Furniture and cars : appear to be an unlikely pairing.
The furniture industry is a relatively fast-moving industry, one that apes fashion to the extent that dominant themes, colours, materials and innovations tend to be imitated and disseminated, translated from high-end products to mass-market ones in short market cycles.
With car making locked into a 10-15 year cycle, car designers look with envy at the speed of the process.
The auto-makers in recent years have been increasingly present at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, as most major car manufacturers take an increasing interest in the event.and muscle in on Milan.
Normally the Milan Motor Show is held around December each year, but as was seen in recent years – the Salone was again invaded and supported by the Motor Car industry – showing their design credentials to the fullest and making a significant contribution to the exclusive party circuit in town for the Fair, with new installations, design competitions and the appearance of the odd concept car all conspiring to share the limelight with the big furniture brands.
The large contingent of amount of media at the event and subsequent press generated from the Salone has lured the car makers in to the FuoriSalone.
The Milan exhibition , in fact, is the right place to try to intercept the 300,000+ style enthusiasts and promote their image in front of a (often wealthy ) international audience.
Once again, the Motor Vehicle industry saw the city of Milan as a new giant showroom opportunity, But those who participated were pretty smart about how they used the Salone platform.
Many new models, future cars, previews and premieres abounded around Milan in competition to the other major product categories within Milan Design Week
The reputation of Milan’s Salone del Mobile rests on its ability to attract designers from every sphere, all eager to experience the latest trends in product design, so this was a great opportunity for car designers to stand tall and be seen – in equal weight to the cars they were designing
Car Brands at the 2014 Salone in Alphabetical Order
In 2014, nearly all the major luxury car brands were presented eg Bentley, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Jaguar,and Maserati realised luxury desks, sofas, armchairs and beds inspired by the design of its brands.
Also more accessible motor vehicle brands, such as Mini, Ford and Peugeot were present, all eager to show their attitude to design to an influential international audience .
Aston Martin
Aston Martin, the luxury British sports car manufacturer, unveiled a furniture collection at the Salone which tried to display the elegance and essence of the brand.
Aston Martin went for a more minimal stand, although it did find room to put am Aston Martin Vanquish centre stage, in the entrance area to greet Salone visitors
The “‘Interiors by Aston Martin” furniture collection, produced by Italian furniture company Formitalia, featured 4 set of Sofas, a Lounge chair, a bed, a Central Table and a Sideboard.
The 2 brands collaborated to produce pieces which they hoped would reflect the name of the brand and also propagate the power, beauty and soul of Aston Martin.
For the Interni “Feeding New Ideas for the City” held at the Statale University of Milan, Walter De Silva ( head of design at Audi Germnay) conceived an installation exhibited at the exploiting 2d visual communication and a solid 3D industrial sculpture confirming Audi’s care for quality, precision, image and brand.
The exhibits were presented in an independent pavilion inside the 18th century courtyard of the University at Via Festa del Popolo .
The outer white structure “Primarchitettura” observes design as primary architecture, stripping it of its soft aspects, discovering unexpected new formal values, on the borderline with the status of art, a temptation proudly avoided to forcefully reassert the natural force of industrial reproducibility.
The structure is represented by a perforated wall that encloses a space frame chassis place as a true work of art, and a wall and floor made from mirrored surfaces that represent the reproducibility of industrial production.
The pavilions internal area, showed the mating of a sophisticated aluminium chasis frame, with a number of carbon fibre components connected to the frame.
Automotive experts think that this is a preview of the new Audi Q4 concept the company will be showing shortly at the Beijing Motor Show.
The audio-visual wall was joyful and communicated the company achievements in every area, from design to engineering and manufacturing.
Fabrizio Longo , Director of Audi Italy , about this initiative said: ” Innovation and cutting-edge technology are part of the DNA of our brand and we therefore considered the natural involvement in Fuorisalone , which are space and visibility , even at the international level, best expressions of design.
Bentley
Bentley had by far the biggest space occupied by a carmaker within the massive 20-plus halls of the Salone del Mobile exhibition, the main event of Milan Design Week.
Bentley’s ground floor corner booth area was laid out like a series of mansion rooms filled with branded furniture and fittings and featuring a white GTC Convertible parked neatly on its ‘front lawn’
Furnishings and decorations have been created by architect Carlo Colombo in collaboration with Daniele Ceccomori, Bentley’s head of Product Design, defining a new ultra-luxury model for home and executive interior
Kevin Rose, a board member for sales & marketing at Bentley encapsulated …..
“It is a signature moment for Bentley’s entire Home Collection to be exhibited at the Salon del Mobile in Milan. The collection embodies Bentley’s emergence as a modern high luxury brand. It combines sophisticated materials with contemporary design and the ultimate in bespoke craftsmanship.
This exciting collaboration captures the shared values of Bentley and Luxury Living, with unrivalled attention to detail and a stunning translation of the timeless style of the brand into home and executive suite interiors.”
Castello Sforzesco, Milan was invaded by a multitude of swallows and brightly-coloured eggs for the performance showcased by the Cracking Art Group, a project sponsored by Fiat 500, in a bid to raise funds to restore the equestrian statue of Bernabò Visconti housed in the Castle’s Picture Gallery.
The installation also includes the new Fiat 500 Cult Lattementa, containing 500 multicolored plastic eggs
The new Fiat 500 cabriolet “by Diesel” confirms the extraordinary capacity of the “500 Project” to continuously evolve with the addition of new versions.
This is precisely one of the secrets of the undisputed success of the Fiat 500, a genuine pop icon and expression of the concept of “massexclusivity” (“non-exclusive exclusiveness”), which a few days ago reached the target of 500,000 units produced in only 31 months since commercial launch.
Just like the Fiat 500 saloon, the Fiat 500C by Diesel also combines two apparently distant worlds: fashion and motoring.
In detail, the 500 C by Diesel is distinguished by some bold aesthetic features, starting with the exterior ….
Everything is exclusive for this version, the result of the creativity of two teams of designers: the aggressive 16″ alloy wheels, the rear trim with imitation air intake where one of the most famous logos of Italian fashion is set, the yellow brake calipers (only on the 1.4 100 HP version) and the satin finish chrome painted details, including the mouldings which with their bosses evoke the atmosphere of the Diesel fashion world.
Over a decade ago, Ford took a lease on a Richard Roger’s building in Soho, London with a view to getting its designers out of the factories.
The plan fell foul of Ford’s retreat from the premium business, but not before the company had collaborated with Mark Newson on the 021C concept, which kicked off the automobile industry’s relationship with the Salone.
Reflecting the passion for design that runs through Ford, the company last year became the first automotive manufacturer permitted to participate within the Halls of the Rho Milan Fairground at Salone, showcasing a special design collection, that included a watch, chair and a lamp, infused with the company’s unique design DNA and influenced by furniture and fashion trends.
Vignale, one of the oldest names in Italian car design, has been in Ford ownership (and creative limbo) for a couple of decades.
The S-Max Vignale – and its associated luggage – are the first hints of what’s to come.
“To design the best possible cars, we draw on the widest range of influences from beyond the world of automotive, and across the world,” said Martin Smith, Executive Director, Design, Ford of Europe. “Creating these collections enable the team to demonstrate their flexibility and creativity beyond the world of automotive design.”
The new Vignale pearlescent jeweled color tone ‘Milano Grigio’ was directly influenced by the rose metallic shades currently on display across Milan in furnishings and fashion.
The pieces were crafted by the brand’s ‘Futuring’ team at the Ford Design Studio in Cologne, Germany.
The group studies global trends across the worlds of architecture, fashion and furnishings and translates them into collections.
It’s a mass of ultra-luxury quilted dark leather across the seats, dash and instrument panel. It’s clear to see why it was launched at a furniture show — it looks like it’s from the “Land Of Leather.”
There are also docking stations in the rear for tablets and an electric middle seat that folds down into a table
Ford introduces S‑MAX Vignale Concept in Milan, expanding the Ford Vignale vision of creating a unique upmarket product and ownership experience
Inspired by trends from furniture and fashion, the S-MAX Vignale Concept features distinctive 21-inch alloy wheels; dark-chromed polished aluminium detailing; special Vignale grille; quilted, premium leather seats and an exclusive exterior colour called “Milano Grigio”
This year’s luxury leather lifestyle collection includes a shoulder handbag; a coffee machine bag; and a clutch bag and purse, made with Bridge of Weir leather, and inspired by the quilted pattern of the hand-crafted seats of the Vignale concept vehicle
The Weekender luxury overnight bag ( which was recently awarded an IF Design Award )incorporates styling cues from the Ford S-MAX Vignale Concept and Mondeo Vignale Concept vehicles, including the distinctive grille, the quilted pattern of the handcrafted seats, and the contoured shape of the bonnet.
Hyundai
The 2014 edition of the Salone marked Hyundai’s 4th year of involvement in Italy’s highest-profile design event.
Hyundai saw fit to re-show collaborations and pieces that would otherwise be sitting in storage at this time of year.
Hyundai rolled out the PassoCorto concept from last month’s Geneva show, and was showcased at the Istituto Europeo di Design ( IED ) Milan Campus facility throughout Milan Design Week.
The PassoCorto was designed by the students of the Master in Transportation Design at IED Turin, with the support of the Centre for European Style Hyundai (headquartered in Rüsselsheim, Germany) which gave the Institute a design brief for a target d’sportivo .
The ultra-lightweight sports car concept was created by a team of 16 students at IED in Turin and is designed to appeal especially to Generation Y consumers.
The dramatic, compact PassoCorto – Italian for ‘short wheelbase’ – is a 270 horsepower mid-engined, two-seater coupe with a compact length of 4100 mm and weight of just 840 kg, due tot he extensive use of carbon fibre throughout
4.1 meters long , 1.88 wide and high 1:16 with a step 2.45 meters , the Hyundai PassoCorto presents a front section dominated by large aerodynamic slits, made of carbon fiber inside which are two groups space optical minimalistic LED .
Shapes, curves and sharp edges characterize the design language of the car, with wide wheel arches that house within them of large alloy wheels with five -spoke Y design , while the rear section highlights the high drains style Porsche 918 Spyder , and a pigtail characterized by a stringy portion that protrudes outside compared to the rest of the bodywork .
Sharp and curvy at the same time , the PassoCorto is a fore taste of whats to come from Hyundai
Allan Rushforth, Senior Vice President and COO at Hyundai Motor Europe, commented: “Design is the number one reason customers choose Hyundai vehicles in Europe. So we are delighted to nurture the young European talent who will be designing the cars of the future. The PassoCorto concept is the result of an exciting cooperation, and we hope it will inspire the next generation of designers.”
Jaguar
The iconic British car manufacturer Jaguar and Wallpaper*, the world’s leading design and style magazine, continued their Salone partnership.
Along with Jaguar’s all new F-TYPE Coupé, six newly commissioned design pieces, all created by renowned designers, were exhibited at the Wallpaper* Handmade touring exhibition at Leclettico.
The six new pieces, each represented an avant-garde take on Jaguar’s contemporary design, creativity and technology, have been commissioned by Wallpaper* especially for the touring Handmade exhibition.
Jaguar’s concept vehicle C-X17, the brand’s first sports crossover featuring the all-new aluminum architecture, was on display at the Jaguar Land Rover flagship store at Corso Sempione in Milan.
C-X17 blends the seductive design and intelligent performance that are hallmarks of Jaguar, while delivering the benefits of a crossover’s assured driving position and high levels of flexibility.
Kia
Another protagonists of the design week was the Kia “Soul”, a true “urban trendsetter”, which had the task of bringing a note of original color and style in a series of events related to the classic “Fuori Salone” in Milan.
The collaboration between Kia Motors and the prestigious Italian magazine “Marie Claire” was divided into different opportunities for communication and events that emphasize the Kia image linked to style and progressive design, with a touch of glamor and sophistication.
Marie Claire’s initiative saw a Kia Soul covered with the famous illustrations by Gianluca Biscalchin, and presented on a floating platform on the Naviglio Grande.
Kia made four unique versions of the spectacular crossover, which took visitors through the Marie Claire Maison Experience Tour – celebrating Marie Claire’s 100th Italian edition – and was a multi-sensory journey that explored the “100 things that make life Maison”
Other initiatives included the establishment of a New Soul Lounge on the waterway, at the Snitch Bistrot; as hostess and cute hamsters (protagonists of the commercials for the Kia Soul ) enlivened the area of canals and Via Tortona.
The new Lancia Ypsilon Elefantino ’14 Collection was presented in Milan as inspired by the theme of “Customisation expressed through colour”.
The event was hosted at the ‘Lancia Fashion Apartment’ in Milan, a picturesque location where fashion, design and elegance coexist in harmony.
The only library in Europe focusing on the history of fashion is to be found here. Containing over 50 thousand volumes and publications, the Fashion Apartment is a focal point for stylists, designers and young students coming from all over the world.
Lexus
“Lexus Design Amazing” was a special exhibition which saw Lexus present three new works from renowned global designers.
Challenged to express the Lexus theme “Amazing in Motion” in a way completely new to their creative process, each designer has created a unique response that went beyond the field of automobiles.
The exhibition presents the Lexus vision of design—design that moves the spirit, inspires, and surpasses convention—and was held in central Milan’s Circolo Filologico Milan
Lexus continued its Milanese momentum with the theme of ‘amazing in motion’, commissioning works that muse on the intersection between design and sculpture.
The first floor gallery features three works on the theme of “Amazing in Motion” by the three international designers :-
We Dance by Italian Fabio Novembre, Interconnection by Japanese Nao Tamura, and Transform by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Tangible Media Group led by Professor Hiroshi Ishii.
We Dance – by Fabio Novembre,
Designer Fabio Novembre‘s ‘We Dance’ saw a mirrored sphere surrounded by shards of pointed glass – evoking the solar system – cocooning an entity that echoes the beginning of life, according to the designer.
“Any motion can be amazing; it depends on the memories it evokes. Any action can be a dance; it depends on the harmony you put into it. Life itself is a dance. Everything from infinitesimally small atomic structures to the cosmic motion of planets and galaxies seem to constitute a harmonic dance. You add light and sound and here it is, a small representation of the whole: ‘We Dance’.
Individual elements orbit around the mirrored sphere in the centre, directing beams of light toward the centre. The overall effect gives birth to a harmony and unity between the orbiting elements, the illumination, and the music.
Viewers also become an integral part of this harmony as the light reflected from the sphere and sound reach out to them, and as they view their own reflection in the face of the mirrored sphere.”
Japanese designer Nao Tamura
Japanese designer Nao Tamura‘s ‘Interconnection’ is an installation of floating purple petal-like discs hung from the ceiling on thin threads.
The individual discs move to the natural flow of air created by visitors’ movement, with ethereal results. Light and shadow shift constantly as the elements move.
There are forces in nature that are beyond the control of mankind. We have learned how fragile we are in the face of such forces. However, we have also learned the importance of accepting nature and learning to live in harmony with it.
Interconnected and interdependent, there is a constant give and take in nature. Life does not rest. Our collective motion, nature’s response to our movements is essential to our planet’s delicate balance.
When we are one with nature, we are at our most powerful. Our movement together gives us life. Our movement forward creates the next generation of ideas. Life is always more amazing in motion.
Transform by U.S. design team Tangible Media Group from MIT Media Lab (led by Professor Hiroshi Ishii)
Tangible Media Group’s ‘Transform’ represents the link between technology and design.
The US design team, led by professor Hiroshi Ishii from MIT Media Lab, chose to interpret the Lexus hybrid drive (where kinetic energy from braking is captured to charge the battery).
Here, the energy from our movement is captured by sensors that in turn move a thousand pins up and down in an almost surreal wave-like motion.
The work is comprised of three dynamic shape displays that move more than one thousand pins up and down in real time to transform the tabletop into a dynamic tangible display.
The kinetic energy of the viewers, captured by a sensor, drives the wave motion represented by the dynamic pins.
The motion design is inspired by the dynamic interactions among wind, water and sand in nature, Escher’s representations of perpetual motion, and the attributes of sand castles built at the seashore. TRANSFORM tells the story of the
Under its Amazing in Motion brand concept, Lexus has been supporting artists through the Lexus Design Award, Lexus Short Films and now Lexus Design Amazing 2014 Milan.
The LDA exhibit, housed in the second floor gallery, showcases the twelve winning works from the second LDA, as selected by a panel of six judges.
This year’s theme of “Curiosity” challenged entrants to approach their works in as creative and innovative a manner as possible. In total, 1,157 submissions were received from 72 countries.
The exhibit features two finished prototypes (created under the mentorship of architect Arthur Huang and game designer Robin Hunicke) alongside panel displays of the ten other winning works.
Huang helped showcase Britain’s James Fox’s “Macian” idea for creating kids’ forts.
Hunicke was the mentor for Germany’s Sebastian Scherer’s “Iris,” a handblown glass lamp with an iridescent, shimmering coating.
Each winner was presented with a trophy designed by Akihisa Hirata, the designer responsible for the “Amazing Flow” exhibition at last year’s Lexus Design Amazing held in Milan.
Lexus commissioned the trophies to encourage this year’s winners to create bright futures for themselves.
Lexus, took advantage of the exhibition to showcase new design objects created to make tangible its brand philosophy in a show called ” Amazing Lexus design”
Maserati
The Montenapoleone Design Experience, an event of Fuorisaloni that for the fourth consecutive year linked this famous shopping street in Milan with that of the Maserati Trident.
The house of Modena, strategically placed several of their most recent production cars on display to the central street of fashion, coming up to the square of the Red Cross.
Here then in front of exclusive shops such as Cartier and Louis Vuitton shows some of the most desirable cars in the world including –
The Maserati Quattroporte , which welcomed visitors with its elegant and sinuous forms, but also with its sporty design and eye-catching lines. An entry level Maserati that roars with 250 horsepower.
The Maserati GranTurismo MC, a car with a V8 engine with a cubic capacity of 4.7 liters and 460 hp power well. An engine that allows it to sprint from 0 to 100 in 4.9 seconds and reach 289 km/h.
The Maserati GranTurismo Sport, a fireball that with its less powerful engine can still register a roar worthy of its 405 hp. Able to accelerate from 0 to 100 in 5 seconds flat and a top speed of 290 km/h .
Maserati also organised a charitable event called ” Feed it ! Think . Create. Change” composed of approx 100 high design objects held in glass cubes around the Napoleone precinct
These pieces were later sold ( via silent auction) to raise funds for International Oxfam who are committed to supporting humanitarian emergencies and the fight against poverty.
The proceeds were used to support “Microcredit” and people in need
Maserati also teamed up with luxury furniture studio Zanotta to unveil a capsule interiors collection, following the pair’s first collaboration last year, which saw the release of the Maserati Grandtour Lounge Chair.
This year’s collection features a foot rest for the Grandtour, a Corina chair and a Maestrale table.
Each piece was inspired by the Maserati aesthetic.
MINI is once again using the Salone del Mobile to showcase its visionary design perspectives with an impressive installation.
The MINI design team fronted by Head of MINI Design Anders Warming, joined forces with London-based art and design collective United Visual Artists (UVA) to present PARALLELS, using Mini’s new Connected infotainment system as a conceptual design springboard.
Matthew Clark, creative director at UVA, admits it was challenging interpreting Mini Connected ‘to create something that could be experienced on a physical level’.
UVA used advanced laser projections to illuminate the interior of Magazzini di Porta Genova, a large 19th century warehouse in the south west of the city.
UVA explored how the relationship between people and computers is evolving, as technology advances in products like cars.
Parallels’ was an absorbing light and sound installation that set out to explore the interaction between man and machine – a topic of much contemporary interest. It gave shape and light to the man-machine connectivity.
UVA took inspiration from the glowing circular disc of MINI Connected – the dashboard-integrated console that allows drivers to connect to the internet while driving and access smartphone features such as social media, music playlists and web browsing.
The installation consisted of three circles of laser light that bounce back and forth between two sets of three highly-polished rings placed at either end of the hall, creating tunnels of light.
The visitor was encouraged to enter the installation, walk amongst and inside these light tunnels to experience the quite magical atmospheric world they created.
The rings, fixed to the wall a metre apart, projected a tunnel of light to create cylindrical bodies. Each ring started as a piece of stainless steel weighing 100 kilograms – is milled to a margin of error of less than one millimetre.
UVA used a huge lathe to mill the surface and then polished each ring for two days to create a perfectly-reflective surface, resulting in three cylinders of light 12.5 metres long and 1.5 metres in diameter cut through an otherwise pitch-black hall.
The precision of the lasers meant that any bumps on the surface of the rings would distort the cylinder of reflected light. The cylinder used motion sensors to create a sort of interactive dialogue, and our movements triggered feedback in the form of changes in colour – from diamond white via turquoise to a forceful dark blue – and changing sound effects.
Nissan
Nissan Motor Company unveiled a special one-off concept model based on the Q50 Nisaan “Infiniti” ‘s flagship model
The launch was held at an exclusive media / VIP unveiling at the Fonderie Napoleoniche exhibition building in Milan, and corresponded with an exhibition of the work architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, which ran concurrently with the Salone
The 2 x Infiniti cars were extensively re-trimmed and re-coloured in collaboration with Italian furniture brand Poltrona Frau and dubbed “Good” and “Evil”.
The Q50 Good is a concept car based on the Q50.
The Q50 Good has a white body blended with a special pale blue color. The wheels are white with a satin finish and the door mirrors have white leather fabric.
The “good” Infiniti Q50, with its pure hybrid power reflected by a gleaming white body and interior of softest white leather, is joined by Infiniti’s design icon, the QX70 – the other half of a very dynamic duo but a car unquestionably from the dark side. Black, mean and V8-powered
The QX70 Evil is as menacing as the Q50 Good is innocent.
Athough the white car is a hybrid and the black a V8-powered SUV, Infiniti’s London-based design director Simon Cox is eager to point out the labels aren’t “vehicle specific”.
It’s an exercise he says, “in craftsmanship, detail and precision and of pushing boundaries in terms of the level of craftsmanship you might expect to see inside a car.”
“They’re not ‘concept cars’ for concept cars’ sake, they do explore possible limited bespoke solutions for different markets. Importantly they also explore the potential of the collaboration.”
“BMW, Audi. they’ve just been around so much longer. Our approach has to be different. The success of the big QX and its recognition suggests our approach could be built less around a look that’s applied to a range of cars, and more around individual shapes. Projects like this show us how we might take that one step further to creating still more individual, almost bespoke cars.”
There are over 100 separately hand cut soft leather panels on each car, that’s around 20 hides from Poltrona’s carefully chosen cattle, representing around 500 hours work per car.
Peugeot’s installation space of 750sqm at the former industrial area of Via Tortona 32, was divided into three rooms as Peugeot chose to lead visitors on a journey – that first showed its origins so to better understand the history and philosophy of the brand, before focus was given to the new direction by Peugeot’s Design Lab
Peugeot boasts some 200 years of industrial activity, which began with the products you use every day – such as pepper and salt mills – then developed with the most sophisticated items, such as motorcycles and cars for which it is most famous today.
The viewer had the opportunity to admire everyday objects , such as a 1927 motorcycle, P102B , and vintage kitchen tools, only to be captivated by the immersive sound of the piano made in collaboration with Pleyel, played by a pianist constantly immersed in an environment in which the light bars are a light background with melodies that emerged from this innovative piece of art, not only as a musical instrument, but also as an object itself
The Peugeot Design Lab, an autonomous department within Peugeot since 2012, created a series of very intriguing and sophisticated “design works” that can be considered unique works-of-art and masterpieces of craftmans shift and most updated technologies.
The aim of the Peugeot Design Lab during Milan Design Week was to show mastery of its know- how in the industry, revealing an innovative way to blend modern materials with natural elements formed over thousands of years, following the course of nature, but also to the needs of the third millennium.
Peugeot Design Lab’s furniture collection debut with Onyx was presented in the form of a stunning monumental three meter-long sofa hand carved from volcanic rock.
The bench sofa required more than 70 days of artisans work to integrate high-tech materials such as carbon from other ‘ millennial age – as a volcanic rock , which over the centuries has formed and shaped according to the course of nature.
It is the first piece from the group’s new made-to-measure interiors concept collection, which also included a series of lamps, shelves, armchairs and tables.
These were excellent examples of avant-garde creativity banking on cultural traditions, natural materials, craftsmanship, modern technology, artist freedom and design discipline.
They have not been engineered for mass production. They have the potential of becoming “multiples of art” values at prices that are indeed multiples of a popular Peugeot automobile or motorbike.
The 135,000 Euro ONYX sofa (interested clients can name their stone of choice) and the Playel piano whose price has not been revealed yet.
Renault
Renault teamed up with Italian fashion house Costume National for a special edition of the new Clio.
The car was covered in a 3D leather texture, also used for the cabin’s upholstery.
The wing mirrors have a unique texture mimicking a new fabric introduced by Costume National, and in the cabin the gear lever is covered in laminated calf leather with a tri-dimensional effect.
Laurens Van den Acker, director of design at Renault, and Ennio Capasa, creative director at Costume National
Backed by France’s Ministry for Economic Regeneration, the second edition of the so-called “France Design” at the Superstudio Più, in Milan’s Tortona district, starred Renault’s celebrated Twingo, which was unveiled at last month’s Geneva Motor Show.
Twenty years after revolutionizing the car market with the iconic “Frog”, Renault decided to reinvent the Twingo, a symbol of the creativity of the French brand that best preserves the legacy of the legendary R5 and the first Twingo 1992
Renault aims on strong customization : the first Twingo inspired palette of four fun colors (Blue Shopping, White Dream , Race Yellow and Red Passion) , with an infinite number of possible customizations.
The car’s design aims to unveil a strong personality and shows constant innovation in terms of design and creativity.
Some elements, such as the shoulders well marked and the angle of the rear window , reminiscent of the famous rear-engined R5 Turbo , which marked his era
The front end incorporates the codes of the new Renault brand identity with a logo clearly visible on a black background while the front houses the large expressive headlamps highlighted by the direction indicators and the LED daytime running lights round
“We wanted to give New Twingo expression immediately identifiable , day and night , “said Raphael Linari , lead Designer external Renault Twingo .
A new concept city car faithful to the vocation of the city practical and versatile.
The market launch is planned for September .
The new Renault Twingo really changes everything: the engine, for example, goes from the front hood to the tail of the car. The rear-wheel drive becomes fifths and so you can take advantage of a better space inside the car and get more agility in city driving.
The turning radius, particularly reduced, and equal to 8.65 meters, is coupled with a step of 249 centimeters and with external dimensions particularly reduced with a length of 359 centimeters.
At the technical level Renault Propose two three-cylinder engines: a 1.0 naturally aspirated 70 hp and 91 Nm and a 0.9 Turbo 90 hp and 135 Nm, enough to move with panache while maintaining the compact low fuel consumption and emissions.
There is also space for the on-board technology, the new infotainment system Renault R-Link four icons, simple, immediate and complete, which allows it to be used in conjunction with a smartphone or browser satallite.
Toyota
The new Toyota Aygo made its debut at Fuorisalone of Milan at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, with a dedicated stand in the forms and the basic features of its new city car, which was launched for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show just a month ago.
More refined and sleek, the new Aygo is characterized mainly by its grille. What is sure to become the most recognizable “X” of the entire Japanese production, which surrounds the machine and in fact that, starting from the central logo of the bonnet, wrap ends up in its entirety throughout its structure
The Milan design branch of the Toyota Boshoku Corporation also displayed an innovative range of home interior living spaces including a hybrid bed that puts car seats to good use, an bean bag style seat made using automotive interior fabric, and a wall printed decoration made with plant-derived materials for home interiors.
Volvo
Volvo returned to Milan at the Salone del Mobile 2014 and offers three extraordinary opportunities for all lovers of art and design
1) Triennale, in the “Art of Living” in collaboration with RCS-Living, the monthly magazine of interior design, furniture , home and lifestyle the presentation of a special installation that represents the new interior of the new Volvo XC90.
2) The space Posteria Brera “Swedish design Milan goes” a collection of the best of the new Scandinavian design.
3) At the Palazzo Litta is exposed V60 Plug-In Hybrid and the “Pure Tension Pavillion” by designer Alvin Huang.
The innovative charging with solar power the new Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid, and is easily foldable and transportable in a short time in the trunk.
Pure tension pavilion by Alvin Huang
The Urban Stories installation at Palazzo Litta ( one of the most important examples of Baroque architecture in Milan) was designed and realized by Synthesis D + A Studio of Alvin Huang, is the winning project from 150 in the world of Open Architecture Contest launched by Volvo in 2013.
A structure of great impact, ecological and technologically advanced, able to recharge the batteries of the new Volvo V60 hybrid cars thanks to the solar panels attached.
It can be assembled and disassembled in less than an hour and easily transported in the trunk of the car.
Volvo’s presentation within the “The Art of Living” exhibition, at Milan’s Triennale Museum, was curated by RCS .
This was an important opportunity to communicate the centrality of design in the evolution of the Volvo brand, by highlighting the interior of Volvo’s Coupe Concept XC
RCS created a special wall sculpture that reproduced the unique interior of the Volvo XC Coupe Concept , awarded ” Best Concept Car” at the show in Detroit.
This display expresses on the one hand Volvo’s philosophy of “Designed around you” aiming at functionality and on the other a more artistic approach to design.
Through this display Volvo emphasizes how lines, design and light are essential whilst maintaining its affinity to the Scandinavian design tradition.
Mercedes brought together a union between the flavors of dell’Alma ( a Parma cooking school) , Martini cocktails at the Martini Racing Lounge ( Media Brera ) and the highly celebrated Martini Racing Team in Formula 1 and not to forget the return of the F1 racing car – the Williams FW36 Mercedes .
Once again, the iconic brand Martini returned to the Fuorisalone to celebrate design, motorsports and lifestyle.
Martini has a rich history in bringing lifestyle to motorsports with its emblematic Martini Racing Stripes and Ball & Bar adorning many cars in many memorable races and for many years.
This year Martini will be once more adorning Formula One competitions around the world by joining forces with the legendary Williams Team and creating Williams Martini Team Racing.
Martini set up a bar, inside the Cube of the Media of Santa Teresa, at Moskva 28, in the heart of Brera District, Milan
At the Martini Racing Lounge visitors were able to see the new Williams Martini racing car ( William Mercedes FW36), and enjoy a glamorous Martini aperitif.
Created in 1863 in Turin, Italy, Martini is today part of the Bacardi group portfolio and continues to be one of the market leader of the category.
Martini’s longstanding relationship with motorsport and rich history of both sponsorship and participation in worldwide sporting events began in 1968 with the creation of Martini Racing
This bold and ambitious move resulted in a pioneering sponsorship program that saw Martini become one of the first-ever non-motorsport entrants to sponsor a racing team
Ducati
The Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) and Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati presented “Monster 1200” an installation of shadow art, a form of sculpture that is the result of shadows generated using Ducati motor bike body parts to celebrate that undisputed symbol of style and personality of Ducati
The light and shadows show was enriched with sounds that took shape in the installations, interacting with the surrounding environment, and taking on new meaning.
“Written ” shines a light on the Ducati logo , but , thanks to the play of light , the shadow that is cast is the word Monster .
Ducati Monster presented eight artists different interpretations of the “Ducati Shadow Art” through the play of light and shadow, the Monster bikes’ body parts pieces gave life to amazing pictures at the Mediatheque Santa Teresa
Ducati is present at Fuorisalone the Milan Design Week 2014 a very interesting project , ” Monster in the Spotlight ” at the Media in Santa Teresa via the Moscow River .
The pieces of the new Monster 1200 are used to carried eight works of Shadow Art , a form of sculpture that uses the projection of shadows on objects and structures to create an image.
Projects shown included –
The “Skyline Italy” projections replicated famous Italian monuments :- eg Asinelli Tower of Bologna, the Colosseum, the Milan Cathedral and the Tower of Pisa.
Using the visor of a Ducati helmet, light casts the shadow of a large feather plume passing through the visors.
One work drew the silhouette of a female on the wall, using mirrors , seats and brake discs.
Another works showed a track and field runner on the starting blocks , using tank and frame Monster.
Compasso d’Oro in 2014 XIII
On the 6th and 7th April, the international jury of the Compasso d’Oro in 2014 XIII, evaluated dozens of selected products for the most coveted awards of Italian design.
All 6 cars which were considered for the 2014 Compasso awards, were shown at the spaces Ex-Ansaldo in Via Tortona, Milan.
The cars presented were as follows –
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale (this is one of the 9 specimens prepared by Zagato for many special customers looking for a car of Atelier )
Aston Martin V12 Zagato (one of 99 cars built at Gaydon on design layout of the historic Milanese brand in partnership with the British Parent )
Ferrari F12 Berlinetta ( this was a pre-series model with an attractive matte gray paint )
Giugiaro Thrill ( presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012 , it is built on a Volkswagen chassis with a hybrid engine )
Pininfarina Cambiano ( presented in Geneva 2012).
