FLORILEGIO by Cristina Celestino – Photos by © De Pasquale+Maffini.
Design – Italian designer Cristina Celestino takes over the historic Fioraio Radaelli, with the Florilegio exhibition reinterpreting the spaces designed by Guglielmo Ulrich in 1945. Sustainable furniture establishes a fertile harmony between a contemporary idea of design and domesticated Nature. Via Manzoni 16 [Map].
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The work is organized around the relationship generated between the original architectural parts designed by Ulrich and the designer’s new intervention. “I sublimated any decorative interference through mirror-finish objects,” explains Cristina Celestino. The result is an ironic but also a magical tribute to the ‘nature’ of the place, inserting contemporary elements that nevertheless jibe with the existing aesthetic approach.
The Wall Orchids Celestino designed for Ames’ bloom’ with exquisite delicacy. The pieces are handcrafted in Colombia using natural fibres. On the floor is the Envolée rug designed for cc-tapis thrives with patterns inspired by butterfly wings, as seen on the microscope. Textiles are by Limonta, the main partner of the exhibition. Also on show is the designer’s Veretta chairs by Billiani.
The installation winds through an ample space such as the entrance hall and extends into more intimate, cozy zones like the room with the fountain. Everything suggests a new idea of urbanely domestic greenery. “A manifesto that narrates a hybrid indoor-outdoor, public and private existence. A layering process nurtures coexistence between material and content, suggesting a new way of perceiving and using space to generate new habits.”
Florilegio was one of the best exhibitions at Milan Design Week, balancing contemporary design with the beauty and power of Nature. This year architects and designers embrace the biophilia – the innate human instinct to connect with Nature and other living beings – discover more blooming architecture and design on Archipanic…
Photos © De Pasquale+Maffini – Courtesy of Cristina Celestino.
