'Ladies&Gentlemen' Set Inside an Abandoned Milanese Mansion.

Ladies & Gentlemen, Curated by PS. and SECONDOME, Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace | #MILANTRACE2016

Ladies & Gentlemen group design show during Milan Design Week 2016, curated by PS. and SECONDOME. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

FRAMES modular storage system by RESTARTMILANO, designed as an unfolding series of three-dimensional cages. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

BOTTEGANOVE, a new brand of ceramic and porcelain mosaic tiles, with Cristina Celestino acting as both the designer and art director of the brand. The company combines ancient artisans’ tradition and a modern vision. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Chatting to Cristina Celestino about her extraordinary new collection for BOTTEGANOVE. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

PLUMAGE, designed by Cristina Celestino for BOTTEGANOVE, inspired by the birds’ feathers overlapping of patterns, shapes and colours. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Ladies & Gentlemen, HERVET MANIFACTURIER, Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace | #MILANTRACE2016

Ladies & Gentlemen, MARIO MILANA and TOMMASO FANTONI, Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace | #MILANTRACE2016

Left: Installation by Harvet Manifacturier. Right: Furniture by MARIO MILANA, and ‘Colourscapes’ artwork series by TOMMASO FANTONI. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Ladies & Gentlemen, Federica Elmo, Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace | #MILANTRACE2016

Ladies & Gentlemen, SERVOMUTO, Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace | #MILANTRACE2016

Left: Federica Elmo’s powder-coated steel vases and cups. Right: Textile covered lampshades by SERVOMUTO and modernist and vintage furniture by TO-DO. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Out Of The Blue exhibition by Studiopepe Photo: Nick Hughes

Studiopepe with Dana Tomic Hughes at Out Of The Blue exhibition, Photo: Nick Hughes

Studiopepe’s “Out of the Blue – a collection of eight limited-edition plaster sculptures, investigating the relationship between form, light and colour. See a more detailed post about this collection, including our video chat here. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Rug on the wall by Henzel Studio. Console and chair from the latest collection by Secondome. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Secondome at Ladies&Gentlemen. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Ladies & Gentlemen, SECONDOME, Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace | #MILANTRACE2016

Ladies & Gentlemen, Francesco Meda, Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace | #MILANTRACE2016

Left: The latest Secondome collection. Right: Francesco Meda at Ladies&Gentlemen. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

One of the countless reasons Milan Design Week rocks my socks is getting the opportunity to enter historical palazzos, private homes and forgotten spaces that open up especially during the week, and become transformed into contemporary design events. Ladies & Gentlemen was one of those shows which left me feeling inspired and overjoyed.

Curated by Federica Sala of .PS Design Consultants and Roman design gallery Secondome, the exhibition took place within a stunning Milanese period house that’s been uninhabited for years. The overall concept for the show was framed by the idea of interaction between the past and the present. The past was a source of stylistic inspiration and the artisanal techniques, with a rethink of shapes, products and applications as a contemporary reinterpretation.

Each of the 15 participating designers were given their own room in the old house, which they used as a stunning backdrop for display of their products and installation. Each space stood on it’s own to feet, worthy of a celebration in it’s own right, and together the group shows created a strong narrative that spoke of the exciting future of Italian design. Above and below are some of my personal favourites. I hope you enjoy.

List of participants at Ladies & Gentlement as follows: Botteganove, .Exnovo, Federica Elmo, Francesco meda, Henzel Studio, Hervet Manufacturier, Mario Milana, Mingardo, Restartmilano, Samer Alameen, Secondome, Servomuto & .To.Do, Studiopepe, Tommaso Fantoni and Valentina Cameranesi Sgroi.