Seen in Milano 2024

That magical moment when the sun appears between heaven and earth and enchants the sky with a splendour of interwoven hues. Mandalaki captures this sensation in the lighting design 'Halo Sunrise'. A lamp that not only provides light, but also atmosphere in (public) spaces.

She has been working with the potential of mycelium, the fungal threads of mushrooms, for ten years. Aniela Hoitink turned it into Mycotex, and thanks to the 3D making technique Neffa (New Fashion Factory) developed by her company, the material is now suitable for quick and clean production of materials, such as these acoustic wall panels.

With 'Fra Fra Tapestry' by Spanish studio Alvara Catalàn de Ocón, you get a whole village over your head. Using a drone, Catalàn flew over the Fra Fra family's village in Ghana, exposing the pattern of huts. On a scale of one in six, he translated this into a rug that holds the social structures and stories of the community.

Italian architect Jacopo Gonzato is captivated by the power of geometric shapes and their sounds. He makes pure wooden sculptures in geometric shapes. Via the pedestal they stand on, he plays music into the form. The vibrations create a surprising translation from the geometry in the music to that in the form.

Dutch designer Marc van der Voorn went to work with Mycotex and Neffa to show what is possible. His 'Conch light' captures the light in a wall fixture made of Mycotex. When lit, the light shines through, revealing the rich texture.

Simple but so appealing. Instead of dragging a whole set of high-tech-looking devices with us, Robert Bronwasser comes up with 'Replay', with a nod to the oldskool portable TVs of yesteryear. Replay is a universal player that can stream anything for you - photos, music, series or games, but most of all it looks delicious.

Axel Schindlbeck was asked to design a chair for an outdoor cinema in New York. This inspired him to design the 'Undine' lounge chair made of canvas and steel. But also to the clickable music system that transmits vibrations through the canvas. The effect is an almost tangible sound experience.

Textile designer Francesca Mueller draws inspiration from the possibilities of artificial intelligence. She generated designs using AI, which she translated into fabrics and rugs. She then left it to an AI tool to create an exhibition image with them.

The custom-made room divider 'Metamorphosis' by Dutch design duo Nienke + Alissa consists of stainless steel strands with shapes of Japanese laminated shoji paper that can move. That movement activates, stimulates your senses and encourages concentration and focus.

Polish designer Nikodem Szpunar's work is THE example of design you can't ignore. For his 'Big Scale Rugs' for Dutch design label Moooi, he seems to use rugs as a canvas for enormous brushstrokes.

A perfect place for a day nap, that's how Italian Miniforms describes the 'Nebulona' armchair in its new collection. Round and inviting, like an arm that wraps around you, finished in Dedar's already iconic 'Tiger beats' fabric.

Mirror 'Coque' by Alain Cilles plays with contrasts: a round ceramic bowl with a matt finish and a glossy inside, for extra shine. In the Miniforms collection, the mirror is as functional as it is decorative.

Thomas Heatherwick's 'Inside' chair for Italian Magis is (also) for outdoors. Above all, it is a signpost for creative experimentation and innovative technology. This creates a seating unit that reveals at a glance its equally generous shape and colourful inside.

Like building with blocks, that's the idea behind 'Canto', a modular system by design studio Mut for Sancal. The different seating sections and tables, with a playful combination of angular and rounded, can be used as armchairs, sofas or seating islands.

Cushions round as boulders combined with gossamer steel creates a nice contrast in the chair 'Plasma' by Nigel Coates at Italian Poltronova. The brand - which publishes purely design classics - was back on the Milan show floor for the first time in 30 years. And with a presentation that could rightly be called 'bold & blue'.

Eero Aarnio's puppies for Italian Magis have been around for 20 years. Now, all sizes - from XL to mini XS - come in velvet versions and exciting and expressive colours: in neon and in a descending hue. Spicy and pront.

Sturdy columns stacked of colourful and shiny ribbed ceramic. That's the 'Torsi' series by Objects of Common Interest for Italy's Bitossi Ceramiche. The columns graced the steps of Villa Bagatti Valsecchi during the Alcova exhibition in Milan.

Johan Wilén created the extraordinary console table 'Contourage' for Sweden's Tooj Studio. The question is which stands out the most: the organic 3D print, the finish with rough Quartz sand or the almost luminous cobalt blue colour. A statement in every respect.

Konstantin Grcic collaborated with Dutch designer Hella Jongerius for his armchair 'Twain' for Italian brand Magis. The result is a timeless eco-friendly produced chair constructed from wood, leather and textiles designed by Jongerius.

For centuries, ceramic heads - 'Testa di Moro' have adorned the corners of balconies in Sicily. French architect Berenice Curt translates that historical tradition into her 'la Testa di Marmi', stylised marble heads that adorned the garden of Villa Borsani in Milan in the Alcova exhibition.

The artist Kiko Lopez is known for his artisanal way of making mirrors, still like the old days with a layer of real silver behind a glass plate. The 'Gothic Mirror' in six parts, on display at Rossana Orlandi, further refers to the (church) architecture of the Middle Ages.

Monks' work, that was the development of 'My Candle Flame' by Studio Waldemeyer. It took no less than ten years to implement the timeless flicker of a candle in the latest LED technology. Beautiful as a single candle or as a chandelier.

Buttons represent wealth, is Korean tradition. South Korean WKND Lab is keen to honour traditions and crafts with its designs. With their 'Depth of a Line', seen at Alcova, they combine knotting techniques with candlelight.

The crafted wooden stools and tables are precisely what you want to touch, but their visual tactility alone is "tactile", the Russian-origin duo Alexander Kanygin and Anna Druzhinina would like to say. The pair collected wood from nature: naturally weathered and handcrafted.

That goes for the 'Lucky Dice Cabinet' by Dutch designer Diederik Schneemann. Only those dice with which he managed to roll a 'six' got the chance to be part of one of the seven pieces of furniture in the 'Lucky Dice' series. On view at Galerie Rossana Orlandi.

In particular, the jugs 'Amphora' by Andrea Tsang, who moved to Stockholm from Shanghai, exude the atmosphere of long-forgotten centuries. Her ceramics are characterised by timeless allure, in which past and present seem to converge.

The handmade silver cutlery 'Jardín' seems to have escaped from a fairy tale. The table jewellery comes from a collaboration between Argentinian artist Connie Vallese and Danish jewellery brand House of Elhanati.