The Colours: Blue, Green, Dark and Moody

While the colours on show in Milan this year swung between soft, feminine corals, pink and plum as seen at Studio Pepe, to earthy clay hues and pops of canary yellow and gold there was a predominance of darker, moodier tones including forests of deep olive green, as seen at Apparatus Studio (pictured) and the rise of royal blue.

Preview of an upcoming hotel project. Six Gallery.

Primal Presence

Perhaps it’s a reaction to the overload of technology in which our 21st Century lives but one of the predominant moods of the week focused on raw, natural textures with an almost cave-like feel. Stone, marble, agate and ceramics were omnipresent — our highlights being the crystallised lighting by Australian designer, Christopher Boots; Studio Pepe’s installation Les Arcanistes;and the incredible concept kitchens by Milan-based designer, Henry Timi, who presented his collection in a monastic white space complete with earthen floor.

The Age of Decadence

If you weren’t escaping into the comforting calm of a curvy, cave-like interior the alternative was a full-volume dive into colour, pattern and decadence care of Gucci homewares, Versace — which opened up Gianni’s Milanese palazzo for the week — and the high-octane hues greeting visitors at Louis Vuitton.

Inside Gianni Versace’s Milanese Palazzo.

The Talk of Milan

Visitors to Milan during Design Week are constantly bombarded with the question, ‘What have you seen?’ This year some of the most talked about installations included… Dimore Gallery’s Gabriella Crespi show; Nendo’s Melt collection for Wonderglass; Six Gallery’s new Sister Hotel; Nilufar Gallery; Vogue Italia’s Life in Vogue installation; and Google’s exploration into the field of neuroaesthetics with its experiential show, A Space for Being.