Baranzate Ateliers
Organised by Zaventem Ateliers, the Belgian collective Baranzate returned to Milan for its second edition in a new epic location spread across 7,300 square metres, just five minutes from Linate airport.
This year’s program featured a lineup of 35 studios, including 15 specially curated guests handpicked by Zaventem Ateliers. Highlights include ethereal metal mesh works by Adeline Halot, hand-beaded wall sculptures by Marijke de Cock, objects and materials by artisans from Studio LoHo, bronze works by Studio Khachatryan, extraordinary jacquard weaving and hand embroideries by KRJST, Arno Declercq’s epic works in burned and oiled black Iroko wood, and Ben Storms’ ‘An anthology of matter’, an installation honouring materiality between outcome and process, the raw and the elaborate.
Photos © Amber Vanbossel.
Photos © Amber Vanbossel.
Photos © Eline Willaert.
Courtesy of Studio Khachatryan.
Capsule Plaza ‘Radical Sensations’
Capsule Plaza returned for its second edition, co-curated by Alessio Ascari and Paul Cournet. The group show unfolded across two sites: Spazio Maiocchi, a striking former industrial cathedral in the Porta Venezia area, and 10 Corso Como, an iconic Milanese retail destination with galleries dedicated to art and design, newly renovated by the interdisciplinary agency 2050+.
A hybrid between a fair and a collective exhibition, Capsule Plaza brought together designers and companies from various fields to bridge industry and culture with a multi-sensory curation that spanned interiors and architecture, beauty and technology, innovation and craft.
Highlights included Hydro 100R’s showcase with seven designers who put a new spin on post-consumer material (this show is covered in the Material Matters section of this report); BD Barcelona’s Interzone collection, designed in collaboration with the Belgian duo Muller Van Severen; K67 Kiosk in the entry courtyard, a retro-futuristic system designed in the late 1960s by Slovenian architect and designer Saša J. Mächtig; Marsotto’s new modular stone kitchen ‘Ratio’ conceived by David/Nicolas; and of course, the highly Instagramable Caffè Rimowa pop-up featuring La Marzocco Linea Mini espresso machine and scenography by Nuova Group.
Photos © Rui Wu, T-Space.
K67 Kiosk In the courtyard of Spazio Maiocchi, Capsule presented a collaboration with K67 Berlin, the company bringing back to life the late 1960s retro-futuristic system designed by Slovenian architect and designer Saša J. Mächtig, part of the MoMA collection. The flexible design enables the units to serve numerous functions, and their phenomenal adaptability was showcased through various activations – from magazine kiosk to matcha bar, information desk and DJ booth.
Interzone by Muller Van Severen for BD Barcelona
Presented by BD in collaboration with the Belgian design duo Muller Van Severen, Interzone blossomed from a shared legacy steeped in surrealism, sculpture, and architecture. With rich colours and gracious structures, the collection showcased the designers’ ability to reimagine shapes that transcend their function and embody sculpture through basic architectural forms.
Nike Alphafly 3 with Alaska Alaska
Capsule celebrated the debut of Nike Alphafly 3, a pinnacle of design innovation specially designed for marathon running. An installation by Alaska Alaska – a London-based research, design and creative studio originally founded by Virgil Abloh and now directed by Tawanda Chiweshe and Francisco Gaspar – provided the scenography. In a video captured by Capsule at Espace d’Abraxas, Ricardo Bofill’s postmodern masterpiece on the outskirts of Paris, Nike Alphafly 3 was put to the test ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games in the city.
Lopresto Lancia Sibilo Bertone
The ‘Sibilo’, designed by Marcello Gandini (1938–2024), takes the concept of a monolithic car to the extreme: the prototype consists of a single seamless volume and the shape of the windows, merged with the rest of the body, is not even perceived. Sibilo was presented by Bertone based on Lancia Stratos at the 1978 Turin Motor Show as the main protagonist of its stand. After the show, the car remained in the Bertone collection until 2011, when it was auctioned and became part of the Lopresto Collection. I’m no revhead, although I have to admit, this car piqued my interest.
Futura Akaro powered by Goat
The leading retail platform Goat presented ‘Futura Akaro’, a selection from Isamu Noguchi’s Akari light sculptures hand-painted by legendary artist and painter Futura2000, and initially commissioned for the 2020 exhibition at the Noguchi Museum in New York. Starting in 1951 and over three decades, Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) designed more than 200 Akari paper lanterns, which have become some of the most transformative, ubiquitous, and influential sculptures of the 20th century.
Caffè Rimowa featuring La Marzocco
German luggage brand Rimowa announced a collaboration with handmade espresso machine company La Marzocco, so, naturally, the Rimowa La Marzocco Linea Mini espresso machine took centre stage at the ‘Caffè Rimowa’ pop-up. With scenography by Nuova Group, the research and innovation-based luxury design studio from California, the bar served as a time capsule for luxury craftsmanship from a different era.
10 Corso Como
Ecco’s ‘Material Matters’
Celebrating the monumental role of material choices in the future of design and innovation, Ecco presented an installation that showcased the elegance and versatility of leather and polyurethane materials.
The signature installation at 10 Corso Como was dynamic and interactive, showcasing contributions by Anne Holtrop, Bianca Saunders, Kostas Murkudis, Natacha Ramsay-Levi, and NM3. Participants were invited to leave an imprint on the visual output of the installation.
Format’s Aluminum Formwork
Seoul-based design studio Niceworkshop showcased the ‘Aluminum Formwork Series’ in partnership with the upcycling brand Format. Inspired by the cyclical process of ‘Production – Rental – Repair – Dissolution – Reproduction’, Niceworkshop recruited Format’s aluminium formwork (AL – FORM), a component often reused at construction sites after removing surface concrete debris, as part of its new furniture series. Through this collaborative effort, stemming from a shared interest in sustainability and material exploration, the two partners introduced the ‘Aged Form Line’, capturing the enduring texture of concrete on the surface even after the repair process. The ‘New Form Line’ employs new materials reproduced through recycling.
Herzog & de Meuron’s H&dM Objects
While developing their impressive portfolio of projects, Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron designed over 600 objects. With a vast array of furniture, light fixtures, textiles, and architectural details like coat hooks or door handles, H&dM Objects manages the pool of existing objects and creates new ones in collaboration with manufacturers and skilled craftspeople. A limited edition of objects was reinterpreted for Capsule Plaza 2024, a family of six chairs and stools made of precisely cut, milled, and assembled wood without screws, and hand-finished in a high-gloss black lacquer.
Acerbis Remasters
In the reception of 10 Corso Como was the ever-expanding ‘Remasters’ archive collection curated by Francesco Meda and David Lopez Quincoces who joined Acerbis as creative directors in 2020. Remasters features an eclectic selection of the most daring and original masterpieces by Acerbis, designed in different eras by various hands – including Lella & Massimo Vignelli, Claudio Salocchi, Nanda Vigo, Giotto Stoppino, Lodovico Acerbis, and Vico Magistretti.
