design city

Italy is many things to many people but I think we can safely make a few sweeping generalizations. Roma is the epicenter of history. Firenze, the locus of art. And Milano... Milano is most certainly the anchor of modern design.

High-end design today might mean a $68,000 dining room table with a soft sheet of rubber along its top that soaks up the light in the room. Or a marble tub undulating like a wave, perfectly mirroring the reclining body within it. We don't happen to be in the market for such things but this weekend Milan's most chic and terribly haught design studios were open to anyone and everyone who wandered by.



As I have mentioned before, Milan is architecturally very much about hidden secrets. There are doors fit for giants behind which hide incredible gardens and cobble stones but these doors are closed more often than not and it is rare to be welcomed into such private coves. But with the opening of the galleries and shops it was an invitation into secret lairs.

The galleries were open in conjunction with a very prominent and important design conference being held on the outskirts of Milan. There was a guidebook available that detailed participating locations and freestanding banners in front of each to indicate you were welcome inside. It was wonderful and we went into as many as we could find. Often we were rewarded with cocktails and something petite and glam to eat. And the far greater reward was the access to the back gardens and showrooms that normally we would not frequent.

Sipping prosecco in the courtyard behind a linens gallery, noticing the peeling paint and ivy on the small cottages edging the space, and shifting from one cobble stone to the next... not bad for a night's find.



Another favorite was "Established & Sons," a very smart English firm that is making waves in the design world. Their showroom is in a cavernous space that was previously a jai-alai court. Where once people played a rather unique sport there reside now some unquestionably unique pieces of furniture. Behind the furniture and accessories, along the entire back wall, were perfectly chosen quotes that made you feel smart and charming because you recognized their wit; and the complementary beer didn't hurt either.



In the foreground of the above photo are desks. Yes, desks. Look at these beautes. While I would not look forward to spending 8+ hours a day headquartered at one of these, I will say they look darn fresh. Maybe you've seen a desk like this before? Or been to a jai-alai court in the center of Milan that you would never in a million years have guessed existed based on what you could see from the outside? Kudos to you if you have because I was happily suprised by both.



But the real award for "embracing the opportunity presented" goes to the young art school hipsters who took to the opening of these galleries in swarms. They drank the free beer. They sat on the furniture. And they reminded me of the people who break the rules and create the designs that make nights like this possible.