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This past week was Design Week here in Milan – some people consider it more important and more interesting than Fashion Week. I personally at least feel it’s something more people can participate in. I outgrew my size 2 when I was….2.

Outside the convention center, there are events in every local design shop and bar, and thus called Fuorisalone. Since this is the first year I’ve lived in Milan proper, I took advantage of Friday to hang out with Michelle as she showed me the ropes.

The first thing I noticed is that in the Tortona area, where many of the Fuorisalone showrooms were, it felt like it was Mardi Gras or Halloween. People were crowding the sidewalks and spilling out of locales with various drinks and bottles of beer, DJs were setting up turntables outside and cars clogged the streets, most to be seen rather than actually hoping to make their way through quickly.

I got introduced to a new obsession – Bisazza. I’m a big fan of Venetian glass, mosaics and stained glass. How lucky that I find myself in Italy. I love color, and I love how glass absorbs the light and environment it’s in, and how you can manipulate it…and it lets you.

Here’s a few highlights from what I saw that evening walking around – I know I didn’t see that much compared to what was out there!

Everyone needs a mosaic footstool. This looks like it would be at home in Mario or Luigi’s house.

When I saw this car, I had flashbacks to when I was in Graceland, in the King’s home. This car looked like something you might be able to find there.

The Bisazza tables were interesting, but the chandeliers were a bit much for me.

We could really use this bookshelf I saw at Quodes – space for everything and not boring!

This showroom was showcasing bathrooms but I really liked how they decorated each of their bathroom scenes – instead of just working with a blank or colored wall and a mirror, they created a mosaic from a picture to be their tile.

I really liked these lamps and creations by David Trubridge and Tim Miller. The wood really gave a warm glow to every room.

I don’t think I’d ever put these brass and gold spheres in my house, but I had fun playing with the reflection.

The highlight of the night was of course the giant mosaic Pinocchio. How can you go wrong with mosaic, modern living, and a fairy tale? Oh, and of course, giant.

For more pictures of Fuorisalone, see my Fuorisalone Flickr set.