ITALIAN INVASION
The Festival is a melting pot for the best design from around the world – we shine a light on the big Italian brands’ celebrations
MOLTENI & C
Two designs will be previewed in London for the first time at the brand’s showroom on Shaftesbury Avenue during the festival. Francesco Meda’s new ‘ Woody’ chair will be exhibited alongside the reissue of Gio Ponti’s ‘Time & Life’ dining table, which was originally designed for Harrison & Abramovitz’s building of the same name in 1959. The event will be the last at Molteni & C’s current home before its moves to Brompton (molteni.it).
POLIFORM
Head to its showroom on the King’s Road in Chelsea to see the latest collection, including work by long-time collaborator French architect JeanMarie Massaud, whose new pieces are inspired by the rejuvenated industrial area of Bellport, just outside New York. Also look out for the unveiling of Poliform’s collaboration with fashion and design school Istituto Marangoni London (poliform.it).
POLTRONA FRAU
Joining in with the plethora of events happening across west London’s Brompton Design District, Poltrona Frau’s Fulham Road showroom will showcase the brand’s 2018 collection. The Italian leather expert’s new range, which includes furniture, lighting and accessories, explores the notion of lightness (poltronafrau.com).
MERIDIANI
This year, the Brompton Design District welcomes Meridiani into the fold as the luxurious Italian brand officially inaugurates its flagship store in London. With a prime spot in front of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the new showroom is designed by Meridiani’s art director Andrea Parisio, who has been working with the company since its inception in 1996 (meridiani.it).
CALLIGARIS
In celebration of its 95th anniversary, Calligaris has invited style authority and former ELLE Decoration Editor in Chief Michelle Ogundehin to curate its London showroom. The exhibit, titled ‘My Home’, will capture the company’s contemporary style while showing off the functionality and flexibility of its furniture designs (calligaris.com).
CAPPELLINI
British designer Jasper Morrison has been creating furniture for this Italian brand since establishing his design office in 1986. To celebrate over 30 years of collaboration, Cappellini’s Clerkenwell showroom is hosting a retrospective of Morrison’s work, from his ‘Thinking Man’s Chair’ – spotted by Giulio Cappellini at Aram Store in 1987 – to his new ‘O-cap’ chair (cappellini.it).
CASSINA
The brand’s Brompton showroom will welcome its 2018 collection, which is on show for the first time in the UK. Pieces include the modular ‘Bowy- Sofa’ by art director Patricia Urquiola, ‘Ordinal’ tables, a new collaboration with Michael Anastassiades, and reissues of pieces by Frank Lloyd Wright and Vico Magistretti (cassina.com).