Designer David Trubridge and his capable team managed to convert their space, entitled Elements, at the 52nd Milan Furniture Fair in Italy, into an alternate world with glassy rain and cosmic surrounds. The Salone Internazionale del Mobile ran 9-14 April and featured more than 2,500 exhibitors from around the world. Trubridge’s unique installation offered a nature-inspired reprieve from the rush of the festival and Milan itself, and comprised seating, lamps and carpets designed by Trubridge for Tsar, a Melbourne-based company. His pieces were strategically arranged to create a cosy yet visually stimulating area, with the designer’s trademark woven wooden lamps hung low.

“It was a good experience to be there with Julia and Kerry from Tsar in Melbourne. This was the first time we had seen the rugs that we designed for them, and that too was a very pleasant surprise.” says Trubridge from his Hawkes Bay studio.

Trubridge’s products were first exhibited at Milan in 2001 and trips to the annual furniture fair have had a positive effect on his business. “I can say for sure that we would not be where we are now had I not made the big effort to go to Milan every year. Milan is all about building reputation,” he says. “Usually we spend months developing a new idea, and then it shoots out the door before we have hardly seen it. What I like about a show like Milan is the opportunity to sit and be with the works for a few days and really come to terms with how I feel about them. Watching people interact with them and hearing their feedback is also a very rewarding part of this experience.”

One of the more conceptual pieces, Light Rain, hung like gusts of wind drawn in the air, with Swarovski crystal raindrops gathering at its ends. Trubridge says that the piece came into its own while on display at the show: “They only really come alive when with people”.

The Geode light, which referenced New Zealand’s volcanic heritage, also encouraged inquisitive viewing, and the rugs produced in collaboration with Tsar hung vertically rather than on the floor, for a more tactile experience. Trubridge’s Driftwood bench was well used as a spot to rest and contemplate the pieces.

The British-born honorary Kiwi also took the opportunity to launch his book, So Far, to an international audience while in Europe. It was well received, “especially in Rome just afterwards where we had a launch in a private gallery” says Trubridge. “I was amazed to discover how many people, particularly young design students, are familiar with my work and have studied it.”