In Milan, a shot at notoriety
On a bustling, cobblestone street, shoppers laden with bags halted at the glint of an AK-47 -- an 18-karat, gold-dipped replica made into a lamp. The window of Flos lighting showroom displays Philippe Starck’s entire Gun Collection, including Beretta-shaped table lamps and floor lamps modeled after the M-16.
A few blocks away, in the plush lobby of his five-star hotel, Starck explained why he couldn’t resist pushing the boundaries of design at Milan’s international furniture fair, a six-day blowout that ended Monday.
“Why doesn’t furniture show that everything is a political choice?” says Starck, whose gun lamps have black shades lined with crosses. “Design is my only weapon, so I use it to speak about what I think is important.”
About 200,000 people braved the chill to see the inventive, sometimes shocking collections that give a shot of adrenaline to the world’s furniture industry.
This year, Salone Internazionale del Mobile and the biennial Euroluce lighting show married minimalism with extravagance. Imagine a yellow chandelier dripping with crystals hung over a stainless-steel kitchen island, as seen at Boffi, the Italian purveyor of ultra-sleek baths and kitchens.
“We have several moods both to shock and please ourselves,” says William Sawaya of Sawaya & Moroni, whose chic Via Manzoni shop swarmed with swanksters jostling for a look at Sawaya’s neo-baroque Barock ‘n’ roll chairs and tables combining centuries-old carved shapes with neon colors. “Minimalism is being done by IKEA,” he says. “You can’t compete with them -- you must find another direction.”
And so they did. From the Dutch company Moooi came Barbarella, a sheepskin sectional sofa by British designer Ross Lovegrove. At Driade, Tokujin Yoshioka, former graphic designer for Issey Miyake, created an elegant armchair and couch of pleated leather that resembled a Fortuny dress. From Cappellini, the New Antiques line by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders married traditional Italian, turned-wood chairs and tables with tooled-leather seats and smoked-glass tops.
“Design today is a mix of different cultures, different countries,” says Giulio Cappellini, design director of the company that bears his name.
Each year the Milan fair embraces trends, and seeks to top the previous year’s hit. Some spoke of last year’s smash -- Tord Boontje’s laser-cut, fabric-flower chandeliers. The jury is still out on the 2005 winner.
Starck plans to donate proceeds from the sale of the weapons lamps to charity. “The Guns collection is nothing but a sign of the times. We get the symbols we deserve,” Starck wrote.