The talk of the town

Every year, Milan Design Week sets the city buzzing with inspiration and delight - our editor Pip Rich took it all in and reports back on the pieces that got everyone excited

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STEN STUDIO

Upstairs at the Alcova show space, in the high-ceilinged proportions of the grand palazzo, was Mexican brand Sten Studio, with its hauntingly beautiful Cosmic Traces collection looking like it had just landed from the moon. Made up of various stones piled on top of each other - onyx, marble, lava stone - it's a series of end tables, obelisks and totem poles made of the planet's most alluring resources. Sturdier than they look - the designer was cavalier about rocking them to prove it - I can see them placed in the corner of the most elegant and cocktail-ready living rooms.

SERAFINI

British designer Lara Bohinc was one of the busiest people of the year - she had at least three showstopping collabs debuting several masterpieces. Case in point was her partnership with Italian marble artisans Serafini for the Fallen Empire collection. Purposely made to look like the ruins of an ancient city, her pieces - including a round coffee table, side table, console and dining table - exquisitely capture the natural beauty of stone.

NORITAKE

Heritage Japanese brand Noritake enlisted Faye Toogood, who is fast becoming the UK’s brightest design export, for the Rose collection of plates and vessels. Hand-painted by Faye on a trip to Japan, each one is a contemporary take on the classic British floral china print.