Ambra Medda knows her way around design fairs. Not only is she the Founder of online design shop L’ArcoBaleno, but she’s also Co-Founder and former Director of Design Miami. She knows the industry inside and out and can navigate those trade-floor booths like no other. So, of course, we made a beeline for her when looking for an insider’s guide to Milan’s big furniture fair Salone del Mobile, which kicks off today. Here, Ambra tells us what to see, what to do, what to wear and where to eat. Plus, for the design clueless, she shares a quick primer on the names you need to know…
This is like no other design fair because…
Literally the whole city celebrates design. It is the premiere international design event, where designers, manufacturers, collectors, design enthusiasts and the media congregate to catch up, do business and see all the new products being launched.
Insider tips for navigating the show…
Definitely arm yourself with a map, flats and an umbrella… oh, and the Uber app.
I’m most looking forward to…
Galleria Nilufar’s new Lindsey Adelman pieces; Spazio Orlandi’s design talents, including Mabeo Furniture, and Established & Sons’ new work by Reed Krakoff. Venini usually has beautiful new glassworks and Segno Italiano, the young Italian collective, will put out some fun new tableware. And I hear 1882 has some new treats in store with works by Faye Toogood.
Camilla Barnard, the young Brit designer and artist who will be showing her quirky wood reinterpretations and making Italian-inspired objects on-site.
My favorite restaurant in Milan…
L’Incoronata on Corso Garibaldi. You can sit outdoors and they cook delicious Italian dishes without too many frills. It’s almost like eating at home in Italy.
And I usually order…
The lentil salad or whatever is fresh. They make a limited menu each week that is inspired by what is fresh and what they find at the market.
Design lovers in town should also visit…
Villa Necchi, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci and the Giò Ponti buildings throughout the city. Stop for coffee in Piazza Duomo, the main square. Oh, and the Castiglioni Studio is open to the public and real treat!
Martino Gamper is the most interesting young Italian designer working internationally. Konstantin Grcic, the Bouroullec Brothers and Barber Osgerby are the three studios at the forefront of industrial design and present consistently great work year after year with companies like Vitra, Cappellini, Magis and Knoll.
And on furniture-design legends…
Giò Ponti was massively influential in Italy and in design history, designing all the best residential buildings, churches, interiors, furniture… He was incredibly prolific and made some of my absolute favorite design work. Ettore Sottsass and Gaetano Pesce are also design legends from Italy that I think are fundamental to know about in order to understand where some of the new talent is getting inspiration from.