Last week’s Milan Furniture Fair offered up a plethora of beautifully designed objects. Here are a few chairs that caught our eye. It might be a while before they reach our shores, but they’ll be on our wish list in the meantime.
Department delights
The critically acclaimed British designer Lee Broom presented his largest collection launch to date last week, with more than 20 new products — each more beautiful than the last. The designer used a row of disused shops on Milan’s Via Alfredo Cappellini to present his wares, creating The Department Store, a dramatic series of interconnected, department-store-inspired vignettes showcasing his furniture, lighting and accessories. Choosing our favourite pieces was a task in itself, but we eventually settled on two standout chairs. The first is this Hanging Hoop Chair, with its voluptuous curves and bright red seat. There’s a matching Hoop Dining Chair for those who like a set.
• For more information, visit www.leebroom.com
Mi casa
The Italian textiles company Rubelli launched its first Rubelli Casa furniture collection at this year’s fair, with a range of 40 upholstered pieces designed by the Milanese architect Luca Scacchetti. The collection was inspired by Milan and Venice — the carnivalesque exuberance of the latter was offset by the stylish restraint of the former. We love the Barbacan chair, which is a nod to the wooden beams used to enlarge rooms in Venetian homes. The chair has an upholstered wood frame with wenge-stained beech feet, and is available in fabric or leather.
• For more information, visit www.rubelli.com
Designed by Donatella
Versace’s new Le Coupe des Dieux chair was designed by the inimitable Donatella, and is surprisingly restrained, considering. With echoes of art nouveau, a slimline but throne-like aesthetic and the brand’s trademark baroque insignia, the leather chair is a statement piece in every sense of the word, and comes in four colours: pearl grey, red, turquoise and black.
• For more information, visit www.versacehome.com
Blooming marvellous
We also love Bloom’s Aladdin-esque Carpetry Chaise Longue, which artfully blends the idea of traditional crafts with innovative manufacturing techniques. This piece would find a place in our home any day of the week. Quite frankly, we can think of no better way to lounge.
• For more information, visit www.leebroom.com
Rocking out
You can always count on Marcel Wanders to introduce a bit of fun into the mix. The famed designer and artistic director of Moooi was responsible for a number of new pieces at this year’s fair, but our favourite by far was this gorgeous, limited-edition Arion rocking “unicorn” made from solid wood and embroidered with white leather. Yes, we appreciate that this might not, technically, count as a chair, but still.
• For more information, visit www.moooi.com or www.superstudio.me
