2018 Salone del Mobile Milano: Soft hues, Intrecciato and sculptures by Bottega Veneta Home

Bottega Veneta presented its new Home collection on during Milan’s Salone del Mobile. The collection is shown at the Bottega Veneta Home store on Via Borgospesso 5, Milano, showcased within a special scenography conceived by Bottega Veneta Creative Director Tomas Maier.

 

Complete with flowers by Rattiflora, a curated selection of books and fine art, the presentation of the new Bottega Veneta Home collection during 2018 Design Week Milano offered much more than furniture and accessories. Rather, Creative Director Tomas Maier illustrated the Italian art of living that’s essential to Bottega Veneta.

This season, the palette of Bottega Veneta Home moved in a different direction with a new range of soft hues and pure white. The Rudi Fringe also comes in Antique Rose, a dusty pink, and in Doe, a dove grey. The Murano glass lamp is now made in glossy white, bringing a luminous look to the iconic lighting piece. The new modular BV Tre seating family, available in both leather and linen, can be ordered in Mist, a true white; Antique Rose and Doe. Masses of flowers in white and shades of pink throughout the presentation served to accent the new color story.

For the art, Maier worked again with Robilant + Voena on a selection of pieces from Italian artists, mostly from the 1960s and 70s. These included two mirrored bronze sculptures and a crimson shaped canvas by Agostino Bonalumi, crystal sculptures by Pietro Cascella and a late-Baroque marble sculpture by Giovacchino Fortini, placed in the courtyard.

In the lighting category there are three new bronze styles created in collaboration with Osanna Visconti di Modrone. They are made with a lost-wax technique to echo the intrecciato weave. This marks the second collaboration between Maier and Visconti di Modrone, following the set of bronze tables presented in 2016.

This season, Tomas Maier injected a fresh vibrancy into his vision of the dining room. The collection’s first-ever rectangular dining table is in red travertine. The top rests on a center base, like the circular version.

“I hate dining table legs,” says Maier. “You always sit down and hit your knee. That’s why I like to design tables with no legs at all.”

The leg-free style also fosters an intimate atmosphere as there is nothing to limit to the number of dinner guests. The new Tassello dining chair, made of washed green suede, sets off the rich hue of the table, while the porcelain collection now features a hand-painted butterfly motif. Placed seemingly at random, some butterflies are lightly sketched while others are fully realized.

The 8-Arches Coffee table is bold in black and white marble with a black metal base. A new addition to the Rudi seating family is the Rudi Fringe, which is crafted with a passementerie-inspired fringe. “That traditional look has been out of style for so long,” says Maier. “We want to revive it in a new way.” The classic Camp Day bed gets the graphic treatment in a new woven black-and-white Checker motif.

Bottega Veneta: continued redeployment.

In the first quarter of 2018, Bottega Veneta delivered revenue of €261.2 million, down 6.8% as reported and up 0.7% on a comparable basis, according to Kering luxury group. Sales in the directly operated store network rose by 1.7%, led by positive momentum in North America (up 10.6%), Asia Pacific (up 5.8%), and Japan (up 6.1%). New lines were well received, and Ready-to-Wear fared well. Wholesale was down slightly in the quarter.

“The House is continuing to optimize its store network and strengthen its visibility through a communications strategy designed largely for digital media,” stated Kering.