Milan, April 17, 2018 – Swarovski returns to Milan Design Week (April 17 – 22) with ‘Swarovski Palazzo’, a site-specific installation in a grand greenhouse set within a hidden courtyard of a neo-classical Milanese palazzo. The exhibition unveils Atelier Swarovski’s new home décor lines, including collections by John Pawson, Nendo, Patricia Urquiola and Peter Pilotto. Alongside the home décor lines, Swarovski presents new lighting collections from Swarovski Crystal Palace by Tord Boontje and Marjan van Aubel, a pop-up Austrian café and a retail shop.

Atelier Swarovski Designer Collaborations
Atelier Swarovski launches the third phase of its home décor collection of designer objects, inspired and informed by crystal as a creative material. This year’s distinguished line-up is augmented by four new collaborations with leading design luminaries who have each pushed the boundaries of crystal artistry with their own unique expression of form.

The new range features a collection named ‘Vessels’ by British architectural designer John Pawson, which includes candle holders, vases and bowls in a simple, clear crystal. Employing his trademark simplicity and focus on materiality, Pawson has designed his objects with fine, irregular facets. John Pawson comments: “The faceting is the strongest single element of the collection, in the way that we’ve perfected how it’s perceived. I wanted to have a rhythm of different sized facets as you go around, and depending on the size of the bowl, it’s a different ratio. So they’re not equal facets, they’re irregular facets, which again changes your perception of the object.”

Japanese studio Nendo presents the ‘Tangent’ collection, consisting of candle holders, vases, trays and mirrors featuring newly developed crystal elements placed at a tangent to rectangular metal frames; and the ‘Softpond’ collection of solid crystal bowls inspired by water and nature. Oki Sato of studio Nendo comments: “The colors and shapes of the Softpond collection are inspired by water. When the depth and thickness of water changes, the color of the crystal changes drastically, and that was one of my inspirations to design the Softpond collection. By changing the thickness of the crystal, I was able to replicate the depth of water, exactly like a pond or lake.”

Milan-based architect and designer Patricia Urquiola presents her first collection for Atelier Swarovski: a range of flexible containers. The collection uses an innovative crystal application technique in combination with a flexible textile that allows each container to be moulded into different forms and shapes with infinite possibilities. Exploring her curious and emotional sensibilities, Urquiola has transformed Swarovski’s flat-back fashion crystals with new colours and coatings. Patricia Urquiola comments: “When examining Swarovski’s history and the company archives we found a fabric usually used for fashion, which is made of crystals applied on a net. It’s called Crystal Mesh; it’s a fluid, metal material covered in small crystals which has a flexible nature as a sparkling, draped fabric. From this we started thinking about vases made with the same system that permit us to obtain different geometries, a soft surface that minimized the geometry of the crystals.”

London-based fashion designers Peter Pilotto present their first home collection for Atelier Swarovski: a range of striking candelabras. Designed as an extension of their Atelier Swarovski jewelry collection, the vibrant and colorful candelabras use structural forms that are inspired by Alexander Calder and Spanish architect César Manrique. Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos comment: “What we wanted to do was take the aspects that we loved the most, the luminosity and the multi-faceted world of these stones, but to put them in a setting and that’s what we did; we created a setting inspired by the jewelry collection in combination with César Manrique windmills and other kinetic art pieces.”

Alongside the new designer collaborations is the global launch of the debut in-house collection, designed under the creative direction of Nadja Swarovski. Inspired and informed by crystal, the new range encapsulates and showcases the DNA of the Atelier Swarovski brand. The collection includes a wide range of home décor, from scented candles, trays and jewelry boxes to desktop accessories, vases and candle holders, and each piece is carefully designed with a strong focus on craftsmanship and innovation. Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board, comments: "We are delighted to be back in Milan, showcasing the wonderful designer collaborations that have become synonymous with the Atelier Swarovski brand. As a world first, we will also be presenting our inaugural in-house designed collection, a range of ‘jewels for the home’ that truly embody the craftsmanship and innovation of Swarovski.”
The new in-house designed pieces will enhance and complement the existing designer collaborations with price points ranging from €50 to €800.