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Anne’s Milan Picks

The now notorious Icelandic volcano was kind enough to erupt just after we landed in Milan, allowing us to spend three glorious days in this temple of design. We saw amazing designs, all with one thing in common: no blandness in sight! Outdoor designs were no exceptions.

Of course there was the amazing Nemo chair by Fabio Novembre for Driade. This chair is quite edgy and perhaps not for a regular patio.

Fabio Novembre uses furniture design to tell intense and fascinating stories in which the protagonist is often the human figure (or parts of it). This human figure is capable of becoming abstract and universal, able to propose a mythicized beauty as occurred in Greek art where heroes (assuredly “dark and hairy”) took on proportionate and divine features in sculptures. In 2008, Fabio Novembre brought a mysterious reclined lady to life on the Divina lounger, and so with this new piece it is with all the more reason that Fabio seems to state the possibility of “anthropomorphic design.”

Gaber, who won 2 Red Dot awards this year, was in Milan with a series of seats all remarkably colorful and interesting in shape yet being of the sort you could actually own!

Papatya was there with a bucket seat that was perhaps the most widespread design, each brand opting for a different motif or color combination.

Finally at the extreme edge of creative seating was the Chairless seat presented by Vitra designed by Alejandro Aravena. It is a strap you place around your back and across your knees. Quite playful and very yoga like!