Furnish the imagination

Chester Moon Sofa by Baxter. Photo / Supplied

Just one week out from the Salone del Mobile, also known as the International Milan Furniture Fair, I decide to roll my sleeves up and make the design lovers' pilgrimage to the most important event of the year. Having just launched Design Folio, a magazine dedicated to all things design, I have a duty to keep myself and the rest of New Zealand informed on what's happening next. Well that's my excuse anyway. Not only will I be sourcing new products for the September issue of Design Folio, but this year I've decided to send a daily newsletter back to New Zealand, to keep the design hungry's appetite sated with new offerings from the international stage.

Each year 400,000 people descend upon the city of Milan, half of which are made up of media, the other half buyers, designers and retailers. It's a colossal affair, with more than 3000 installations presenting a huge arrange of designs, often just prototypes, in the hopes of attracting some interest from both buyers and media. In many respects it's not that different to Fashion Week, designers come up with concepts and prototypes and eagerly await the orders from buyers or interest from the press before they actually put the items into production.

For the past six years that I've been making the trip, I've seen many interesting pieces make it into full-scale production, but with the weight of the on-going global financial crisis bearing down upon all things aesthetic and therefore potentially unnecessary, I am very keen to see what impact the tightening of wallets will have on the creativity of the international design community.

Looking through the guide to events outside of the fairgrounds in Milan city itself, I've noticed a distinct lack of the usual installations. And what's more, one of the largest groups to show at the fairgrounds, the Poltrona Frau group with brands Cappellini, Alias, Cassina, Thonet, Gufram and Poltrona Frau all falling under their umbrella, have chosen this year to show at a hip, and clearly cheaper, location in the city. The location they have chosen is the increasingly popular Zona Tortona district, where the hipster pulse of the Furniture Fair typically resides.

I choose Zona Tortona to start my Milan tour. First up is the eagerly anticipated Maison Martin Margiela installation. I am a huge fan of the Belgian fashion designer, and am intrigued by the prospect of an interiors range. Fashion designers doing interiors is somewhat of a trend this year, with others such as Diesel also showing off their multidisciplinary skills, and the outdoor furniture manufacturers Dedon adding fashion patterns such as tartan as a reference to the London punk era to their woven furniture range.

Having frequented most of the Margiela stores around the world though, I am excited by their proposal.

The Maison Martin Margiela installation is a recreation of their interior design studio in Paris. The walls are covered by the inspirations that make up the quirky store interiors. Anyone who has visited a Margiela store will know of their fondness for all manner of white. Fur, wallpaper, paints, hides, tiles, carpets and fabric all in varying shades of white are clustered everywhere.

The Margiela interior line is based around a technique that the label has become synonymous with, screen-printing. French baroque images are printed on wallpapers and carpets to create an outcome that is not only cool and uniquely Margiela, but also fitting of a time when one can't stretch to afford the interior style of Versailles.

Next up I visit Superstudio Pui, a venue that holds runway shows during fashion week, but this week is dedicated to all things furniture related.

British designer Tom Dixon is on his stand when I visit. We chat about the current economic state of affairs. Dixon is currently expanding globally by launching a store within a store concept called The Shop by Tom Dixon. His signature industrial style seems ever popular, and when he mentions that his store concepts involve blackboard paint and chalk for store signage, fluorescent tape on the floors to define the shops area, and printed cardboard boxes to be stacked to provide walls, partitions and screens, I can understand the interest he's getting from retailers around the globe. Dixon is the master of the industrial look, and his releases this year are no different. Cool unembellished functional design will always have a place, and during economic hardship it's likely to be the go-to style of choice.

Across the hall is New Zealand's very own international success story, David Trubridge. In keeping with the 2009 theme of lighting, Trubridge is showing a series of three lights based on the Maori legend of Tane. Having secured production deals in the past at the Milan fair, Trubridge will likely do well with his new designs, particularly when his design considerations include flat-packed construction for easy shipping.

On day two I make the unpleasant voyage out to the fair grounds; one hour jammed on an overcrowded subway train is not a particularly glamorous way to travel. Each year I glare with jealousy at the black Mercedes branded with Architectural Digest or World of Interiors waiting idly outside the fair. I am determined that in 2010 there'll be our own Design Folio emblazoned vehicle waiting for us, albeit a Vespa!

There are over 12 halls at the fairground; each over two floors and they're huge. Fundamentally, there are only six halls that I'm interested in; those focused on contemporary design, lighting and the emerging designer pavilion. Entry into any of the other halls can change one's perception on design altogether. Here you'll find brothel-worthy furniture high on embellishment, presented by a gaggle of tanned ladies in towering heels and heavy makeup who look like they're at home in such surroundings. You make this wrong hall mistake only once.

The innovative and often radical thinking that exists in the design halls is why I'm there. It's always a mixture on offer, some designs prove too fashionable to last, others are outrageous, but in general most are attempting to retain the attention of the consumer despite the challenges the world is currently facing.

Italian company Moroso always impresses me. As with most large manufacturers they employ the services of designers from all over the world to develop new offerings to draw the crowds. The colourful presentation on the Moroso stand did just that, so did the unique pieces by the Swedish design group Front design, who this year were part of a new movement who used clever screen-printing techniques to produce elaborate outcomes on otherwise simple pieces of furniture. As with the Margiela interiors collection, this trend seems to be in response to the economic climate. For a fraction of the cost one can have elaborate, embellished interiors that are actually more of an artistic figment than a baroque reality.

Over on one of my favourite Italian manufacturers stands, Baxter, there is no sign of outlandish embellishments, the return of more classic techniques were everywhere. The Chester Moon Sofa is definitely on my wish list; it showcases one of the best examples of the tufting trend that seems to have taken hold everywhere. My theory is that by adding new detailed finishes, such as buttons and domes to otherwise simple modernist shapes, consumers will feel as though they are subtly adding embellishments without seeming to be breaking the bank on their interior choices.

Every two years the Euroluce lighting fair is held alongside the main furniture fair. Offering a huge array of contrasts between the functional and the fabulous, it can take real commitment to find the gems. One of my favourites this year was the gothic inspired Atlantis light with its metres of draped nickel chain that gave the light an appearance of flowing liquid.

One of the main drawcards for many visitors each year is the Satellite Salone, or young designer fair. Dedicated exclusively to designers under 35, the Satellite has become the launch pad for many a great name. I always visit this exhibition at the end of the week; it almost always strikes me with a sense of freedom. There is something to be said for design ideas that have not been halted by the hands of commercialism; designs in their infancy stage can be so pure in their idea. One such idea I was impressed by was from British designer Asif Khan who used various techniques to solidify foam to create usable seating and imaginative seating.

Overall this year I would conclude that the international design community put on a brave face in spite of the conditions. Despite the challenges that dwindling funds present it is nice to see that such adversity can bring the most imaginative of outcomes.

Visit Claire's daily design blog at www.designfolio.co.nz