With the Design Switzerland exhibition at this year’s Milano Design Week, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia is presenting nine of Switzerland’s most promising up-and-coming design studios. For the first time at the world’s most important design fair, the representatives of the Swiss design scene will be united under a single roof, the House of Switzerland in Casa Degli Artisti (Brera). A lot awaits to be discovered there, ranging from an intelligent coffee roasting machine to furnishings made of brewery waste. The projects on show, selected by a specialist jury, demonstrate the innovative vitality of young Swiss design.

Between 6 and 12 June, the spotlight in Milan is once again on the world of design. In the heart of the Brera district, the House of Switzerland will host some of the country’s best design talents. On invitation by Presence Switzerland, Pro Helvetia and Switzerland Global Enterprise, a variety of institutions, universities and brands will be displaying their productions on a floor space of 1250 m2 in the unique Casa degli Artisti, highlighting the dynamism and creativity of the contemporary Swiss design scene. On the ground floor, the exhibition «Design Switzerland’s Living Spaces» organised by Pro Helvetia offers glimpses of the future with a wide variety of ideas from nine young Swiss studios, that were chosen by a specialist jury following an open call for applications. For the fourth time, Pro Helvetia has enabled and organised the participation of young designers from Switzerland at the design industry’s most important annual get-together. With its support for aspiring designers, the Swiss Arts Council is pursuing clearly defined goals: enhancing visibility and stimulating the networking and match-making of creative talents with producers and brands from the design industry.

How do living spaces evolve in order to adjust to changes in society?

At the exhibition, representatives of the young Swiss design generation offer some innovative, inclusive and sustainable design ideas in response to this question. They include using brewery waste as raw material for furnishings, making folding screens out of hand-woven carbon fibre, an extendable chair that can be converted into a bench in a few, simple steps, and an intelligent coffee roasting machine that allows small, individually selected amounts of coffee beans to be roasted in a variety of defined manners.

All the objects and appliances shown are tried-and-tested prototypes from the interior design domain. The exhibition design of these world premieres on display at the Milan Design Week was created by the Lausanne-based studio iiode for the «Design Switzerland’s Living Spaces» exhibition. Visitors are invited to slow down, pause and enter into dialogues with the designers in the room.

Studios selected:

Alexandra Gerber Studio | Marc Gerber Design | Renaud Defrancesco Studio | Salienti | Shizuka Saito | Sébastien El Idrissi and Mikafi | Studio Eidola |
Studio Niederhauser | Vevig

 

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Press release by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, 23 May 2022