Milan Design Week: day 2 report
Tessa Pawson reports on micro kitchens, water-saving taps and much more on day two at the Milan Furniture Fair.
Minotti’s key base palette was composed of shades of grey, with clear highlight colours of forest green, steel blue and teal in velvets, textured weaves and enamelled paint finishes.
Walter Knoll shows off retro colours and fabrics combined in a surprisingly sophisticated way.
Sanwa Company makes small look huge with their ‘micro kitchens’.
Team 7 use specially grown, sustainable timber for their cabinetry. This island with a fully concealable tap offers ultimate flexibility.
Hansgrohe showcase new PowderRain technology that reduces water consumption by three litres per minute.
After 15,000 steps taken around halls five to seven and the astonishing kitchen and bathroom displays at EuroCucina, our roving reporter Tessa Pawson takes a much-deserved break to reflect on day two of Milan Design Week.
Day two - 18 April
Minotti
The morning started with a guided tour of the Minotti stand: a massive showcase that covers over 2000m2 across two levels. This year’s key base palette was composed of shades of grey, with clear highlight colours of forest green, steel blue and teal in velvets, textured weaves and enamelled paint finishes.
Brass, that long-lasting trendy material, virtually disappears from this year’s collection with the exception of a few small details and some brushed brass lamps. Chrome, however, is back! Along with platinum, bronze and copper. Walnut was the favoured timber. The expansive and luxurious lounging modular sofas were equalled in number by compact and beautifully designed and detailed chairs and sofas – much better suited to apartment living.
Walter Knoll
Retro colours and fabrics combined in a surprisingly sophisticated way seemed to be a trend here. One can’t help but wonder if this year’s display was a recycled version of last year’s, with everything appearing eerily similar. Burgundy, brown, mustard, teal and indigo blue come through as key colours for this season’s collections, with velvet, leather and walnut emerging as the favoured finishes within the range.
Sanwa Company
This Japanese company specialises in ‘micro kitchens’ – 1200mm long with a sink, cooktop and storage – which make compact living incredibly appealing. Folding taps, sliding benchtops and portable cooktops enable ultimate flexibility, with kitchens resembling pieces of furniture rather than their traditional built-in versions. Worthy of mention is the kitchen on a sit-to-stand mechanism with a fold-down tap and lid which converts into a desk. Suddenly, the idea of a 20m2 apartment becomes cool!
Team 7
Solid timber cabinetry here has been handmade from sustainable timber grown especially for the company. At the same time, no toxic chemicals were used in the finishing process. The result is an exceptionally crafted kitchen with elegant detailing and seamless junctions.
These kitchens embody biophilic design and even here at the fair – with a crowd of people opening and closing every cupboard on a regular basis – the experience of being in the kitchen is oddly Zen-like. The highlight was a motorised adjustable island bench complete with integrated power, fold down tap and concealed sink, allowing ultimate flexibility and functionality.
Hansgrohe
The well-known and trusted tapware brand showcased a new “PowderRain” technology, introducing nozzles divided six ways to create 1000 droplets. This not only enhances the showering experience but reduces water consumption by three litres per minute. This new technology is now available in both the Hansgrohe and Axor ranges.
Read our report from day one here.
