Hasta La Ideas

Milan design week is an opportunity to showcase ingenious responses to climate change but the Salone del Mobile fair it relies on is still inherently unsustainable, writes Katie Treggiden.

Salone del Mobile is back in its usual April slot and Milan design week 2023 is being touted as a new beginning after the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Having consulted with 2,300 interviewees and working groups on the fair’s role post-covid, Salone is promising “a new trade-fair experience, an impactful cultural program, [and] an event that focuses on sustainability”.

Stands will be laid over the lower floor of the Rho Fiera Milano fairgrounds only, rather than on both as in previous years, and the lighting show Euroluce will get a new “ring-shaped” layout. There is an attempt to fold the cultural heart of Milan design week into the fair itself with exhibitions, talks, workshops and installations. And finally, there is a renewed commitment to sustainability.

After the pandemic all but shut down the industry, a fresh start with sustainability at its heart feels appropriate

The first two seem inward-looking at best, but after the pandemic all but shut down the industry, a fresh start with sustainability at its heart feels appropriate. That part of the promise comes in the form of a new Sustainability Policy and Green Guidelines, membership of the UN Global Compact, and pending ISO 20121 certification.

The Green Guidelines ask exhibitors to be “team players” in the fair’s attempts to become more eco-friendly, promoting circularity and reuse in installation, low-impact materials, safety and access for all, a traceable and responsible supply chain, and clear communication of their efforts. If there are any consequences to not being a “team player”, these are not specified.

The phrases “cutting down”,”prioritising” and “opting for” are repeated throughout the document, which rather loosely incentivises action with the notion that “sustainability represents a new opportunity for growth”.

But we know that reducing impact while pursuing growth is rarely an effective strategy in environmentalism. To really address climate change, we need a genuine moment of restart – one that asks difficult questions about the role of Salone instead of seeking ways to perpetuate business as usual. It is no longer enough to do less harm, we must actively find ways to regenerate natural systems and build a path towards global equity.

This year’s edition of Salone del Mobile will draw 1,962 exhibitors from all over the world with countless product, furniture and stand components that cost a lot of carbon to move, let alone make. Typically, the fair attracts more than 370,000 specialist visitors from more than 188 countries, 5,000 journalists, and 27,500 members of the public. That’s a lot of air miles.

And yet, Milan design week is also the world’s largest showcase of the types of design innovation that the planet does need. At Salone Satellite last year, Disharee Mathur demonstrated her Passive Cooling Tiles, which are made from waste glass and sanitaryware and absorb ambient moisture to prevent buildings from overheating – a climate-positive solution to fight the effects of global warming.

My greatest fear is that none of what’s good about Milan can exist without the very problems it is trying to solve

At Milan flagship show Alcova, Estuary of Riptide and Reunion by Forêt Atelier revealed the hidden flora in the waters of the Oosterschelde in the Netherlands and explored their potential for capturing carbon, reducing the methane emissions from cattle, and providing biodiverse habitats.

And Studio Swine’s waste-free exhibition for the American Hardwood Export Council at the triennale showcased the potential for renewable hardwoods, called for balance in the way we use natural materials and underlined the need to “address the greatest social and economic issue of our time: climate change”.

My hopes this year for Milan design week are, as always, that what I see will fill me with optimism. New ideas from bright, young designers more concerned with solving the world’s problems than designing the next bestseller; material innovations that might finally free us from the linear take-make-waste model; and brands that are not just doing less harm but genuinely working for the benefit of people and planet.

Increasingly, however, my greatest fear is that none of what’s good about Milan can exist without the very problems it is trying to solve. The temples to consumerism filled with the same products in new colourways that consign their perfectly good predecessors to landfill, the hundreds of thousands of visitors flying in for just a few days, the rife capitalism that makes even the most culturally important events possible.

I’m only one of 5,000 journalists, but will what I see in Milan – and any good that I can do a result – really offset my own contribution to the carbon footprint of this whole endeavour? I don’t have an easy answer.

Milan design week is the biggest showcase of design in the world, and if it’s not exploring creative solutions to the world’s biggest problems, then I’m not sure what it is doing. But as trendy as it has become to tell anyone who will listen that you “don’t bother with the fair anymore”, Salone is the reason all of this is here.

Salone is the sun around which the rest of Milan design week orbits

We can’t walk around the city, gelato in hand, and pretend that almost 2,000 international brands haven’t shipped or air-freighted their wares into the Rho Fiera Milano fairgrounds. And we can’t pretend that isn’t what makes this entire endeavour possible. Salone is the sun around which the rest of Milan design week orbits. And without the sun, there is no life.

As with so much of the climate debate, there are no perfect solutions. No amount of “cutting down” or “opting for” is going to fix this. “Better than before” is still pretty bad.

But for all the hyperbole undoubtedly attached to this so-called “restart”, and despite sidestepping existential questions that might enable meaningful change, I am still daring to be hopeful about Salone. I don’t believe it has got the balance right yet, but at least it has its eyes on the scales.

Katie Treggiden is an author, journalist, podcaster and keynote speaker championing a circular approach to design. She is the founder and director of Making Design Circular, a membership community for designer-makers who want to become more sustainable.

Milan design week 2023

Milan design week 2023 takes place from 17-23 April 2022. See our Milan design week 2023 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

The post “We need a genuine restart that asks difficult questions about the role of Salone” appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Showroom: Australian designer Alexander Lotersztain reimagined a stereotypical picnic bench when creating the flat-pack Mass table for furniture brand Derlot.

Made from a combination of powder-coated steel and aluminium, Mass is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Lotersztain and Derlot used the iconic garden table as a visual reference to create a contemporary and minimalist design that is also durable and practical.

Mass was also designed to be accessible, seating up to eight people at a time, including wheelchair users.

“Refined, durable and inclusive, Mass has an elegant visual appeal and holds true to the emotional values of the original table-and-chair hybrid that we call a picnic table,” said the Derlot.

“The design suggests a variety of applications, from parks and gardens to new forms of collaborative work environments, bringing a relaxed feel to interiors within the commercial and built environment sector.”

Each table comes flat-packed and can be easily assembled in less than an hour. According to the brand, the tables are also fully recyclable at the end of their lifecycle.

For indoor use, the tables can be fitted with power sockets and USB charging options, allowing users to stay “charged and connected wherever they are”, said Derlot.

The photography is by Florian Groehn.

Product: Mass
Designer: Alexander Lotersztain
Brand: Derlot
Contact: contact@derlotgroup.com

Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

The post Mass table by Alexander Lotersztain for Derlot appeared first on Dezeen.

At Yanko Design, we believe in constantly innovating, creating, and evolving. It’s a philosophy that serves as a lifeline for us, and one of the results of this lifeline is the YD x KeyShot Inspiration Hub! The Inspiration Hub is our ‘ever-expanding encyclopedia’ of design work for you to participate in, to inspire designers, and to get inspired by. Created in collaboration with KeyShot, the Inspiration Hub is your one-stop space for inspiration where designers like you can submit your impressive designs and be awarded to stand out in the crowd and to inspire other like-minded designers.

To kickstart your journey and send some motivation your way, we’ve curated some of our favorite seating solutions from the Inspiration Hub. These unique and uber-cool seating furniture designs will motivate you to create something spectacular and submit the design, as a gateway to sharing it with the best of the design world. Additionally, we will also be picking our favorite Design of the Week, Design of the Month, and Design of the Year – every week, month, and year from the submissions on the Inspiration Hub. Keep an eye on our Instagram page and the Inspiration Hub to see if your design gets picked. Fingers crossed!

Click here to Download KeyShot Pro (Use Code ‘KSYANKOHUB’ during installation for full Pro + KeyShotWeb trial) to take your sketch from concept to render!

1. The Tekron Chair

Called the Tekron Chair, this interesting and unique concept for a folding chair has a rather “unconventional structure”. Designed by (acasso), the Tekron chair attempts to improve and elevate the user experience, especially when one has to fold and store away the chair. Nylon straps and military-grade metal buckles were used for folding and storing the chair. You have to tighten the strap from behind in order to fully fold the chair and make it as flat as possible if you don’t need to use it. It will not unfold unless you release the buckle so there will be no accidental unfolding like with normal folding chairs.

2. Elsa Sofa

Designed by naishform, the Elsa sofa is a sturdy and bulky furniture design defined by modules of grey cushions supported by solid steel legs. Aesthetically the Elsa sofa is simple, functional, and minimal. It gives the impression of a solid sofa that can support a good amount of weight and can withstand multiple bumps and grazes. The large cushions that form the body of the sofa are arranged in ascending order, with each cushion being large than the previous one.

3. Drum

Designed by Teixeira Design Studio, the Drum stool is minimal, elegant, stackable, and not to mention sustainable. If you don’t look at the Drum stool too carefully at first, it may look like a cute little wine cork to you. But once you gaze more deeply, you’ll realize that it is a smartly designed stool using cork and wood, making it good-looking and eco-friendly. Cork was used to build the seat, while the long legs were built using wood. The wooden legs fit perfectly into the grooves on the cork seat.

4. The Easy Chair

The Easy Chair by designer @u__bean05 really does have an easy and free-flowing vibe to it. It looks like a free wave crashing on the shore, or a melodious musical note. The curved section functions as the seating surface, where one can curl up and read their favorite book. This curved backside functions as a cozy lounging surface. A spherical ball-like volume provides support to the chair and allows it to stand firmly in one position on the ground.

5. The Fortune Chair

Designed by Hyeyoung Han and Hanyoung Lee, the Fortune Chair is a mix between a bean bag, a chair, and a pod, and it also happens to look like a fortune cookie. The outer shell of the chair is much like a fortune cookie and works as a covering frame that surrounds and protects the user. This outer wall helps create a space that is comfortable and private.  So, irrespective if you’re working in a corporate office or at home, the Fortune Chair functions as a little oasis for you to work in peace, much like the office pods we find today in commercial offices.

6. The Form Single Sofa

Designed by SUNRIU Design, the Form Single Soa is a fluid-looking sofa defined by a chunky bold form marked with flowy lines. The sofa is quite visually intriguing and looks like a hunk of concrete. The seating section is a smoothly carved dent, that looks like it will perfectly seat someone’s buttocks. The rear portion of the sofa seems like it could function as a neat hanging spot for your pet as well, allowing you and your pet to sit and chill together.

7. Kenneth’s Sofa Chair

This bulbous sofa concept by Kenneth is fun, bold, and quirky! It features a round form with a comfortable seating section nestled in the center of it. An outer shell-like volume forms a protective layer around the seating section, giving the chair a sense of privacy and calm. The headboard will cover you from both sides, so you feel like you’re nestled within a pod.

8. Sado Chair

Martin Luu designed the Sado chair as an experiment in unconventional design. Sado’s intriguing form reminds you of a horizontal tree log or horseback, suited for a straddled seated position that encourages a healthy posture. When positioned atop Sado, the chair’s seat rotates freely to enable 360-degree accessibility to nearby objects within arm’s reach. Adjustable leg supports also provide a place for your legs to rest while helping to sustain a leveled spinal position. Sado is an incredible ergonomic option if you’re looking for a chair that encourages and support a great posture.

9. Carrera’s Couches

Designed by Bonny Carrera, these beautiful AI-generated sofas are fun, quirky, and colorful. Created on Midjourney, the couches are a pop of color and burst of excitement and the kind of designs that would truly light up our homes. The first couch seems to have drawn inspiration from lettuce and avocado, as it looks like a healthy veggie that’s ready for us to eat. The second armchair looks like a lovely conch shell, defined by streaks of different colors.

10. The Pentagon Stool

The Pentagon Stool is a minimal and simple low stool that comprises of five identical pieces of hardwood. Designed by Designerd , the five hardwood pieces serve as the legs of the stool, which quite funnily gives the stool its name ‘Pentagon’. The legs are woven together and held together using a star plate. The designer states that the leg element of the stool can be swiftly and efficiently produced in a one-line production. The Pentagon S

Click here to Download KeyShot Pro (Use Code ‘KSYANKOHUB’ during installation for a full Pro + KeyShotWeb trial) to start creating your own design and submit the design to us to get featured on the Inspiration Hub and the Yanko Design Instagram Page.

The post Top 10 seating solutions from the YD x KeyShot Inspiration Hub to provide you a dose of design inspo first appeared on Yanko Design.

Inspired by tropical elements like the shape of a surfboard, the curvature of a banana, and the overall tranquil nature of a hammock, the Panama Banana is the perfect piece of furniture for outdoor lounging. It’s as comfortable as a hammock or sun chair, but rocks to and fro like a rocking chair, giving you an experience that’s sure to steal your entire afternoon and some more.

Designer: Agota Rimsaite

The Panama Banana is characterized by two arched birchwood strips joint at the ends, with polyester straps connecting the area in between to create a curved section that you can sleep or sit on. At about 6.8 feet long and 4.2 feet wide, the Panama Banana is spacious enough for one person along with some personal objects like a book, iPad, phone, or towel. Coated with a water-resistant wax, the rocking furniture is perfect for outdoor use, or even indoor use with an outdoor view. Given its tropical influences, it’s best near a pool or on a porch or balcony facing the beach.

Weighing just 11 kilograms (24.2 lbs), it’s lightweight enough to be moved around so you can gather two loungers together and chill with a buddy or your partner. Wooden channels that run horizontally between the two arches can be unplugged, allowing the Panama Banana to fold flat for easier moving and carrying. To reassemble it, just install the horizontal channels and your Panama Banana is ready to be lounged on! The Panama Banana is long enough to stretch yourself comfortably, even encouraging you to take a nap should you choose. Remember to wear sunscreen, though.

“[The Panama Banana] is made by local materials from Baltic region,” says designer Agota Rimsaite. “The wood work of this design mainly involves craftsmanship, done with deep care for details and main focus for sustainable processes.”

The Panama Banana is a past winner of the A’ Design Award.

The post This Hammock Rocking-Chair hybrid is perfect for lounging by the poolside, porch, or even your high-rise balcony first appeared on Yanko Design.

Carved presumably from rosewood, the Forest Tidy is a set of neat containers and stands that bring a level of organization to your workspace while tying into the wooden nature of the furniture around your house. By splitting your workspace belongings into different categories, the Forest Tidy organizational kit gives you space for stationery, tech, EDC, cables, and even a dedicated stand for your monitor along with a stowaway space for your keyboard and mouse.

Designers: Yibo Dai, Bo Le, Yu Liu, and Qi Ping

The containers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, tailor-made to your tabletop belongings. Smaller bowls are perfect for clips, pins, SD cards, and other small items, while elongated containers let you put pens, pencils, scissors, and other items. The monitor stand comes with two semicircular holding areas on each side, and a long slot for a pencil on the front. There’s even a dedicated phone stand that lets you dock your phone either in portrait or landscape. Unfortunately, the phone stand doesn’t come with a channel for a cable pass-through, which means it won’t function as a charging stand. However, you can plug your phone in when kept in landscape mode.

When spread out, the Forest Tidy gives you a comprehensive collection of trays and bowls to keep your items, although if you’re more minimally inclined, the objects can stack one upon another to consolidate your belongings without the added clutter. For added flair, the rosewood containers are also accented with golden details like labels and leg-pegs, giving them a wonderful aesthetic that’s well-suited for any WFH setup (or even an office one!)

The Forest Tidy is a Bronze Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2022.

The post These wooden WFH accessories help declutter your desk while giving it a personality first appeared on Yanko Design.