6 Design Moments to Know About in May, If You Want Something Cool to Talk About at Your Next Dinner Party

At the end of last month, I spent a few days in Milan for the city's design week, and I came back filled with inspiration. Some of it in novelty — brilliant ideas I saw firsthand and that have been itching my brain ever since — but also just by bathing in the aura of amazing design. Milan might be an ever sprawling beast with so many exhibitions and showcases to see you'd find it hard to squeeze them all in, but those participating put on a show, it's fair to say.

Some of those finds have wound their way into this month's Zeitgeist Edit, while others I've noticed as even more design fairs around the world kick off. NYCxDesign, Clerkenwell Design Week, and London Craft Week all take place this month, to name a few.

Basically, I'm spoilt for choice, but these are the six moments that have particularly stuck with me for the month.

↑ Going Up — Fashion Collaborations

Fashion brands are taking over interiors, and it's nothing particularly new; however, there have been some particularly good instances, as of late. Chloé’s re-design of the tomato sofa was big news during Milan this year, while queues for installations by fashion houses including Louis Vuitton and Armani Casa were among the longest of the event.

However, one of my favorite new collaborations comes in this partnership between Ligne Roset and HUGO BOSS, taking a more direct and literal approach from the fashion brand's sartorial tailoring. Reimagining Ligne Roset's iconic sofa, the Togo, the collab sees the first instance of the seating design in two materials, with the base in leather. It "brings the feeling of a tailored suit into our interiors," Marco Falcioni, creative director at HUGO BOSS, says.

↑ Going Up — Sleep Divorce

I'm not entirely sure human beings are designed to sleep in the same bed as one another, and with the rise of the 'sleep divorce' trend, it seems that many people agree. Whether it's incompatible body temperatures, thrashing around in the night, or even the dreaded snoring, it's something manifesting in sleep trends towards separate duvets, separate beds, and in the worst cases, separate rooms.

This idea I saw on luxury French bed brand Tréca's stand at Salone del Mobile this year might be the thing to stop sleep divorce leading to actual divorce. Designed in collaboration with interior designer Géraldine Prieur for a yet-unnamed hospitality project, the design sees the bed, headboard, and nightstands all on a sliding mechanism, allowing your bed to go from king size to twin singles in an easy movement. It's a no-brainer for hotels, too, to offer options between set-ups, depending on who is coming to stay.

↑ Going Up — Pentagons

I keep thinking angular design is going to make a comeback soon, but then I think about soft, sinuous shapes of curved sofas and chairs, and how they've become essential to the modern design language, so I find it hard to imagine a way back in.

Then, I see something like the seats, pictured above, by designer Marta Sala, and I see the vision. They're simply more interesting than any other chair shape you'll see anywhere right now, and still feel oddly inviting to sit on, despite their more angular forms. Could the pentagon be the next form to capture the design imagination? Well, maybe, just maybe.

↑ Going Up — Camping

For one reason or another, everyone's camping this year. I say that, not just as someone who has randomly noticed this among my friends, family, and colleagues, but also someone who has noticed a lot of design brands launching cool camping collections, IKEA and design brand Hay to name but two.

It's possibly more coincidence than not that these have launched at the same time as we're getting a little nervous about the prospects of there being enough jet fuel for our summer vacations, but there's something to this more low-key, casual style of outdoor furniture that has wide appeal, too.

↓ Going Down — Wasting Offcuts

If you've got crafty inclinations at home, this find from Secret Linen Store is for you. The B-Corp brand's Waste Not Want Not parcels only cost £5 each, but give you a bundle of quality linen and/or cotton offcuts to play with for your home decor. Secret Linen Store has offered them for a little while, but only in colorful bundles. Now, it has introduced one color bundles, which give you a little more scope for bigger projects and more of a guarantee you can match your home's color scheme.

↓ Going Down — Hiding the Toilet

A little interiors magazine insider knowledge for you — a lot of the time, there's one thing you won't really see as you flick through the house tour pages, and it's something every house has to have at least one of. The toilet. It's not, usually, the most photogenic thing in your house, so many photographers and publications avoid showing it in the bathroom.

However, that's something Parisian design brand Trone wants to challenge with its colorful and creative toilet designs. If you're looking to do something with some wow-factor in your bathroom, this brand, which has just launched in the UK through retailer West One Bathrooms, is the one you'll need to keep an eye on.

↓ Going Down — Being Afraid of the Dark

At NYCxDesign, running this year between the 14-20 May, The Future Perfect is hosting a series of exhibitions across its West Village townhouse. And, while my eye was drawn to its programming for its debut of Assembler I, Studio Athena Calderone’s debut furniture collection, designed by Livingetc favorite Athena Calderone, I couldn't help but be drawn to its open call DUDD LITE, featuring over 130 artists and designers reimagining the nightlight through creative design.

Worried about what you missed out on last month? Why not check out our ICYMI feature with all the big releases of April.

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