DESIGN
A LOOK AT HOW ITALY’S PARADOXES AND HISTORIC PLACES INSPIRE ARCHITECTURE, OBJECTS AND THE INDUSTRY.
Visit a museum in Florence that was once an orphanage, and an exhibition in Milan focusing on design for children
PLACE: Museo degli Innocenti
Any fan of architecture heading to Florence should visit Piazza della Santissima Annunziata, where a gold door marks arrival at the Museo Degli Innocenti (left), the rebadged former orphanage designed by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1419. As the oldest secular institution in the world dedicated to the protection of children, and a fine example of Italian Renaissance architecture, it tested the skills of Florentine architects at Ipostudio, who were challenged to make the museum more amenable to 21st-century visitors. istitutodeglinnocenti.it; ipostudio.it
EXHIBITION: Design for Children
A survey show of Italian design devoted to the world of children is currently at the TRIENNALE DESIGN MUSEUM in Milan. Featuring powerful figurative components and a playful pop spirit, it will guide visitors through the themes of furniture, architecture, signs and tools, focusing on such pioneering figures as Bruno Munari. Until 18 February, 2018; triennale.org
FASHION: Aquazzura
It may be in Manhattan, but the first New York outpost of Italian footwear label Aquazzura (above) feeds off the religious detail of Florence, the brand’s originating city. The scheme of rosy pink, swooping arches and striped columns, conceived by New York designer Ryan Korban, elevates the shoes designed by Edgardo Osorio to objects of worship. aquazzura.com
PEOPLE: Andrea Branzi
In the 40th birthday year of the Pompidou Centre — the French architectural marvel made externally expressive of its infrastructure by Italian architect Renzo Piano and British architect Richard Rogers — the institution celebrates Italian designer, thinker and artist Andrea Branzi. See the breadth of ideas and media explored by one of the founders of the radical Florentine design studio, Archizoom Associati, in a new permanent exhibition of his work. centrepompidou.fr
«Henry Timi»
There may be a Memphis-inflected Postmodern mood reinvigorating design in Milan, but Minimalism is enjoying a like resurgence, particularly in the Brera district, where architect turned designer Timi invests his work with an ‘emotional’ rigour. We love his Corpo Giorgiorava bathtub (below) — a marble sculpture seemingly chiselled from mountainous terrain. henrytimi.com