MAISON&OBJET flies off to Milan

Who better than design maestro Rossana Orlandi to host MAISON&OBJET during this major date on the design world’s calendar? The invitation came about quite naturally, with the two protagonists sharing many of the same traits, including a talent for prospection, a desire to back creativity and innovation, and a passion for spotting fledgling designers from all around the world. For its part, the French trade fair attracts no fewer than 3,000 exhibitors and 80,000 trade visitors twice each year, and the MAISON&OBJET Rising Talent Awards it has organised since 1995 further underscore its forward-looking commitment to design, placing six up-and-coming talents from the international design scene firmly centre stage at both the January and September editions.

From April 8th to 14th, the MAISON&OBJET x RISING TALENT AWARDS will be championing six international design studios, all of which were propelled into the spotlight by the programme over the course of the past three years. You could say this is MAISON&OBJET’s way of keeping an eye on the rising stars’ progress and getting their latest projects out to a wider audience. So, who are the lucky few? Anastasia Nysten (Lebanon, RTA September 2018), Desormeaux/Carrette (France, RTA September 2016), Federica Biasi (Italy, RTA January 2018), Sebastian Cox (Great Britain, RTA January 2017), Färg & Blanche (Sweden, RTA January 2016) and Hongjie Yang (China, RTA January 2019).

Their diverse backgrounds, cultures, outlooks, aesthetic sensibilities and manufacturing processes paint a border-free picture of what the word “design” inspires in the modern-day world. Some of the gems being showcased include Chinese designer Hongjie Yang’s mineral-like metal alloy sculptures; Federica Biasi’s prized furniture with vintage accents, manufactured by Gallotti & Radice and Mingardo, for whom she is also artistic director; and three creations from design duo Desormeaux/Carrette – the “Paddock” chair manufactured by Ligne Roset, the “César” sideboard manufactured by Hartô, and the new “Tea” stool – all presented for the first time in a varnished ebony finish with visible grain.

There will also be plenty more surprises in store on strolling through Rossana Orlandi’s highly unconventional space, with the designer presenting her very own eco-initiative, “Guiltless Plastic”, built around three key strands – the “Ro Plastic Prize”, an innovation award focusing on recycled plastic; the “Ro Plastic Masters’ Pieces”, an exhibition of 29 one-off pieces from artists, designers and architects; and lastly the “Ro Ring”, that will invite the general public to pit themselves against the experts during several 3-minute rounds of debates that look set to pack a real punch. Italy, here we come!

By Emmanuelle Javelle