Milan Design Week is a huge show that spans over an entire week and has events throughout the entire city. With that in mind, we are continuing on from our last journal entry to share with you more of the highlights from our trip to Milan. So what else did we love from our visit?
We were thrilled to see so many of our brands in the stunning Agape12 bathroom showroom in Milan this year. There were lighting fixtures from the Brokis collection, water-resistant wallpapers from LondonArt, as well as finishes from both Matteo Brioni and Gypsum - who's display we were highly impressed with.
Gypsum has been busy preparing for Milan with a few new lines up their sleeves. They've created a new, more affordable surface that is made using a slightly different process from the original. The new process leaves off a top layer that takes place after baking the raw material, which then leaves a very tactile finish with a gorgeous matte look and feel.
One of Gypsum's latest collections is OPEN, which consists of a collection of dynamic tiles, that are shaped asymmetrically. This slight tilt highlights the new line of grout that Gypsum have also launched, which can be used in conjunction with the OPEN collection. Together the tiles and grout give off the perfect/imperfect look of an irregular old brick wall with a contemporary twist. This new combination is really unusual and stood out for its unique contrasting effect of the tiles against the bright grouting.
We visited the Novamobili stand and we were pleased to see a focus on new material options and the smaller details like hinges. This gave the brand a new sophisticated and elegant look - suited for the more mature market of Milan. We particularly liked the cupboard door shown here that folds back flush to the units, giving a very considered and stylish look.
GAN rugs also launched their NEW Felt collection, BACK STITCH. The fabric is made from pure wool and hand-embroidered. Their stand was quite spectacular and showed off this new design beautifully. Designed by London studio Raw-Edges on a first-time collaboration with GAN, the three different rug designs are available in two colour choices - Yael and Shay - both highlight the reverse of traditional embroidery work.
We also visited the beautiful Nidi stand, which was beautifully dressed in their iconic stand-out colours. It was a great triumph for them to be emerging into the international markets with their unique contemporary cabinetry and children's furniture.
The Bohemia light was bright and striking. It caught our eye because it looks like it's made from blown glass but its size made this option impossible for MARSET. The designer, Joan Gaspar, overcame this challenge by opting for polycarbonate instead available in 3 different colour options - red, green and blue. We think they're very cute and retro!
The Rote wall light pictured here diffuses light beautifully and offers intrigue through its brass slatted diamond panels. It's also fitted with a built-in Bluetooth connection so that the LED light source can be dimmed with ease from any smart device. Both beautiful and built for the future.
One of our favourite things we noticed walking around Milan, was the exquisite stands of the furniture fair and the collaboration we saw between our suppliers - even if it was unintentional! We were delighted to see Brokis lamps dotted around, being used to dress stands all over the show. One of our other lighting suppliers, Masiero was actually used on the Saba Italia stand too. This collaboration between our suppliers just goes to show us that our showroom and of course, our projects are both on trend and desirable.
It's always great to build a stronger, more personal relationship with our suppliers and that's exactly what Milan has done for us this year. We look forward to continuing to work with them and discovering the best and most exciting products to bring back to the RB12 design space and showroom for you.
Inspired by what we've talked about here? Come by and discover the collections we have on display at our Design Space & Showroom, give us a call on +44 (0) 207 1352246 or drop us an email contact@rbtwelve.com for more information.
