Gubi on stage at the Bagni Misteriosi in Milan

11 May 2023

Engage the visitor, touching his soul, was one of the common goals of the companies that participated, in different ways, in the last Milan design week. Exhibitions and installations spoke to the most emotional part of the public, arousing enchantment and suggestions of beauty. In this context, Gubi‘s choice was very interesting as they made an unprecedented location their own, transforming it into the perfect setting for his collections. We are talking about the Bagni Misteriosi, a structure designed in the 1930s and returned to the city in 2016 after many years of closure. The heart of the Bagni Misteriosi is a large swimming pool around which wind open and closed spaces that seem suspended in time, thanks to a renovation that has respected the original architectural features. The very name of the structure was chosen inspired by a work by Giorgio De Chirico whose suspended and surreal atmospheres it evokes, perfect as a backdrop for the Gubi collections. Initiative described by Marie Kristine Schmidt, Chief Brand Officer as “a sensory experience on several levels through Gubi’s vision of life and in particular of his idea of the outdoors”.

10 years of Beetle

Precisely in Milan, ten years ago, Gubi introduced the Beetle chair by the GamFratesi studio as an experimental research project. In the following years the collection has become one of the most representative and famous of the company, an instant icon whose strong identity Gubi has decided to celebrate with “Ten” a special initiative curated by Marco Sammicheli, curator and director of the Design Museum of the Milan Triennale. Sammicheli involved 10 creatives from different parts of the world and from different creative backgrounds and invited them to pay homage to Beetle by offering them total freedom of expression. They are: the artist and designer Adam Nathaniel Furman; fashion designer Arthur Arbesser; visual artist and ceramist Daphne Christoforou; artist Frank Maria; graphic designer and illustrator Martin Groch; creative director Matthew Demarco; sound designer Painé Cuadrelli; architect Rachaporn Choochuey; fashion designer Simon Wick; lighting designer Ximena Muñoz.

Back to the roots of Scandinavian light

Gubi has always narrated the icons of Scandinavian design in its strongest and most characterful expressions and the Bagni Misteriosi were the setting for introducing the re-edition of a series of lamps by Paavo Tynell, known as “the man who illuminated Finland”. A selection of iconic lamps designed in the mid-1900s and handmade starting from original projects and drawings with a particular look at materials, including bamboo and a textile selection in collaboration with the Maison Pierre Frey.

Gianfranco Frattini in reissue

Among the company’s novelties introduced at the Bagni Misteriosi there are also two designer re-editions: the Aspide and Model 597 lamps by Gianfranco Frattini. The first, designed in the 1970s, is a table lamp that enhances the gritty character of chromed metal. The second is a floor lamp whose central aluminum structure is surrounded by fringes that make it feminine and elegant.

In addition to the new editions, Gubi has chosen the Bagni Misteriosi to narrate an atmosphere, to suggest layouts and scenographies to be recreated in one’s own space with its collections and in particular with outdoor furniture. The absolute protagonists are, for example, the Pacha armchairs, the Basket lounges, the MR01 Initial deckchairs and the Tropique chairs. In a succession of furnished spaces that invite you to enjoy summer evenings in beauty, taking care of every detail with great style.

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