In the often frenetic atmosphere of Milan's Salone del Mobile, Formafantasma’s exhibition 'La Casa Dentro' at Fondazione ICA Milano stood as a quiet, meditative counterpoint. The collection—translating to 'The Home Within'—offers more than just furniture and lighting. It's a thoughtful exploration of design, memory, and the complex relationship between past and present.
It invites reflection on how spaces and objects shape our identities and emotional landscapes, blending the personal with the political in a way that feels both nostalgic and fresh. The exhibition's aesthetic is a striking blend of contrasts: tubular metal forms meet intricate embroideries and floral embellishments painted on wood. The result is an uncanny yet intimate space that feels like a cross between a sterile medical office and a well-lived-in family home. These design choices reflect the collection’s aim to challenge and subvert the traditional codes of Modernist design, which the designers have reimagined through a personal and emotional lens.
For Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, the founders of Formafantasma, this project represents a deep investigation into the ways design has historically been gendered, specifically within the Modernist movement. Since the studio’s inception in 2009, the duo has approached design with an academic rigor, shaped by their education at the Design Academy Eindhoven. Yet with 'La Casa Dentro', there’s a palpable sense of unlearning, of moving away from the strict binaries that have dominated design discourse for decades—masculine versus feminine, rational versus emotional, public versus private.
This project draws from personal history and emotion, not just an intellectual exercise. Their relationship with the objects and spaces of childhood informs the collection. The familiarity of a family home, and its objects once so beloved, now seem alien—a tension that resonates throughout 'La Casa Dentro'. The collection reflects this push-and-pull between affection for the past and a recognition that it no longer fits within modern life. This emotional complexity—loving something but recognizing it no longer belongs to you—is central to the exhibition's conceptual framework.
Formafantasma’s work consistently explores intersections of historical and contemporary design, but here they seek to "queer" the codes of Modernism—an approach that questions the traditionally rigid, masculine framework of Modernist design. Modernism, as championed by architects like Le Corbusier and Adolf Loos, prioritized rationality, often coded as masculine, while sidelining the decorative or emotional, which was often linked to femininity. This gendered dichotomy is something the studio aims to dismantle.
The domestic realm—often dismissed in architectural and design history as a feminine, private, and thus less important space—holds immense cultural and political significance in this collection. Through their work, the designers seek to reclaim the dignity and value of domesticity, challenging the entrenched hierarchies within the design world. Bent metal frames, embroidery, and floral patterns—elements that might be seen as frivolous or overly sentimental within a strict Modernist framework—are brought into dialogue with the rational, structured forms traditionally associated with high design. The result is a collision of these two worlds, creating a hybrid aesthetic that embraces both the rational and the emotional.
Personal experience also informs this exploration of design's gendered history. Elements of femininity—both in personal life and within the home—are often devalued, not only in broader culture but also in the world of design. In Modernist ideologies, the rejection of the decorative was not just about streamlining for the sake of industrial production; it was also an ideological stance, a way of denigrating what was culturally coded as feminine. Through 'La Casa Dentro', Formafantasma seeks to undo this binary, elevating the sentimental and the ornamental to a place of respect within the canon of design.
The collection also grapples with the idea of learning and unlearning. Even as they challenge Modernist codes, the influence of their design education is undeniable. The aim is not to fully reject the canon but to interrogate it, unlearning its assumptions while still working within its shadow. There’s a rawness to this work, a sense that the project is still evolving, which makes it feel authentic and sincere.
What sets this collection apart is its refusal to engage with postmodern irony. In contrast to the playful, kitsch-heavy elements of postmodern design, 'La Casa Dentro' treats its references to domesticity and memory with a sense of reverence. The use of embroidery and hand-painted elements speaks to the labor and care that goes into creating a home—an acknowledgment of the often-invisible work, frequently performed by women, that sustains domestic life.
Personal memories are woven into the fabric of the collection. A childhood blanket, lovingly extended by a mother’s hand, becomes the inspiration for the floral embellishments on one of the chairs. This deeply personal gesture—a mother’s care, embodied in hand-sewn flowers—highlights the emotional significance of the domestic objects we live with and the labor that often goes unrecognized in the design world.
At this stage in their career, Formafantasma's design process has evolved to involve greater collaboration, not only between Trimarchi and Farresin but also with a broader team. While their vision remains central, they’ve become more comfortable allowing others to contribute to the creative process. This collaborative approach is evident in 'La Casa Dentro', where the personal and collective memories of the designers and their team merge into a cohesive, emotionally resonant whole.
As the duo continues to work with high-profile brands, their approach remains rooted in a desire for thoughtful, meaningful collaborations. Whether working with iconic names like Prada or smaller-scale projects, they seek partnerships that allow them to explore new ideas and challenge the status quo. For Formafantasma, design is not just about aesthetics or function—it’s about cultural critique, personal history, and, ultimately, creating work that resonates on both an intellectual and emotional level.
