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Milan Design Week 2017: New Blood and Old Hands at SaloneSatellite

04.19.17 | By
Milan Design Week 2017: New Blood and Old Hands at SaloneSatellite

2017 marks the 20th anniversary of SaloneSatellite, the part of Salone del Mobile dedicated to new talent. The show was established in 1998 by Marva Griffin Wilshire to bring the work of designers aged under 35 to the attention of both visitors and exhibitors at the main show. It is a must-visit event in its own right, and this year there was the added attraction of a special anniversary celebration comprising special-edition pieces designed by acclaimed international designers whose careers started at Satellite.

Helsinki-based Studio Finna comprises Anni Pitkäjävi, Hanna-Kaarina Heikkilä and Sarianna Niskala. Their gorgeous room-set style stand at Satellite included their own work as well as the Keto rug made in collaboration with Tytti Laitakari and glassware made in the Nuutajärvi glassblower village by glassblowing students from Tavastia.

The polyester-coated steel Daze Side Table and Wove Chair are by Studio Truly Truly, a Netherlands-based studio established by Australian-born, Design Academy Eindhoven graduates Joel and Kate Booy. The former was inspired by “hazy light steaming through a crack,” say the pair, who wanted to see “how the act of coloring could be affected by the shape of the object.” Again playing with color, the Wove Chair was inspired by the intermingling of colors in woven fabrics.

These marble and bronze Helen table lamps were created by Chris Basias of Athens-based CT Lights especially for Satellite as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations.

Molds originally made for the production of buckets for agricultural equipment are re-purposed to make an indoor and outdoor bench from folded and laser-cut sheet metal – the result is Benna by Italian designer Lorenzo Damiani. “Benna creatively expresses space, putting together multiple benches at variable distances,” says manufacturer Daa.

Stone Pottery by Hiroyuki Morita of Studio Rope uses powder waste from a stone cutting factory to create an insulating ‘bubble glaze’ to insulate this drinking vessel. “The stone factory has a huge quantity of stone powder, which is made by the machining of cutting, grinding, drilling and milling process for stones,” he says.

The Generative Vases by Berlin-based Mendel Heit Design Lab were created in collaboration with craftsmen, using traditional techniques like glassblowing, metalworking and ceramics in combination with new technologies like 3D printing, CNC milling and computer programmable electronics.

The interior design friendly Fuoripista exercise bike by Turin-based design studio Adriano Design – founded by brothers Davide and Gabriele in 1997 – enables you to virtually cycle the best routes in the world, thanks to an iPad app and attachment. The brothers describe the product that was specially created for the show as “a new way of interpreting a fitness accessory, no longer gym exclusive but so beautiful that becomes an object of desire, to show off, to praise, one you would ride with pride and joy.”

Gustavo Martini was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1987 and graduated in Industrial Design from PUC-Rio University, going on to create what he calls a “stripped experimental language” for his projects. The Grove is a modular set of sculptural furniture inspired by Brazil’s urban landscapes.

The methacrylate Mr Burton Bookshelf collection by Brazilian designer Wagner Archela was another designed especially for the show’s 20th anniversary celebrations. The four-legged shelves look almost anthropomorphic.

The TUZ salt container by Jonathan Radetz, founder of Jono Concepts, features a Turkish chestnut wood lid with a slight indent in the top to hold a small amount of salt on the outside of the vessel for easy access to just one pinch. The body is available in copper or brass.

Katie Treggiden is a purpose-driven journalist, author and, podcaster championing a circular approach to design – because Planet Earth needs better stories. She is also the founder and director of Making Design Circular, a program and membership community for designer-makers who want to join the circular economy. With 20 years' experience in the creative industries, she regularly contributes to publications such as The Guardian, Crafts Magazine and Monocle24 – as well as being Editor at Large for Design Milk. She is currently exploring the question ‘can craft save the world?’ through an emerging body of work that includes her fifth book, Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure (Ludion, 2020), and a podcast, Circular with Katie Treggiden.