Twenty-five reasons to fall in love with design all over again. 
By Elizabeth Pagliacolo

While it may have been one-upped by Iceland’s epic ash cloud, the 2010 edition of Milan design week was remarkable for its own blanket coverage of a huge chunk of real estate. From the fairgrounds on the city’s outskirts to the showrooms and galleries downtown and in the industrial Ventura Lambrate neighbourhood, hundreds of product launches, exhibits and events clamoured for attention. And members of the design tribe were delighted to oblige, if only by allowing themselves to indulge in the recurrent complaint that there was simply too much to see. Just as Europe began to feel the first tremors of its latest financial woes, the sheer output displayed at the Salone del Mobile and beyond almost made it feel as though design could save the entire world economy. Wishful thinking, yes, but it was certainly reinforced by the in­trep­id­ness of the main players: Kartell dared to deviate from its plastic-fantastic script and present a sober all-black collection; the Italian manufacturer simultaneously transformed its off-site showroom with an ice storm of an installation by Tokujin Yoshioka. In Zona Tortona, the Swarovski Crystal Palace reclaimed its crown (after last year’s one-man performance by Arik Levy) with dazzling installations by a multitude of designers; and Flos stopped everyone in their tracks at Superstudio Più with its prolific, ­forward-looking lighting display. And then there was Edra: simply circling the manufacturer’s gigantic Salone stand in search of an entry point, one could feel the energy within. The ­manu­facturer and its favourite collaborators, the Campana brothers, made magic with borderline kitsch pieces in hairy raffia, hammered alumin­um and baked clay. This adventure in barbarian art is but one of the reasons to go gaga for design this year, and beyond.

Read the full story in the print edition of our July/August 2010 issue

1. The Campanas, and Edra, return to their roots
While the Leatherworks line remains a head-scratcher, it’s safe to say that Fernando and Humberto Campana conquered Milan at Edra’s barbarian-themed stand. Their Campana light fixture (the brothers’ surname means “bell” in Italian) is assembled from 180 pieces of anodized aluminum. But they really won hearts and minds with Cabana, a storage unit coiffed, Cousin It style, in fireproofed raffia.  ­edra.com

2. Konstantin Grcic lightens up
The German has chair design down to a science, but his new B line for BD Barce­lona also demonstrates that he knows how to have fun and take a lighter approach. The delicate wood and metal seats fold up completely, thanks to their X-shaped legs.  ­bdbarcelona.com

3. The Cappellinis of the world still ­champion daring designs
The Italian manufacturer has picked up and put into production the Tailored Wood Bench by London’s Raw-Edges, whose multicoloured Stack drawers for Established & Sons propelled the duo to renown two years ago. Recalling a slightly manhandled paper boat, the TWB series (including an armchair and a stool) is actually made with natural or ebony-stained ash wood; a blue strip along the base completes the nautical theme – though it can also be painted green, iron grey or cherry red.  ­cappellini.it

Below left: Transcendental lighting
With its tour de force Soft Architecture show at Super­studio Più, Flos presented innovative, ­energy-efficient ways of melding and sculpting light directly into interior surfaces. The dazzling display included Ron Gilad’s Lucernario, a modern take on the stained glass window, which can be inset into drywall.  ­soft-architecture.com

Below right: LEDs shine on in magical paper lanterns
Yves Béhar brought something entirely new to the Swarovski Crystal Palace. Rather than giving the crystal – and its sparkly luxury – pre-eminence, he hid it inside a multi-faceted paper fixture. Each of the 50 Amplify lanterns he strung up featured one crystal illuminated by a single LED, maximizing the light-refracting properties of both the crystals and the six gemlike shapes that housed them.  ­swarovski.com