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

Working as a furniture designer is a lot like working as a musician or an author. You establish a reputation and then hope to attract someone to publish/produce your work.

However, whereas authors and musicians tend to work exclusively with one publisher/label for prolonged periods, furniture designers generally develop products for numerous producers simultaneously.

Or at least the leading ones do.

In Milan we caught up with Ronan Bouroullec and here he briefly decribes what he enjoys about collaborating with Italian deisgner furniture producer Magis. The complete interview and more details on the new products from Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec once we’re safely back in Germany.

Ronan Bouroullec on Magis @ Saloni Milano 2010 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.

A regular problem in Milan is losing track of which Moleskine notebook is yours while relaxing with fellow design fans over a sponsored Espresso.  Suddenly Maarten Baas’ new work is inspiring rather than revolutionary,Philippe Starck’s latest chair revolutionary as opposed to awe inspiring or the latest Karim Rashid is awe inspiring not brilliant. The consequences of such an unintended “Moleskine Swap” on the social standing and credibility of the victims can be far-reaching.

Fortunately there is now “MoleskineTracker” App. Simply insert your signature adjectives, adverbs and superlatives and the “MoleskineTracker” will scan all Moleskines within a 20 metre radius to find the one that contains your own, unique cutting criticism of the latest designs.

“Moleskine Tracker” is available from the iPhone store for Euro 25,00

MoleskineTracker: A (smow)recommended iPhone App for Milan 2010

We don’t have to go to Milan to visit Moormann.

We can just go to Aschau.

But we do enjoy visiting Moormann in Milan, because they always make that little more effort.

After Moormann’s 2009 Saloni Milano stand with Liesmichl, Strammer Max, Steckling et al, 2010 is looking a little more reserved.

That said Else is already promising to be one of the highlights of Milan 2010 for us.

Else is not a Moormann employee, lovely as they all are, but a new shelving concept by Werner Gasser.

As you know the all time favourite (smow)blog furniture piece is Gangsta Lean by Matt Braun.

A truly marvellous product.

And Else by Werner Gasser is in many ways an extension of the Gangsta Lean concept to an individually configurable shelving system.

Gangsta Lean for those who prefer “Lean” to “Gangsta” - if you follow us.

And for those who don’t, a short video introduction.

The undisputed highlight of the Kartell stand at Saloni Milano 2009 was the cat and mouse game with the special forces Kartell had hired to prevent visitors taking photographs.
Despite the Kartell stand taking up an area half the size of Lombardy, the highly trained troops proved particularly efficient and we, for example, were forced to camp out overnight in a disused fox hole just to get a quick snap shot of the Dr NOs.

Judging by the pre-Saloni press, this year is going to be even more fun.

They’re turning out the lights and employing the forces of the Dark Side to stop photographers!!

"Welcome Black 2010" Philippe Starck and Kartell in Milan

“Welcome Black 2010″ is the motto of Kartell’s Saloni show and the invitation promises a dark landscape full of sorcery and demonic goodness.
Or it does if you interpret it as we do.

Aside from fighting Jedis and terrifying young children, Kartell will launch new products by, among others, Tokujin Yoshioka, Philippe Starck and Eugeni Quitllet, Piero Lissoni and Ferruccio Laviani.

We’ll be taking the night vision goggles and you can read our impressions of Kartell’s new products in our (smow) in Milan coverage from April 14th.

Invisible Chair by Ttokujin Yoshioka for Kartell

Ghost Buster by Philippe Starck and Eugeni Quitllet for Kartell

For us one of the true highlights of Saloni Milano 2009 was the kkaarrlls showcase from students at the Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe.

Not least because in comparison to many of the student shows at Milan 2009, the kkaarrlls show displayed some real potential. And talent.

And so excellent to see the project rolling on again for Milan 2010.

As ever we’ll have to wait until we’ve actually seen the items before deciding.

However from the photos we like the look of “Screw Rider” by Anna Brugger and “Pl(a)ywood” by Silvia Knüppel. And good to see that the truly excellent “Kantbank” by Andreas Grindler is going to be there again.

We will keep you updated!

Screw Rider by Anna Brugger kkaarrlls Milan 2010

Pl(a)ywood by Silvia Knüppel kkaarrlls Milan 2010

Kantbank by Andreas Grindler kkaarrlls Milan 2010

Having sold everything, including our kidneys and the neighbours cat, we can finally afford to pay for a hotel in Milan.

“Is it really worth it?” ask the pensioners, students and lawyers who gather in front of the (smow)blog flat every March to buy our possessions and so help us finance the life of luxury enjoyed by that special class of bloodsucker that is the Milanese hotelier.

“No” answer we.

“But what are we to do?”

And indeed what are we to do.

One need only look at the press photos from Studio Bouroullec that landed in our inbox this afternoon.

Lighthouse by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are always among the most active designers in Milan; some years they even mange to make Philippe Starck appear like a tired old man.

For Milan 2010 Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are presenting new products for Established and Sons, Venini, Bitossi and Magis.

Last years Established and Sons product was the Quilt Sofa - a product which, if were honest disappointed us an awful lot. Looked great, sat awful and is pre-programmed to cause all manner of mishaps.

The 2010 effort looks a lot more promising.

Lampalumina by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Lighthouse by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Established and Sons is produced in conjunction with Murano glass manufacturer Venini. A table lamp in an over-sized candle effect, Lighthouse comes with the most gorgeous, retro-70s Murano glass shade.

Le Freres Bouroullec have also designed a lamp for Italian ceramics producer Bitossi. An almost religiously minimalist piece in white ceramic Lampalumina looks a little bit like a goose and undoubtedly does what it says on the label.

Central by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

For Magis the Bouroullec Brothers have created two tables: The die cast aluminium central is a “classic” bistro table, albeit in a three-legged version and the somewhat humorously named Baguettes is class and aluminium dining table. In both cases we are of the opinion that the effect is much better in “real” then in photos. the smooth, almost indiscernible lines of the tables promising a wonderfully unobtrusive yet defining presence.

And that is why we sell all we own.
And the neighbours cat.

Saloni Milnao 2010 runs from May 14th until May 19th

Daily coverage here at (smow) in Milan, on (smow)twitter, (smow)book and vimeo.

Baguttes by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec