In 1961 the Salone del Mobile was born in Milan and a year later the first Neue Klasse designed by Giovanni Michelotti made its debut. More than 60 years later, therefore, Milan still seems to be the most significant place to tell one’s story. Starting from 8 April, for four months, BMW’s new home in Milan will be based on the historic Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda in central Via Manzoni. The prestigious location, with its large courtyard of honour with columned arcades, will welcome House of BMW, already in the city since 2021, first in the space in Via Verri then in Via Monte Napoleone, but this time with all the Group’s brands for product launches and much more.
“We will also tell in this place how for us two- and four-wheeled mobility remains central to people’s lives, as an expression of individual freedom,” says Massimiliano Di Silvestre, President and CEO of BMW Italia, in presenting the first act of the presence at Palazzo Borromeo with the installation Vibrant Transitions for the nearby Design Week. The key to interpreting this project lies in the interconnection between material, color, shape, digital experience, sound and light that the different teams have been experimenting with for years. “Our mobility design is becoming increasingly broad and varied,” points out Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design, who will open the event on 8 April, and this mix “offers visitors to the Salone del Mobile inspiration”.
Holger Hampf, head of Mini Design, who was present at the Milan pre-inauguration, recalls how the idea behind Vibrant Transitions was immediately to share the project from a “cross brand design team” perspective. So, it was a cross-brand design team, in collaboration with Designworks, a subsidiary of the BMW Group, that took charge of its entire development. Green, blue and orange will be the three dominant colors of the installation, used to mark the areas of the courtyard and trigger, using translucent lamellar structures that will dress the porch, lighting effects creating unique visual perspectives both outwards and inwards. And color will also serve as a leitmotif to lead visitors into the immersion of the three imagined paths.
One itinerary will feature the BMW X3 in a special version for the Salone del Mobile with a matt blue exterior (frozen tanzanite blue); the “naturalistic” MINI Neon Garden City route will feature the BMW CE 02 scooter interpreted by the MINI Design team with a colour concept developed for the event; finally, the Neue Klasse route will feature technology with BMW Panoramic iDrive.
The “Vibrant Transitions” installation, in the new House of BMW, will be open from 8 to 13 April, during the Salone del Mobile in Milan, at Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda, Via A. Manzoni 41.
Times: Tuesday, April 8, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday 9 April – Sunday 13 April, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.
