Welcome home!

#103 The charming rooms of Palazzo Crespi become the backgorund of an installation by Fabrica for Airbnb, with 19 designers that reinterpret the concept of welcome. #salone2015

Chadni Kabra, Flower Carpet. Fabrica per Airbnb, Housewarming, Palazzo Crespi.

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The result of an international joint venture, Nexion combines the values of Made in Italy with those of Indian manufacturing. A partnership from which the Lithic collection of ceramic surfaces was born.

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Visiting the installation in the Palazzo Crespi, we can see and interact with the creations of 19 international designers who have interpreted the concept of welcome: from the experience of a very British tea time with Daniel Rous to the Indian ritual of lighting lamps by Nikita Bhate, each designer brings to the incredible spaces of Palazzo Crespi the rituals of hospitality of his culture.

Fabrica design team include homegrown talent Giorgia Zanellato, who explores the symbolism of Italian paper trays, traditionally used to display pastries that are offered to guests or gifted to hosts. Giorgia doubles these as mirrors, an object often found in the entrance space of a home. In Italy, the first mirrors were created in Venice, Giorgia’s hometown. To create a link back to her home, each mirrored-tray is custom-designed with decorative Venetian papers.

**Top**: Chadni Kabra, Flower Carpet. **Above**: Sam Baron, Bienvenus

Australia designer Aarong Gillet brings o Milan the rich biodiversity of his country offering visitors’ plant cuttings as a way of making people feel comfortable and welcome. His installation is made up of two native Australian vines, offered in a durable borosilicated bottle, sealed with a cork. Tomomi Maezawa, from Japan, deconstructs and reassembles the Japanese alphabet printing her name on one side of a tote bag and the guest’s name on the other side, creating a memento of their interchange.

Another highlight comes from Mariana Fernandes, who creates a connection between her home in Lisbon and Milan through the tradition of sending postcards. She sources a range of both vintage and contemporary Milanese postcards and creates a series of graphics inspired by Lisbon and Milan to print onto these cards for visitors. The final designs features facts that link the two cities, through commonalities or juxtapositions. The graphic style of the type and illustration is bold and colourful and will be silkscreened onto the cards. Visitors to the Palazzo are invited to engage in the actual printing with Mariana, selecting their preferred facts and phrases whilst learning more about Milan and Lisbon.