Bethan Laura Wood wraps boudoir in swirling marble-like pattern
A psychedelic print in summery shades adorns the walls, bedspread and furniture inside Summer Room, an installation at Milan design week by British designer Bethan Laura Wood.
Wood created the site-specific installation inside the art gallery Nilufar Depot as a reference to Ornate, a furniture exhibition set inside a boudoir that she debuted at Milan design week 2021.
"Summer Room is a continuation of the solo show Ornate that I had in September," Wood told Dezeen.
"I wanted to show the Ornate project in a very different environment. I specifically picked colours and added in a lot of yellow and greens to kind of have this kind of sugar summery colour tone which is slightly different," she said.
The living area is wrapped in Wood's new design Endless Meisen – a looping repeat pattern made from high-resolution scans of bespoke Alpi Wood veneers.
This pattern was then used around the two-roomed interior to upholster bedding, cushions and also furniture such as the desk and shelving unit.
Visitors can wander from the living room through to the boudoir – the traditional term for a woman's bedroom or private interior space, in another nod to the Ornate exhibition.
"In here we wanted to play with what it looks like in a much more enclosed space, and with a much darker background behind aluminium so that it really kind of pops in a very different way," she explained.
New objects installed in the maximalist space include Temple Panda wall sconces, while a wiggly headboard above the bed is among previously featured items.
In the corner of the living room is a new piece called Trellis Column, a hanging light that Wood designed to recall the metal structures often found behind traditional lighting fittings.
"When I visited factories like Venini or these old school glass houses, a lot of the armature behind the light fittings is something I've always found really beautiful," she said.
"I really wanted to make a project where the armature and the decoration were more in conversation rather than the decoration [alone]."
Nilufar Gallery showcases existing and new pieces by 24 other designers selected by Nilufar's gallerist Nina Yashar, who founded the centre in 1979.
Other projects by Wood include an installation of giant canapé-shaped sculptures and a group exhibition that explores the friendships between designers.
Photography is courtesy of Nilufar Gallery.
Summer Room is part of Milan design week 2022, which takes place from 6-12 June 2022. See our Milan design week 2022 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.