 The heart of design
It would take a brave man to challenge Milan's claim to the title of design capital of the world. Cities come in and out of fashion, but Milan, along with few others (New York, London, maybe Paris) has withstood these changes in taste. It is where style lives, where urban life is defined. And we're not talking about crazy New York style, or gritty London style, we're talking about full on, grown-up, Milan style. And if it is not to your taste, the Milanese say sternly, it certainly should be.
But today there is great variation and lightness in its modern design. Michele Pizzinato and Giovanni Drugman are interested in creating furniture and home furnishings that reflect our changing, flexible lifestyles, and that encourage simplicity and mobility. Many of their pieces are simple in form and construction. like their foldable, movable bookcase, which can be opened up and used to divide a room, or can be closed in on itself to take up the minimum space in a modern apartment. Like an increasing number of designers, Michele and Giovanni produce much of their work using varnishes and raw materials that are environmentally friendly. And often their simple and minimal pieces in basic, mute colours are made to be assembled, and disassembled, at home - this again reflecting their awareness of the mobility of their clients. Home, for many people, is no longer bricks and mortar, but the place where you, and your belongings, are. Their aim therefore is to make these belongings as beautiful, and as simple, as possible.
Paolo Ulian's work has grown out of his concerns with design and consumerism. While he recognised his own desire to produce beautiful and useful objects, he was painfully aware of the obscene excess of what we make and use in the West. His initial reaction was therefore to do nothing: to avoid contributing to this blatant over production and blind consumerism. But in the early 1990s he began making pieces from rubbish - one example being the colourful plastic coat rack made from scrunched up drinks bottles.
He describes his present his work as more sophisticated and complex, and the pieces he designs, though still based on already existing products, such as the lamp made from a rubber swimming cap stretched over a metal frame and a light bulb, have greater potential for reproduction and distribution. As always Ulian tries to put a little poetry into his work. In the case of a recent pair of espadrilles, the message is clear. From a carving on the sole, the word 'love' is printed on the sand with every step taken. Links
Dolce Vita magazine
A magazine dedicated to Italian style and featuring articles on many modern Italian designers. In English. Idea Magazine
Read up on designer Paolo Ulian in this online design magazine. In English. These links do not constitute an endorsement by the BBC of the companies, their services or products. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. |
