Milan Salone 2017: Lessons for living
Milan – The inaugural Ikea Festival at Milan Salone Internazionale del Mobile aims to redefine what contemporary living spaces could be.
- Let’s Make Room for Life proposes creative solutions to re-imagine the functionality of the living room
- A programme of talks, performances and workshops are designed to open a dialogue between the brand and the public
The festival is built around Ikea’s core value of democratic design and is intended to serve as a test bed of ideas and a chance for the brand to interact with people. ‘As a curious company, we want to understand people’s needs and meet them with solutions,’ explains head of design Marcus Engman. Ikea hopes to learn from real-time reactions to new prototypes and products on show in the space.
Creative collaborations with a range of designers and studios such as OpenHouse magazine and synthesiser company Teenage Engineering addressed the changing needs of urban living. Ikea’s Space10 presented The Growroom, a large multi-tiered spherical garden designed to grow food sustainably for a small neighbourhood or business. Open-source plans are available for the structure in the hope that members of the public will build similar gardens in urban areas.
Most Read
1
Wearables of the future could be made of biosmart materials:
Puma’s global director of innovation Charles Johnson on the brand’s recent...
2
Alternative Energy Drinks:
Growing concern about the negative health impact of high-sugar and caffeine...
3
Can a smart bracelet combat sexual assault on campus?:
Buzz is a new device that alerts the wearer the more they drink. But does it...
4
Pregnancy Wellbeing:
As Millennial women start their own families, brands are creating pregnancy...
5
Off-demand Entertainment:
A new type of television, rooted in nostalgia for scheduled programmes, is...
6
Could fare-free public transport reduce cities’ pollution? :
To combat toxic air, local and national governments are exploring ways to...
7
Joao Reginatto on how blockchain will shape the global economy:
Joao Reginatto, European director of product and operations at cryptofinance...
8
Is the future of corner shops socially conscious retail?:
Rachel Krupa, founder of The Goods Mart, on curating a new type of socially...
9
What’s next for fermented food and drink?:
With consumer interest in fermented food and drink growing exponentially,...
10
Responsive Wayfinding:
Retailers are harnessing digital tools to bring the speed and convenience of...
11
How can supermarkets cut down on plastic waste?:
The strategies food and drink retailers can use to reduce their reliance on...
12
Inspiration per square foot:
The success of bricks-and-mortar retail is no longer determined by sales per...
13
Convenience Stores 2.0:
Corner stores are moving away from sugary snacks to offer fresh, organic and...
14
Why brands must demystify children’s meal times:
Beth Bentley, global vice-president of strategy at Virtue Worldwide, on why...
15
