Fun of the fair

Nemo Chair. Photo / Supplied

It comes as no surprise that Claire Sullivan has an excellent eye when it comes to tracking down the world's leading design, having published and edited some of the best architectural and design magazines here and in New York.

Fresh from launching the third issue of her new magazine venture, Design Folio - a definitive resource of the best furniture and design available in New Zealand, Sullivan jetted off to Milan for the design world's most important event - the Salone del Mobile.

With a horde of design-hungry followers of her daily blog and a fourth issue of Design Folio just around the corner, Sullivan trawled through the hundreds of exhibitions on display last week in order to ascertain the newly developing directions in the world of design.

Here she gives us a sneak peek at some of the latest and greatest trends from Milan.

1. Loungearound, Rockaround and Pil lamps by Tim Wigmore
Wellington-based designer Tim Wigmore was the only New Zealander to show at the emerging designers pavilion - the Satellite Salone. To show in Milan is a huge financial undertaking for any designer, particularly one who is sending furniture all the way from New Zealand. The idea behind presenting at the Satellite is to attract the attention of the huge international manufacturers who are scouting for new talent, or the eye of the international media. After talking with Tim part way through the week, it sounds like he's been having promising conversations with both.

2. Swarovski Crystal Palace
Considered to be one of the best projects a designer could be commissioned for, each year crystal company Swarovski selects a group of designers to create lighting installations using their crystals. After an economically influenced hiatus last year, it was comforting to see the Crystal Palace back in all its sparkling glory. Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka's installation gave us goosebumps with its serene light, that had us thinking we'd arrived at the pearly gates.

3. Sunshare chair by Emmanuel Babled
While there are plenty of new product innovations on offer at the main fairgrounds, it's often the smaller design galleries in the city that are showing the most inspiring work. The pieces on display are generally produced in low quantities and appeal more to the avid design collector than the home redecorator. Emmanuel Babled is a Milan-based French designer whose skilled craftsmanship results in the most beautiful pieces. Using a contemporary mix of handmade traditional techniques and high-performance technology tools, the designer creates pieces with fluidity of form. The Sunshare chair, constructed in Carrara marble, takes its shape from a computer-generated form that Babled then handcrafts into a stunning work of art.

4. Colour light by Daniel Rybakken
Young Swedish designer Daniel Rybakken is very passionate about his work. I met the designer on his stand at the Satellite Salone - where he took me on an extensive journey through his passion for light and shadow. The colour light is a really simple idea that's been executed extremely well. Rybakken uses sheets of coloured glass that freely lean in front of a light source, allowing the colours to mix and subsequently create various hues of similar colours. The colour palette can be easily adjusted by simply removing one or more of the glass panels.

5. Ottoman by Ligne Roset
A welcome respite from previous years, it seems bold colours are on hold this season in favour of a more subtle approach. The new colour tones are softer and more palatable - pale pastels in variations of blue, green, pink, peach, beige and grey. A perfect example of these shades in action is the new Ottoman series by Ligne Roset. While working on a concept for a hotel in Marrakech, designer Noe Duchaufour-Lawrance and Ligne Roset developed the idea of the ottoman, which takes its inspiration from the traditional Moroccan pouf, and created it in soft tones of pale blue and cream in fabric and leather finishes.

6. Spun chair by Thomas Heatherwick for Magis
British architect and designer Thomas Heatherwick's new design evolved from his love of the traditional manufacturing technique used for making large timpani drums. Metal spinning, as it's known, is a deeply established craft skill rarely used within the furniture world. Heatherwick revives this craft to make a playful piece of furniture - the Spun chair is made for good times. Heatherwick has successfully turned a 360-degree rotating spinning top into a fully functional chair. Its construction means it's good for both indoor and outdoor use - you just might want to be careful around the pool.

7. Wonderlamp by Studio Job and Pieke Bergmans
These lamps are the result of a unique creative collaboration between two different crafters - Studio Job, which creates monumental oversized sculptural objects made of cast bronze, and Pieke Bergmans, who has made a name for herself by developing mouth-blown crystal forms, which coagulate into fluid shapes. The resulting pieces are definitely wacky but very cool.

8. Tua desk light by Marco Zito for Foscarini
Resembling an upturned book, the Tua desk light is a great example of simple functional design. With the light source hidden inside the range of the curve, the lamp gives off a soft glow making it ideally suited for single-person use, as a bedside or desk light.

9. Memory chair by Tokujin Yoshioka for Moroso
Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka created a special fabric from recycled aluminium for his Memory chair. Using materials originally meant for the building trade, the designer created the fabric from a combination of aluminium, which gives the fabric its malleability, and cotton canvas, which ensures its robustness. With a textural quality, the resulting fabric is similar in structure to tinfoil. Therefore, like tinfoil, it can be altered to create a vast array of individually unique shapes and add surface textures to the chair.

10. Smart Grid lights by Jaime Hayon for Bosa Ceramics
Most things that Spanish designer Jaime Hayon creates attract our attention. Along with his excellent abilities with furniture design, he has a talent for ceramics, having worked with classic ceramic companies such as Lladro. This year Hayon created these beautiful lightshades as part of an installation in the centre of Milan. As always, these pieces have a surrealist appeal, taking on the shapes of what could be happy-looking aliens - if there is such a thing.

11. Nemo chair by Fabio Novembre for Driade
Last year Italian manufacturer Driade launched supersized chairs designed by Philippe Starck. This year designer Fabio Novembre, known for his use of the human form to give life to his designs, takes things one step further into the surreal, with the Nemo chair (as featured on the cover of this week's Viva). Nemo references a classic theatrical mask that surrounds the user in its hollowed design. The construction materials make it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.