Tom Dixon : Faye Toogood = Konstantin Grcic : Pauline Deltour

Who are the protagonists? Dixon and Grcic are perhaps among the most famous designers of the early fifty-year-old generation. The first is English, the second is German. In more detail, they both stand out for the consistent development of their projects, always capable to fulfill the needs of the end users without renouncing to innovate with originality and wit the interiors they contribute to furnish.

Nevertheless, it’s not only their personality to divide them – anarchic for Dixon, functionalist for Grcic -, but a cultural background which reminds us of a crucial chapter in European history of ideas: the dialectics between English and German philosophical traditions, empiricism and rationalism. Dixon, ethereally self-taught by his own intuitions, keeps on reinventing himself when he designs his beloved, iconic lamps, as well as when he founds a new design showcase (as it’s the case with Most). Grcic, instead, has an undisputed talent to synthesize a problem solving attitude with a rigorous aesthetics, as for Achille Castiglioni’s Parentesi restyling in 2013, or for his most venerated product, iconic Magis’ Chair One.

And what about Toogood and Deltour? They both worked side by side with the other two designers in their own studios, getting acquainted with their masters’ methodologies and approaches. Then, they both chose to work as freelancers, emerging on the European scene as two of the most innovative young voices in the design field.

In her installations (La Cura, The Batch Room, Natura Morta), Faye Toogood privileges the spontaneity of a rough, impulsive taste: the experiences she’s used to offer to her customers, or to her public, are developed every time according to the specific context she’s involved in, always in the quest to reshape her objects through an immanent approach. The process is always refocused, and self-expression can’t be but an inescapable requirement. Pauline Deltour, on the contrary, doesn’t overstep the physical boundaries of her products, neither she reconsiders their terms of usage. Instead, she prefers to provide cost-effective yet fit-for-purpose solutions for everyday living needs (Alessi’s “A Tempo” collection, Discipline’s “Roulé” collection), designing affordances with an emphatic, familiar touch and working with materials through a clear-cut resolution.

Tom Dixon has charmed the design world during last year’s Salone del mobile with his project Most, held for the second year round at the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan. More than a project, Most is a platform for contemporary design that combines a distinctive mix of performances and events with young design brands and studios, interacting with almost all areas of creative production: from food to fashion, from art to product design, from technology to traditional crafts.

To prove the versatility of the event, we must mention this year’s most photographed and talked about feature: Tom Dixon’s collection for Adidas, comprising a collection of garments and accessories that “you can pack neatly in a bag for a week away”. Besides this enviable collaboration, Mr. Dixon is also presenting his new line of products, made primarily from metal – his signature material – and named “Rough and Smooth”, recalling the physical qualities of lamps, tables, tea sets and champagne buckets included in the collection.

Even though Tom Dixon is the main star of Most, it would be foolish visiting the Museum of Science and Technology only to see his latest creations, since this giant location is packed up with exciting new talents, great pieces of design and a positive vibe we hope might last even after the lights of this year’s Salone are turned (finally) off.

Tom Dixon is one of those design entrepreneurs that manages to turn into gold everything he touches (in some cases literally). Most, the bombastic event promoted by Dixon held at National Museum of Science and Technology, is one of the highlights of this year’s Salone. Most is a collective exhibition whose goal was to transform the museum’s scientific environment in what resembles a design research center. The juxtaposition of historical transportation exhibition with contemporary design, stood almost as a reminder for today’s designers of what actually good design should be like, offering a perfect situation for sharp confrontation and critique.

As far as single exhibitors are concerned, they were distributed between five of the museum’s buildings. The first part of the exhibition was obviously Tom Dixon’s show called Luminosity where he presented new lighting and furniture projects. With an eye on new production methods as well as materials, the project that struck us most was the Lustre lamps collection that uses glazed ceramics in order to create an effect reminiscent of hidden colours in nature. Also Dixon’s Eclectic collection of everyday objects was eye candy, showing how big design companies haven’t forgotten the simple daily pleasures we all can find ourselves in.

Among other exhibitions, Studio Toogood‘s La Cura project has to be mentioned. Designed as a shelter place from the chaos of the Salone, it offers a series of performances that serve as a retreat for our senses. There you can find the sound installation by Kite&Laslett, a re-energizing elixir created by Arabeschi di Latte while the air is filled with a scent by the scent designer 12.29.

One of the most interesting stands is the one by a new french design company called La Chance. Presenting its first ambitious collection called Jekyll and Hyde where each piece comes in two versions, the company has inaugurated a hopefully long collaboration with designers like Pierre Favresse, Luca Nichetto, Susane de Graef and Note Design Studio.

The astonishingly enormous museum space actually offered a lot more than we could possibly summarize in these few lines. If you’re into work like the one produced by Areaware or want to discover companies like Resident from New Zealand, take at least a few hours to wander around these beautifully designed spaces and check what Most has to offer.