Product Preview is a weekly series spotlighting the latest and greatest debuts in the marketplace. Check back every Friday for what’s new and notable.
Hot on the heels of High Point, this market editor finally has time to sort through all of the amazing debuts at Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone. From iridescent glass side tables to ancient-relic-inspired lounge chairs, here are some of my favorite designs from Milano. Ciao!
The second edition of Artemest’s L’Appartamento was a love song to Italian craftsmanship. The avant-garde showhouse featured hand-curated spaces by the likes of Elicyon, Studio Meshary AlNassar, and Tamara Feldman. Standouts included the Gachot-designed courtyard with a fire pit fashioned from marble slabs and a living room by Rottet Studio bedecked in dichroic glass side tables and a furry pink, fringe-trimmed swivel chair.
Japanese artist Naoki Kawano’s “Skin” installation for Pierre Frey was a lesson in unconventional materials. The Paris-based maker outfitted the walls of the multiroom structure in the brand’s garden in hand-painted and embroidered pieces of aluminum foil, showcased alongside printed pieces from their upcoming collaboration, including window fabrics, printed carpets and furniture upholstery.
At the fair, Dedon showed off its new Atolo series by Claudio Bellini alongside a new design by Stephen Burks. The former offers a gently rounded two-seat sofa, footstool and lounge chair, while the latter introduces into the brand’s bestselling Kida collection an open-frame lounge chair wrapped in colorful eco-friendly fibers.
Poltrona Frau’s 2024 Imagine collection was on full display at the Italian brand’s Milanese flagship. In addition to a plush parka-inspired sofa by Draga & Aurel, along with Sebastian Herkner’s leather-swathed Stock ’n Roll nightstand, eye-catchers from the launch include GamFratesi’s storage-savvy Cestlavie side tables and the sensuously shaped, full-length Squash mirror by British artist Faye Toogood.
Ukrainian artist Victoria Yakusha debuted the “Skarb” exhibition at Alcova. The installation spanned five sculptural designs driven by Eastern European history, including an anthropomorphic chair that pays homage to ancient Trypillian figurines, as well as a ceramic vase inlaid with polychromatic topaz stones—inspired by a Hun tiara that Russian invasion forces stole from the Melitopol Museum.
The Cassina Perspective 2024 paid homage to some of the late, great icons of Italian design. In addition to the Bottega Veneta–designed “On the Rocks” installation dedicated to Le Corbusier—which featured a Tabouret chair re-imagined by the beloved fashion label—the brand’s showroom spotlighted the Manhattan skyline–inspired Sunset in New York sofa by Gaetano Pesce, complete with a moon-shaped backrest and padded skyscraperlike seats.
Arte’s latest collaboration with Moooi, Green House, is brimming with botanical whimsy. The collection draws inspiration from Victorian conservatories and boasts six fanciful floral wallcovering patterns, such as the watercolor-style Silk Bombis and Greenhouse Gathering, a suedelike stunner modeled after decorative plaster moldings.
Ethnicraft unveiled two stunning hand-crafted solid wood designs at the fair. The first, the Geometric dining table, features varnished teak and an asymmetrical cut-out base, while the Pi dining chair is carved from light oak with a natural finish to showcase its irregular graining.
Belgian architectural firm Office turned Knoll’s pavilion into an upcycled masterpiece. The installation was forged from repurposed and recycled materials and presented designs such as the Barcelona chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and the iconic Wassily chair by Marcel Breuer (now available in three new ultramatte finishes) alongside vibrant wall-hung rugs by Sleepwalk Rug Company.
To celebrate the launch of their first collaboration, Lodes invited Paola Navone to transform its showroom into a sparkling glass wonderland. Set amidst a glossy red backdrop, the dazzling display featured the new Oblò lighting family, a series of nautical pendant lamps punctuated by fluid forms, knotted hooks and gleaming finishes such as shimmery Iridescent and blue-tinted Azure Steel.