Nestled in a corner of the Salone Satellite area of the Salone del Mobile in Milan were exquisite chandeliers with strong sculptural shapes and a delicate demeanour.

Geography, as we learned at school, is the study of nature and our relationship with it.

One of the pleasures of attending the Salone del Mobile in Milan is to discover intriguing new designers in unexpected settings. 

Over the past few years designers have been delighting in pushing the creative possibilities of unusual and mixed materials - first there was copper, then marble.  

Dining tables are too often either a messy depository of detritus from our daily lives or an expressionless blank slate in the middle of our living rooms.

A stable table needs three legs, so why not put a table top on each leg and turn a necessity into a source of enhanced functionality?

London-based designer Michael Anastassiades has created a series of occasional furniture for Herman Miller every bit as sculptural and minimalist as his well known designs for lights.

Daphne Laurens is a young Dutch designer best known for designing the Sofalamp and Fruitlamp for Cappellini.

Most people would see folds and creases as undesirable for rugs, but not for London-based Italian architect Alessandro Isola, who has created a coffee table out of a fold in a rug.

The annual design pilgrimage to Milan, otherwise known as the Salone del Mobile, is almost upon us and one of the most eagerly anticipated events is the exhibition of 50 Manga Chairs designed by Nendo for Friedman Benda gallery. 

Heritage is a common source of inspiration for product designers, but it takes extraordinary sensitivity to incorporate heritage into contemporary designs in a creative and pastiche-free way. 

The 3D printing revolution marches on with a clever design by Design Libero which transforms used PET bottles into beautiful vases.