As part of Milan Design Week 2018, Associative Design will showcase “The Best of Portugal” in Brera Design District, a key area in Milan for the promotion of design. Originated by the Portuguese Association of Wood and Furniture Industries (AIMMP), Associative Design promotes Portuguese brands and products globally.

Taking place in April every year, Milan Design Week is a veritable showstopper. The greatest design show on earth, it is a creative beacon for much of the world’s design glitterati, cognoscenti and devotees. Comprising the Salone Internazionale del Mobile (the largest design trade fair of its kind) and the Fuorisalone (a series of design events under one umbrella), Milan Design Week is abuzz with creativity. In design districts across the city, a plethora of inspiring and exciting events whet the appetites of eager design aficionados. As a centre of Milan’s creative, commercial and cultural evolution, Brera Design District is the perfect location for Associative Design’s artistic showcase.

Bringing Portuguese flair and creativity to Milan Design Week, the Associative Design showcase will feature an expertly curated mix of contemporary and luxury Portuguese design and innovation, including furniture, lighting and objets d’art. The exhibition incorporates new designs from luxury furniture brand Duquesa e Malvada and a fresh home collection from Granorte, a leading sustainable cork flooring manufacturer. Serip Lighting will display new lighting designs, and recent newcomer OIA will present its Kandinsky side tables.

Items from the AD Challenge ’17 will be on show. Launched in 2017 by Associative Design, the AD Challenge invited fifteen Portuguese and international designers to submit proposals exploring new and innovative furniture designs. Designers were asked to use wood in their concept and to work alongside furniture makers in Portugal’s northern region. A wonderfully fruitful venture, expect designs by experimental Portuguese designer André Teoman with furniture manufacturer Johema, Finnish industrial designer Ville Kokkonen, contemporary Portuguese brand Wewood and more.

Last, but by no means least, late-night VIP receptions will offer music and the finest Portuguese food and drink, prepared by chef Hélio Loureiro.

Designers and Brands at Associative Design Milano

&blanc is a collection of attractive, small-scale home accessories made with Corian®, expertly demonstrating the material’s creative potential. Hat is a playful, multipurpose round-bottomed Vessel by Miguel Flores Soeiro and Knot (also by Soeiro) is an artistic loop-shaped Napkin Ring. In Fold we find a sleek, minimalist Table Mirror by Marco Sousa Santos. Drawing inspiration from the mountainous regions where most Portuguese wine is made, Hills is a wavy Bottle Holder by Gonçalo Campos.

Working in collaboration with Portuguese furniture manufacturer Johema, experimental Portuguese designer André Teoman created the rather ingenious Galinha Sideboard for the AD Challenge ’17. Given Portugal’s special affinity with the rooster, Teoman’s design characterises this cultural norm in a wonderfully curious manner—the Galinha Sideboard rests on wooden eggs, sports brass chicken feet handles and Kvadrat “feathers”, and offers a quirky surprise inside.

Born in 2017 in Oiã, Portugal, OIA is a modern-day brand whose products are a combination of traditional stone craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology. Designer André Teoman created OIA’s first series of designs, working in conjunction with BARMAT, a Portuguese purveyor of natural stone products. Teoman’s geometric Kandinsky side tables were inspired by Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian pioneer of abstract modern art.

Manufacturing wood floors at family company Castro e Filhos since 1970, Castro Wood Floors are a product of the company’s dedication and commitment to wood and craftsmanship. Products include hardwood flooring, engineered wood flooring and decking. Castro Wood Floors will showcase its Deck floor.

Furniture brand Muranti and manufacturer Craft Dream Productions strive to find harmony in design, colour, materials and manufacturing. With a focus on creating high-end designs using rich materials, those artisans working with Craft Dream Productions treat every piece like a work of art. Muranti will present the statement Csarite drinks cabinet, designed exclusively for the AD Challenge 17’ by Joana Pinto.

DAAO Concepts (a trademark of DAAO Architecture and Design), is a collection of functional furniture pieces designed by Portuguese designer Danilo Olim. The collection includes the clever wall-like 17 bookshelf and the well made 21 chaise longue, a chair formed of two parts that rotate 360º.

Designers Mint, a creative collective of architects and designers, designed a number of items for luxury furniture brand Duquesa & Malvada, reflecting the brand’s commitment to high quality, handmade personal design. Duquesa & Malvada offer designs that reflect a stylish urban lifestyle, created in harmony with cosmopolitan ideals. These ideals can be seen across the collection, including the show-stopping Caprice Banquette and Minerva Sideboard.

Fagotel is a furniture and interior contract company working in the high-end international hotel sector, with a portfolio incorporating interior design projects and furniture production. For Milan they will showcase a range of their latest designs.

Founded in 1972, family business Granorte initially recycled the cork wastage produced by the wine cork stopper manufacturing industry. Dedicated to product research and development, and with significant expertise in technical solutions using cork, Granorte is now a leading sustainable cork flooring manufacturer. The brand will present a new home collection, including benches and a bath plus it’s classic stool collection produced by Vitra and designed by Jasper Conran.

Green Apple creates and manufactures furnishings and lighting for both the residential and hotel sectors. Marketed as a luxury brand, Green Apple’s designs are made in Portugal and exported worldwide. For the Brera showcase, Green Apple’s high-gloss Sunshine sideboard will be complimented by the luxurious Infinity mirror. Both designs are hand finished in gold leaf to the highest quality.

Combining a passion for technology, sound and furniture, Horizon 47 presents a new concept for smart furniture. Its innovative Moon Chair, with a hidden electro-acoustic system, was developed to offer aesthetics, exceptional comfort and a unique surround sound experience.

Set up in 2013, Nauu Design creates and manufactures a highly distinctive collection of furniture pieces, emphasising a commitment to quality, innovation, elegance and passion in design. Nauu Design will present The Embrace, a limited edition and opulent cabinet finished in gold leaf, and Muba, a refined, geometric side table.

Serip Lighting was founded in 1961, making chandeliers using glass and brass. Evolving through the years, its fluid, spiralling and irregular organic lighting is a mark of the brand’s commitment to conceptual design. Serip will present new lighting designs from it’s 2018 collection.

Across its body of work, Portuguese brand That Place tells a story of beauty and passion, exploring the concepts of fluidity, simplicity and functionality in design. Pieces by Lígia Soromenho include the smooth and striking Drop Lamp, and the graceful and irregular Moon Chair.

Viarco, a historic Portuguese pencil manufacturer (in the business since 1907), worked with Digitalab to create the Risko drawing desk. This beautiful, clean and modern desk is ideal for drawing, sketching and painting, and incorporates storage areas for paper and varied stationery needs.

As part of the AD Challenge ’17, Finnish industrial designer Ville Kokkonen created Wood System Variations, an adaptable chaise longue. With its symmetrical wooden slats, the design incorporates an adjustable slatted inlay, allowing the user to sit, recline and lie flat. The chaise longue was produced by Moniz Dias.

Established in 2010, Wewood is a Portuguese brand whose expert use of joinery produces superlative solid wood furniture. The exceptional Bridge Desk was designed by Christophe de Sousa for the AD Challenge ’17. de Sousa wanted to design a piece of furniture that would connect the user and their work/hobby—hence the Bridge Desk. The desk was inspired by the city of Porto, the only city in Europe with six bridges.

Located in Lordelo (near Porto), Portuguese furniture brand X8 Chairs & Tables has been creating furniture since 2009. The company works with the finest technicians in decoration, design and architecture to meet current market demands. For the Brera showcase, X8 Chairs & Tables will present luxury designs for the contemporary market, the Bubble Wood Chair, York Wood Chair and Delice Lounger.

Notes to Editors

Associative Design will exhibit an expertly curated mix of Portuguese design and innovation—including furniture, lighting and objets d’art in the heart of Brera Design District. 

17–22April 2018 (11 am till 9 pm each day)

Address Piazza S. Marco, 4, 20121 Milano

VIP Cocktail Reception 17th, 18th, 19th & 20th (Invite Only) 9 pm till late with music and the finest Portuguese food and drink, prepared by Michelin star chef Hélio Loureiro.

RSVP— [email protected]

For further information, press loans or hi-res images please contact David or Alice at Seen PR on [email protected] | Tel +44 (0) 1273 722 469 | @seen_pr

About Associative Design

Associative Design is a project by the Portuguese Association of Wood and Furniture Industries (AIMMP). It aims to develop and promote the production of Portuguese products and launch challenges that will contribute to innovation in the use of both technology and design. A brand of excellence, Associative Design will support, represent and promote companies that share this vision, taking their products further into exciting new markets.

Associative Design’s partners are brands approved by its Technical Committee (made up of three members of the design and crafts community), for their performance in product design, market alignment, trend standing or design-led re-industrialisation. www.associativedesign.com @associativedesign

About AIMMP: Portuguese Association of Wood and Furniture Industries

AIMMP’s mission is to represent, promote and protect the interests of Portuguese companies from the five sectorial divisions that make up the wood and furniture sector: cutting, felling, sawing and wood packaging; panels and panelled wood, carpentry and alike; furniture and alike; export, import and distribution of wood and derivatives. These industries account for sales of €2.3 billion and exports of €1.1 billion. www.aimmp.pt  

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