Design Directory 2022: introducing the July issue of Wallpaper*

Left, the newsstand cover features Gaetano Pesce’s ‘Tramonto a New York’ screen (£19,647), for Cassina. Artwork: Oskar Proctor with Area of Work. Right, limited-edition subscriber cover by Rashid Johnson, Surrender Painting ‘Absolutely Free’, 2022.

The busiest month of the design calendar is upon us. The arrival of this issue coincides with Milan Design Week 2022, currently in full swing and headlined by the 60th edition of Salone del Mobile (until 12 June). So we are putting the spotlight on outstanding furniture designs, from a kaleidoscopic screen by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina that evokes the New York skyline to Jacopo Foggini’s outdoor furniture collection for Edra, assembled from translucent blue polycarbonate sticks that resemble ice cores. Discover more in our Design Directory, presented by our head of interiors Olly Mason and artist Oskar Proctor with creative office Area of Work.

Patricia Urquiola’s ‘Almendra’ modular lighting system for Flos and the Campana Brothers’ ‘Metamorphosis’ seating collection for Paola Lenti – each the subject of an in-depth preview feature – occupy opposite ends of the aesthetic spectrum: the former is streamlined and monochrome, the latter a glorious riot of forms, colours and textures. Their differences are testament to the plurality of ideas on view at Milan Design Week. But it’s also noteworthy that both represent a commitment to sustainability: ‘Almendra’ has a body in extruded aluminium and LED module casings in bioplastic, and avoids the use of adhesives in order to facilitate eventual recycling. Meanwhile, ‘Metamorphosis’ is made of waste textile, and produced in part by an atelier that provides opportunities for people at risk of social exclusion. As founder Paola Lenti tells our Milan editor Maria Cristina Didero, ‘beauty cannot and should not be separated from ethics’. It’s a resonant message for our times.

We present our annual Kitchen & Bathroom Digest, in anticipation of the return of Eurocucina and the International Bathroom Exhibition. And keeping in mind that Milan Design Week should be as much about emerging players as leading brands, we discover Studiopepe’s first collectible furniture range, which draws inspiration from ancient artefacts. We then survey the new faces of American design through ‘This is America’, a group show that highlights 15 underrepresented practices and their diverse styles.

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Looking ahead to 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen (15 – 17 June), we preview a new furniture collection by 91-year-old design legend Hans Bølling, who remains as prolific and playful as ever. The Bølling collection for furniture label Brdr Krüger is offered in the usual European oak, but also a variety of American hardwoods in collaboration with American Hardwood Export Council. We also take a first look at artist and designer Kasper Kjeldgaard’s ‘Oneline’ pendant light for Fritz Hansen, a feat of minimalism and modern engineering. Kjeldgaard and the brand first met through Wallpaper* Handmade X, so we’re particularly pleased to have planted the seeds for their ongoing collaboration.

Elsewhere in the issue, we feature Michael Anastassiades’ first foray into jewellery, check into Audemars Piguet’s new hotel by BIG, take in the extensive vintage scarf collection of Hermès’ tableware and objects creative director Benoît-Pierre Emery, survey an art-filled Beverly Hills villa by design studio Lucas, and call on pioneering photo agent Lee Gross in her West Village home. We also visit the studio of American artist Rashid Johnson (who has created our limited-edition cover) for an exclusive preview of an epic new exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Menorca, which reflects on themes of migration, longing and togetherness.

Speaking of reflection – paper-copy readers will discover a special mirror foil ad on the inside back cover, in celebration of artist Jeppe Hein’s collaboration with champagne house Ruinart. Our first experiment with Ecofoil, which has a smaller environmental footprint than traditional foiling techniques, the ad is part of Wallpaper’s commitment to sustainable practices and a reminder of the power of print. 

Bill Prince
Acting Editor-in-Chief

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