Local Milan

Located in the vibrant 5vie district, the apartment setting meant the exhibition unfolded room by room, with each small, richly-coloured room drawing you into the next. The domestic context did not give way to a typical living-room style of exhibition, however, instead curated more as art installation than interior design exhibit. Reflective of Emma Elizabeth’s cross-disciplinary approach to design, each of the pieces on display pushed the boundaries of its chosen form – a table, light, cabinet or chair becoming not just a beautiful functional object, but a medium for artistic expression. While each of the more than 30 designs in the exhibition had in common a sculptural quality, they were nonetheless strikingly individual. In the first room alone, Nicholas Fuller’s woven ‘Voyage Partitions’ and shared the space with Skeehan Studio’s ‘Vane’ chair and ‘SO’ lamp, the ‘Bloom Cabinet’ by Adam Goodrum and Arthur Seigneur, ‘Peacock Chiclid (Fish)’ rug by Emma Elizabeth and ‘Piece of Pie’ table and ‘Ouroboros’ chair by Jonathan Zawad. Against the peeling dark blue walls and scarred dark timber floor of the palazzo, each piece confidently introduced the inspiring breadth and innovation of contemporary Australian design.

Despite the strong individuality of the pieces, viewed as a whole the exhibition showed an underlying common interest in curved lines and forms. The striking circular ‘Bloom’ cabinet, the exaggerated curves of Jonathan Zawad’s abstract chair upholstered in green and blue and the tubular steel frame of the ‘Vane’ chair – each of these pieces in the first room worked with rounded shapes and curves in its own way. In the heart of the exhibition, Fred Ganim’s ‘Plane Table’ took this to another level, its undulating form and long, low profile creating a snake-like geometry of twists and turns. Moving through the exhibition, one discovered that each room was painted a different colour, creating not only a unique atmosphere in each space, but a layered effect as glimpses of colour appeared through open doorways or reflected back in mirrors. In some cases, the designers had clearly responded to the colour of their particular room, leading to a pleasing sense of continuity between the old Milanese palazzo and the contemporary design pieces hailing from the other side of the world.

Viewed from this central room, the armchair from Ross Gardam’s ‘Noon’ collection sat framed by a doorway. Set against a burnished gold wall and lit by the natural light from a window behind, the elegant curved forms and combination of Kvadrat textile and Maharam leather upholstery made a distinctive graphic impression. Fred Ganim’s ‘Timber Rack’ on the wall above echoed the geometry of the ‘Plane Table’ in the central red room preceding, linking the rooms visually.