ICG GALLERY MILAN: THE NEW IRIS CERAMICA GROUP RETAIL MODEL ENGAGES WITH THE CAPITAL OF DESIGN
In collaboration with Pambianco Design.
Article by Fiammetta Bonazzi.
Always a reference point for avant-garde small and larger projects, Milan continues to be the driving force for the Italian furniture sector: a universe of more than 30 thousand companies, of which the 15% is located right in the Lombardia main city. According to the report “Design Economy 2023” by Fondazione Symbola, Deloitte Private and POLI.design, the Milan area today is able to generate alone 18% of the added value on the national territory. Moreover, this growth has gained further momentum thanks to several projects inspired by the values of sustainability (the example of CityLife, the first district in the world to obtain the Platinum level in three urban certifications) on top of the historic presence of the Salone del Mobile and the FuoriSalone: with over 360 thousand visitors (+17%) at the Salone del Mobile and 1125 events at the FuoriSalone, the 62nd edition of the event generated an income of more than 260 million euros (+20% compared to 2023).
During the Design Week 2024 Iris Ceramica Group inaugurated the new ICG Gallery, located inside a historical building in via Santa Margherita 4 in the centre of Milan; The focus is on meeting the needs of architects, designers and clients, both private and public, who orbit around an articulate and dynamic scenario. The space, arranged on three levels and born from the restyling of the preexisting showroom, revolutionizes the model of retail exhibition by leveraging the concept enclosed in the claim #UnlockTheExperience, and transforming the approach to ceramics into an immersive adventure between high technology and aesthetics.
The journey inside the ICG Gallery starts on the ground floor, an “agora” open to visitors and events, with videowall and interacting coatings – thanks to the smart surfaces Hypertouch connected to demotics – and where is possible to find a Material Library, the ideal space to discover different materials and create combination and moodboards. At the first floor, the 4D Ceramics are the protagonist of living settings, kitchen and bathroom, while on the basement there is the project “Diesel Living with Iris Ceramica Group”, the novelties of the excellence in coatings and a “caveau” covered with the precious golden Terrecotte of “Bottega d’Arte”.
The opening of the new ICG Gallery in Milan in April – part of a bigger project of restyling (and renaming) of the Iris Ceramica Group showrooms – was followed by the presentation of “Poesis Materiae”: the installation by Zaha Hadid Design (ZHD) created using natural ceramic surfaces by Iris Ceramica Group. This has represented a further confirmation of the extraordinary relationship between ceramics, arts and design that also identifies the new ICG Gallery in Berlin (equipped with a charming interior garden) and London. In the English capital, the company has recently presented “Bottega in Bloom” during the last Clerkenwell Design Week: a series of events and workshops that for an entire week have transformed the ICG Gallery in a real “atelier”, inviting people to reflect on circularity and on the role of art in repurposing and giving new meaning to waste material.