New openings by Molteni and Rimadesio, celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Living Divani, the opulence of Versace, the signature refinement of Visionnaire, the versatile visions of Virgil Abloh – Miami revealed its creative side. Paced by extraordinary installations, environmental themes and a return to craftsmanship.
Immersed in mutable light, the intense blue sky and the infinity of the ocean, the enchantment of Miami during the week of creativity (3-8 December 2019) brought genuine thrills. The delicate character of South Beach Deco, the excellence of the Design District amidst metaphorical installations and exclusive openings, the street art of Wynwood where Diesel decided to create its first residential project, were all linked by a red thread: the relationship between art and design.
On Biscayne Boulevard, in its refined flagship store Visionnaire presented a new collection of seating, inspired by peacocks. The Garden of Beauty expresses the stylistic splendor of the brand interpreted by Marc Ange, wrapped in vibrant hues of green and blue, inside a fascinating magic garden. Amidst pink hammocks strung from palm trees, the site-specific Pink Beasts by Fernando Laposse transformed the Design District into a lively and dreamy oasis. South Beach Stories, the event of Versace x Sasha Bikoff, was a tribute to the legacy of the fashion brand, with a capsule collection of chromatic furnishings inspired by the opulent garments of the maison.
Praise was also heaped on Virgil Abloh – founder of the Off-White™ brand and Artistic Director for Menswear of Louis Vuitton – who in the project Bench 2 for Galerie Kreo referenced skateboard ramps, shifting an urban feature into a bench almost three meters long. He was involved in multiple collaborations at this edition: from Baccarat to Carpenters Gallery, Evian to the Dollar a Gallon installation in Paseo Ponti, in the heart of the Design District.
In the citadel of luxury Gruppo Molteni opened at flagship store designed by Vincent Van Duysen and conceived as a private dwelling with the charm of Italian culture. On two levels, the universe of Molteni & C | Dada – from kitchens to dining rooms, living areas to bedrooms – was narrated through the products designed by Rodolfo Dordoni, Ron Gilad, Vincent Van Duysen, Patricia Urquiola. Immersed in a sophisticated allure and opened in a former jewelry store, the new Rimadesio showroom was a refined treasure chest, in which the collections can reveal all of their unique elegance.
In the Luminaire space, Living Divani celebrated its 50th anniversary and 30 years of art direction by the architect Piero Lissoni. His new limited-edition creations were on view, in The Uncollected Collection with its sublime, essential style. A line whose delicate geometric lines capture the constant research of Living Divani to develop a new idea of living. In the Art Deco district of South Beach, this edition of Design Miami/ welcomed visitors with small outdoor ‘salons’ produced by the brand Hay and designed by the Bouroullec brothers.
Amidst workshops, conferences and a collectible lounge by Cosentino, as well as events for collectors, the galleries presented their limited editions: Carpenters Gallery, with works by Nacho Carbonell and Virgil Abloh; Friedman Benda with an immersive installation by Daniel Arsham; Swarovski with new lighting crystals by Tord Boontje and wallpapers by Calico. Referencing its Roman headquarters – Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana – Fendi invited the artists Louis Caputo and Sarah Kueng in a special collaboration to create the Roman Molds series: artifacts inspired by the brand’s heritage, and an eclectic vision of the iconic Peekaboo bag.
Louis Vuitton presented a new chapter in the legendary Objets Nomades travel collection: the Swell Wave shelf by Andrew Kudless, a floating piece composed of shelves with irregular forms joined by belting in blue or red leather. The wine cellars of Perrier-Jouët champagne were the image for an immersive installation created by Andrea Mancuso of Analogia Project. Ceramic elements reproduced the bottoms of bottles, creating evocative niches for the display of Metamorphosis: six goblets shaped in Murano by Fondazione Berengo, with forms based on nature and its enchanting transformations.
