Perks from #Fuorisalone2018: Atelier Antonio Marras and Hourglass by Nendo

For our readers that did not get a chance to participate to Fuorisalone this year, we hope to give you a glimpse of what there was to see and enjoy. We had such an exciting design week with the Fuorisalone! Even though we made quite a lot of suggestions in our previous posts about what not to miss, today we wanted to share with you 2 exhibits that were definitely worth a mention. For some of our readers that did not get a chance to participate this year, we hope to give you a glimpse of what there was to see and enjoy.

The trend over the last decade in marketing and retail has been gaged more towards the concept store. Artists and designers want bring much more than just their usual boutique collection of a single themed item as in clothing, furniture or interior design accessories. Retailers and artists are now branding all of their creations under one roof. Now it is much more about giving the shopper an experience: showcase the concept of their personal vision of the world and give others a full emersion into their creative minds.

1. Antonio Marras and the smell of wisteria

Case in point with Native Sardinian Artist who had a beautiful space at the Fuorisalone in his Milanese showroom. This dreamy space was created to intellectually satisfy and geared towards a stimulus of emotions, happy ones. In the middle of Milan’s concrete jungle, Marras atelier was an oasis full of flowery perfume, welcoming even the most wary visitors. Marras managed to fill the space with delights not only from his Main ready to wear Collection Uomo/Donna 2018 but of everything from Books, furniture and an array of interior design accessories not to be missed.

The entry of the Courtyard was adorned with a robust vine of beautiful purple cascading Wisteria that filled the Spring air with it’s Flowers and perfume. The team was dressed appropriately in Marine inspired t’s, preparing bouquets of flowers for purchase while we enjoyed a glass of wine and a typical Sardinian snack in the temporary Bistro. Marras is a true artist and from our experience at Fuorisalone it really shows. There were beautiful and originally designed sofas, cushions, ceramics and framed prints with his sketches and designs of human portraits. He has a fresh modern take on a few of the classics. They have a permanent installation and selection of art and design books that change every 3 months and is really worth the visit.

2. Nendo, the versatile Japanese designer and artist

Quite famous in the institute of design world and one of the most visited at every year for a reason, Nendo is always a big hit at Fuorisalone. His designs are not only interesting but have a very interesting view, deconstructing forms and playing with movement. This year he focused exactly on what he does best: the exploration of movement in various sectors of the theme. He had an hourglass (movement of time) blinds, a kitchen, and a zip YKK that was a Tri Zip with one movement to close all 3 zips... It’s even hard to describe his geniality and simplicity, it’s just very inspiring. Here we have included a video where he demonstrates this year’s installation:

These were two events in this year’s Fuorisalone that really caught our eye. Both of them were big surprises for us and none of this content is sponsored. We just love to share what inspire us the most. What about you? Have you had the chance to see these two artists in action? What did you think? Do you have any other great finds? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter.