Dezeen Magazine

Spanish Design in Milan 2010

Dezeen promotion: Spanish design brands got together under the name Red to exhibit new products at the at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan last week.

Here's a roundup of the designs that were on show. Captions are from Red.

Top and Above: B Chair by Konstantin Grcic for BD Barcelona Design. B chair is a wooden chair with pieces of aluminium in its structure. The legs are X-shaped and the seat folds, which allow for horizontal stacking and pays tribute to the name of the collection: Extrusions. A detail of genius. The decorative touch is concealed beneath the seat, which is offered in a varied and attractive range of colours. The B Table was the first in the Extrusions collection and an aesthetic, which is the product of a combination of industrial and manual processes. The result is a “highly crafted” piece, which surprises with its solidity and lightness.

See all our stories about Milan 2010 in our special category.

Above: Lounger by Jaime Hayón for BD Barcelona Design. The youngest Spanish designer with the greatest international recognition completes the Showtime Collection with a new piece: The Lounger. An elegant and comfortable wing chair. With one-colour finishes and optional footrest. His easy chair with a hood and the cabinet with multiple legs —Multileg— from the Showtime collection have become icons of contemporary design. They are functional pieces of furniture and they are also beautiful. In Showtime plastics coexist with quilted upholstery, the glossiness of lacquered wood and the best ceramic traditions. Classicism and modernity.

Above: Bdlove collection 2.0 by Ross Lovegrove for BD Barcelona Design. The Bdlove family is made up of a bench —Bdlove bench— big enough for up to ten people, seating which incorporates a lamp —Bdlove lamp— and another unit which is combined with a planter —Bdlove planter. They are all light, resistant and stackable, projected from rationality but with a backing for personality. They have been successful up till now and are soon to complete their first decade in the market. BD is celebrating the occasion by presenting versions with new finishes. Metallised and lacquered. So that they will continue to shine wherever they go.

Above: Mangas Naturales by Patricia Urquiola for Gandiablasco. After the success of the carpet collection Mangas by Patricia Urquiola for the brand GAN, this year, the collection has been extended with four new carpets: Mangas Naturales in earth colours, natural, matching with the diversity of their textures. There are also 2 runners and 3 poufs, all of them available in the usual special colours And shapes of Mangas. As you already know, Mangas (engl. sleeves) is based on a patchwork of different wool knits, to create a collection of various typologies with different shapes, going from Manga farol (bellowed sleeve) to Manga de campana (bell-shaped sleeve).

Above: Flat by Mario Ruiz for Gandiablasco. Flat is the most urban collection from Gandia Blasco. Complete collection for outdoors: chaise longue, side tables, dining chairs, lounge chairs, four different section sofas, three sizes of dining table and two of coffee tables, ottomans, benches in different length, and stools. The Flat collection was the winner of the 2008 DESIGN AWARD from Wallpaper Magazine as Best Outdoor Furniture.

Above: Time by Mario Ruiz for Joquer. Time is once again a logical consequence of a new collaboration between Mario Ruiz and Joquer. The whole large collection conveys warm comfortable sensations, proving the intention of creating a durable intelligent product, that counts with changing volumes and an insinuated, but never obvious, daintiness. Once again, the wood details come up as solutions with a considerable hierarchical prominence, showing a new way to approach the concept of upholstered sofas.

Above: ADN by Ramon Esteve for Joquer. Ramon Esteve is able to surprise us once more with his risky but versatile vosion of what is comfort. On this occasion, AND emerges as the result of his collaboration with Joquer. It is a composition of clearly defined volumes in which ergonomics are emphasized.

Above: Pey by Massana-Tremoleda & Eduard Juanola for Mobles 114. System of desks, tables, accessories and storage units for the office, libraries, contract and for domestic use.

Above: Digit by Cristian Zuzunaga for Nanimarquina. The graphic artist who designed this collection bases his work on the decomposition of colour through pixels, a technique that he has been applying to the design of sofas, cushions, shirts... Now he embodies his special vision in these two rugs made from hand knotted wool, one in vibrant colours, the other in more gentle tones. Both rugs have their source in photographic enlargement, giving the pieces a digital and technological look. Depending on the light or time of the day , a glance captures the random union of one part of the 26 colours that make up the rug, always creating stunning groupings that are surprising to the eye; really shocking optical effects.

Above: Testa headboard by Nani Marquina, Gonzalo Milà and Martín Azúa+Gerard Moliné. This new nanimarquina project not only covers the floors but the walls as well, proposing a series of bed headboards for beds and decorating the wall of the bedroom with the same keys of innovative design, craftsmanship and fine materials as in the rest of the brand’s products. This series comprises three models, which leave an intimate and welcoming mark on the sleeping area. They are all held up on a support, designed by Gonzalo Milà, whose system is as simple as it is effective: a fine, anodised aluminium rail that is attached to the wall and upon which the textile headboard is placed.

Above: Extended by Martí Guixé for Nanimarquina. This rug possesses graphic iconography that is characteristic of its designer, whose works stand out for being very conceptual. In this case, tradition and modernity, classicism and contemporaneity are cut and pasted to make a rational whole, fusing together without blending. Each monochrome area represents the amount of colour that is inside the frame of a Persian rug, decentralised. Guixé’s love of contrast is embodied in this work, whose point of departure — a traditional Persian tapestry — is extended to unexpected limits.

Above: Ace by A-cero for Sancal. Ace is the epitome of design: quality and functionality. This versatility allows it to sit easily in any place, from the more basic to the most sophisticated, without renouncing clean style – casual yet distinguished. Architectural and sculptural, its lines reveal A-cero’s working philosophy: volume, ampleness, open spaces, elegance, lightness, safety, trust, freedom... The cosy volumes stimulate and create a comfortable atmosphere. We highlight Ace’s large and sinuous arms, a sensual and delicate curve that enhances the product and that will dazzle thanks to its design and adaptability - without relinquishing its strong character.

Above: Pío-Pío by Odosdesign for Sancal. Pío-pío is a little chicken always waiting for us with open wings. Actually, we’re talking about a small-seat family with a unique personality: fresh and funny. In any of its three versions (small armchair, armchair and armchair plus), Pío-pío perfectly integrates in any space and there is no doubt that it will create a pleasant atmosphere.

Above: Tea by estudihac for Sancal. Seating collection inspired by teatime – by the old, delicate china tea-set. With exquisite timing and Anglo-Saxon discipline, estudihac combines textures and materials in the purest British style for this season. The collection consists of small armchairs, sofas and armchairs. New and exciting pieces will be added in the near future.

Above: Bildu de Mario Ruiz for Sellex. Modular seating built with front pad or fully upholstered seat, aluminium side legs and extensions aluminium linking beam.

Above: Lava by Karim Rashid. Lava is an undulating cloud-like bench, a really huge organic blobular sculpture that is very difficult to obtain with a manufacturing process such as rotomoulding technique. Lava’s avant- garde and original shape creates a pleasant, natural and relaxing gathering spot and it is a perfect connection in any interior&exterior space. For giving a more special touch it is possible to integrate to Lava energy saving or Led RBG lamps creating a fascinating scenario and comfortable ambient.

Above: Facetados by Ramón Esteve. Facetados is composed by a sun-lounger with auxiliary table, armchair, modular sofa and coffee table. The collection is completed with three flowerpots of different proportions that form a unit. Facetados is available in excellent quality nautical or polyester cushion. The result is a work that transmits essence, that contains the complexity and the density of a resolved work until the extreme detail, whose end is the creation of places where desire to live.