The Milan Furniture Fair in 2012 had a more subdued and reflective atmosphere compared to previous years. Designers were taking time to carefully consider their next designs in response to global economic instability. There was a move away from loud, attention-seeking designs towards more humble, considered pieces. Simplicity, versatility, and craftsmanship were valued. Young designers were finding new ways to both design and manufacture products independently of large brands through technologies like 3D printing and crowd-funding. Alternative economic models and currencies were also being explored.

1. © Karimoku New Standard
perspective...
Milan in

2. A report by Mariel Brown and Karen
Rosenkranz from the Research, Trends
and Strategy team at Seymourpowell...
New thinking such as open-source design, hacking and
crowd funding is empowering young designers and, in doing
so, is lighting the touch paper that could ignite a new era of
collaborative design. Tantalisingly, this will question the very
nature of future Milan furniture fairs.
There was a reflective
Every year Milan offers its visitors a seductive slice through
‘now’. The relatively quick turnaround of products on show,
and almost contemplative
along with a product designer’s innate desire to engage with
culture means that Milan captures the spirit of the time like no
mood in the air which
other design show on Earth.
seemed to suggest that
Despite this, Milan 2012 felt a little different this year. Whilst the
main show at the Fiera still hustled and bustled as ever, the designers are taking their
time to carefully consider
events around the rest of the city felt a little quieter than usual.
There was a reflective and almost contemplative mood in the air,
which seemed to suggest that designers are taking their time
to carefully consider their next move amidst a global state of
instability. This was echoed by many of the big manufacturers, their next move amidst a
such as Vitra, Established & Sons and Magis, choosing not to
release many new products. Instead they made small additions
and tweaks to their ranges, giving existing products a new lease
global state of instability.
of life with the addition of new colours, materials and finishes.
By far the most exciting developments this year were those
Mariel Brown
being made in the less established areas of the fair, with
traditional shows being much more low-key.
Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

3. Humble Beauty They were able to convey a feeling of harmony and balance
that people seem so eager to achieve these days. However,
In this rather subdued atmosphere, what felt particularly positive although they were humble and quiet, the furniture on show
was the move away from the perpetual cycle of loud design was by no means minimalist; a clever use of colour and detail
pieces shouting for attention only to be replaced the following brought a light-hearted sense of bliss and almost childlike
year by an even louder piece. Instead there was a tendency naivety to the collection. Even the snacks and drinks served
for more humble and considered design, something that was at the opening event, created by Italian creative collective
gathering pace at last year’s show; the special quality of a Arabeschi di Latte echoed a new love and respect for everyday
product doesn’t always shout from a distance, rather it only life.
reveals its beauty at close quarters.
Seymourpowell
© Snacks by Arabeschi di Latte Photo by
Traditional Japanese design values of simplicity and understated
beauty feel particularly appropriate in this time of austerity. So
it is perhaps not entirely coincidental that Japanese designers
and manufacturers had such a big presence at this year’s
design week in Milan. Their approach of eschewing fast-moving
trends and creating long-lasting products of real use in people’s
everyday lives resonates far beyond their own disaster-stricken
nation. People are once again keen to buy products that
resonate with them on an emotional level, meaning they are
taking the time to consider their purchases. Alongside this there
is an overwhelming sense that we produce and own too much
stuff: Dieter Rams’ ethos of ‘less, but better’ again feels very
relevant in these times. This renewed appreciation for the simple things in life was also
reflected in various porcelain collections, most notably in the
One show that stood out amongst the crowd was ‘Karimoku collaboration between ‘1616 Arita’ and ‘Scholten & Baijings’.
New Standard’, a collaboration of emerging international Their comprehensive set of crockery and table accessories
designers and one of Japan’s leading manufacturers of wooden fuses the Dutch duo’s signature use of colour together with
furniture. The pieces, beautifully arranged in a 100-year-old exceptional Japanese craftsmanship. The resulting objects are
apartment building in Via Palermo, really captured the silent so beautiful that they elevate even mundane experiences such
beauty of everyday life. as making a cup of tea.
© A Frame Table by Tomas Alonso © Colour Porcelain by Scholten & Baijings, 1616 Arita Photo by Seymourpowell
Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

4. For products to have longevity they need to be made extremely
well, but they also need to engage us on a deeper emotional
level beyond their surface finish. Producing less, and of a higher
quality, to extend the life of a product certainly feels like a very
sensible approach for the future. This notion brought a few
For products to have longevity they things into perspective in these unsteady times.
need to be made extremely well,but Renowned design commentator Ann Maes made the point that:
they also need to engage us on a “Recycling and upcycling have become buzz words. But what
some people tend to forget is that recycling costs money too.
deeper emotional level beyond their You can better focus on producing less and of higher quality to
extend the lifetime of a product.”
surface finish. Producing less, and of a
higher quality, to extend the life of a The Joy of Order
product certainly feels like a very Along with a growing desire to own less, we also want to
sensible approach for the future. better organise what we already have, as if to purge anything
superfluous that distracts us from what really matters.
Karen Rosenkranz We seem to find new joy in the order of things we can control
in a world of factors we can’t – economic and environmental to
name a few.
Continuing the theme of beautiful simplicity, London-based
Swedish design duo ‘Studio Vit’ exhibited their latest work Literally reflecting this need for structure and order, we noticed
‘Marble Lights’ at the Salone Satellite – a striking combination an abundance of shelves and storage solutions throughout the
of cylindrical marble lamp holders and various sized glass fair. We thought designs that take our use of technology into
spheres. The simplicity and beautiful juxtaposition of material, account were particularly clever. For example ‘Toi’, an innovative
volume and weight transformed them into standout pieces side table by Salvatore Indriolo for Zanotta uses a tabletop that
that feel both contemporary and timeless. In fact, marble as a can be rotated 360º to reveal a storage compartment; perfect
material appeared to be popular at Milan this year. Maybe this is for all those small pieces of tech that litter our homes.
because its sense of weight and eternity offers stability in times
where the future seems to be anything but certain...
© Marble Lights by Studio Vit
© Toi by Salvatore Indriolo for Zanotta
Offering an intelligent solution for a workspace at home is
‘Deskbox’, by Yael Mer & Shay Alkalay for Arco. Their compact
Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

5. wall-mounted cabinet doubles up as a small desk, complete
with storage space and a cable management system. Once
collapsed, the unit forms a closed volume, capable of neatly
hiding a laptop and its trailing cables inside. With more people
working from home, the ‘Deskbox’ represents a new table
typology that responds to a more flexible lifestyle, allowing one
to easily switch between work and leisure.
We felt these practical and inventive
© Deskbox by Yael Mer & Shay Alkalay for Arco
solutions perfectly reflect the flexible
fluid nature of our lives today. They
demonstrate the need for products
that can fulfil more than one role in
our homes, in order to help us
organise our lives and reclaim more
space for ourselves.
Karen Rosenkranz
‘Station’, by Norwegian trio Awaa, is another modular system
Back at Salone Satellite, the showcase for new talent, the designed for different heights as both a table and a lamp. One
theme of versatility and flexibility was out in force. In an could imagine the product being used in many different ways.
especially high quality year, many young designers came up
with open ended, non-descriptive objects that allow for a
multitude of uses and fit a wide range of lifestyles. Designed
for contemporary urban homes, which implies living in small
spaces, the all female collective Fresh from the mint’ presented
a range of imaginative new products, all of which were a
crossover between two archetypes. “It is up to the user what
they make of it – a wardrobe, side table, shoe shelf or simply a
display of their favourite outfits.”
© The Royal Family by Ellen Heilmann, Fresh from the Mint
© Station by Awaa
We felt these practical and inventive solutions perfectly reflect
the flexible and nature of our lives today. They demonstrate
the need for products that can fulfil more than one role in our
homes, in order to help us organise our lives and reclaim more
space for ourselves.
Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited,2012. All rights reserved.

6. The Designer as Manufacturer
The process behind products was the hero across the fair this
year, as many brands proudly displayed sketches and prototype
models alongside their finished pieces. This trend was most
noticeable at Kartell, where their ‘Work in Project’ stand stood in
sharp contrast to their glitzy neon-filled offering of last year.
Milan often felt more akin to a factory than to a polished
design fair. At numerous shows across the city, new products
ranging from chairs through to candelabras were being created
on-site and on-demand in front of fascinated crowds. This
factory atmosphere, however, was about much more than
entertainment. It reflected what the Economist magazine is ©Tom Dixon Photo by Seymourpowell
calling the ‘third industrial revolution’ by promising a radical
re-evaluation of the traditional role of the designer. Historically,
the process of manufacturing a product was arduous and could
only be done one way; find a manufacturer and then have
them make your product. But, excitingly, there is now a greater
opportunity emerging for the creative; they can be both the
designer AND the manufacturer.
Not all designers (particularly young
designers) neccessarily want the big ©Tom Dixon Photo by Seymourpowell
manufacturers to take on their products. backdrop of a reconstructed 19th Century railway station.
Instead, they strive to bring their products Dixon commented “It’s the idea that we can take the factory
to people in their own unique way whilst plant to the consumer and then we can make these things in
front of people, so people really understand how possible it is
maintaining the purity of their creative now to design and develop and distribute things in a modern
vision. way… What we’re trying to prove here is that the power is back
in the hand of the designer. You don’t have to have a big name
Mariel Brown manufacturer to get goods to market.”
Technology is inciting this step change as the cost of digital Dixon’s quote reveals that it’s not just technological
manufacturing continues to fall and digital connectivity continues advancements that are driving this trend; the anarchic mood
to spread. Acclaimed designer Tom Dixon positioned himself of our times is playing a vital role. The climate of economic
firmly at the forefront of this new revolution by teaming up with instability is forcing people to question the norm, which is
international machine giant ‘Trumpf’ to produce his new Stamp causing the designer’s ambition to evolve. Not all designers
chair. They created a powerful display of intent for the show; two (particularly young designers) necessarily want the big
sheet-metal machines cut out the Stamp chairs against the manufacturers to take on their products. Instead they strive to
Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

7. bring their products to people in their own unique way, whilst the duration of the fair, hackers were lauded and welcomed
maintaining the purity of their creative vision. into one of the city’s most prestigious department stores.
Stranger still, they were welcomed in broad daylight with
With an equally dramatic backdrop as the Stamp installation, a crowd of stylish design types following in their shadows.
albeit rather more refined, was ‘The Future of Making’ exhibition There can only be one conclusion; hacking has officially
curated by Domus and Audi in the Palazzo Clerici. Juxtaposed entered the mainstream.
against a sumptuous Baroque backdrop, laptops hooked
up to machines produced everything from chairs made of The event that tipped this balance was ‘Hacked’. It
recycled fridge parts to edible canapés. What stood out for us comprised of a series of interactive performances held in
in particular amongst this pleasingly geek-made aesthetic was the basement of lifestyle store La Rinascente. Dubbed as
the Kickstarter exhibit. What appeared on the surface to be a “100 Hours of Rebellious Imagination”, it celebrated hacking
straightforward collection of pleasant everyday design objects, as a contemporary concept of appropriation, alteration and
has undoubtedly given traditional manufacturers many sleepless transformation, whilst exploring the implications hacking may
nights; all the items owed their existence to crowd-funded cause for art, design and technology. The events ranged
finance proving that if an idea is strong enough to capture a from downloadable buildings, to educational workshops on
crowd’s imagination then independent production can be found building your own particle accelerator.
with relative ease.
What struck us as particularly pertinent and timely amidst
Hacking the Mainstream all the fervent activity was Hacked’s intent to “provide a
platform for young designers whose work exists outside of
‘Hacking’ has arguably become one of the key buzz verbs of our conventional exhibition object parameters”.
turbulent times. Only this month did we see pictures of intrepid
youths ‘place hacking’ London’s (yet to be completed) new New Currency
architectural landmark, The Shard.
The same young designers are beginning to question our
existing value systems and our current relationship with
money. This was the subject of numerous projects at this
year’s Fuori Salone, the smaller events dotted all over the
city. Whether it is through producing their own money or
proposing new currencies such as time, many designers are
investigating the possibilities of alternative economic models
and mutual aid systems.
Nic Wallenberg, designer at the Royal College of Art and
part of a collaborative project called ‘Making money in Milan’,
tells Seymourpowell, “Milan is the place that young, aspiring
designers come to with the hope to be discovered by big
brand manufacturers. Everybody wants to get famous and
make money. We thought we would just take things into our
own hands and bypass the whole system by producing our
own money.”
© Hacked Photo by Seymourpowell
Hacking has traditionally been the domain of the outsider, The trio positioned themselves at the entrance to the RCA
done undercover, at the dead of night. Aliases were created to Paradise show to produce pewter coins on-site. Dressed
protect identities and perhaps add a little glamour to the lonely as traditional blacksmiths, complete with leather aprons,
nights in front of a glowing screen. It was strange then, that, for they made for a fun and engaging performance. According
Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

8. to Wallenberg, they had already traded their coins for foreign that go far beyond the current remit of the fair. Making use of
currency, cigarettes and a kiss on the cheek. such unacknowledged resources as time and skills feels very
sustainable, especially if money is no longer a measure of value
Seymourpowell
©Making money in Milan at RCA Paradise show Photos by
for the next generation of designers.
© Reasons to rethink by Michael Kluver, Design Academy
© Time shop by Livia Lima, RCA Paradise
Although easily dismissed as a joke, their project poses some
fundamental questions about our current value system. The
‘hacktivist’ movement and the technological opportunity to be
both designer and manufacturer could bring about a big shift
for creative industries. For many young designers it is no longer
aspirational to have their designs produced by high profile
brands. Making money is certainly not their primary motivation.
So is there an opportunity, or even a need, for a new currency
or a new metric?
Michael Kluver’s project ‘Reasons to rethink’, on show at the
Design Academy in Porta Romana, takes a critical view. “I
devised the drawings for all seven Euro banknotes intended to
call attention to the weaknesses in the monetary system. The The Allure of Imperfection
idea is that my drawings fit seamlessly into the design of the
banknotes, enabling these ‘Reasons to Rethink’ to be absorbed Milan saw another big change this year. As the slick, shiny new
into the cash supply and disseminated by the very system they products that Milan is so famous for showcasing seemed to
criticise.” have less of an appeal for visitors, products with a sense of
individual character caught our eye instead.
Projects such as Livia Lima’s ‘Time Shop’ (also part of the
RCA Paradise show) explored the possibility of a very different Dutch designer Lex Pott’s work (which featured in numerous
economic model – trading time and skills for commodities. shows throughout the fair) is a beautiful example of how
Coupled with our deep social networks, this suddenly seems products with unique patina can charm. His philosophy of
like a very feasible and aspirational option. using the origin of the material was reflected in his ‘Transience’
project, created in collaboration with David Derksen. This piece
Although only on the fringe of the event this year, we believe uses the beauty of the natural oxidising process to transform
there is a lot of potential in such areas of social innovation mirrored surfaces over time, which was celebrated, accelerated
Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

9. and manipulated. This was shown in a gradation across three Tom Dixon’s new Lustre lighting collection shared this imperfect
different geometric patterns. By ageing some elements of allure. The ceramic pendant lights were finished with an
the mirror’s surface in this way ‘Transience’ doesn’t feel so iridescent glaze, which is fired twice to give each piece a unique
conspicuously new, but rather it feels timeless. finish. Dixon describes the effect as, “reminiscent of hidden
colours in nature, seen in peacock feathers or oil slicks on
water.” It was an exciting new direction from a designer who has
© Transcience by Lex Pott, Tuttobene
previously made his name with highly polished metal lighting
features.
Both Dixon and Pott’s pieces had a weathered and somewhat
timeless quality to them. They both demonstrated the desire
for products with aesthetic longevity, as well as the growing
importance and value of products with individuality and a sense
of personal character.
Wonder and Surprise
One of the most magical projects on display in Milan this year
was an experimental LED lamp by Swedish designers ‘Front’
for new Dutch company, Booo. The all-female design studio
came up with a wonderfully simple, yet mind-blowing concept.
Their ‘Surface Tension Lamp’ is a bubble blowing light fixture
that uses the bubble to create the most ephemeral and delicate
lampshade. Each bubble lampshade is unique, reflecting the
They both demonstrated the desire for light in the room with a wonderful rainbow shimmer, lasting for
only a few seconds, which stands in stark contrast to the LED
products with aesthetic longevity, as light source that lasts for about 50,000 hours.
well as the growing importance and
© Surface Tension Light by Front for Booo
value of products with individuality and
a sense of personal character.
Mariel Brown
© Lustre lighting by Tom Dixon
Impractical maybe, but it certainly pulled the crowds - it goes
to show that people long for a bit of magic in their lives.
Transformative objects like this have the power to make us stop
and wonder; they make us feel like a child again, stimulating our
curiosity. It is this sensation of wonder and surprise that we also
Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

10. increasingly expect from technology. For many people life has
become too controlled and predictable.
Our ‘always on’ culture can make us feel like slaves to our
smartphones; always knowing and anticipating every little
step ahead. Such designs demonstrate there is a real need
for spontaneity and unpredictability, allowing us to reclaim the
sense of surprise that has seemingly disappeared from our lives.
Daniel Rybakken, one of our favourite designers at last year’s
show was again showing more beautiful pieces that captured
a similar spirit of wonder. His ‘Coherence’ light consists of
a compact light source that illuminates a massive dome
suspended above. Although on first sight it is not immediately
apparent where the light comes from, the designer creates a
nice little ritual around the idea that light is another object that Mariel Brown - Head of Trends, Seymourpowell
you set at the table, alongside cutlery and crockery.
Mariel Brown is part of the Research, Trends and Strategy team
On reflection, spaces that invite us to daydream and wonder at Seymourpowell. Mariel gained a first-class honours degree
provide an almost spiritual dimension. Objects and rituals that in Design Futures at Napier University and a Masters degree in
allow quiet contemplation help us to be in the moment, a much- Design Products from the Royal College of Art, London. Whilst
needed antidote for our hectic and hyperconnected lives. We studying she won a D&AD Award for Product Design and a
feel there is a strong desire for people to escape and retreat in D&AD Award for Environmental Design. Since Mariel joined
an attempt to regain emotional stability and composure, hence Seymourpowell over six years ago she has worked on a diverse
our excitement when we see designers responding to this range of projects including user research, product strategy and
growing need with such inspiring creations. global trend studies. Currently Head of Trends, Mariel translates
trend, market and user insights into tangible future directions
for numerous clients including Samsung, Panasonic, LG, Dell,
Ford, Unilever and ASICS.
Karen Rosenkranz – Head of Social & Lifestyle
On reflection, spaces that invite us to Foresight, Seymourpowell
daydream and wonder provide an Karen Rosenkranz is part of the Research, Trends and Strategy
almost spiritual dimension. Objects team at Seymourpowell. She joined the company in 2007 after
having worked in design consultancies in Amsterdam and New
and rituals that allow quiet York. Karen’s experience covers many facets of the design
process - from uncovering user insights to translating them into
contemplation help us to be in the brand relevant propositions, from spotting emerging trends to
moment, a much needed antidote for defining a brands’ visual language. Currently Head of Social &
Lifestyle Foresight she is responsible for global user insight and
our hectic and hyperconnected lives trend studies for clients such as Unilever, LG and Nokia.
Karen Rosenkranz
For more information, please contact Tim Duncan at
tim.duncan@seymourpowell.com
Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.