Salone del Mobile 2014

 

Hermes at Palazzo Serbelloni | Source: Francois Lacour

Kartell

Wegner & Paul Smith

Museo Bagatti Valsecchi | Source: Nick Hughes

Design Pilgrims flock to Milan in April to the worlds most important design fair, the Salone del Mobile 2014. The event this year inhabits more areas of the city than ever before from the Rho Fairgrounds, to Brera and Milan’s central design district. And this year fashion designers are getting in on the act in a big way!

The organised designer started planning their trip months ago… I like to fly by the seat of my pants so my whirlwind weekend in Milan was organised within 24 hours notice. Thank goodness I got some good insider tips when I arrived.

At the Rho Fairground there was hall after hall of design houses to explore. The impact of the global financial crisis can still, in the furniture industry and perhaps as a result of these big manufacturers, seem to focus on reinterpreting classic pieces often in collaboration with fashion, think Paul Smith & Hans Wegner, or the use of a star designer for built-in cache, Patricia Urquiola & Moroso or the Bouroullec brothers & Mattiazzi.

Outside the Fairground, the exhibition is scattered amongst sites and shops all over town with locals and visitors alike wandering the streets to enjoy the sunshine, prosecco and design.

This fertilization through the whole city allows the visitor a rare opportunity to see inside the hidden gems of Milan’s buildings. The city can sometimes seem closed and austere, so the chance to see some of the beauty hidden behind the walls and inside the gates is not to be missed!

This year’s highlight for me was Hermès ‘Home Universe’ exhibition at the spectacular late 18th-century Palazzo Serbelloni. It housed the new lighting collection by Hermès, and at the entrance a wonderful Pierre Marie fabric ‘Jardin D’Osier Imprimé’ was used to create a ‘living wall’ inside the gallery.

The other stand out building was the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi, which hosted the ‘Untold’ exhibition curated by Rossana Orlandi.

Oh and last but not least, it appears that the trends across the board from the Fairground include, velvet, vintage lighting, sideboards and a mid-century mood, with blue, red and mustard being the standout colours.

Jacqueline Senior

Associate – Buckley Gray Yeoman

April 2014

Black & White Building in Design Exchange Magazine

Our ‘pop-up’ office space, The Black & White Building, has been featured in Design Exchange magazine’s first edition of 2014. The refurbishment of The Black & White Building makes a significant improvement to Rivington Street, creating a highly recognisable landmark building that embodies the new ambition of the Shoreditch area.

 Buckley Gray Yeoman architects Amr Assaad and Claire Osborne are photographed in front of the finished building. Amr Assaad explains,

`The Black & White Building provides comfortable, flexible office space in a building brimming with historic industrial character. Our refurbishment put a contemporary twist on the existing building. We retained and emphasised the best of the original fabric and made that the starting point for a stylish interior fit-out that celebrates the edgy character and energy of Shoreditch.’

London’s Growing Up!

The model of Buckley Gray Yeoman’s design for a 20-storey student accommodation building on Commercial Road has been featured in ‘London’s Growing Up!’, a new exhibition at the NLA. Running until 12th June, the exhibition explores the growth of tall building construction in London.

Currently on site, Buckley Gray Yeoman’s contemporary design will become a landmark building on Commercial Road, made up of 485 student rooms, lecture rooms, a cafe, communal areas, lounges and back of house spaces. Completion is expected in Summer 2015.

Model made by Unit Twenty Two modelmakers http://www.unit22.co.uk

Hospitality Interiors: Q&A with Paul White

‘From the Ascott Louvre, through Citadines Apart’hotels in Frankfurt and Hamburg, to a striking Nando’s restaurant in Dundee…Buckley Gray Yeoman is going from strength to strength in the hospitality sector.’

Paul’s profile article has been featured in the March – April edition of Hospitality Interiors magazine.

Fred Perry Bangkok

Fred Perry have commissioned us to design their latest international store within the new Central Embassy Mall in Bangkok, Thailand, bringing the brand’s iconic English identity to the already culturally rich city. The long narrow plan arrangement has been designed into three distinct spaces, clothing display as you enter, the central cash desk and the accessories area to the back of the store. Each of these spaces carries their own distinct identity using differing material palettes of concrete, blackened steel and glazed tiles, while also sharing consistent subtle references to Fred Perry’s design heritage. Upon entering, a sculptural wall displaying Fred Perry’s famous laurel wreath logo fills the large glazed shopfront. The Central Embassy Mall is due to open Summer 2014.

The proposed designs…

Site photographs taken March 2014…

Matt Yeoman in FX Magazine

Matt’s Q&A feature on future retail trends, published in a special retail feature in April’s edition of FX.