Milan - Fuorisalone - 2024

Each year in early Spring we head to Milan for the design festival. Although the main event ‘Salone’ is the reason most people travel to the city, we are always much more focused on ‘Fuorisalone’ - where independent artists and creators display their work in smaller, creative spaces - for us it’s where we can see the raw honest creativity of smaller bespoke brands.

This year, with only twelve hours in Milan we selected our short list of where we wanted to visit; here are some of the things that caught our attention and inspired us the most. 

Rossana Orlandi Gallery

Always a highlight of our trip is the Rossana Orlandi Gallery - a design gallery which also hosts a wild, green courtyard bar and is one of the best places to stop and pause during design week. 

A hidden corner of the courtyard. 

Within the space we were drawn to the selection of chairs on display and in particular these carved creations by interdisciplinary design studio, Studio Kloumi. The studio oscillates between art and design and experiment with various craft processes to create their unique pieces which are inspired by the singular beauty of natural elements.

Carved chairs by Studio Kloumi

We also admired the steel work of Polish artist / designer Jan Ankiersztajn - who explores materiality and sensory experiences as well as the essence of objects through minimalist design.  

Chairs by Jan Ankiersztajn

Faye Toogood 

Scattered through the city were the creative works by Faye Toogood and we took the time opportunity to visit Assemblage 8: Back and Forth. A curated warehouse space on the edge of the city presented two new designs from the British designer: the Gummy, a sculptural and soft chair, and the first ever upholstered chair from Toogood, and Palette a series of contoured tables formed from intersecting, curved shapes that appear to slot into one another. The organic shape of the table was inspired by an artist’s paint palette. 

Assemblage 8: Back and Forth by Faye Toogood

Interni Venosta 

Launched at this year’s Salone, Interni Venosta is the new furniture line from Dimorestudio founders’ Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci. Crafted in Tuscany by Fabbri Services, the line pays homage to 1970s Italian design, with Venosta being a reference to designer Carla Venosta and the Milanese elegance of the past. The collection included a dining table and stunning chairs set with wicker seat, a table lamp in brushed steel and paper and a bed (seen here below). 

Bed from Interni Venosta