We're operating under a dark cloud here at i Salone Internazionale
del Mobile in Milan this week. Actually, it's more like a big, ugly
plume gushing nonstop from Southern Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull
(abbreviation: LMNOP) volcano. Nature has certainly turned the furniture
fair's audience into a captive one, but we're not complaining. Although
there appear to be smaller crowds and fewer exhibitors, the
manufacturers who are here are the best. More importantly, there's
optimism. Some manufacturers are displaying fewer products, but they're
wowing us with product refinements and enhancements. Music to our ears
and yours, too.
Meanwhile, Alessi announced
that the Tonale table service, designed by British architect David Chipperfield, has received an ELLE
DECO International Design Award (EDIDA) and a 2010 Design Plus Award.
The Tonale table service includes a number of items—a tray, board,
carafe, plates, bowls, beakers, and cups. Inspired by vernacular
ceramics from Korea, Japan, and China, Tonale was conceived as an
exercise in refining functional household objects. The name ‘tonale’
refers to Italian painter Giorgio
Morandi’s use of color tonality, imbuing his daily objects with a
sense of individuality. The objects are produced in a variety of
materials including earthenware, enameled steel, glass, and wood. SWITCH
has it all at its Atlanta showroom.
