For BLOND’s debut year at Fuorisalone, we took over a 120m² multi-room space in the heart of Brera, in which we launched two self-initiated pieces of furniture—the Peel Chair and Offcut Table. Alongside this, we held a week-long interactive design session that acted as a platform to share our creative process with the public—titled BLOND Artefacts. The remaining rooms in the space acted as a stage to launch two brands, Tesoro and Impulse.
The aim for this exhibition was multi-faceted—on one side it was to introduce BLOND and its design process on a global stage, and on the other, it was a tool to launch two very different brands to a relevant and widespread audience. The space was designed to invite users from room to room, with a consistent visual language throughout, yet at the same time capturing the essence of the brands that were being launched.
Services:
Spatial Design
Exhibition Fabrication
PR & Brand Strategy
Copywriting
Videography
Art Direction
The Peel Chair and Offcut Table had their own room in the space—telling the story of the two products and how they both rely on each other’s forms to exist. Final products were displayed on a large plinth, alongside manufacturing samples that leaned into the narrative of the pressed form that the two products share. The focal point of the room was a three-minute video, capturing the manufacturing process of the Peel Chair.
BLOND artefacts is an initiative created to affirm the studio’s design process, and instil its younger generation of designers to find inspiration through tangible objects. Each ‘artefact’ was sourced by BLOND from ordinary, everyday locations; from inconspicuous items forgotten in lofts, remove to charity shop discoveries, or objects found on the street. This exhibition invited the public to sketch their own responses to an artefact—at the end of each day, a selected response was brought to life with a 3D print, as well as a visualisation, acting as a fantastic incentive for participation.
The room that played host to this interactive experience was dominated by a large bespoke aluminium table frame, which displayed each artefact beneath a pane of glass—much like an artefact in a museum. This table allowed visitors to observe the artefacts whilst sketching ideas, promoting direct inspiration from the objects that sat before them.
The coverage of casa BLOND, combined with the incentivisation created through instagram, and bespoke BLOND merchandise, made the exhibition one of the most talked about exhibits of the week.
