Brightest Young Talent at SaloneSatellite 2016

SaloneSatellite 2016 signage, celebrating this year’s theme – ’New Materials, New Design’. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Even the sponsor installations were fantastic at this year’s event – shown here Kvadrat with Patricia Urquiola. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Salone Satellite 2016, Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace | #MILANTRACE2016

Kartell and Riva 1920 sponsor installations at SaloneSatellite 2016. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Beijing-based Frank Lou Design Studio. Right: Eindhoven-based design duo Daphna Laurens. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Young Mexican design brand Studio davidpompa. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Belgium is Design at SaloneSatellite 2016. Left: Cravache light by PaulinePlusLuis. Right: Nascondino by Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Berlin-based studio ‘Proof of Guilt’ with their HANGOUT series, conceived as a solution for casual hanging. “No matter how much hanging space there is in the wardrobe, the clothes one throws off at the end of a working day mostly end up spread across chairs or on the floor.” Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Luomo collective – presentation of Finnish design at SaloneSatellite 2016. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Anton Karlsson’s booth at SaloneSatellite 2016. I was drawn to his playful objects because of their tactile, almost primitive forms crafted from fibreglass, acrylic and hide glue. Ok, and I was also drawn to the motorised weener in the centre of the booth. Interesting. Photo © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

Left: Super impressive Norwegian duo Vera and Kyte. Right: One of my personal favourites this year – TAAC by Henry&Co, a totally sustainable kitchen and bathroom modular unit made from building material waste. Photography © Nick Hughes/ Yellowtrace.

It’s no secret that SaloneSatellite has always been one of my favourite stops in Milan during Salone. The event launched in 1998 as a way of introducing promising young talent under the age of 35 to the industry’s bigger players and talent scouts. This year, it’s formidable curator and founder, Marva Griffin, rounded up pieces by approximately 700 young designers, with the theme ’New Materials, New Design’.

SaloneSatellite occupies one of the 24 halls of the ginormous Rho Fierra, dedicated to the world famous Salone del Mobile – the biggest and the most important furniture fair in the world. SaloneSatellite was the first event to focus on young and up-and-coming designers during Salone. Many of the prototypes presented in the previous 18 editions have gone into production, and many of the 10,000 designers who have taken part over the years, are now big names on the design scene. Without a doubt, this event represents the future of design, and I find it such a thrill to witness this future in the making, and in a small way, even play a part in it’s creation.

Overall, the show was incredibly strong this year – from the way it presented as a whole (including fantastic installations by the sponsors themselves – event organisers, please take note), down to the selection of all the projects. I am always so impressed with the amount of effort these young designers put into their projects, so it’s an absolute pleasure to shine a little spotlight on their work today.

Without further ado, here’s a selection of the brightest young talents from SaloneSatellite 2016, including a little video produced by Team Yellowtrace especially for you. Enjoy!

LA CALETA by Studio davidpompa – handwoven wall lamp by Mexican artisans, which creates an interesting light flare through the hand woven structure. Weaving is a hugely popular craft in Mexico, and lights are made from recyclable plastic strings.

Cupallo by David Pompa, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Can by David Pompa, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Cupallo light by Studio davidpompa. The light combines two traditional Mexican crafts: hand blown glass and spun brass. Cupallo uses 100% recycled and hand shaped glass with an irregular surface and surprisingly tiny air bubbles. The glass creates a charming light effect and enhances the light distribution with irregular light flares. The lenses are made piece by piece in a small glass factory in Hidalgo, Mexico.

Lino by David Pompa, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

LINO by Studio davidpompa, hand-painted tiles that are a modern interpretation of traditional Mexican tiles made by Uriarte Talavera, a famous Mexican ceramics company founded in 1824. Talavera is premium quality pottery in Mexico famous all over the world and known for tableware, vases and tiles. The process of creating Talavera is elaborate and has not changed since the early colonial period when the craft was first introduced. Davidpompa’s aim was to reinvent Talavera with a unique visual identity, while respecting the materials heritage. Images courtesy of the designer.

Bold Series by Frank Chou Design Studio – a play on shapes and proportions. “The word Bold means to be fearless and eye-catching, and embodies the saying ‘Be Bold, or italic, never regular’.” Image courtesy of the designer.

The Champagne Table by Glen Baghurst, Australian Designer who lives between Malmo, Sweeden and Sydney. As the name suggests, this table is used to chill and serve champagne. Glen says – “Two bottles of champagne should be kept in the bell at all times as potential for a great evening”. Couldn’t agree more, Glen! Image courtesy of the designer.

Untitled, Club Chair, by Glen Baghurst, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

GDT2 Tile Pattern by Glen Baghurst, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Glen Baghurst: Untitled Chair – an exploration in draping a seat frame, using elements similar to high fashion, and GDT2 Concrete Tiles – scaled up pattern commonly found in Scandinavia. Images courtesy of the designer.

Daphna Laurens, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Sophisticated products by Dutch-duo Daphna Laurens (Daphna Isaacs and Laurens Manders, both graduates from Design Academy Eindhoven). The duo showcased a series of their prototypes in all black. Images courtesy of the designers.

Proof of Guilt by Anna Weber, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Proof of Guilt by Antje Pesel, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Left: Mr. Servant – a set of purist coat hooks by Anna Weber. Right: Elegant Alight Lights by Antje Pesel. Images courtesy of the designers.

Henki by Hanna Kaarina Heikkila, Luomo Collective, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Tovi by Hanna Kaarina Heikkila & Anni Pitkajarvi, Luomo Collective, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Left: Henki light by Hanna-Kaarina Heikkilä. Right: A collection of small wall shelves by Hanna-Kaarina Heikkilä & Anni Pitkäjärvi. Images courtesy of Luomo Collective.

Revolve Lamp by Earnest Studio & Emilie Pallard, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Topsy by Earnest Studio & Emilie Pallard, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Mill Lamp by Earnest Studio. Inspired by the dexterity of the basic sphere, “Mill” is a movable table lamp that maintains its position using balance. Just two components–a ball, balanced on a cone–combined with gravity, afford the lamp an exceptionally wide range of motion. Mill uses energy efficient LEDs and is powered by a low-voltage USB connection.

Quid by Sara Riccardi. This project investigating the ancient Scagliola technique – the making of imitation marble and other stone, made of plaster mixed with glue and dyes, widely used in Italy in the 1700s to reproduce the colours of marble in churches. Intrigued by the wisdom of this craft, Sara believed that new value could be given to this material by making it independent rather than a mere copy. Pigmented gypsum can acquire color shades and material compositions that marble could never have. This is the origin of Sara’s first collection of geometric, interchangeable and unique chairs. Image courtesy of the designer.

Specific Weight by Sara Riccardi – a series of objects defined by the weight of the material, rather than the object’s size of volume. Weights are made in aluminum, copper, brass, wood, plastic, plexiglas and marble. Image courtesy of the designer.

Sara Ricciardi, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Too good! Specific Weight by Sara Riccardi. “Training with materials and their wisdom”. Images courtesy of the designer.

PRESENT TIMEPIECE by Vera and Kyte – a modern update on the traditional floor clock. The minimalistic use of materials and graphic simplicity gives this piece a sculptural presence. Image courtesy of the designers.

Cravache Lights by Brussels-based studio PaulinePlusLuis. The lights can be mounted on the wall or the ceiling. As a modification to the object, the wires which make up the light were made rigid so that they become a visible structural component. The tension generated when the lamp is hung creates its own curve in the air. Image courtesy of the designers.

Broken Heart Lamp by Studio Philipp Kafer, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Broken Heart Lamp by Berlin-based Philipp Kafer. Images courtesy of the designer.

Lucid Light by Rotterdam-based David Derksen. These finely perforated lamps play with the perception of the observer. The light does not have a clear source of light but instead they just seem to consist of a thin surface and appear to be empty. The surface is almost transparent, making objects behind it visible. Image courtesy of the designer.

Planca Series by Grace Souky, Salone Satellite 2016 | #MILANTRACE2016

Panca Series of small tables by Grace Souky. Images courtesy of the designer.

EDGE by Gustavo Martini, Rio de Janeiro born, Milan-based designer. EDGE is a personal project which references the act of drawing as an essential step in the design process. Gutavo’s wireframe of the potential space, like a 3D sketch. The name itself highlights the fact that this project sits on the edge between design and installation, idea and reality. Image courtesy of the designer.