Fornasetti Flagship, Milan

Apr 2

I’d be hard pressed to name a designer more prolific than Italian designer Piero Fornasetti (Alexander Girard is the only other that comes to mind straight away!); a creative style that was versatile and surreal and ‘everything and nothing’ all at the same time. Such iconic designs are deserving of a showroom to match, and the Fornasetti store in Milan is the perfectly kooky, over the top dedication to the brand and designer.

The flagship Fornasetti store in Milan is more like a museum than a boutique, with three floors jam-packed with pieces, archived designs and mid-century brand collateral, along with current ranges available for sale. The rooms each have a unique colour palette and theme - like the agate room, with wallpaper, table, bureau and chairs all adorned with squiggly agate patterns - and a focus on different items. Recurring motifs of suns, moons, snakes, rocks, Italian architecture - and of course, the famous opera singer Lina Cavalieri, cover just about every surface inside the store, making an immersive, almost otherworldly experience.