Milan: Marcel Wanders Studio

One of the most exciting exhibits I came across in Milan was in the Zona Tortona, where a large warehouse had been turned into a gallery for Marcel Wanders' personal designs. These are pieces that are perhaps impractical to produce on a mass scale, but are creations that he felt necessary to explore and exhibit. It was very exciting to see a designer create a forum (self-financed) that seeks to challenge and expand our relationship to design.

Enormous painted bells, illuminated from inside, were suspended throughout the room; each bell decorated in a variety of colours and patterns.


The Crochet Chair, which was exhibited at Design Miami, sat in the centre of the room where a back light outlined its beautiful crochet patterns. (It is hand crocheted and coated with a fibre resin)



This white carrera marble console was sand blasted to leave a similar crochet pattern on its luminescent surface.

There were also magnesium etchings and one in particular, depicting a medieval city and an interplay of moving forms and measurement, that I found quite stunning.


My favourite items were his delft blue porcelain vases and figures. They are a delicate and distinctly modern interpretation of the historic delft blue ceramics. The traditional forms are slightly reinterpreted and the brush strays from the standard outline, splashing out in trails of gorgeous blue over the restrained white classic shapes.