Milan Design Week 2021: Trend Analysis

After being postponed from April 2020, Milan Design Week’s Fuorisalone and a special edition of Salone del Mobile brought fresh ideas and excitement.

Analysis

Between the 2021 Supersalone special edition of Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone events all over Milan, thousands of brands presented new work. Key themes emerging show personal expression reigning paramount, with a diversification of aesthetics and colors, and collaboration on the rise.

Here are the emerging theme directions, pulled from the report:

Collagecore: Patchwork and collage effects are adding a nostalgic vibe to rugs, throws, and upholstery fabrics
Mazing: Mazes, moirés, and camouflage join clouds, wood grains, and watery motifs in adding interest to surfaces both hard and soft
Metalista: Unusual materials like aluminum and copper come to the fore, with gold, silver, brass, and bronze shimmering on many surfaces
Net Positive: Openwork net, webbing, and interlacings are a strong ongoing theme
Texturati: Always a heavy hitter, the texture category has only expanded as consumers search for cozy and comforting feelings
Classix: Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt impart their classicist mood to many new introductions, speaking to the resilience and endurance of human civilization
Graphix: Geometrics are telling an optimistic story, moving away from the dystopian and Brutalist offerings of the last few seasons
Wild Things: Furniture and accessories take on a wild aspect, with fringe and pile standing in for fur, and all manner of animal friends used in patterning
Along with Blobtastic and Nai Nai Chic - please enjoy the peek below

And some of the key color stories:

Verro Rossa: Symbolic of power and energy, this shade is waking us from our pandemic-induced slumber; an antidote to coziness on overload
Rosa Chiaro/Tè verde: Pale pink/green tea sit with ivory and dark taupe to create a soothing palette
Verderame: Verdigris mimics the colors in oxidized copper
Verde Acqua: Teal combines the dependability of blue with the restorative, natural qualities of green
Maronne/Caffè: Browns are most often used in monochromatic, serene combinations
Pigmento di Terra: A sneak peek is below

Blobtastic

As we move away from harsh modernist lines, the blob is becoming increasingly important.

Some iterations can speak to neotenic, cute, and childlike shapes, some conjure the human form and a new era of body inclusivity, and others bring to mind cellular and organic shapes. Furniture looks stuffed and inviting, glass pieces seems to be oozing and melting, and motifs drip and splatter across textiles and hard surfaces. Trompe-l’oeil shading adds imaginary dimension to painted and printed designs. Finishes tend to the matte, with bouclé and low-sheen velvet as preferred cover selections. These rotund and slouching forms will continue to bubble into the mainstream.

For insight into this ongoing trend, read this fascinating post by forcaster Julie Muñiz.

LOOKS

Anthropomorphic forms suggesting interesting or cute characters
Soft, bulbous & inflated furniture
Cell-like & amoebic motifs
Spattered color
Shadowed renderings creating faux dimension
Glass objects with slumping, amorphous contours
Textiles with matte finishes & soft surfaces

Nai Nai Chic

Grand millennial and granny chic are getting international; maximalism is embracing influences from around the world.

Whether it's Granny, Nai Nai, Nonna, Mémé, or O bāchan, treasures from the attic teach lessons about design. Lush hand-painted wallpaper is often the backdrop for eclectic rooms that layer pattern, sheen, and color to create a sophisticated setting. Embroidery, églomisé, and gilding act as interior jewelry in the ornate and often formal collections. And reinvention—like a mosaic-covered bergère or lace rendered in metal—ensures the longevity of this maximalist theme.

LOOKS

International influences, especially Japanese & Chinese
Fine multicolor wovens
Dimensional embroidery
Hand-painted silk wallcoverings
Large-scale dense florals
Cherry blossom motifs
Decorative fans & fan-like shapes
Re-imagined traditional fabrications
Sumptuous, rare materials

Pigmento de Terra

Forward-thinking designers and brands are presenting rich yet earthy color-on-color assortments and rooms.

Higher and lower chroma tones are used together, resulting in lush, sun-baked treatments
The palettes bring to mind earth pigments from cobalt to oxide, ocher to sienna