Image courtesy of SP01

Design District: Zona Tortona

Brera, Via Durini and Cinque Vie are just some of the areas that feature heavily on any design week itinerary. While Zona Tortona may seem slightly out of the way, a pilgrimage to the southwest area of the city is a must. This year’s Tortona Design Week hosted over 50 exhibitors and countless other projects, some more commercial and other more conceptual in nature. This included the debut of SP01 in Milan (pictured), a brand conceived in Australia but made in Italy, as well as the new collection of Shanghai-based Stellar Works, which presented designs by Neri & Hu, Space Copenhagen, Yabu Pushelberg and more. 

Image courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Opulent Residence: Palazzo Bocconi

Corso Venezia is lined with grand buildings including the beautiful, 19^th century Palazzo Bocconi. Louis Vuitton picked the palace as the breath-taking setting to showcase their travel-inspired collection, Objets Nomades. The installation made full use of the palazzo’s elaborate interiors, transporting visitors to the building’s opulent past and into the colourful imaginations of collaborators such as Marcel Wanders, Atelier Oï, Campana Brothers and India Mahdavi. Ten new pieces were welcomed into the collection, which shared a common thread of being inspired by global style and created to address peripatetic nature of life today. 

Photo: Kissa Castañeda

Off The Grid: Ventura Centrale

If you think that there’s no more room in the overflowing calendar of Fuorisalone, then make space for Ventura Centrale. Established by Ventura Projects - the same group behind the renowned Ventura Lambrate - the first edition brought the focus back to the merging of raw and refined in the design. The new initiative was housed in the abandoned warehouses at via Ferrante Aporti, where eight exhibitors - including the 10th year anniversary installation of Lee Broom (pictured) - took residence at Milan’s Stazione Centrale, making the most out of the industrial setting. 

Photo: Kissa Castañeda

Cultural Force: Teatro Manzoni

There’s fierce competition in securing a venue for Fuorisalone, and it’s a big feat that Tom Dixon was able to pick the historic Teatro Manzoni for his Multiplex project. Taking over the entire area, which includes a sprawling galleria and cinema, denoted the scale in which the British brand operates today. There was a Tom Dixon chandelier store, rubber workshop, perfumery, as well as Haberdashery—a room devoted to Dixon’s new textile range. Pieces from the much-awaited collaboration with Ikea took centre stage on the cinema floor, along with programming that included a compelling line-up of films and speakers.