https://www.deplumemagazine.com/articles daily 0.75 2026-05-11 https://www.deplumemagazine.com/articles/9kg6jp5t4ffoofrjvjbg5a827tjb0w monthly 0.5 2026-05-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/c7220306-a91a-4bd0-84e3-7ac5b01520b0/3.png Articles - Milan Design Week Review: Designers or Party Planners? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/d62b00d0-7f11-4ca3-92ae-58298def0dd1/4.png Articles - Milan Design Week Review: Designers or Party Planners? At Alcova, the baking theme continued with a “Feast for Rats” bread dining table, with a bread tablecloth, bread chairs and an entire bread dinner ensemble of cutlery, cups and decor made by designers from Geneva University of Art and Design. Their project explored the relationship of animals in interior spaces, and the detail of the bread designs convinced me it was a ceramic dinner layout. Turning to bread as a material isn’t surprising, as it is part of the trend of discovering biodegradable and sustainable ways of creating products. Biomaterials are so important to explore in an age where plastic is taking over landfills, and our own bodies. Bread is just flour and water: it’s biodegradable, sustainable — it is accessible and cheap. In a time of economic unrest this bread furniture might have all the answers. It is a genius way of repurposing basic materials and simultaneously highlighting the historic craft of baking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/01ac0649-f16d-43a0-b938-bc3be99e3cb4/5.png Articles - Milan Design Week Review: Designers or Party Planners? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/50422c51-03ac-4d9c-a1fe-de1526496085/6.png Articles - Milan Design Week Review: Designers or Party Planners? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/a21348b7-e4c8-4b1e-b5df-5d7ba00e5459/jewelry+pericing.png Articles - Milan Design Week Review: Designers or Party Planners? “Salone Satellite” showcases young emerging designers at the Salone Del Mobile, which feels so refreshing in a space filled with highly industrial conglomerate companies. Manu Pagliosa is a Brazilian furniture designer that showcased “Body in Tension” at Salone Del Mobile, where her furniture designs have piercings. Her collection of metal and glass tables have protruding spherical piercings that stretch through each design. It is such an interesting approach to bring human adornment into furniture and although piercings can be perceived as punk, her designs have a geometric elegance. In contrast, CJ Aslan really brought punk to furniture at Alcova. Her “Designed Objects” series, feature “147 hours of hand set assorted spikes and gemstones” on a stainless-steel seat and ottoman. She is the artist behind “Aslan World”, which recently released studded and spiky “teeth” ballet flats. The base of her seat is a cube, inspired by the feeling of empty digital spaces. Surrounding the cube are spikes and stones, giving the seat it’s character — it is a rockstar seat — originally inspired by trees that grew thorns to defend themselves. Her designs are a fantasy, and it was a pleasure to interact with her chair: I felt like a rockstar too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/3390d675-6979-4a42-a7f4-61b7e95aa8cc/8.png Articles - Milan Design Week Review: Designers or Party Planners? Also, at Alcova, there was more embellished furniture by Llewellyn Chupin which were less punk, but more ritualistic. Her designs completely blew me away; they are sublime. Her “Rituals of Adornment” series featured a bench, a chair, a screen and standing lights made from a soft patinated aluminium. Each object had a touch of adornment: a silk train or a natural pearl chain dropped softly from the pieces. A fragile contrast to the metal structure. The designs represent the soft presence of the sacred, which is the exact sentiment I felt around the objects. It felt like a meditative space. These designs display the power of how accessories can transmit different aesthetics, which we see everyday in how people wear jewellery. From punk to the sacred, that range exists in every art medium and it is beautiful and fun to see it emerging in furniture design. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/196171be-6f80-41ca-8b7a-6fe486670aa5/9.png Articles - Milan Design Week Review: Designers or Party Planners? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/52dbbc0c-1f80-4900-938e-c944d556c9fb/10.png Articles - Milan Design Week Review: Designers or Party Planners? Using paper in light fixtures and products is also one of the biggest trends this year. One memorable example was at Issey Miyake’s furniture display which was all made from compact and folded paper. This is very on brand for Issey Miyake, as the fashion house explores the possibilities of folding for clothing, however they took that principle into furniture. They took folded wastepaper and densely packed it together to create blocks which became tables, side tables, chairs and an armchair. The colourful paper created a beautiful, marbled effect on the final objects, and they were sturdy and strong. As a designer-maker who works with metal primarily, I was excited to see how it was being shaped and developed into new designs, but I also understand why designers are using it more alongside paper. Fundamentally, paper and metal are more accessible materials, as wood is becoming increasingly more expensive. They are also easily recyclable. In an age where designers must be sustainable, metal can be recycled endlessly, and paper is a biomaterial that can be reduced to pulp and reused again. Economically and environmentally metal and paper are obvious choices for design, and it was clear during this design week. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/81a140f9-89fa-4fa5-a808-431d1d4dadb5/12.png Articles - Milan Design Week Review: Designers or Party Planners? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.deplumemagazine.com/articles/still-on-the-way-to-ithaca monthly 0.5 2026-05-08 https://www.deplumemagazine.com/articles/the-prison-of-an-abundance-of-choice monthly 0.5 2026-04-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/04d1406b-50fd-45b9-99ef-a4703379058b/WhatsApp+Image+2026-04-29+at+12.44.28.jpeg Articles - The prison of an abundance of choice - Make it stand out “Sit down and think” - Anna Longinova https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/c60720ea-7635-4faa-8d4a-5f28d62820d6/WhatsApp+Image+2026-04-29+at+12.44.25.jpeg Articles - The prison of an abundance of choice - Make it stand out “La Mémoire” - René Magritte https://www.deplumemagazine.com/articles/designing-meaning monthly 0.5 2026-04-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/0a0e6048-e172-4ffe-9ed2-430296e76075/IMG_7304+3.jpg Articles - Designing Meaning - Make it stand out The Keshi Ring by Lodovica Gay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/2db463b7-73e9-4ed9-857d-57f20cb45b15/IMG_7330+2.jpg Articles - Designing Meaning - Make it stand out The Keshi Ring by Lodovica Gay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/6f9934d7-e706-42f1-80b4-599a5e583b82/BEFA0D5E-7C52-4701-9127-23B55ABEEF78.JPG Articles - Designing Meaning - Make it stand out Keshi Ring Sketches by Lodovica Gay https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/3bc888fa-abbb-4a65-8b15-e7dec6eb0441/Opera_senza_titolo+348.png Articles - Designing Meaning - Make it stand out Keshi Ring Design by Lodovica Gay https://www.deplumemagazine.com/articles/what-the-strelitzia-keeps monthly 0.5 2026-04-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/7ba627e7-67b4-435e-9128-5837be007192/IMG_8480.JPG Articles - What the Strelitzia keeps - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/569869cb-51ba-4fe6-b64c-4df9308ecd14/IMG_8485.JPG Articles - What the Strelitzia keeps - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.deplumemagazine.com/articles/what-lights-your-fire monthly 0.5 2026-04-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/e30a30af-75dd-426d-ad6a-15dc69f0318b/30871ebf2c48f54169fcd71bf0c842db.jpg Articles - What lights your fire? - This love for flower beauty was inherited from his mother and it became the heart of his designs from the beginning. In 1947, he launched his first collection, “Corolle,” inspired by the flower cup of a bluebell. This collection would later evolve into the iconic “New Look,” a line that was revolutionary in its expression of femininity and elegance. His designs were a tribute to the grace and strength that women possessed. For him, fashion wasn’t just about appearances; it was about emotion, connection and meaning. What makes Dior’s work so unique is that he wasn’t simply following trends…no, he was driven by something deeply personal. His designs were an embodiment of his belief that beauty could uplift and inspire. He created from a place of genuine passion and through his vision, he reignited a sense of elegance that the world had almost forgotten. That alone deserves a big round of applause. Christian Dior didn’t guess how much he would make one girl from Serbia happy. She was born too late to wish to meet the brain himself, but that didn’t stop her from always wondering “What would Dior create today?”. https://www.deplumemagazine.com/articles/the-rosewood-chair monthly 0.5 2026-04-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/291bdd2c-a887-4f7e-bc3d-3b311ea4243c/Rosewood+Chair Articles - The “Rosewood” Chair - Make it stand out The “Rosewood” Chair by Alice Semenenko & Sofia Vargas https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/45b5da3d-eb96-431a-b8f1-11de72bcdaa1/image00005.png Articles - The “Rosewood” Chair - The Eameses are known for innovation, with experiments of bending plywood and plastic moulding. They are a husband-and-wife team, Charles Eames worked on the architectural and structural side of production and Ray Eames worked on the artistic and creative side. The blending of innovation and artistry led to furniture, which is timeless, functional and beautiful. My favourite objects they made are “Plywood Sculpture” (1943) and “Plywood Elephant” (1945) because they represent the Eameses so well: it is art mixed with genius engineering. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/1f407459-58b1-424a-8a5f-72ff626bdd67/Design+Students+Building+Rosewood+Chair Articles - The “Rosewood” Chair - As designers in our generation, it is our responsibility to understand the significance of every piece of material we work with. It is no longer acceptable to use a material for aesthetics or status, we must understand its life cycle, if it can be recycled, or reused or disassembled. Look at plastic, it was once a wonder material for the future, and now only 9% is being recycled globally (UNDP, 2023) and it takes 20 to 500 years to biodegrade, so it is stuck in landfills. (WWF, 2025) Tony Fry in “Design Futuring” (2018) discusses the harmful effects of industrialization, and that we are at a point in our world where we must stop “defuturing” by destroying resources and our planet to keep creating more items. He argues that designers are the key to creating positive change since we are developing new objects for our world. We have the power to control what materials we use and how long they can last. Sofia and I understood our responsibility to enlighten others about the illegal trade of rosewood and to create a chair that is beautiful, high quality and sustainable without new extraction for materials but using what we already have. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/1775561848252-1V5JJE0AYHC01SLBWVXA/image00001.jpeg Articles - The “Rosewood” Chair https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/1775561844343-UY266Q19RWQUA205ACNA/image00002.jpeg Articles - The “Rosewood” Chair https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/1775561854789-VVAHUQMZYGW3QMN6JELE/image00003.jpeg Articles - The “Rosewood” Chair https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/1775561857097-235S5MGNRGG2Z051B7WX/image00006.jpeg Articles - The “Rosewood” Chair https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b5a97b2b0b822a099f5e57/3aca84f2-fbc5-41e2-93b0-cdd2ed9c4fec/Rosewood+Chair Articles - The “Rosewood” Chair - The “Rosewood” Chair by Alice Semenenko & Sofia Vargas With the “Rosewood” chair Sofia and I transformed old, discarded plywood into a functional and sculptural chair which is currently standing beautifully in my bedroom. It is a comfortable nook in my space, it physically helps to support my weight, my clothes and symbolically it supports my message of hope for the world. There are so many waste streams, but so much potential for change. Sofia and I chose one narrative to share with the world, but I am sure each of you have your own passions and your own desires to create change in any artistic medium. Designers and artists can be the alchemists which can help transform waste into artifacts – so share your ideas, your narratives, always: but please do it with care. A huge thank you to Sofia Vargas for contributing all her amazing graphic design posters for this article. https://www.deplumemagazine.com/articles/we-know-all-the-rules-and-still monthly 0.5 2026-04-05 https://www.deplumemagazine.com/articles/my-mother-was-right-beauty-will-save-the-world monthly 0.5 2026-03-30 https://www.deplumemagazine.com/home daily 1.0 2026-04-29