New Delhi – For Milan Design Week 2024, FENIX®, in collaboration with Broadview Holding brands Arpa®, Formica®, and Homapal®, is proud to present “Design Duo Double Feature.” This innovative project, curated by Federica Sala, will be showcased at FENIX Scenario, Foro Buonaparte 66. Formica’s participation in this prestigious event reflects its commitment to bringing the latest in design and material innovation to a global stage, with a particular focus on introducing these advancements to its Global audience. Global customers can look forward to discovering new and versatile furnishing solutions that blend creativity with functionality, setting new trends in interior design.
Design Duo Double Feature explores the multipotential of materials and surfaces through the lens of duality. Six pairs of designers were invited to create dual-use furnishing elements by combining FENIX® materials with other surfaces produced by the group. These unique products will be displayed in a dual indoor and outdoor setup designed by Studioboom, a dynamic duo of architects.
Curator Federica Sala explains, “I have always been fascinated by how, in architecture and design, creative duos manage to harmonize diverse inputs into single design solutions. To illustrate the exceptional versatility of FENIX®, we engaged multiple designers to foster lateral thinking, resulting in projects that embody duality in form, function, and transformation.”
Selected designers include CARA \ DAVIDE, DWA Design Studio, Martinelli Venezia, Næssi Studio, mist-o, and Zanellato/Bortotto, who have crafted objects showcasing transformability, mobility, sustainability, and versatility.
The exhibition highlights include several noteworthy projects. 1-2 many by studio mist-o features sculptural volumes made from FENIX® Giallo Evora, Azzurro Naxos, and Verde Kitami, highlighting the material’s versatility through repeated geometric modules. Ambo by CARA \ DAVIDE explores modular seating, combining Arpa® Rosa Shade in Kèr finish with FENIX® Giallo Evora, and featuring TUET Galea surfaces. Duo by Zanellato/Bortotto presents a pair of rocking chairs made from FENIX® Blu Shaba and Formica® Laminate, designed to maintain balance only when used together, symbolizing the harmony of duality.
Inbetween by Næssi Studio is a dual-sided piece of furniture that marks the transition between the exterior and interior of a home, made from FENIX® Rosso Askja and Homapal® Copper Stratos Diagonal. Match by Martinelli Venezia interprets the concept of duality through a dining table that transforms into a ping pong table, featuring FENIX® Bianco Malé and Rosso Namib. Finally, Theia by DWA Design Studio, a floor lamp and storage unit inspired by the Greek goddess of light, combines FENIX® Viola Orissa with Homapal® Plex Copper.
A brainchild of Studioboom, the installation links indoor and outdoor spaces through a single, specially designed, white three-dimensional geometric shape made in FENIX®. Developed both upwards and outwards, this sizeable volume weaves in and out of the showroom’s display windows, guiding the visitor through the exhibition. The architectural and volumetric attire of the installation serves as a backdrop for the creations of the six pairs of designers, effectively highlighting – thanks in part to the thoughtful use of white – the colour selection, the powerful colour combinations chosen by the designers, and the variety of tactile properties of the materials.
“We wanted to materialise the concept of duality through the interconnection of interior space with the exterior world, using a concept that is typical of modernist architecture,” say the architects of Studioboom. “The indoor/outdoor blend allows the visitor to double their perspective and multiply the space they can explore. A single white volume occupies the majority of the FENIX® showroom defining the exhibition route: a blank canvas that offers a backdrop for the works created by the pairs of designers involved, showcasing the shapes and masterful combinations of colours and textures, finally emerging through the transparent filter of the display windows to stretch out towards the city.”
Ajay Khurana, Managing Director of Formica India, comments, “We are thrilled to be part of Milan Design Week 2024 with our collaboration on ‘Design Duo Double Feature.’ This project not only highlights the versatility and innovation of FENIX® materials but also underscores the power of creative partnerships in pushing the boundaries of design. We look forward to seeing how these dual-use furnishing elements will inspire new approaches to material and surface design.”