7 design collaborations we loved at Salone del Mobile 2022

Stop the press! Salone del Mobile 2022 returned this week, for really the first time since 2019, to reaffirm its place in the rankings as the world’s leading international design fair. From stands the size of small villages, to the innovative product drops throughout – and not the mention various talks that visitors have engaged with – Milan Design Week came out from its forced slumber larger and louder than ever before.

Over the week-long fair, the various halls around the exhibition site were littered with top-notch product launches, and we believe we have edited these down to just seven of the most interesting partnerships, because not one studio or brand can design the future alone.

Yoko – designed by INODA+SVEJE and Minotti

Image caption: The Yoko, designed by INODA+SVEJE. | Image credit: Minotti

Two worlds so far apart and yet so closely connected: Japan and Denmark. It is in the space that unites them that the story of the new furniture families of the 2022 Collection designed by the duo INODA+SVEJE for Minotti is created; an unusual choice rooted in the ineffable bond between the Orient and Scandinavia but, above all, in Minotti’s inexhaustible pursuit of beauty and excellent workmanship.

> Since you’re here, why not read our exclusive interview with the designers? 

Yoko is a light and elegant seating design; a Japanese name and Scandinavian lines that come together in a piece of furniture with an aesthetic matrix, flavoured by both cultures. The continuous cross-reference between the two cultures, their styles and manufacturing skills shapes a project composed of an armchair, a dining armchair and an ottoman bench characterised by a dual lightness: physical and aesthetic. Delicate and sinuous lines, created with precious cabinet-making interlocking techniques that enrich the structure of legs and armrests in solid ash open pore wood lacquered with a Liquorice colour, or in solid Canaletto walnut stained Light Brown, a chromatic choice that lends a more decisive tone to the elegance of the silhouette.

Soho – designed by Carlo Colombo for Giorgetti

“Soho is an extremely modern product. It is a light, airy sofa, suspended on aluminium feet,” explained designer Carlo Colombo. “We paid careful attention to the detailing on the armrest, which extends to behind the backrest. It is a sort of modern capitonné, made with a seam that divides, embellishes and holds the armrest in place.” Soho from Giorgetti is a versatile product that appeals to a very wide audience – ideal for hotel rooms and suites. “I picture it in a bourgeois Milanese or Parisian apartment,” added the designer, “or in an ultra-modern home in Miami or Los Angeles.”

Miau Armchair – designed by GamFratesi for Koyori

Image caption: The Miau Chair, designed by GamFratesi for Koyori. | Image credit: Koyori

Continuing the theme of collaborations that celebrate and enhance merging cultural references, Danish-Italian design studio GamFratesi has created a curved wooden armchair for Japanese furniture brand Koyori. The Miau Armchair is a solid wood chair that ‘hugs the body’, with four tapering legs and arched backrest and armrests made from a single piece of bentwood to create an elegant look and durable form.

Aria Applique – designed by Zaha Hadid Design and Slamp

Zaha Hadid Design, led by Maha Kutay and Woody Yao, was in Milan this week where, among other product launches, unveiled Aria Applique, which is a new chandelier from Slamp that combines lighting technology with the studio’s seamless and futuristic architecture style. The light is fluid and dynamic. The electrical components are protected by an aesthetically balanced frame, creating three-dimensional volume. The 25 layer applique version is available in either a transparent or gold finish that casts refractions on the wall behind it.

Extrasoft Contenitori – designed by Piero Lissoni for Living Divavi

Image credit: Extrasoft Contenitori, designed by Pireo Lissoni. | Image credit: Living Divani

Living Divani presented a preview of the 2022 collection, infusing its own idea of interiors: a harmonious and contemplative space, where to rediscover the sense of gathering and conviviality and at the same time shape one’s own refuge, abandoning oneself to thoughts, and recollecting, devoting some time to oneself.

Developing the versatility of the iconic Extrasoft, bestseller designed by Piero Lissoni in 2008, the brand introduced, among the soft and welcoming elements, new contrasting storage units: wooden modules available in two heights and three dimensions that follow the modularity, modify the rhythm and multiply the functionality, preserving its unique character. “Extrasoft was born soft, but now we have added solid elements for new functions: small tables, storage units, armrests,” said Lissoni. “The family is getting bigger.”

D-Neo – designed by Bertrand Lejoly for Duravit

Image credit: Duravit

In fitting with Duravit’s D-Neo design, the D-Neo faucets, which recently was honoured with the IF Awards, also boast a straight-lined and geometric design. The characteristically narrow, vertically positioned handle is standard throughout the entire range. Sustainability is key on the D-Neo washbasin mixers with FreshStart, only cold-water flows in the central position to start with. Hot water is only added when the one deliberately moves the handle to the left. The energy-intensive production of hot water is limited to situations where it is needed.

Soda – designed by Draga & Aurel for Gallotti&Radice

Image caption: Soda, designed by Draga & Aurel. | Image credit: Gallotti&Radice

The Soda sideboard by Gallotti&Radice, designed by Draga & Aurel, is a combination of art, design and craftsmanship. The project stems from an in-depth research on materials and, in particular, on glass processing. The latter is poured, texturised and pigmented with an ancient artisan technique, which allows for a wide range of colours and shades to be created. The beauty of this material suggested the circular shape of the cabinet, framed by a light wooden structure with essential lines, on which the glass doors seem to rest like a work of art on easel of the artist.

Main image credit: Living Divani