The verdict on 'Supersalone' 2021

Heralding the return of Milan Design Week, there were new faces shaping the event this year including architect Stafano Boeri, son of iconic furniture designer the late Cini Boeri and renowned internationally too for his tree covered buildings and sustainable city plans, who took the reins as curator of the Salone del Mobile's 'Supersalone' along with a new president, Maria Porro, whose great grandfather co-founded Porro and has been immersed in the design scene from the get go. They would bring a breath of fresh energy that buoyed the week of events across the city in a poignant symbol of recovery. While international visitor numbers and exhibitors were down, the city still brimmed with ideas, new work and star power including the omnipresent Philippe Starck and Milan's quintessential design favourite Patricia Urquiola, as well as Stockhom-based Italian born Luca Nichetto who echoed the sentiment of many attending the salone this year, describing the week as more authentic like the early days, with time for deeper, more meaningful connections.

To get all the insights on the brands, designers and collections that stood out this year, More Space asked design experts from Space Furniture in Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur for their favourites. Here is what they are excited about.

Arflex

Arflex was a standout with new pieces and a reimagined classic that included the ‘Threshold' screen series by Neri & Hu. The free-standing partition that explores the Chinese notion of ‘jian’, translated to mean ‘gap' or ‘interval', plays with structure, materiality, and dimensionality and is infilled with materials including mirror, rattan and corrugated glass. “The Threshold screen/console designed by Neri & Hu is beautiful, integrating materials that work harmoniously together,” remarks Space Brisbane’s Karen Love. “It highlights different elements in each, offering a metaphorical and physical threshold between inside and outside.”

With a nod to the 1960s when designers started working on compact and multitasking domestic spaces, designer Tito Agnoli presented 9000, a fully articulated, flexible seating system composed of scaleable elements that can expand one armchair into the ultimate party lounge. It's a design that Klipstein also singles out, remarking that its  "inward/outward curves are beautifully sculptural with a layer of Art Deco.”

This year the iconic Marenco sofa by Mario Marenco was launched for the outdoors celebrating its 50 years as one of the brand’s most popular designs. "The Marenco sofa, first designed in 1970, is timeless and generous in proportion and now with the addition of the Marenco outdoor collection”, says Space Brisbane’s Deena O’Callaghan, “it offers a seamless transition from indoor to outdoor which is especially relevant to our climate and way of life.” Joel Sansom from Space Melbourne agrees, adding that “the distinguishable ‘cloud-like’ cushion structure is a timeless piece of contemporary design that is a perfect option for lounging outside in the Australian summer.”

Building on the modularity of the Arflex collection, Tokio by Swedish designers Claesson Koivisto Rune is described by Lyn Tang from Space Singapore as an important new piece within the Arflex collection. Highlighting its flexibility, the sofa is raised just above the floor plane giving it a light, floating appearance. "This modular sofa caught my eye for its generous proportion of seating space and soft and welcoming geometry that makes it an inviting statement piece to the living space,” remarks Tang. “One that I would definitely love for my home."

Kartell

This year, Kartell explored the meaning of home and how it has changed "radically, both stylistically and functionally”. With the success of Philippe Starck's Smart Wood collection that began the furniture house’s move into new materials, the offering expanded further to include the Viscount of Wood tables and new versions of the Q/Wood and P/Wood armchairs with wheels. While Philippe Starck’s Goodnight light revisits the concept of the candle in its "primordial" form and transforms it into a modern, high-tech object. 

Another new arrival was Fata by Piero Lissoni, a lamp made using a new mould-forming and engraving process that reflects light in "infinite ways". Lissoni also designed the beautifully colourful and finely detailed Thierry, a series of “jewel” tables with glass tops and metal legs that are coloured like brilliant gem stones and present another material exploration for the brand. Patricia Urquiola launched her new Charla armchair that is soft and sculptural and combines elegance with sustainability – its legs are made from recycled plastic, and Starck's A.I. family also grew with the addition of the A.I. Stool Recycled, made entirely from recycled material.

Glas Italia

Glas Italia showed iconic designs 'Sturm und Drang' and ‘Shimmer', alongside new pieces including Piero Lissoni’s Sherazade Wall partition for indoors, and the Simoon tables by Patricia Urquiola described as "mini architectures" featuring recycled Murano glass. "I gravitated to the Simoon by Patricia Urquiola”, remarks Space Melbourne’s Shiry Klipstein. "I love the unexpected exploration of shapes in glass that feel like miniature buildings while remaining soft and inviting.”

B&B Italia

Along with new designs including the Harbor Laidback and Awa by Naoto Fukasawa and the Noonu sofa by Antonio Citterio, designer Monica Armani has released two of the most beautiful pieces on show this year: the Allure O’ table and the Flair O’ chair described by B&B Italia as a "heart-felt tribute to glamour interpreted in contemporary style". Graceful lines and fine detailing is clearly articulated in the shape of the Allure O’s surface that renews Armani's reference to the shape of Jackie O’s iconic eyewear. While Allure O’ "transforms the tradition of sitting at the table into a present-day, beyond nostalgia and toward a new way of experiencing domestic luxury with a reinterpreted allure”. Like a small domestic throne, it matches the table perfectly, and as Deena O’Callaghan from Space Brisbane remarks, “Its rounded and generous form is elegant and like the new colours of Awa, the option of finishes make it both beautiful and practical."

Baxter

Baxter's 2021 collection took inspiration from "the world of art, fashion, design and architecture” that has culminated in pieces connected by colour and a less formal idea of living space. "Home appears as a place to stage furniture pieces belonging to different styles and ages," remarks the Baxter creative team. “As if they came from a collection built up over time. Sofas, armchairs, rugs take shape in a sort of disassembled concept, which aims to make each space more convivial”. Materials build on the brand’s skill with leather to include glass, concrete, brass and Travertino white marble, and soothing muted colours in orange, myrtle, lavender and pistachio green.

David Delaney from Space Sydney highlighted two pieces from the collection, the Ellipse Light and the Adele Bench, describing the Adele as "a unique seating arrangement with the inter-connection between each of the elements handled in a simple, yet sophisticated way". While Joel Sansom from Space Melbourne singles out Barret. “It combines 1970s chic with curvaceous forms to create dreamy comfort”, he remarks. "I am loving the revival of 70s forms; the soft, curved voluptuousness is all about comfort. Paired with the wonderful array of Baxter leathers; the Barrett will be the perfect addition to any interior.”

Acerbis 

With the art direction of architects Francesco Meda and David Lopez Quincoces, Acerbis has delved deep into its richly layered archives covering more than a century of Italian design. Under the banner of ‘Remastered', they launched the Creso and Serenissimo tables designed by Massimo and Lella Vignelli in the 1980s, and the Florian folding side table originally created by Vico Magistretti. 

Ingeniously functional, the Florian represents Magistretti’s supreme handle on simplicity. The lightweight, multi-level table and its foldable structure was inspired by a broom handle, and collapses flat to hang on the wall as a graphic object of circles and lines. In Meda and Lopez Quincoces’s hands, the size of Florian has been tweaked for modern living (it's slightly smaller) and its ash wood frame lacquered in tones of mustard, green spruce and brick, now folds smoothly with a modern brass mechanism. 

“It’s a timeless piece remastered from the 1980s design icon Vico Magistretti,” remarks Derek Lim from Space Singapore who has selected it as a highlight of Milan Design Week. "With its play of circles and lines, it serves both utility as a table and as an expression of art when folded away. I think the beauty of the Florian lies in its simplicity of form and function: a true and worthy definition of less is more!”