LAUFEN PRESENTS “HOW DARE YOU” DURING MDW 2023

Images courtesy of Laufen

The Installation Designed by Milanese Studio Lys

 The LAUFEN space Milano hosts ‘How dare you’, a new and very eclectic exhibition

“How dare you” is the title of the installation that LAUFEN  has chosen for the Milan Design Week this year. A provocative question that refers to the courage to go beyond one’s limits and create courageous, eclectic and surprising projects.

Marcel Wanders | Monique Baumann| eoos – harald gruendl, martin bergmann, gernot bohmann | NM3

“How dare you”, the installation designed by Milanese Studio Lys for Fuorisalone 2023, emphasizes the expressive power of a series of courageous projects born from the collaboration between LAUFEN and some experts from the world of design, architecture and art. The common thread that links the various creations in the LAUFEN space Milano is experimentation, which does not only concern innovative materials and techniques, of which LAUFEN can certainly boast a great deal of experience, but which implies the exploration of new living scenarios.

NM3 design studio

The exhibition winds its way through the LAUFEN space Milano, from the ground floor, into the internal courtyard, then continuing into the showroom on the second floor. This space hosts the two main characters of the show: the capsule collection created in collaboration with the NM3 design studio and the interpretation on ceramics by the Swiss artist Monique. Two languages ​​so different from each other that they almost confuse us and make us ask LAUFEN ‘How dare you?’

Monique Baumann

Presented by Melandas Indonesia

Sharp designs on the second floor!
The LAUFENXNM3 Capsule Collection includes furniture and accessories in stainless steel made using simple metal carpentry processes. The rigorous geometric lines and the high quality allow the pieces to fit perfectly into any environment. This is why LAUFEN has chosen to portray the collection in the very elegant entryways of some of Milan’s most symbolic buildings, where the pieces blend perfectly with the polychrome marbles, the ceramic workmanship and optical effects that are reflected on the stainless steel surfaces. In the installation ‘How dare you’ one of these settings has been recreated to show all the sculptural strength of the pieces.

On the same floor, the visitor gets a glimpse of Monique Baumann’s atelier, the Swiss artist who for LAUFEN has reinterpreted some ceramic pieces from the iconic Kartell • LAUFEN collection using the collage technique, painting and charcoal. A creative approach completely at odds with the industrial design of the NM3 studio.

At the entrance to the space, the visitor is intrigued by the light projected by Helix, an installation characterized by elements in Saphirkeramik, with a helical shape, which are strung on motorized poles forming an elegant dividing wall that can open or close to create different environments. The project was developed in collaboration with the Austrian studio EOOS NEXT. The design studio collaborated with the LAUFEN Research and Development Office in Gmunden (Austria), to design a system of LED spotlights which, when applied to the individual modules, guarantee better fluidity in the rotation of the ceramic elements. The wide range of colours in glossy or matt versions allows you to create a series of combinations and offers maximum customization. A project that combines technology and great poetry, opening up new possible areas of use for this material and new future applications.

The mezzanine shows the new collection of ceramic colours which can offer designers various compositional possibilities between soft or brighter shadows and glossy and matte textures. Moreover, the two pieces of furniture showcased have been created using the space collection furniture configurator.

Bohemian rhapsody on the ground floor
The exhibition continues on the ground floor where the small space opening onto the internal courtyard offers some projects with an elegant design and a very refined taste, for an even different interpretation of the bathroom environment.

Marcel Wanders

A decidedly unusual piece is the Falconnier Chandelier, born from the joint work between LAUFEN and Marcel Wanders to pay homage to the Swiss architect Gustave Falconnier, who towards the end of the 1800s invented a technique for the production of glass blocks widely used in architecture. The chandelier is made up of glass blocks made using some original Falconnier molds, and Saphirkeramik blocks with a matte finish.

The New Classic Collection designed by Marcel Wanders for LAUFEN is enriched with three delicate relief motifs born from the continuous research on the innovative Saphirkeramik. The light textures on the ceramic surface add a touch of personality and the unmistakable decorative language of Marcel Wanders.

‘How dare you’ offers a journey through different scenarios not exclusively related to the bathroom and shows the many solutions that the eclectic soul and curious gaze of LAUFEN can offer.