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On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2023, Giorgio Armani presents, for the very first time at Palazzo Orsini, Milan, a selection of Armani/Casa furniture and furnishings: new collections, including the brand's first outdoor collection, and new editions of established classics, displayed in a setting that conveys sophisticated domestic charm, revealing the creative epicentre where the highest expressions of Armani style come to life.
The unique display creates a path from a hidden garden—accessed from a 17th-century porticoed courtyard—through the frescoed rooms usually reserved for Haute Couture, unveiling new designs one after the other. This narrative installation is echoed in the Armani/Casa shop windows on Corso Venezia, where some of the season's offerings will be featured, creating a connection that underscores the intent to communicate directly with the public: a filter-free openness that is the cornerstone of the always-heartfelt and autobiographical way in which Giorgio Armani tells his story and conveys the brand's projects.
"My work, both in fashion and in design, is a constant pursuit for balance that comes from the choice of materials and the expert skill of the hands that create it. Opening the doors of the brand's historic headquarters to the public at the Salone del Mobile and unveiling the new Armani/Casa collection in such an intimate setting is a way of highlighting this process. It's also a way to accentuate the variety of the offering, which uses this season to focus on outdoor furniture and the exquisite materials featured on such excellently crafted furnishings," says Giorgio Armani.
The pathway: from the garden to the frescoed rooms
Inside the building, the visitor is immediately immersed in a unique and intimate atmosphere that puts them at ease. In the secret garden, the first Armani/Casa collection entirely dedicated to outdoor use is revealed, in a display that recalls the light hues of the building and blends perfectly into the surroundings. The expression of an unmistakeable aesthetic style, the solid teak furniture series includes the Terence sofa and armchair with footrest, the Timothy sunlounger, the large Thomas dining table, the Turner and Terry side tables, and the Thelma folding armchair. The clean, rounded lines find contrast in wooden surfaces embellished with a unique engraved finish that recalls the interweaving of wicker. The seats and cushions are upholstered with a textured and luminous Armani/Casa jacquard fabric, specially designed to withstand the outdoors, available in vivid solid colours or with stylised palm motifs inspired by various collection patterns.
Following the path through the courtyard and the porticoes, guests are led to the first-floor rooms that form part of the Armani Privé atelier. In the first room, a few wicker pieces with curvy lines are displayed, highlighting the transition from the outside to the inside with subtle variations of neutral tones. Imagining a new home configuration, the living space is amplified to create continuity and an aesthetic finish. The theme of lightness and the concept of embellishing furniture elements with interwoven components is seen once again in these pieces, designed for the veranda: the Pretty chaise end sofa; the Sharon sofa and armchair with footrest; the Melrose and Ted tables, with tops in exquisite Taj Mahal quartzite and brass details, which are the newest addition to the permanent pieces—the Nelson dining table and Riesling bar cabinet—on display at the Corso Venezia boutique.
In the following rooms, some of the most sought-after pieces are presented: new editions of iconic furniture, crafted from exquisite materials and with the same artisanal workmanship as an Haute Couture creation. As such, the Sofia chair, the Antoinette dressing table and the Camilla desk are offered in new versions, hand-crafted in Italy and featuring mother-of-pearl tiles arranged in a mosaic pattern over the entire surface, creating an almost-hypnotic weave with a palpable textured finish. These unique furnishings reaffirm the collection's oriental inspiration—a prominent feature of Armani's aesthetic – conveying it with such precision that the Art Deco overtones are perceived with an indescribable spirit of synthesis.
Fabrics and accessories
The collection is rounded off by a selection of rugs and textile accessories featuring exquisite details—such as the buttons used to close the pillowcases, shaped as double-sided cufflinks in passementerie—and by a range of fabrics that evoke oriental and Art Deco style with the Toledo, Tashkent and Toyama silk jacquard variants. With its bold and evocative hues, nature enters the home to enliven—in an unusual yet moderate way—the classic neutral colour palette with touches of agave green, cobalt blue, orange, grey and lacquer red.
Once again this year, alongside Murano glass vases with lacquer details, candles, bento boxes with hand-crafted embellishments, and palm wood-lined boxes with Art Deco flair, unique and sought-after accessories show off their charm: such as the Tara Palo Santo and burning dish, the Tale tarot cards, the Tool tape measure that turns into a charm, and the stone-shaped resin mirror that features a leather string so it can be worn as a pendant. The leitmotif of this season, the theme of interweaving is echoed throughout the entire collection and even in small objects, such as the cylindrical candle holders with wire mesh and the Treccia Tea Set which includes, in addition to wicker and leather-upholstered cups, hourglasses to measure brewing times. Elegant linearity, tinged with a bit of joie de vivre, is expressed in the series of Christmas items and takes shape in the coloured ceramic objects inspired by the vegetation found throughout the Mediterranean landscape.
STIR’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2023 showcases the best exhibitions, studios, designers, installations, brands, and special projects to look out for. Explore Euroluce 2023 and all the design districts—5Vie Art and Design, Brera Design District, Fuorisalone, Isola Design District, Tortona District, and Milano Design District—with us.
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