A New Breed

A New Breed is an installation that features pieces by contemporary makers who blur the line between design and sculpture. They can be found exclusively at 1stdibs.com, the leading global marketplace for beautiful things.

This week, during the Salone del Mobile, Milan’s influential annual furniture fair, 1stdibs presented “A New Breed,” a two-day gallery-style exhibition featuring pieces by nearly 30 designers and makers whose work breaches the boundaries between design and sculpture. Cristina Miller, 1stdibs’ chief commercial officer, says that exhibiting these items in Milan sends the message that “having long been known as a key source for vintage and antique furniture and decor, we’re now also actively playing in the contemporary-design category.”

“A New Breed” was installed in three gracious 19th-century rooms in a 16th-century building in Milan’s historic Cinque Vie neighborhood — the city’s oldest and a mecca for design shops and galleries. Forming a strong contrast with the space’s traditional boiserie and parquet floors, the displays of the exhibited pieces featured pedestals of various sizes and shapes clad in a terracotta finish, referencing an ancient material that here becomes a foil for the new. The installation’s vestibule doubled as a lounge featuring pieces from some of 1stdibs’ dealers and manufacturer partners, including the iconic Italian lighting company Fontana Arte; the American textile maker Maharam, which was represented in the main exhibition with a silk and wool wall hanging by the Dutch designer Claudy Jongstra; and the Italian stone company Salvatori.

17-18 Aprile h. 11.00-21.00