Mobilia in Milano 2023

Moroso

Moroso is known for experimenting with colour, form and texture, and they didn’t disappoint. The landmark Italian brand showcased its new collections to design-goers at its Via Pontaccio showroom in the Brera district. Among the highlights was the Rows table designed by long-term Moroso collaborator Patricia Urquiola. Part of a wider collection of linear sideboards, a cabinet and a console table, the rectangular tables are available in wood, black-painted glass or marble.

Meanwhile, Mr Loveland, an upholstered system, is an evolution of a seating series designed by Patricia Urquiola in 2000. Elegantly dovetailing with the original concept, the new design choices enhance the architectural qualities of the series.

Rows sideboard designed by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso.

Cassina

Cassina's Via Durini showroom displayed an extensive range of new product releases. Lighting was a focus for the heavyweight brand this year, with a new collection introduced to complement the core furniture offering. The impetus for the new lighting collection was the discovery of designs by influential American designers Charles and Ray Eames. While this particular collection, created in close collaboration with the Eames Office, won't be released until 2024, several other ranges were launched this year by the likes of Tobia Scarpa, Philippe Starck and Cassina's inaugural Patronage recipient Linde Freya Tangelder.

Meanwhile, the brand highlighted the cultural significance of its collection with a special exhibition titled "Echoes: 50 Years of iMaestri", held at Palazzo Broggi and curated by Cassina's art director Patricia Urquiola with Federica Sala. Shrouded in red light, a colour distinctive to Cassina, the exhibition showcased timeless pieces of design poised for the future, whether it be a striking silver version of Gio Ponti's Maralunga sofa or a deconstructed sculpture of Gerrit T. Rietveld's Red and Blue armchair, created for a 1985 advertising campaign in "Interni d'aurore."

Echoes, 50 years of iMaestri. Photography: Agostino Osio.

CC-Tapis

CC-Tapis showcased their new collections in several locations, including at the fair, their showroom and a site-specific installation. The avant-garde rug company’s stand at Salone del Mobile showcased a new offering of rugs called Panoplie, which is a system of patterns and textures designed by Patricia Urquiola specifically developed for projects such as hotels and boutiques.

Back in the city, the showroom hosted a series of new projects collaborating with designers, including Formafantasma, Objects of Common Interest, Patricia Urquiola and Bethan Laura Wood. From rugs incorporating messages from the artisans who crafted them to continuations of prototypes first launched in 2022, the designs were works of art.

To round out CC-Tapis’ presence during the week, the brand presented a site-specific installation of its Les Arcs collection designed by Charlotte Perriand. Based on a series of prodigious French architect and designer Perriand’s drawings, the distinctive hand-knotted rugs transformed the contemplative surroundings of San Celso Church in the centre of Milan.

Bethan Laura Wood at CC-Tapis' Milan showroom with the new Guadalupe collection, inspired by The New Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

CC-Tapis' Telegram collection by Formafantasma features messages from the artisans who crafted them.

Poltrona Frau

The Poltrona Frau showroom was bustling and exuded the quality and craftsmanship synonymous with the heritage Italian brand. A mix of new products and extensions to existing ranges were presented under the 2023 ‘Pleasures Collection’, celebrating the joys of the human experience.

A highlight was the all-new Duo collection, which includes an array of upholstered and wooden furniture pieces crafted in partnership with Tuscan cabinetmaker Ceccotti Collezioni. A new edition of Gio Ponti's iconic Dezza chair was also released, featuring never-before-seen woollen satin upholstery with the original pattern by the designer himself.

Poltrona Frau re-launched the Dezza armchair with a unique fabric that celebrates its iconic designer, Gio Ponti.

Kettal

Spanish outdoor furniture brand Kettal once again hosted an impressive architectural stand designed by Patricia Urquiola at the Milan fairgrounds at Rho.

Creating versatile pieces that work in both indoor and outdoor environments, Kettal introduced Antonio Citterio to its stable of designers. Taking its name from the Aeolian archipelago, the Eolias collection by the prominent Italian architect features teak tables, stackable armchairs, a club armchair and an outdoor rattan dining armchair.

Other highlights included 'A' by Naoto Fukasawa, which is a collection of solid wood pieces for the office, and the development of existing ranges, including Plumon by Patricia Urquiola.

Eolias stackable armchairs designed by Antonio Citterio for Kettal, paired with the Ringer table by Michael Anastassiades, also for Kettal.

Michael Anastassiades

Lighting was a focus across the board this year, particularly with Euroluce happening at Salone del Mobile. Michael Anastassiades showcased his eponymous brand at the Rho fairgrounds, which was a standout display with minimal yet beautifully detailed pieces.

Two new collections were introduced, Blue Skies and Peaks. Blue Skies is a table lamp composed of a silver base with a delicate bamboo and Tosa-Shi paper reflector, meanwhile, Peaks is a family of pendants with a string of elongated cones in different configurations. These stand-out pieces were shown alongside some of Michael Anastassiades’s signature designs, including the Tube Chandelier, ta-ke and Relay families.

The Blue Skies table lamp by Michael Anastassiades features a bamboo and Tosa-Shi paper reflector.

Peaks by Michael Anastassiades is a family of pendants with a string of elongated cones in different configurations.