I’m going to Milan this fall and want to check out as much design as I can in three days. I’m interested in all types — furniture, fashion, product, auto, etc. Does anyone know of any design museums or factory tours, etc.?
Don’t be surprised by just how ugly Milan looks at first sight, it maybe the design capital of the world but its all grey, grey, grey!. The best musuem_ Triennale, near the castle; best furniture/ object design_ the shops in San Babila. I know artemide do factory tours but dont know how/when to organise.My advice would be to go in April during the Salone.
you can arrange a tour with the Alessi factory if youre up for a trip. Its in a really small town. check the alessi website for the address. its worth, it, very interesting from the point of design and manufacturing.
I went for the Salone in 2002 but I was too busy to take in any side trips. If you just have time to kill one day there is an Alessi shop in the shopping district by the Duomo. It was really neat to see a whole store full of their stuff. A decent portion of the smaller stuff was somewhat affordable too.
Yes, there’s a large and pricey dept. store called Rinascente right next to the Duomo, filled to the brink with the typically precious, somewhat excessive, sometimes caricatural Italian design of all kinds, but really, if you’in Milan you go look at the local women and men on the street, not just inanimate objects. A good lesson in genuine class, elegance and sex appeal.
Smell the perfumes, look at the jewellery, shoes, suits and body language, you can see all design objects in the countless magazines at home.
People make the place, not stuff on shelves.
Thank you all for your suggestions. That’s just what I needed. And don’t worry Egg, I will naturally be taking in all aspects of the Milan culture while I’m there.