MILAN UNDERGROUND: Objects Tour The European Capital of Design’s Iconic Subway
The Milan metro is iconic. Envisioned by Bob Noorda, Franco Albini, and Franca Helg, it’s the underground system the European capital of design deserves. PIN–UP sent a selection of objects on a tour.
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Photography by Francesco Nazardo and art direction by Cameranesi Pompili in PIN–UP 30 Spring / Summer 2021. Spread photographed by Luke Libera Moore.
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Photography by Francesco Nazardo and art direction by Cameranesi Pompili in PIN–UP 30 Spring / Summer 2021. Spread photographed by Luke Libera Moore.
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Photography by Francesco Nazardo and art direction by Cameranesi Pompili in PIN–UP 30 Spring / Summer 2021. Spread photographed by Luke Libera Moore.
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Photography by Francesco Nazardo and art direction by Cameranesi Pompili in PIN–UP 30 Spring / Summer 2021. Spread photographed by Luke Libera Moore.
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Photography by Francesco Nazardo and art direction by Cameranesi Pompili in PIN–UP 30 Spring / Summer 2021. Spread photographed by Luke Libera Moore.
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Photography by Francesco Nazardo and art direction by Cameranesi Pompili in PIN–UP 30 Spring / Summer 2021. Spread photographed by Luke Libera Moore.
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Milan! special feature in PIN–UP 30 Spring / Summer 2021. Spread photographed by Luke Libera Moore.
AZUCENA
The Catilina armchair was designed by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena, the design company he co-founded in 1947. Presented to the public for the first time in 1953, the Catilina remains a timeless classic in Azucena’s collection, now produced by B&B Italia. This version is the result of a 2021 collaboration with the Milanese luxury leather goods company Serapian. It features a special trim on the cushion in Serapian’s signature “mosaico” style made from braided nappa leather strips.
HERMES
Hermès’s Passifolia vase (2020) by Nathalie Rolland-Huckel is part of a 30-piece tableware collection. Hermès prides itself in keeping traditional French artisanat alive such as porcelain from Limoges. This Passifolia vase’s botanical decoration gets its luminescence through a 19th-century chromolithography technique and is finished with a hand-painted 24-karat gold rim.
MOLTENI
Gio Ponti’s D.235.1 is an indisputable classic that is as defiantly Milanese as the metro itself. Initially conceived in 1935 for his Montecatini Building, the chair was re-editioned In 2014 by Molteni. Originally used in the office building’s switchboard rooms, its hi-tech aesthetic has solidified its enduring place as a quintessential Italian design. Molteni offers the D.235.1 in both this all-over polished-aluminum finish or accented with nine different leather options.
TACCHINI
Legendary Milanese architect Umberto Riva designed the A.D.A table light in 2020 for Tacchini. Playing on the traditional table lamp form, Riva balanced the two fiberglass cones to create an uncomplicated sense of balance. When lit, A.D.A’s fibers become visible, lending additional texture to the light. It comes in both glossy and matte finishes tinted either sage or this blue shade.
TOBIAS GRAU
Launched in 2019, the Parrot was the first object from Tobias Grau not designed by the company’s founder himself. Envisioned by two of his sons, the artists Timon and Melchior Grau, the Parrot has turned heads with its rotating LED lamp and extendable aluminum body. Cableless and rechargeable, few lights are better suited for a subway outing. The sculptural Parrot is also available in black, white, and powder blue.
POLIFORM
The Nara coffee table (2020) is one the latest creations from longtime Poliform collaborator Jean-Marie Massaud. The French architect gave the Nara a handcrafted feel, and it comes in two finishes and sizes. The one shown here is made of black elm.
E15
The TORE collection by David Thulstrup is a series of sculptural side tables by the Danish architect and designer for Frankfurt-based e15. TORE comes crafted in Nero Marquina and Gray Bardiglio marble for those who want stone, as well as solid walnut and European oak in various finishes and colors. The version shown here is in vibrant sulfur yellow.
ACERBIS
The Storet cabinet was designed by the late Italian artist and designer Nanda Vigo in 1994. Thanks to Acerbis’s new creative directors David Lopez Quincoces and Francesco Meda the Storet is again part of the company’s collection. Its main body is made entirely of walnut and brushed with veneer of black ash or dark walnut stain. The glossy moldings are individual drawers and come in lacquered pink (shown) and seven other colors.
CC TAPIS
The Like a Prayer rug (2020) was designed by Iranian artist Taher Asad-Bakhtiari as part of his graphically bold collection Archers — arrow-like hand-knotted runners produced by CC-Tapis. Released in time to celebrate the company’s tenth anniversary in 2021, Asad-Bakhtiari’s rugs are all handmade in Nepal using Himalayan wool and matka silk.
Photography by Francesco Nazardo
Art direction by Cameranesi Pompili
