Kelly Wearstler to launch H&M Home collection at Milan design week
Designer Kelly Wearstler has teamed up with Swedish retailer H&M Home on a line of lighting, accessories and modular furniture that will be unveiled with a Milan design week installation in a palazzo.
The collection will comprise 29 pieces in total, with 13 key designs set to be shown in Milan's Palazzo Acerbi, a 17th-century baroque palace in the centre of the Italian city.
It marks the first time that Wearstler has shown in Milan, as well as H&M Home's debut at the design week.
The collection, which features designs made from materials including textiles, wood, metal, ceramics and marble, will be sold in 40 countries from September and see Wearstler's work reach a larger audience than usual.
"I love that I can reach that higher collectible audience, but also now having this partnership with H&M and doing something that's super accessible, I love that dichotomy," the designer told Dezeen.
Wearstler also redesigned the interior of Palazzo Acerbi for the installation, which was produced by Studio Boum, to reflect the collection's focus on "daily rituals and modular synergy", H&M Home said.
The installation will contrast the palazzo's ornate frescoes and historic collonaded architecture with Wearstler's H&M Home designs, which have a more geometric, contemporary aesthetic.
Among the designs on show will be a modular chair that can turn into a sofa, as well as lamps with a "caged" design and a trompe l'oeil vase.
The Wearstler collaboration marks the first time that H&M Home has created larger furniture pieces together with a designer.
"Known for working at a grand scale, Kelly brought an ambitious perspective to the project," H&M Home's head of design and creative Evelina Kravaev-Söderberg told Dezeen.
"Translating this into a collection centred on furniture and lighting was both a challenge and an exciting opportunity," she continued.
"Early in the process, we introduced a modular design approach, allowing each piece to stand alone or be combined with others to create something entirely new."
Wearstler, who is best known as an interior designer, has previously created product designs and furniture, including a piano with "sensual curves" and sculptural marble seating.
Also in Milan this year, architect Lina Ghotmeh will unveil a pink labyrinth.
The photography is courtesy of H&M Home.
Kelly Wearstler's H&M Home collection can be seen at Palazzo Acerbi, Corso di Porta Romana 3, between 9am and 6pm from 21 to 26 April. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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