Designer Charlotte Macaux Perelman has placed fashion brand Hermès' most recent homeware collection on chunky concrete plinths within a geometric cage formed from iron rods at Milan design week.
Set within La Pelota – an events space used annually by the brand to present its collections during design week – the installation serves as the backdrop for the Hermès homeware collection, which was designed by Hermès Maison co-artistic directors Perelman and Alexis Fabry.
Iron rods were arranged in various see-through, crisscross formations to create an angular cage, which was constructed by an ironmonger using cutting and soldering.
The installation was positioned on a slab of concrete from which plinths protrude and create display units for the products, while the structure was topped with the same material.
"This year, we opted for an open space where the relationship between different objects is immediately visible," Fabry told Dezeen in Milan.
"It's like a crash test in harmony," he added, explaining that creating a stripped-back but harmonious setting was the designers' goal.
According to Perelman and Fabry, the installation and homeware, which work as a pair, intend to celebrate simplicity and express only "what is truly essential".
The pair explained that the structural design of the installation was reflected in the interplay of colours and shapes found on the softer textiles and furniture.
"We wanted to attract attention to what is invisible, as Hermès usually does," said Perelman.
"For example, the underpart of a piece of furniture or the inside of a pocket of a coat –just to give importance to this part. We see beauty in simple things."
A wool and cotton sofa with a "timeless silhouette", lantern-style glass-blown lamps and a set of porcelain breakfast crockery illustrated with playful horse motifs that nod to Hermès' equestrian history all feature in the collection.
Large rugs embroidered with colourful graphic shapes were draped over concrete plinths and mirror the geometry of the iron cage, while other highlights include a boxy timber and leather chair created with Danish designer Cecilie Manz that pays homage to classic Scandinavian design.
The installation and homeware follow on from Perelman and Fabry's presentation at last year's design week, when the co-artistic directors stashed products inside illuminated water tower structures clad in translucent sheets of coloured paper.
"This year, the scenography is not that overwhelming," reflected Perelman.
"It's just a question of a few iron rods – the great work instead was to do something with the empty spaces. It's the play of subtracting materials, and instead, it's the object which creates its own role."
"Last year, the [design week's] topic was lightness," noted Fabry.
"This year, Charlotte decided to create a more muted interpretation with the power and force of archaic forms and materials."
After design week is over, Perelman and Fabry explained that every part of the installation will be recycled. The iron rods will be sent back to their original supplier to be melted and then reused while the concrete slabs will be sent to a depot and crushed into parts that can be reformed into new objects.
Prefabricated technical materials used to suspend the concrete will also be sent back to their supplier to be repurposed.
"I'm interested in working with poor materials that are usually hidden. But in this case, I decided to show them off," said Perelman.
"We have the iron and the concrete, and what's left is just the skeleton, which generates the design," added Fabry. "It's a very essentialist approach. The design comes from the construction method," he said.
In 2021 Perelman created five boldly patterned houses at La Pelota for Hermès, which sat atop a bed of sand. Previously, the brand created a mycelium version of its classic leather Victoria bag.
The photography is by Maxime Verret.Â
The Hermès collection is on display at La Pelota from 17 to 23 April 2023 as part of Milan design week. See our Milan design week 2023 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.Â