Probably on account of all the wood, upcycling and back-to-basics on show at Milan Design Week 2013, Granoff Sofa by Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) alumna Scot Bailey, Taylor McKenzie-Veal, Ian Stell and Yumi Yoshida stood out like a burger bar in Rovaniemi on Christmas Eve.

An unexpected, inignorable and ultimately very welcome delight.

And that despite, or better put because, we completely misunderstood what was on display.

Milan Design Week 2013: Granoff Sofa by Scot Bailey, Taylor McKenzie-Veal, Ian Stell and Yumi Yoshida

Created for the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts at Brown University, the Granoff Sofa is a modular seating system – the object on display at Ventura Lambrate being but one of three base elements.

Together the three build a regular sofa, or can be freely arranged as required.

We however found the brutal cut of the piece on display much better than the images we have since seen of the complete system.

Nothing against the “complete” Granoff Sofa, but we just love the idea of an object that can’t be bothered being a sofa, an armchair or a chaise longue.

An object that functions, that could be developed further. But why bother? Would anyone notice?

Everyone is striving for the perfect form, looking for new form languages that offer users new opportunities.

Why not  just produce something that just does the very basics, and leaves the final decision with the user.

As a general rule we’re clever enough.

Despite the harsh cut and uncompromising geometry of the piece, the “Granoff Sofa Element” as we have christened it is also a very understated, well proportioned and nicely considered piece of work.

In the garish blue and red combination we saw in Milan you obviously can’t ignore it. But produce it grey tones and you have an object that vanishes into the background.

We have no idea if there are any plans to commercially produce the Granoff Sofa, far less the Granoff Sofa Element. However if you are in Rhode Island five examples in differing colour combinations can be viewed and tested in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts.

Milan Design Week 2013: Granoff Sofa by Scot Bailey, Taylor McKenzie-Veal, Ian Stell and Yumi Yoshida

And the complete Granoff Sofa by Scot Bailey, Taylor McKenzie-Veal, Ian Stell and Yumi Yoshida

As it was our first event of Milan Design Week 2013, we’re honouring Artemide with the first post from Milan Design Week 2013.

And in specific Empatia by Carlotta de Bevilacqua and Paola di Arianello, for us the stand out object in the Artemide 2013 collection.

It will sound like damning Carlotta and Paola with faint praise when we say that the overwhelming majority of the new Artemide products are architectural lighting – all technically very interesting, just architectural lighting – and that amongst the few new domestic lights Ross Lovegrove was presenting what could best be described as sculptures that illuminate and Ernesto Gismondi was presenting Ilio, an object which to be honest we simply didn’t get.

That however would be to underestimate Empatia.

On the one hand there is the mouth blown Venetian glass outer bowl.

Then here is the technological innovation, The secret to Empatia is a synthetic rod in the middle of the glass bowl.The light is generated by LEDs in the base of the lamp, flows through the rod, is reflected by the opaque top, and ultimately emits a pleasant, even, 360 degree illumination.

We’re fairly certain someone will compare the rod to a candle. It’s the lazy, obvious comparison

Yes, as a glass bowl shaped lamp that comes in table, wall, hanging and floor versions Empatia is very similar to one or the other existing Artemide product.

However, on the one hand it does have an alluring, endearing and new form language combined with an energy saving innovative technological solution, and on the other, why shouldn’t Artemide continuing doing what they do? They do it so effortlessly well.

And as the (smow)boss repeatedly tells us: If you do what you do well you wont need to worry about your financial future.

Quite why he always emphasises the “well” and “wont” remains for us a mystery. But we digress.

At the moment there is no release date for Empatia by Carlotta de Bevilacqua and Paola di Arianello, and so until all is confirmed, a couple of impressions from Milan Design Week.

Milan Design Week 2013: Empatia by Carlotta de Bevilacqua and Paola di Arianello for Artemide

Milan Design Week 2013: Empatia by Carlotta de Bevilacqua and Paola di Arianello for Artemide

Before Milan Design Week and Furniture Fair really get started we took the opportunity to relax a little and to visit Milan’s contemporary art fair, MIART, and for all their new “Object” section devoted to contemporary design.

Curated by Michela Pelizzari and Federica Sala “Object” presents 10 design galleries from Italy, France, Israel and the Lebanon.

Ten international galleries presenting an equally cosmopolitan pallet of objects, ranging from limited edition pieces from the 1950s over the results of student research projects and on to those special commissions that really allow design galleries to shine and stress their own character.

We know it’s unfair and subjective, but…. for us the highlights were the limited edition table by Oscar Tuazon for Milan based Plusdesign, the storage/display unit Libreria Volumi Sospesi by Matteo Casalegno at Galleria Paola Colombari and a truly delightful 1959 coffee table by Jorge Zalszupin at Galleria Rossella Colombari that technically belongs in our “Lost Furniture Design Classics” series.

1959 Coffee Table by Jorge Zalszupin at Galleria Rossella Colombari

In addition to the individual works we were also very taken by the complete displays from two of the galleries.

Carwan Gallery Beirut were, in the words of director Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, the “exotics” of the group presenting a collection of pieces largely outwith any easily recognisable European syntax. Among the, for us, best pieces were the objects in the Tessera family by Lebanese architect Marc Baroud – a series of almost transient objects combining walnut blocks and leather – the “Slingshot” collection by Karim Chaya which presents one of the most potent symbols of Palestine resistance as a luxury item in, for example, brass, gold or glass, while the complete Carwan stand was surrounded by hand-painted Coca-Cola signs that could be once found throughout Beirut, but which have now vanished like the artisan culture that helped create them.

Limited edition design of a completely different kind could be found at Benevento based Swing Gallery. Founded in 2011 Swing Gallery has a small but compelling roster of designers including Julian F. Bond who was represented in Milan with objects from his Hexagonal Pixel Vases collection and Harry Thaler with his Silk Lamps and, the literally just completed, Silk Table – objects that combine the banal with the truly sublime, namely San Leucio silk, to create everyday objects that are anything but. But also very much are.

The Slingshot collection Karim Chaya at Carwan Beirut (In the background hand-painted Coca Cola signs)

We find the inclusion of design galleries at MIART a good and positive development.

Despite the unmistakable whiff of privilege that invariably surrounds contemporary design galleries, they do serve an important function. On the one hand we know numerous young designers who can pay the rent thanks to income from galleries, income that over more traditional product distribution routes simply couldn’t be realised. And we also we know numerous commercially available products that began life as experimental, concept pieces before subsequently being taken on by a manufacturer. The commercial object may have lost all the idealism and adventure of the original piece, is however always a functional and aesthetic object that helps move genres forward.

Contemporary design galleries are always present during Milan design week. Always showing somewhere in the city.

However design galleries aren’t charitable trusts dedicated to advancing design; they are commercial organisations and as such need to sell pieces.
And that is always going to be easier in a location where people looking to buy creative works congregate rather than amongst “normal” design festival visitors.

Consequently a contemporary design section at MIART makes sense.

And that the visitors to MIART have a potential interest in design as well as art could be gauged by the occasional pieces of furniture to be found on the “normal” stands. A particular mention in this context must go Marjan van Aubel & Jamie Shaw for their Well Proven Chair at A Palazzo Gallery; an object based around an intriguing chair shell made from bio-resin and wood shavings.

Interest of course can be potential or active and the question is if the MIART public accept Object as an opportunity or simply use it as a curious diversion from the serious business of buying art.

All the galleries we spoke to were relatively happy with how things had progressed.

Although to be fair, that is what we expected them to say.

The proof of the pudding in such cases is always if the exercise is repeated and if so how many galleries sign up for a second time. And also how many further galleries contact the organisers looking to book a stand for 2014.

We’ll keep you updated.

Until then a few impressions from Object at MIART Milan 2013.

Nils Holger Moormann

At Fuori Salone Milano 2011 we helped Moormann construct their stand. And of course took the opportunity to chew the fat a little with company founder and eponym Nils Holger Moormann.

Variously described as being an autodidact, pioneer or provocateur, for us Nils Holger Moormann is simply pleasant company and the guarantee of well considered and soundly opinionated discussion.

In the course of the Milan interview we covered the new products, the current state of the furniture industry and, appropriately enough given what awaits us in October, the point of trade fairs.

smow: As a furniture producer does one have to go to trade fairs and, in particular, is it worth coming to Milan?

Nils Holger Moormann: That is always the central question; however, for us Milan is always worth it because we have a lot of export business and so here we can meet those customers who we otherwise perhaps wouldn’t get a chance to meet in the course of the year. The main problem is that it is very difficult to get a space in Milan, and we only have this tiny stand. Every year we fight to get a bigger stand, and every year we don’t ….

smow: … but you’ve never considered moving from the fair grounds into the city?

Nils Holger Moormann: … no not really because interesting as Milan is, it is currently on the verge of lunacy, with so many fringe events that a normal person can’t see them all. And when we undertake such a project then with heart and soul. Every detail here has been considered in great detail; it looks very simple, but isn’t, and every detail needs to be perfect. And then to potentially only have very few visitors would be tragic, but here at the fair you have the guarantee that both visitors and the international press will be here.

smow: How much Nils Holger Moormann exists in such a stand. Do you take a personal interest, or …

Nils Holger Moormann: Every year we have the same problem; Finding a theme. Personally I think it is especially important to tell a good story that links the stand with the company. And developing this story is the most difficult part because it must have some relation to us, it can’t just be “show” And, this year as with every year we were absolutely convinced that we would be given a larger stand, and planned the concept accordingly. And then came the information – no once again the smaller. And that was a shock.

And so we needed a new idea and that did indeed come from me. I was inspired by the fact that everyone is only interested in new products – which I find interesting but also idiotic, because furniture needs time. It must be refined and gradually perfected. Furniture design involves a lot of thought and consideration. And with this quick, quick, new, new one has the risk that we become like the fashion industry with two, three, four collections per year. And that can’t be. And so we thought OK we can play along and so we’re presenting 12 new products here but the majority sadly can’t be seen because they are from 2028 or “undefined future” or so. What I like is to create unfamiliar situations where visitors stare, aren’t sure if its serious or not. And that for me is just as important as good products.

Minimato by Matthias Ferwagner for Nils Holger Moormann

smow: But there are 2 real new products.

Nils Holger Moormann: Yes, or at least one and a half. We have a small side table called Minimato which was relatively simple to bring to production, and so our principle focus now is a, for us, very unconventional piece. For the past couple of years I wanted to do more sheet metal furniture. Most people have probably forgotten but 15 years ago we basically only made sheet metal furniture. I find the material very interesting and we  were introduced to a piece called Pressed Chair by Harry Thaler, a young Südtiroler who studied in London, that fascinates not only me but the whole company – although we all know that the risk involved is gargantuan. There is so much technical engineering involved that one is working at the limits.

But we all want it to work and we have organised a network of eccentrics to help us; because to work on such project you can’t think within normal constraints. Its not a contract where we can go to someone and say “Make us the chair” rather you need someone who says “It’ll never work, but we can for a beer if you want!” And money isn’t involved, just lots of socialising, and then one starts trying to gently talk them round. And eventually they also become infected by the project. And that makes it a lot more fun when one approaches such things in an unconventional way rather than simply taking some money and paying a producer. With us its like an insane mountaineering expedition. But that’s the fun.

smow: And are you personally regularly in the workshop….

Nils Holger Moormann: …permanently. It’s the only option. The person working on it is friend of mine who has a very, very small company but a wonderful network of specialists who help out.  And it is with all things that you do because you are fascinated and interested by, it becomes more like a hobby and then you start working through the night because you don’t realise any more what time it is.

Which is the difference to when you only work for money, where you eventually start wanting to do other things.

But until now its all gone very well, but let’s wait and see! I actually phoned him yesterday because I got a little nervous. There’s always new problems! Its a bit like climbing Mount Everest with two crates of beer and no oxygen….

Pressed Chair by Harry Thaler for Nils Holger Moormann

smow: … but that’s probably easier because then you don’t notice you’ve no oxygen…

Nils Holger Moormann:.. That could be true.

smow: And when the risk doesn’t pay off…

Nils Holger Moormann: Then so be it! I believe that one of the reasons that furniture firms are so boring today is because they only do “show” and let the world know how wonderful, colourful and crazy they are. And here we find the chair, absolutely, indisputably … basic. For us it’s important. There’s no “show”

And yes there is a risk that you fail. But that’s the kick.

If everybody could produce such a chair, it wouldn’t be any fun!

And I don’t want to give up is this feeling of undertaking an unconventional tour, with unconventional methods, but then still arriving at our destination.

But in this case we are as certain as we can be that we’ll make it.

Sometimes its hard to remember that Milan isn’t just about showing off how clever you are.

Its also about furniture.

Consequently an interesting barometer for us is what catches the attention and fancy of the (smow)team.

What do they want to see in the (smow)collection. What do they find good. What do they find interesting.

They are often wrong. But it’s still good to know. And yes, we know design is also subjective.

On Facebook we have posted a gallery of some of their Fuorisalone Milan Design Week 2011 photos.

Thonet @ Salone Milano 2011. A (smow)team tip. Click for more

Last month we posed the question “Is Milan design Week still relevant?”

And Antje was kind enough to join our debate.

Thank you!

We assume everyone else found the question so obviously correct that you didn’t feel the need to answer.

And yes, of course we are going this year.

As our old nan used to say – “It’s like an away match in Zwickau on a fine November evening. Not going is not an option!”

In addition to perusing the newest products, ideas and concepts we have a top series of interviews lined up and also more than a little physical labour in the name of research.

But not just that.

Milan furniture fair is celebrating its 50th birthday this year.

And so we have decided to combine our celebrations with our search for the answer to our favourite question.

In 1975 – as part of the aptly named “Still Crazy After All These Years” album – Paul Simon professed to offer all unhappy souls 50 ways to leave your lover.

In the end he offered 5, very lame, options.

In “50 reasons not to leave Fuorisalone Milan Design Week” we aim to compile a list of 50 reasons why Fuorisalone Milan Design Week is still relevant.

Will we succeed?

Can we succeed?

Should we succeed?

Are we perhaps also still crazy after all these years?

We’ll know in a week.

You can follow our ”50 reasons not to leave Fuorisalone Milan Design Week” on the (smow)posterous

Before we start listing reasons to love Fuorisalone Milan Design Week - here a reason from 2009 to be very wary of spring in northern italy.

For most people naming Swiss designer furniture producers is as much of a challenge as naming famous Belgians or happily married English footballers.

USM Haller being the equivalent of Belgium’s Hergé.

However the Confoederatio Helvetica has a lot more to offer than Fritz Haller’s genial system. And a lot more to offer than modular steel and chrome.

One of the greatest contrasts to USM Haller is the cabinet maker Röthlisberger.

Founded in 1928 Röthlisberger’s first contact with the global furniture market came in 1957 when they starting producing furniture on behalf of Knoll International. In 1975 the cooperation with Knoll International ended and in 1977 Röthlisberger introduced their own products onto the market under the name “Röthlisberger Kollektion”

Currently featuring products by designers such as Tomoko Azumi, Hanspeter Steiger or Susi and Ueli Berger the “Röthlisberger Kollektion” combines the companies experience in traditional Swiss carpentry with modern technology and approaches

In Milan (smow) caught up with Röthlisberger Kollektion boss Jürg Scheidegger and discussed the development of new products, the role of the Internet in the designer furniture industry – and the persuasive powers of Swiss chocolate.

For 26 years James Irvine has been quietly and unassumingly influencing European industrial design.

Immediately after graduating from the London Royal College of Art in 1984 James Irvine moved to Milan to take up a position with the Olivetti design studio.

And has pretty much been in the north Italian metropolis ever since.

In 1992 James Irvine left Olivetti and since then has worked with companies as varied as Artemide, B&B Italia, Whirlpool, Magis and WMF. Among his most public projects is without doubt his redesigning of a fleet of Mercedes Benz buses as part of the Expo 2000 trade fair in Germany.

In 2004 Thonet released the A 660 chair, James Irvine’s first cooperation with Thonet; a cooperation that was eventually to see him appointed Thonet art director.

“The thing that would be amazing to try to do is to work with recycled material”

In Milan, (smow) spoke to James Irvine about the challenges and pressures associated with nourishing and administrating the tradition and history one of Europe’s foremost designer furniture brands, as well as where he sees the future of the company.

Last week we vented our spleen on the ridiculous hotel prices in Milan during design week.

And against an international design industry that blindly accepts such as part of the annual fun.

We owe James Irvine an apology.

James Irvine is obviously a man of principle who is prepared to raise his voice against the Milan hotel industry.

And so thank you James Irvine!

Hopefully the rest of the furniture industry will follow your lead and in a couple of years we can all tweet #Bologna2012 or #Firenze2013

The complete (smow) interview with Thonet art director James Irvine will be available next week.

James Irvine on the worst thing about Milan design week from smow blog on Vimeo.

Because the design world is incredibly vain, supercilious and conceited, Milan is a often a lot more about showing off than showing new products.

And this year if you don’t have an iPhone with all the latest Milan design week Apps, you might as well stay at home.

We don’t posses anything made by Apple, nor can we imagine a time when we will, we are however not immune to the vagaries of the design world and so over the course of the next few days will introduce you to the most important iPhone Apps for Milano 2010.

With the “Volcanic Cloud Predictor” App – (V.A.C.) – iPhone users can now utilise traditional Icelandic mysticism to help calculate the risk of being caught up in a volcanic ash cloud.

Simply insert the stand number of the producer that you plan to visit and the approx time/duration of the trip and the Volcanic Cloud Predictor will generate the risk of you not being able to leave the stand due to an invisible yet harder than steel cloud of toxic ash and dust.

“Volcanic Cloud Predictor” is available from the iPhone store for Euro 1,98

Volcano Cloud Predictor App for the iPhone