Hermès brings colour to Salone del Mobile with zellige-tiled pavilions

Hermès Maison collection launches during Salone del Mobile are always impressive and have, in recent years, become distinctly architectural under the artistic directorship of Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry. There was the memorable Michele de Lucchi lighting takeover of Palazzo Serbelloni in 2014, followed in 2016 with the incredible Brutalist earthen brick pavilion by Mexican architect Mauricio Rocha at Teatro Vetra.
This year sees the French luxury house in a more poetic mood, with a softly coloured grid of glossy hues in the form of 150,000 zellige tiles created by specialists Mosaic del Sur and imported from Morocco, providing the backdrop to their new accessories, textiles and wallpapers. Taking place in Milan’s La Permanente museum it took Hermès three weeks to create what feels like a mini-village of seven pavilions of varying scales with doors and apertures creating dramatic lighting effects inside. The overarching theme is colour with exteriors and interiors tiled in two different shades; inside each one geometric blocks, chunky shelves, stairs, hooks and display stands exhibit the new pieces.
Each room hosts particular objects, such as tangram-inspired lacquered boxes by Gianpaolo Pagni, Périmètre porcelain vases, natural maple Tibicolour trays displaying designs by Irish artist Nigel Peake – who has also created the new ‘A Walk in the Park’ tableware collection on show in the café area – leather accessories, blankets and wallpapers.
Adding drama on the opening night were a group of performance artists uniting to create human towers and carpets, dressed in Parkour-style sportswear that was naturally shared the same palette of the tiles. A little bit bonkers, extremely beautiful and executed with the precision and handcrafted finesse of which the house is known, it’s already one of the hits of this year’s Salone del Mobile.
Each house showcases pieces from the collection, displayed here are the Périmètre porcelain vases designed by Gianpaolo Pagni and Droit Fil, a scarf box made in paprika maple
Exemplifying Hermès leather crafsmanship and equestrian heritage are these centrepieces constructed from bridle leather
Colourful Périmètre porcelain vases are highlighted against the dark glossy zellige tiles
High hooks display blankets, or ‘Plaids’ like beach towels, there are six geometrical and equeestrian designs handwoven and printed in 100 per cent cashmere and also a cashmere and merino wool mix
The game of tangram inspired three lacquered Tangram boxes, designed by Gianpaolo Pagni the boxes are handpainted, the colours applied with sponges
INFORMATION
For more information see the Hermès website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Japan in Milan! See the highlights of Japanese design at Milan Design Week 2025
At Milan Design Week 2025 Japanese craftsmanship was a front runner with an array of projects in the spotlight. Here are some of our highlights
By Danielle Demetriou
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the world
Celebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
By Léa Teuscher
-
‘Humour is foundational’: artist Ella Kruglyanskaya on painting as a ‘highly questionable’ pursuit
Ella Kruglyanskaya’s exhibition, ‘Shadows’ at Thomas Dane Gallery, is the first in a series of three this year, with openings in Basel and New York to follow
By Hannah Silver
-
Eight designers to know from Rossana Orlandi Gallery’s Milan Design Week 2025 exhibition
Wallpaper’s highlights from the mega-exhibition at Rossana Orlandi Gallery include some of the most compelling names in design today
By Anna Solomon
-
Bentley’s new home collections bring the ‘potency’ of its cars to Milan Design Week
New furniture, accessories and picnic pieces from Bentley Home take cues from the bold lines and smooth curves of Bentley Motors
By Anna Solomon
-
StoneX partners with Wallpaper* for material alchemy at Milan Design Week and beyond
The natural stone purveyor teams up with Wallpaper* for a three-year partnership of material adventures, starting with an exhibition at Triennale di Milano
By Simon Mills
-
David Rockwell’s Milan Design Week presentation is a love letter to cork
Rockwell Group’s Casa Cork installation showcases this under-appreciated material, which is infinitely recyclable and sequesters carbon for decades
By Anna Solomon
-
Emerging galleries to discover during Milan Design Week
Wallpaper’s Milan editor has the inside track on the younger design galleries coming to town
By Laura May Todd
-
Buccellati brings the forest and Furry Animals to Milan Design Week
The jewellery and silverware maison falls back on tradition for its Milan showcase, presenting its now-emblematic collection of intricately crafted creatures
By Laura May Todd
-
Where next for Salone del Mobile? Maria Porro on the future of the world’s biggest furniture fair
Ahead of Salone del Mobile 2025 in Milan, we sit down with its president to talk design, data and forging the event’s future in a fast-changing world
By Hugo Macdonald
-
What to see at Milan Design Week 2025
A guide to some of the events the Wallpaper* team is checking out at Milan Design Week (7–13 April) – from public installations and major launches to standout venues and must-see exhibitions
By Hugo Macdonald