Design Week: Discovering Made in Italy in New York
Like every year, the Design Week in New York has brought important events which animated the city in various locations, and Italian design has shone with a series of events hosted by the Italian showrooms in the city. We will highlight a few of them.
Boffi in Soho celebrated its eightieth anniversary with a preview of the new collection Design Living 2014.
The historic Natuzzi brand, present in the U.S. market since the '80s, has opened the doors of its new flagship store at 105 Madison Avenue, supporting the already present Soho location.
Foscarini has presented a new collection of twelve lamps, including five which reflect the advanced material search and LED technology, while the other seven are born from a unique collaboration with Diesel Living.
Exclusive cocktail receptions were held along Wooster Street, in the triangle of Italian design, presenting the new collections and collaborations, such that of Seguso with Poltrona Frau.
Under the label Special Anniversary Design New York, the Italian magazine INTERNI has chosen to celebrate its anniversary and sixty years of Italian Design at Alessi, Cappellini, Cassina, Flos, Kartell and Poltrona Frau. In a series of events, each brand has brought one of its most iconic models, replicated version of the one-off edition.
From May 19 to 30, the one-offs are to be sold at a charity auction in support of online DRIF Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, which raises funds and promotes the search for the cure of diabetes.
Among the replica pieces, an armchair and ottoman "Juliet" (2012) designed by Benjamin Hubert for Poltrona Frau, the "699 Superleggera" (1957)-Rubelli Gio Ponti for Cassina, and the armchair "Embryo Chair" designed by Marc Newson in 1988 for Cappellini.
As well as Champagne bottle opener “Noè” (2014), designed by Giulio Iacchetti for Alessi, the table lamp "Bourgie" (2004), designed by Ferruccio Laviani for Kartell, and two hanging lamps "String Light" (2014) , design by Michael Anastassiades with the decoration of the American writer Shantell Martin for Flos.
To close the Design Week in New York, Surface Magazine hosted a meeting with the legendary Italian designer Paola Navone.
Deserving a particular mention was the "living showroom" of Design-Apart, an absolute novelty to this edition. Design-Apart is a company which includes about twenty new Italian brands with the intent to promote and disseminate the value of craftsmanship and technological research on the international market, in the Made in Italy design. Their showroom was opened in New York last November, and is already considered to be among the top four most interesting design boutiques of the city by Surface Magazine, a prestigious American publication on global contemporary design.
Their 2500 square meters loft in Chelsea, fully furnished and designed by top Italian designers, is an inclusive hosting space for cultural events, culinary workshops and meet-ups. In this environment one can discover, live and experience the finest of Italian design in its functionality and everyday use. In addition to being an exhibition space in fact, the showroom of Design-Apart is also a real apartment where people live, work and cook together.
During the Design Week, Design Apart-hosted a series of events with the intention of introducing its New Yorker guests to the experience of authentic Italian design in a social context and real-life. From May 14 to 19, there were presentations hosted by Zucchetti, Kos, the kitchen cooking experience with TMItalia, a guided tour through the tailoring and furnishings with Hermes Ponti and an"Unexpected Cocktail" with Milldue.
The busy days dedicated to Design Week ended, but we will continue to follow events and initiatives on the New York design scene, which seems to deeply love the Made in Italy.
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