How often do you attend the furniture fair in Milan?
Every year for the past 19 years. It’s important for me and for the business to bring the latest designs to New Zealand and to understand the new trends. It’s also very important to cement a good relationship with the existing suppliers that are exclusive to us. The Milan fair is a week of hard work and mental overload but it’s also very exciting; every year it renews the passion I have for this industry.
What was the most interesting thing for you at this year’s fair?
It’s difficult to say because I tend to get very excited when I see the new stands of our suppliers, especially Poliform and Flexform, which are really leading the design industry in Italy. If I need to pick a design I will go with the Mad range designed by Marcel Wanders for Poliform. It has a big personality and a striking decorative presence. I personally love Marcel Wanders. He always creates amazing designs that are a perfect mix of contemporary and mid-century.
What were the key trends this year?
I prefer the term style directions; in our market, which is more contemporary classics year-on-year, change is more subtle. What we are seeing at the moment is a strong presence of marble tops for dining and coffee tables. Metal finishes tend to be more bronzed and gold rather than chrome. In upholstery, I’ve seen a lot of soft aniline leather and velvet in deep blues, green and a bit of purple
What is inspiring about Salone del Mobile?
Seeing all the other showrooms in Milan and the way the furniture is displayed. There is so much elegance and quirkiness at the same time, it really changes the way you look at furniture.
STUDIO ITALIA
Marcel Wanders continues his work with Poliform with new additions to the Mad collection, sculptural forms revealed by the details on both the chairs and tables.
Sophisticated finishes, woods, marbles and fabrics define the shapes of Mad, the collection extended this year by Marcel Wanders for Poliform. The designer’s approach is more mature, having moved from experimentation to greater control of the process directed towards greater refinement.
Available exclusively at Studio Italia .
