SaloneSatellite at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2024: a constellation of innovations

Born as an ancillary 'planet' in the expansive system that is the Salone del Mobile.Milano, SaloneSatellite has become a true 'universe' in itself. Since 1998, the event conceived by Marva Griffin and reserved for under-35 designers has been weaving together people, schools, entrepreneurs and companies, around a showcase of the best projects from young designers. In its 25 years of history—celebrated at Triennale Milano with a special exhibition—the Satellite has become a launch pad for many now-established designers. However, switching our gaze to the present and the future with this written account, STIR visited the SaloneSatellite pavilion at the design fair intending to unearth present talents and possible stars of tomorrow. Above all, the visit was tinged with the enquiry of how these innovations responded to the different ways in which the discipline is interpreted today. Along these lines, STIR presents a selection of the nine best designers, schools, and booths that drew intrigue and awe from us.

1. Royal College of Art

The Royal College of Art, London, presents its investigations to counter the climate crisis at the design week. Aware that new buildings will soon become obsolete, immoral and (possibly) illegal, the collection of projects focuses on rethinking and repurposing the unwanted. The design installation presented at the trade fair in Milan, Italy shows us how a visually impactful space may be created, even with poor materials. On display were various fragments of projects developed by the students of the superREUSING, superMATTER and superFUTURES courses.

2. Suljaa' by Ramses Viascan

Heritage innovation is undoubtedly one of the most frequently addressed topics, not only at the SaloneSatellite but in the realm of contemporary design in general. Mexican designer Ramses Viazcan delves into the thematic with his project Suljaa': a neo-artisanry that seeks to reposition and resignify the materials that have been buried by a modernity obsessed with plastic and metal. The design of these pieces acknowledges the advancements and achievements of modernity, but also looks back, aiming to make visible the relevance of the past and ancestral knowledge.

3. Corte by Studio Cale

Also following the theme of heritage innovation is Cale, a young studio founded in 2022 by architects Carla Gambioli and Alessia Romani. Their practice reinterprets the vast cultural heritage of the territory they live in: the province of Pesaro Urbino, which was among the cradles of the Italian Renaissance. The most interesting product design among those presented is Corte, a metal pocket emptier that recalls historical architectural elements and motifs like slits.

4. Rhode Island School of Design

Among the most experimental stands at SaloneSatellite was undoubtedly that of the Rhode Island School of Design, an influential design academy in Providence, between NYC and Boston. “When we approached branding for our collective exhibition, the opportunity presented a dual responsibility: to create a narrative that unified the works from various art and design disciplines and to emphasise RISD's studio culture, which prioritises iterative process and making,” the young product designers told us. Among the projects presented, we were particularly fascinated by The Great Chain of Being, a project by furniture designer Jonethan Dinetz. It is an intricate metal machinery that is deliberately without particular utility and only serves to remind us that even human lives, in the end, are just material processes.

5. Lena Hendel

German designer Lena Hendel tackles the theme of reuse and circular economy: a subject that is now widespread, often running the risk of toeing the line between banality and lack of novelty. However, her design language is highly original—she binds parts of different pieces of furniture or waste wood through a technique that is related to sewing or similar to bookbinding. The juxtaposition of nylon ropes (recycled) and wood is seemingly unprecedented, and the warping of the cables allows you to play with different weaves and geometries.

6. Seoul National University

The stand of the Seoul National University Department of Design represents the ferment of design in South Korea, where different authors are revolutionising processes, materials, functions, rituals and narratives. Among the projects on display is the Pago lamp, by designer Nayoung Lee, made from discarded oyster shells. The sculptural form is not new to me—is it an unconscious homage to Bruno Munari’s Falkland lamp?

7. Hassene Jeljeli

Perforated sheet metal is often regarded as a poor material, frequently used informally by architects and non-architects, with particularly pointed usage in the suburbs of Tunis. Here, designer Hassene Jeljeli recomposes them in a refined manner instead, creating a complete collection of scenic lamp designs. The theme of how to ennoble industrial, technical or 'undervalued' materials is certainly among the most frequent and vital ones among the new generations of designers.

8. Unform Studio

Unform Studio’s designs from Pennsylvania bring an interesting round of innovations and playfulness to the furniture fair in Milan. Among the most interesting pieces of furniture designed by Ryan Twardzik is the Pop-up Lounge Chair. The chair design comprises a modular system based on a gridded metal frame with detachable, fully upholstered cylindrical cushions. The Pop-Up collection is expandable from a lounge chair to a sofa, shrinkable to a side chair or ottoman, or can be custom-sized to fit specific spaces.

9. GYU Studio

A project with artificial intelligence could not be missing from this lineup in 2024. Hyung Gyu Rhee, the founder of GYU studio, tells us about the process of defining the form of his AI Lounge Chair 02 _ Bow. The Korean designer has redrawn 60 chairs made between 1920 and 1970. He then 'fed' this information to AI, which generated an ambiguous shape, later reinterpreted by the designer to create a functional piece of furniture.

Stay tuned to STIR's coverage of Milan Design Week 2024 which showcases the best of exhibitions, studios, designers, installations, brands and events to look out for. Explore EuroCucina and all the design districts—Fuorisalone, 5vie Design Week, Isola Design Week, Brera Design District and Porta Venezia Design District.