A biodegradable stool and a dining table that converts into a desk have been named by Dezeen editor-in-chief Amy Frierson as one of the most progressive pieces of furniture unveiled at this year’s Milan Design Week.
Furniture brands are presenting new products and collections across Milan, with some exhibiting at the Salone del Mobile furniture fair and others in showrooms and venues scattered across the city.
Several companies stood out for how they addressed sustainability challenges, creating products with a reduced carbon footprint through newly developed materials and innovative assembly methods.
Some addressed issues around diversity within the design industry, while others explored how advances in technology are changing our relationship with things.
Read on for 10 key examples.
Tables with individually adjustable height
Nastro by Daniel Rybakken of Alias
With remote work still the norm for many, Norwegian designer Daniel Rybakken has created an easily adjustable dining table to replace a sitting or standing desk.
The Nastro table, presented by Italian brand Alias at Salone del Mobile, features a hidden mechanism of belts and pulleys that allows the surface to be raised and lowered by hand without the need for electricity.
You can see how easy the adjustment is by watching the video Rybakken posted on Instagram.
“The lowest height doesn’t reveal any of the unique features of the table, so you can go from eating at the lowest height to cooking food and drinks at the medium height to working with a laptop at the highest height. Perfect for home to work,” said the designer.
Biodegradable furniture in different colors
“Meter” alder wood by Patricia Urquiola
Danish brand Mater has become known for its patented material Matek, which combines waste plastic with biomaterials such as sawdust and coffee bean husks.
The brand has now developed a biodegradable blend of this thermocompression material by using bioplastics made from sugarcane. Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola has transformed this into a collection of tables and stools in colors such as terracotta and sandy yellow.
“Biodegradable plastic, in this case sugarcane, is a rapidly renewable resource that can be harvested once or twice a year,” said Ketil Ardal, CEO of Meter.
“It naturally absorbs carbon dioxide while growing and is biodegraded by living organisms just like wood and other natural materials.”
A rug that embraces female identity
CC-Tapis Rude Collection by Faye Toogood
Among the many products British designer Faye Toogood presented in Milan, the most provocative was the series of rugs she presented in collaboration with Italian brand CC-Tapis at the Ludo Arts Club exhibition. Ta.
Featuring abstract images of male and female body parts and blood-red blobs, these multi-textured carpets celebrate sex and the human form from a female perspective.
Toogood told Dezeen that she wanted to celebrate female energy and femininity in a way rarely seen in the design industry.
“It’s not only a kind of expression of the human body, male, female, everyone, but also sexual energy, which is a big part of being human,” she said.
Lamp with innovative LED strip
Flos Superwire by Formafantasma
Italian lighting brand Flos has developed a new type of LED light source: a thin, flexible strip that emits warm, even light over a length of up to 1 meter.
Italian design duo Formafantasma have created a collection of lamps featuring perfect stripes of light of varying widths by encasing the strips inside hexagonal glass tubes.
Formafantasma’s Andea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin say the project “represents a change of pace in LED lighting.”
“The resulting filament is clearly a new light source with great potential and will definitely be used in the future,” they said.
A stool inspired by West African culture
Euclid stool by Limbo Accra
At a time when diversity remains sorely lacking in the design industry, Ghanaian studio Limbo Accra brings a West African perspective to Milan as part of the Prada Frame symposium.
The polished and lacquered plywood Euclid stool combines references to unfinished architecture with Euclidean geometry, exploring the concept of what it means to be ‘suspended’. Limbo Accra produces limited edition stools in-house.
Studio founders Dominique Petit-Frères and Emile Grip said: “We are always exploring, moving towards the unknown and the invisible.”
“This stool represents a quest that allows us to think about the realm of limbo in new ways and inspires us to continue exploring.”
Seating that explores a new approach to innovative design
“Morphologica” from “Meritalia” by Misha Khan
American artist Misha Khan pushes the boundaries of furniture manufacturing with this design for Meritalia, an Italian brand best known for creating irreverent designs by the likes of Gaetano Pesce and Mario Bellini.
Exploring what it means to be radical today, Kahn developed sofas and armchairs that combine a variety of irregular, bulbous shapes based on shapes found inside the human body.
Khan describes it as a “shocking coach” and Meritalia calls it “more sexy than playful”.
Furniture made with a fabric-first approach
“Flower Storm” by Nendo for Paola Lenti
Leftover fabrics and scraps from Paola Lenti’s outdoor furniture products served as the starting point for this range of furniture designed by Japanese studio Nendo.
The project represents a departure for Nendo founder Oki Sato, who is more accustomed to working with object briefs than experimenting with recycled materials.
The resulting collection is more colorful than Nendo’s typical stripped-down, monochromatic aesthetic. Recyclable polypropylene fibers are steam-bent to create objects with playful curves, colors, and overlapping details.
“I sandwiched the material between wax papers and ironed it,” Sato told Dezeen. “We realized that by controlling the pressure and heat, we could create a semi-solid fabric. That was an ‘aha’ moment.”
A sofa reminiscent of 1990s streetwear
Poltrona Frau hoodie by Draga & Aurel
Many of the designs in Milan this year paid homage to the glamor and excess of the 1970s, but Italian studio Draga & Aurel is exploring how furniture could lean into the casual, cool aesthetic of the 1990s. I showed you if there is.
Made by Italian manufacturer Poltrona Frau, this sofa reinterprets the plush padding and hooded shape of the ubiquitous jacket with soft cushion-like leather upholstery.
“The unusual oval shape of the backrest slopes to become an armrest, then a seamless seat surface, creating a bold and welcoming uneven space,” says the brand.
Intuitive aluminum table lamp
Set of lamps for Muuto by Jamie Wolfond
There were many examples of aluminum products on display at Milan this year, as aluminum is becoming increasingly popular as a more recyclable alternative to plastic. One of his most well-resolved pieces was a table lamp by up-and-coming Toronto-based designer Jamie Wolfond for Danish home goods brand Muuto.
Designed as a giant screw, this lamp effectively tells you how to adjust the height of the shade. Simply rotate this circular element to move it up or down.
“I think you need recognizable elements to communicate with people, just like when you verbalize something to someone, you need to use a language that they understand,” Wolfond said. said.
Furniture filled with recycled plastic
ZA:ZA by Zaven for Zanotta
Italian brand Zanotta is one of many furniture manufacturers that is exploring ways to manufacture sofas without upholstery foam or adhesives in order to create more environmentally friendly sofas.
Developed in collaboration with Venetian studio Zaven, the solution is made of cushions filled with recycled polyester balls fixed to a metal frame.
After launching the first ZA:ZA sofa in 2023, Zanotta expanded its product range with modular elements that allow for multiple configurations. ZA:ZA beds were also introduced.
Milan Design Week was held from April 16th to 21st. For more architecture and design events around the world, check out our Dezeen event guide.