Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2015: London designer Lee Broom will transform a street of disused shops into a fake department store to present 20 new products in Milan next month.

Lee Broom will take over Via Alfredo Cappellini to create the exhibition of his largest collection to date during Milan’s design week.

Furniture, lighting and home accessories will be presented against dark grey backdrops and props within a series of interconnected spaces at The Department Store.

“I wanted to explore all the things that inspire me right now, from new materials, vivid colours, pop culture, craft culture, techniques from the past and shapes from the future,” said Broom. “All of which to be housed in my very own Department Store.”

Visitors will move through spaces split over two floors, each themed to correspond with a typical department from a large shop – including The Perfumery, Ladies’ Accessories, Gents’ Fitting Room, Book Store and Haberdashery. Broom said that he was aiming to create an “immersive journey through a cinematic pastiche of a store”.

The final area will act as the Stock Room, displaying Broom’s previous collections.

New products on show across the exhibition will include the Hanging Hoop chair, constructed from two brass-plated metal circles.

The smaller of the two hoops holds the cushioned seat and backrest – both upholstered in a red wool textile produced by Danish company Kvadrat – and balances within the larger hoop, which is suspended from the ceiling.

Continuing the circular theme, the Ring pendant lights comprise fluorescent circles clasped by polished brass balls.

For the Chapel Light, a geometric pattern of coloured glass in shades of red and white creates a diffuser across the base of a spun-metal dome.

Illuminated spheres are sliced diagonally and slightly slid apart to reveal slithers of brass to form the Crescent Lights.

Broom’s collection also includes an adaption of his glassware with marble bases launched last year. The updated Glass on Brass set replaces stone with the polished metal, supporting crystal vessels shaped for wine, champagne or Martinis.

The Department Store will be open from 14 to 19 April at 16 Via Alfredo Cappellini.

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