In Milan, the Wallpaper* Handmade space offers new launches, exuberant bars and more

Each year at Salone del Mobile, our exhibition of captivating collaborations is joined by a whole host of friends to enrich the true Wallpaper* Handmade experience. This year, we are housing new launches, a vibrant bar collaboration and another viral outdoor installation, this is before we even mention the plethora of projects we have commissioned for Wellness & Wonder: this year’s Handmade theme.

British duo Pinch is displaying Elan, a new armoire that celebrates dynamic marquetry techniques, composed of three birch veneers imbued with sinuous patterns. ‘It has poise, grace and personality but stops short of being overbearing,’ says Russell Pinch. When opening the wondrous wardrobe, you see elegant detailing in the cast brass, copper plated handles and hinges that have been specially commissioned, while the shelving and internal hanging system are bespoke-made in a Dorset workshop.

Over in the garden, Sunbrella presents ‘LE ROI’ by Marc Ange, another showstopping installation by the designer and artist. In contrast to last year’s pink paradise that became the most Instagrammed exhibition of Milan, this year Ange rolls on with his darker side – one which he explored at Design Miami in December. Here, new Refuge lamp designs are launched, smartly dressed in deep blue Sunbrella fabric. This textile becomes a motif in the installation that starts with gold leaves leading guests to a throne where a sad-eyed teddy bear in the same blue fabric sits, underneath a low ceiling. The conceptual artwork is described as ‘an allegory of a lost childhood.’

It wouldn’t be Wallpaper* Handmade without a little disco, and this year Gufram have aptly dug into its archives for a new nightlife-inspired collection. The Disco Gufram collection taps designers including Atelier Biagetti and Rotganzen for fun seating to be showcased in an installation that with no doubt will exude Gufram’s avant-garde take on what makes a great night out at Salone.

Keeping visitors sustained are Italian coffee experts Lavazza as it presents new coffee machine models. Coined as ‘the quality of Lavazza coffee inside, a whole bunch of fun outside,’ the array of vibrant machines will be joined by a special Lipstick edition made in collaboration with Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari’s Toiletpaper magazine.

To go alongside the launch, they are opening a playful bar inside Mediateca that will be doused in Toiletpaper’s pop-art graphics. On the menu is coffee-inspired Aperitivo treats and reworking’s of traditional Italian dishes. The silhouettes of the coffee machines have also been personified into ‘Tiny Heads’ installations that will be on display across Brera, follow them all the way to Mediateca, our sanctuary of design.

INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Handmade: Wellness & Wonder is open to the public on 17 April (12pm–4pm); 18–20 April (10am–6pm) and 21 April (10am–5pm)

ADDRESS

Mediateca Santa Teresa
Via Della Moscova, 28
20121
Milan

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