DesignMiami/ 2017: main entrance – Photo by James Harris.

Miami 2017 – The art and design world descends upon the so-called Magic city hosting the 13th edition of DesignMiami/. Until December 10, the fair presents 34 galleries and 11 Design Curio installations as well as a robust offering of satellite shows, talks and events. Check what we liked the most at DesignMiami/2017 main venue in Meridian Avenue and 19th Street, Miami Beach.

• RELATED STORIES: Read more about 2017 Miami art and design week on Archipanic…

CRISTINA GRAJALES’ exhibition in Miami – Photo by James Harris.

In last year’s edition flamboyance took over. Furry cabinets, gentle monsters, fluorescent sofas, golden mammoth and killer whales. DesignMiami 2017 has definitively got a more sober feel: from humble Shaker Furniture to Fendi luxury comfort zone and safe references from iconic style such as Space Age and Palm Springs’ Desert Modernism. Of course this doesn’t point to a lack in experimentation both in in style, materials and technology. Two examples? The liquid printing technology by MIT Self Assembly Lab on show at the Patrick Parrish gallery aims to revolutionize traditional 3D printing, while Mike and Doug Starn at Cristina Grajales’ set out new aesthetics combining bamboo and silk.

FENDI exhibition – Photo by James Harris.

THE GALLERIES

The Future Perfect gallery presents designs by ceramic artist Eric Roinestad which were inspired by the works of architecture masters such as Carlo Scarpa, Tomaso Buzzi and Bauhaus pioneer Oskar Schlemmer. The new collection includes a chandelier, hanging pendants, a floor lamp and wall lights as well as masks and vessels. 

Photo by @thefutureperfect, IG.

Cristina Grajales showcases the work of twin brothers Mike and Doug Starn, who designed a bamboo nest-looking set of furniture which were developed from the Big Bambú series of art installations. Each piece is made from bamboo strips lashed together with colourful threads.

Courtesy of Cristina Grajales.

New York gallery Converso debuts with an exhibition of furnishings and objects originally designed by architect Albert Frey, who is considered the founder of Palm Springs’ Desert Modernism in California.

CONVERSO @ DesignMiami/ 2017 – Photo by James Harris.

From Paris to Miami. Gallerie Kreo showcases limited-edition designs by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec including room dividers is made of hanging columns of upside-down ceramic pots. Demisch Danant‘s exhibition combines soft colors and shapes. Pierre Paulin’s Multimo seven-seat sofa stands out against a pink gradient background.

Demisch Danant @ DM17 – Photo by James Harris.

New York City’s Maison Gerard debuts showcasing an isolation pod designed by Maurice-Claude Vidili’s in 1971. The Space Age habitable fiberglass sphere was conceived as a bespoke distressing alcove fitted with hi-fi and white leather seating.

MAISON GERARD installation @ DM2017 – Photo by James Harris.

DESIGN CURIO

Patrick Parrish Gallery joins DesignMiami/ 2017 with Rapid Liquid Printing, an exhibition by the Self-Assembly Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology which shows in real time the quick process of robotic printing to produce tote bags and art objects.

On the opposite, John Keith Russel Antiques showcases authentic Shaker furniture and artifacts tuning with the principles of the XIX century New England religious sect: utility, simplicity and honesty. The asymmetric and multipurpose low-tech designs were conceived as pure functional and purpose-drive objects without any decorative purpose.

John Keith Russel Antique’s boot @ DesignMiami/2017 – Photo by @navva_m, IG.

New York designer Lindsey Adelman presents an immersive Cabinet of Curiosities hosting a kinetic assemblage of glass, porcelain and metal. Inspired by the writings of physicist Carlo Rovelli, the designs explore our relationship with objects with a poetic and scientific approach: “how our five senses may be limiting our understanding of of the reality of the universe?”.

Photo by James Harris.

House of Today is a non-profit design platform from Lebanon curated by Cherine Magrabi Tayeb, Titled, Construction Deconstruction the exhibition includes works by Khaled El Mays and Sayar & Garibeh as well as a poetic setting by Remi Dalle. The designer created deconstructed ceramic plates inserting fragments of ancient Lebanese crafts. The pieces hang on concrete walls to create a ceramic canvas reflecting Lebanon’s collective memory.

House of Today’s booth @ DM2017 – Photo by James Harris.

COLLABORATIONS

DesignMiami/ 2017 teamed with top international brands such as FENDI which presents a WELCOME!, an open environment on “good living“, featuring furnishings designed by Chiara Andreatti. A luxurious living room with a rural and rarefied style is punctuated with high-end, refined elements made from a wide range of handcrafted and natural materials.

FENDI @ DesignMiami/ 2017 – Photo by James Harris.

AirBnB welcomes visitors into the living room of designer Hannes Van Severen. The Muller Van Severen co-founder’s home in Belgium has been replicated and features the designers’ original  furniture as well as Hannes’ personal items.

AIRBNB installation in Miami – Photo by James Harris.

Galerie Kreo @ Design Miami 2017 – Photo by Julien Gremaud, courtesy of Galerie Kreo.