Beauty is multi-faceted. It can come in the most basic or the most sophisticated of forms. The visual aesthetics of Hermès’ creations for the home, presented at Milan Design Week 2023, are drawn from a form of archaism, natural vigour and minimalism. The very staging of the event seems to scorn all excess, presenting a geometric framework composed of iron rods and concrete. The space is shaped by an interplay of grid and lines, creating a radical and powerful structure. In the furniture presented—a structured armchair in leather and wood, a revisited 1930s chair, a sofa with a timeless silhouette—strength is also revealed through removal, and clarity obtained through substraction.
Know-how is given form with exceptional elements: blown glass for the minimalist lamps, traditional upholstery for the simple, refined chair, and virtuoso hand embroidery for the rugs with ultra-graphic motifs. A quest for organic materials is also strongly in evidence with the use of bronze, glass, wood and leather, showcased in their most elemental manifestations or juxtaposed. The muted colours, for their part, are a pretext for expressing motifs that pay tribute to the house’s heritage. Equestrian references appear on a porcelain breakfast service with cheerful lines, and on the rugs and blankets that burst with imaginative flair. This is the very essence of design, drawing inspiration from materials and expressed through expert know-how to create durable, contemporary objects that grow more beautiful with the passing years.
