A sinuous wall of terracotta modules with a rhythm of bends where outdoor seats and pots filled with aromatic herbs were placed: this was the highlight of the “Inspired in Barcelona: Mediterranean Design” exhibition, an event – promoted by Catalonia Trade & Investment, Ajuntment de Barcelona and organized by BCD Barcelona Centre de Disseny with the participation of Habitat Cluster Barcelona – that brought the best Catalan design at an architectural exhibition in Milan Design Week 2019.
The iconic installation at this architectural exhibition designed by Emiliana Design Studio and realized by Ceramica Ferrés could be seen from the main door of the building and anticipated the “Warm, Diverse, Open, Emotional” main issues, through which the exhibition let the over 10,000 visitors test the real soul of Barcelona, its unique lifestyle and creative talent.
The Mediterranean city is indeed becoming more and more popular as an international design district and if the sculptural installation switched on its creative power, the approximately 100 products included in two different exhibition layouts and selected among 50 brands actually made it explode. From urban flooring tiles to outdoor barstools, lounge seats for offices and hotels, rechargeable lighting systems to be used in the garden, home complements to materials, fabrics, and interior finishings, a true conceptual cross-section of Barcelona and its values has been proposed.
On one side, the exhibition layout by Emiliana Design Studio for BCD Barcelona Centre de Disseny outlined urban, public, and residential spaces in abstract terms, using design products of different types. Renewed brands such as Nanimarquina, Kettal, Santa&Cole, Vibia, Mobles 114, BD Barcelona were matched with lesser-known companies and with a collective of young designers, thus drawing a map where Barcelona proved all its features, such as its attitude to harmonize tradition and innovation, pragmatism and uniqueness and to rethink about the Mediterranean language without losing its decorative rules, shapes, and colors.
The second exhibition layout was instead designed by CODIC – Col.legi de Dissenyadores d’Interiors I Decoradors de Catalunya for Habitat Cluster Barcelona: it was conceived like an experimental lab, where finishings, the most common and innovative materials, decoration ideas for indoor and outdoor and textile solutions were matched together to complete a great interior project.
Three different exhibition layouts, together with a hundred products and 50 brands were committed to summarizing in one major event the cultural heritage of the Catalan capital and its extraordinary attitude to design, which succeeded to catch the eye of the international audience during Milan Design Week.
