courtyard offer an extraordinary natural light.’ There’s also a mezzanine area, and a basement, that ‘doesn’t seem underground at all’, he adds.
The installation and setting, curated by Lissoni & Partners, blends design icons and latest creations, so that the classic ‘Camaleonda’ sofa system designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia in 1970 sits alongside Piero Lissoni’s ‘Borea’ sunbed – a 2022 preview; and the spectacular ‘Coordinates’ lighting by Michael Anastassiades for Flos is just windows away from unseen finishes and versions of Verner Panton’s 1971 ‘Panthella’ lamp for Louis Poulsen.
‘The “Camaleonda” is always beautiful, but if you are able to contextualise it, you’ll enrich it with new emotions,’ concludes Locatelli. ‘A showroom nowadays must look for emotions, and this space deliberately leaves room for emotions.’
INFORMATION
d-studio.com
ADDRESS
Via Durini, 14
20122 Milano
-
Wallpaper* checks in at the refreshed W Hollywood: ‘more polish and less party’The W Hollywood introduces a top-to-bottom reimagining by the Rockwell Group, capturing the genuine warmth and spirit of Southern California
-
Book a table at Row on 5 in London for the dinner party of dreamsRow on 5, the first restaurant ever to open on Savile Row, emerges as a perfectly tailored fit for fans of fan dining
-
How a bijou jewellery salon in Monaco set the jewellery trends for 2025Inside the inaugural edition of Joya, where jewellery is celebrated as miniature works of art
-
Faye Toogood brings new life to Matisse’s legacyMilan Design Week 2023: tapped by Maison Matisse, the London-based designer has taken inspiration from the French master’s forms to create a collection of heirloom-worthy objects
-
Prada Frames 2023: Milan programme announcedProgramme announced for Prada Frames 2023 at Milan Design Week, the annual symposium curated by Formafantasma at Luigi Caccia Dominioni's Teatro Filodrammatici from 17 to 19 April
-
Alessi Occasional Objects: Virgil Abloh’s take on cutleryBest Cross Pollination: Alessi's cutlery by the late designer Virgil Abloh, in collaboration with his London studio Alaska Alaska, is awarded at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023
-
Salone del Mobile 2023: highlights from Milan Design WeekIn pictures: our highlights from Milan Design Week, held during the 61st Salone del Mobile 2023 (18-23 April)
-
USM launches blushing pink limited edition of its modular furnitureFollowing an installation during Milan Design Week 2022, USM launches a new pink limited edition of its Haller range
-
‘You don't want space; you want to fill it’: Milan exhibitionMaking its debut during Milan Design Week 2022 at Marsèll Paradise, a new exhibition by Matylda Krzykowski, explores how we approach the space we live in (until 15 July 2022)
-
Men’s mental health takes centre stage at an art and design exhibition by Tableau‘Confessions’, which travels to Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design following its debut at Milan Design Week 2022, features commissioned work by 14 male artists, designers and architects, reflecting on toxic masculinity, vulnerability and mental health
-
Salone del Mobile 2022: highlights from Milan Design WeekIn pictures: our highlights from Milan Design Week 2022, held during the 60th edition of Salone del Mobile (7 – 12 June 2022)
