A month ago my year group at university were told that there could be an exciting opportunity to exhibit our work at Milan Design Week, but none of us dared to get our hopes up in case it didn't happen. Now I can say, I have just exhibited at Salone del Mobile 2018 and it was the most amazing week that I have experienced!
Since learning that a group of 6 of us were heading to Milan, we had a fast paced couple of weeks before we flew to Italy. In that time we had to; design and build the stand, design and print postcards, tweak our models and book accommodation and travel to Milan, whilst also still progressing with our final year major projects. I wonder if the circus will hire me with these juggling skills? After copious amounts of bubble wrap and parcel tape layers later, our models were off on their 3 day journey to Milan (thanks to Dean, our tutor, for driving the whole distance!)
Salone del Mobile was on a whole other level of scale. I knew that it was the largest furniture fair globally but nothing could have prepared me for the scale that it really was. To give it some perspective, from the entrance it took us 25-30 minutes to walk down to the Salone Satellite stand that we were exhibiting in. This was partly to do with the distance but also the amount of people that were visiting, over 430,000 attendants in total!
The Salone Satellite stand is particularly there for designers under 35 years old and schools and universities. We were amongst some amazing designs and students, particularly the students from VIA University College who were opposite us.
Not only was there plenty to see at Salone del Mobile, but there were also plenty to see around the city. The design districts were scattered across the city and were filled with hidden courtyards and beautiful buildings that were bought to life by brands and studios to show their newest work and collaborations. Later on I will be writing a post about my favourite exhibitions-so keep an eye out!
The group that were chosen to present in Milan were the greatest group of people I could have wished to have shared this experience with. We were a group that didn't particularly know each other that well before leaving and a group that also all had varying design styles-but we all shared this memory together and one that we wish we could relive again and again.
Design, Milan and Aperol Spritz-a perfect combination for an unforgettable week!
Since learning that a group of 6 of us were heading to Milan, we had a fast paced couple of weeks before we flew to Italy. In that time we had to; design and build the stand, design and print postcards, tweak our models and book accommodation and travel to Milan, whilst also still progressing with our final year major projects. I wonder if the circus will hire me with these juggling skills? After copious amounts of bubble wrap and parcel tape layers later, our models were off on their 3 day journey to Milan (thanks to Dean, our tutor, for driving the whole distance!)
Salone del Mobile was on a whole other level of scale. I knew that it was the largest furniture fair globally but nothing could have prepared me for the scale that it really was. To give it some perspective, from the entrance it took us 25-30 minutes to walk down to the Salone Satellite stand that we were exhibiting in. This was partly to do with the distance but also the amount of people that were visiting, over 430,000 attendants in total!
The Salone Satellite stand is particularly there for designers under 35 years old and schools and universities. We were amongst some amazing designs and students, particularly the students from VIA University College who were opposite us.
Not only was there plenty to see at Salone del Mobile, but there were also plenty to see around the city. The design districts were scattered across the city and were filled with hidden courtyards and beautiful buildings that were bought to life by brands and studios to show their newest work and collaborations. Later on I will be writing a post about my favourite exhibitions-so keep an eye out!
The group that were chosen to present in Milan were the greatest group of people I could have wished to have shared this experience with. We were a group that didn't particularly know each other that well before leaving and a group that also all had varying design styles-but we all shared this memory together and one that we wish we could relive again and again.
Design, Milan and Aperol Spritz-a perfect combination for an unforgettable week!