Milan Design Week 2009: Richard Ginori
The esteemed porcelain manufacturer Richard Ginori, an Italian company with roots dating back to 1735, mounted the most remarkable and talked about installation in the Zona Tortona this year. Conceived by the MIlanese designer Paola Navone, she set the awe-inspiring installation within the Tortona's loftiest warehouse space, a massive volume bathed in resplendent natural light by the soaring skylights overhead.
The sweeping installation, which marries life-size images of the Ginori factory with meticulously-styled vignettes, manages to convey a deep reverence for the company without coming across conceited. At the far end of the warehouse space, Otto design, the team responsible for set up, installed a towering mosaic of hand-painted Ginori plates that suggests a cathedral's stained glass windows.
The final stroke of genius was transforming the latter half of the warehouse space into an ad-hoc cafe. The frenzy of the Tortona district faded away as we lingered amongst a grouping of lacquered dining tables (each with its own monumental Ginori centerpiece) to nibble on some biscuits, cheese and prosciutto—if this is the Ginori lifestyle, we're ready to live it.
Check out the slide show above for a full tour of the installation.
