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For design and architecture aficionados, LUXUO revisits the standout moments of the year, spanning architecture, interior design, furniture innovation, and tributes to design legends we’ve lost. These milestones have left an enduring impression on the global design community.
As 2024 draws to a close, it will be remembered as a pivotal year of progress in the design industry — one defined by groundbreaking advancements, thriving research, and an unwavering commitment to sustainability.
Salone del Mobile 2024
More than 1,950 exhibitors from 35 different nations attended the annual Salone del Mobile, the largest design expo in the world. The event, which took up 174,000 square meters of exposition area, had a record attendance of 370,824 people (+110,000 more than in 2022), up 20.2 percent from 2023. Additionally, there was a significant increase in professionals, up 28.6 percent, with 65.6 percent coming from overseas.
The year’s most anticipated event, Rho Fiera’s 62nd edition, kicked off with a packed schedule of speeches, exhibitions, and nearly 2,000 exhibitors. Salone del Mobile aimed to provide exceptional experiences, synaesthesia, and cultural short circuits while providing exhibitors with long-lasting value.
The two bi-annual EuroCucina and the International Bathroom Exhibition, the 25th anniversary of SaloneSatellite, was created by Marva Griffin with the subject “Connecting Design since 1998,” and the large-scale installations “Interiors by David Lynch” were among the activities this year. “Under the Surface,” “A Thinking Room,” “All You Have Ever Wanted to Know About Food Design in Six Performances,” and the “Drafting Futures” talk series. Discussions about “Next Perspectives” in the Formafantasma-designed Arena Drafting Futures area.
EuroCucina 2024
The 24th edition of EuroCucina (Kitchen Year) considers artificial intelligence, sustainability, and context hybridisation. The kitchen, which has historically been a private area, is changing to accommodate new social interactions and experiences, becoming a relational “hyperworld” that links the several facets of domestic life. The lines separating the kitchen from other areas of the house are becoming increasingly hazy, necessitating adaptable designs that blend in with the other living areas. Innovative kitchen technologies, integration with outside areas, and environmental and social sustainability are highly valued.
These days, the kitchen serves as a hub for innovation. Technology is used not just in the digital industry but also in the pursuit of novel materials, coatings, and design approaches. In fact, over 100 international manufacturers showcased the newest developments for one of the most iconic locations in the home environment at the biennial EuroCucina.
Considering this year’s developments, most of the products on display investigate novel kitchen concepts. An increasingly open kitchen, enhanced by priceless materials and exceptional technical performance, is meant to be a place for daily living rather than only for cooking. Technology and materials were the two main themes at this year’s EuroCucina. The first provides space-saving surfaces, low dimensions, and miniaturisation while streamlining operations and aiding in food preparation and preservation.
A case in point? Elica gave “Lhove” an ” all-in-one” kitchen in its Calvi Brambilla-designed rooms, integrating the most cutting-edge technology to provide a unique product on the market — a single appliance that functions as a cooktop, oven, and hood.
With technology, there are materials, a never-ending quest for excellence, luxury, and exceptional technical performance. Stoneware takes centre stage in its colour variations for Binova hobs; the new Bluna model eliminates hotplates and has an induction system built into the material. Thus, there will only be one single-material base and no more hobs.
Gaetano Pesce – A Visionary Designer
The late Italian architect and designer Gaetano Pesce (1939–2024) was renowned for inventing material combinations and colourful, biomorphic shapes. Born in La Spezia, Italy, he studied architecture at the University of Venice under renowned instructors, including Carlo Scarpa and Ernesto Rogers. Pesce continuously questioned accepted norms of abstraction and homogeneity in his work, which covered architecture, urban planning, and industrial design during his career.
Pesce’s designs are well known for their social criticism and emotional impact. His famous Up series armchair, which debuted in 1969 and symbolises women’s enslavement with a bulbous body attached to a spherical ottoman, makes a powerful statement against gender inequity. He was a trailblazer using materials like urethane, foam, and resin, producing works that conflate functional design with art.
The Organic Building in Osaka, Japan, stands out for its vertical garden exterior, and the interior design of the Chiat/Day offices in New York, which imitated urban settings to encourage innovation, are two of Pesce’s most prominent architectural works. His work is included in major museum collections worldwide, such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Pesce influenced generations of designers as teachers at establishments like the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées in Strasbourg and the Cooper Union in New York. He received multiple honours for his work, including the 1993 Chrysler Design Award for Innovation and Design. Pesce died on April 3, 2024, leaving behind a work that skillfully combines human emotion, society, and art.
Capita Spring
The 280-meter tower CapitaSpring, located in Singapore’s Downtown Core, is an example of creative urban design. The 51-storey tower, designed in collaboration with Carlo Ratti Associati and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), was finished in 2021 on the site of the Golden Shoe Parking Lot.
With two large gardens — one 100 meters above ground and Singapore’s tallest rooftop urban farm — the building’s architecture skillfully blends nature and urban life. In addition to providing residents with a calm setting amid the busy city, these green areas support the city’s biodiversity.
The mixed-use structure of CapitaSpring consists of Citadines-managed serviced apartments, co-working spaces, and conventional office space. The tower also offers a variety of dining alternatives, including the 51st-floor Japanese restaurant Oumi, which offers expansive city views.
Adding a hawker area on the second and third floors is a noteworthy element that preserves Singapore’s rich culinary legacy in a contemporary environment. This fusion of modern and traditional features captures the city’s cultural development.
CapitaSpring uses cutting-edge access technologies like facial recognition, mobile QR codes, and RFID tags to improve user convenience and security. However, from late 2023, entrance to the gardens has been restricted due to increasing tourist interest. To efficiently manage crowd levels, reservations had to be made in advance via the CapitaSpring website. The tower’s eco-friendly architecture and multipurpose areas, which skillfully combine work, play, and nature, are prime examples of a progressive approach to urban development. In addition to enhancing Singapore’s skyline, CapitaSpring establishes a standard for upcoming urban planning projects.
Pan Pacific Orchard
Known as the “world’s best new tall building,” the Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel in Singapore boasts a distinctive design that includes a lush jungle terrace, tropical plants, and an artificial lagoon.
With more than 340 rooms and more than 100 plant species, the 23-storey hotel, which opened in June 2023, creates a vertical oasis in the middle of the city. Four different settings — Forest, Beach, Garden, and Cloud — inspired the hotel’s architecture, which was created by Singapore-based WOHA Architects. Each of these environments has its terrace inside the structure.
The Forest Terrace is a calm introduction to the hotel’s naturalistic atmosphere. It greets visitors with a high-ceiling lobby decorated with towering trees and a lively waterfall. With its emerald pools and sandy “beachfront,” the Beach Terrace provides a resort-like setting in the middle of the metropolis.
The Garden Terrace is a peaceful haven for visitors. It offers a well-kept garden with a verandah, event grass, and fountains. One of Singapore’s tallest ballrooms, with 400 seats, is available at The Cloud Terrace for opulent gatherings with expansive city views.
The hotel’s design emphasises sustainability and demonstrates a dedication to responsible urban development. Its green canopy is equipped with solar panels that transform sunshine into useful energy. In recognition of the Pan Pacific Orchard’s creative fusion of flora and ecological principles, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) named it the “world’s best new tall building.”
This recognition highlights the hotel’s position as a model for upcoming urban design initiatives, skillfully fusing opulent hospitality with ecological awareness.
Philippe Starck
During Milan Design Week 2024, the Cassina Store Milan got ready for “Somewhere Else,” a unique installation celebrating the thirty-year collaboration between Cassina and Philippe Starck. Stocked at W. Atelier, the elegant Somewhere EL-S series is an unmatched assortment of uniquely crafted seating components that draw inspiration from various sources. These components include ottomans that evoke luxurious luggage and armchairs wrapped in elegant clothing. Inspired by the world of saddlery and leatherwork adorned with metal accents, it featured a beautiful combination of materials, textures, and hues that presented a story of sophisticated artisan craftsmanship.
The designer created the “Volage Ex-S” Night Wood Bed. This chic and eclectic sleeping area collection is the centrepiece of a theatrical, enigmatic, and surprising tale that Philippe Starck himself curated, as well as the Somewhere EL-S family of ottomans and armchairs in honour of this momentous occasion.
Fumiko Maki
As a pioneer of modern architecture, Fumiko Maki, a key player in Japan’s Metabolist movement, died on June 6, 2024, at 95. His firm, Maki and Associates, in Tokyo, confirmed that he died of natural causes. Born in 1928 in Tokyo, Maki’s architectural career started at the University of Tokyo, where he studied under Kenzo Tange and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1952. He continued his education in the United States, attending the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan and earning a Master of Architecture from Harvard University. Early in his career, Maki gained experience at prestigious firms like Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in New York and Sert, Jackson and Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Maki made essential contributions to academia while working as an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where he was commissioned to build Steinberg Hall for the first time. Later in his career, he became a faculty member at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, where he continued giving guest lectures.
Maki returned to Tokyo in 1965 and founded Maki and Associates. In the 1960 essay “Towards the Group Form,” co-authored with Masato Otaka, he outlined his design philosophy, emphasising organic and flexible urban structures that influenced the Metabolist movement’s goal of sustainable and adaptive cities.
Maki’s architectural legacy is a blend of Eastern and Western design ideas. He uses elements like steel, concrete, and glass to create places that are both visually pleasing and useful. The 1993 Pritzker Architecture Prize jury praised his work, stating that it “fused the best of both Eastern and Western cultures.”
Among his noteworthy endeavours are the 1988 completion of Tokyo’s Tsuda Hall and various foreign commissions, which demonstrate his dedication to modernist principles and contextual awareness. Although Maki’s death signifies the end of an era, his impact on urban planning and architecture will live on, encouraging upcoming generations to imagine and build dynamic, adaptable spaces.
Iris Apfel
The famous interior designer and fashion icon Iris Apfel died on March 1, 2024, at the age of 102, at her home in Palm Beach, Florida.
She was the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants and was born Iris Barrel on August 29, 1921, in Astoria, Queens, New York. Apfel was exposed to design and fashion at a young age by her mother, who had a fashion boutique, and her father, who owned a glass mirror company. She received a degree in art from the University of Wisconsin and studied art history at New York University.
After starting out as a copywriter for Women’s Wear Daily, Apfel collaborated with illustrator Robert Goodman and interior designer Elinor Johnson. In 1950, she and her husband, Carl Apfel, established Old World Weavers, a textile company that specialises in replicating vintage textiles. They worked at the White House for nine presidents, from Truman to Clinton, and their skills resulted in restoration projects.
Beyond textiles, Apfel’s diverse personal style—which featured striking accessories and large eyeglasses— was praised. Her distinctive style became well-known after a 2005 display of her costume jewellery and clothing collection at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A 2014 documentary called “Iris” and a modelling contract with IMG at the age of 97 were among the fashion and media partnerships that resulted from this exposure.
Apfel also had an impact on education; in 2011, she was appointed a visiting professor in the Division of Textiles and Apparel at the University of Texas in Austin. She dabbled in product design, working with others to create accessories and even smart jewellery lines. Although her death signifies the end of a chapter in the history of the design industry, her influence lives on in the fields of fashion and interior design, and she personified uniqueness and inventiveness.
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