I followed a diminutive creature in a black Alaïa dress and Philip Treacy hat around Design Miami for about ten minutes, thinking it was Lady Gaga. Then her entourage cleared and I realized it was just another senior citizen shopping for museum-quality furniture. WIth all the ballyhoo surrounding the commercialism of art at the neighboring Miami Art Basel fair, there's actually something refreshing about the transparency of Design Miami. Beautiful objects for sale, everywhere. And plenty to get the Instagrammers excited about, from hyper-rare mid-century furniture to a lamp made of bubbles. All cynicism aside, the fair is full of discovery, including incredible talks with figures such as Stefano Tonchi, Diane von Furstenberg, and legendary artist and landsape designer Vito Acconci.
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The tent itself is a wonder of design. Collaborative firm Snarkitecture created Drift, an entranceway created out of inflatable tubes.
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Belgian designer Maarten de Ceulaer was commissioned by Fendi to create these handmade leather strips that echo Fendi's history of geometric, modernist patterning.
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A sparkly plexiglass gingerbread house at Swarovski.![]()
Renowned jewelry designer Taher Chemirik created this beautiful brass screen, Rough Screen, for BSL Galerie at the fair.
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Incredible glassworks by Sylvain Willenz + CIRVA at Victor Hunt. The accompanying photographs (above) show the process. How fun is it to see glass bent like candy?
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OC chouchou Delfina Delettrez was invited by the Antonella Villanova gallery to show her jewelry designs behind enormous magnifying glasses. All the better to see you, my dear!
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A surface tension lamp designed by the Swedish studio FRONT as part of Booo, an enterprise that pairs experts in different fields. Bubbles drip from the lightbulb and fall to the black pool. Not pictured: ten people recording the process with their iPhones.
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Incredible Eames and other mid-century pieces from museum consultant and Hudson dealer Mark McDonald. Extra points for the beautiful Mondrian-inspired displays.
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A...beautiful lifeguard chair? From Milan's Galleria Rossella Colombari
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The tent itself is a wonder of design. Collaborative firm Snarkitecture created Drift, an entranceway created out of inflatable tubes.
Belgian designer Maarten de Ceulaer was commissioned by Fendi to create these handmade leather strips that echo Fendi's history of geometric, modernist patterning.
A sparkly plexiglass gingerbread house at Swarovski.
Renowned jewelry designer Taher Chemirik created this beautiful brass screen, Rough Screen, for BSL Galerie at the fair.
Incredible glassworks by Sylvain Willenz + CIRVA at Victor Hunt. The accompanying photographs (above) show the process. How fun is it to see glass bent like candy?
OC chouchou Delfina Delettrez was invited by the Antonella Villanova gallery to show her jewelry designs behind enormous magnifying glasses. All the better to see you, my dear!
A surface tension lamp designed by the Swedish studio FRONT as part of Booo, an enterprise that pairs experts in different fields. Bubbles drip from the lightbulb and fall to the black pool. Not pictured: ten people recording the process with their iPhones.
Incredible Eames and other mid-century pieces from museum consultant and Hudson dealer Mark McDonald. Extra points for the beautiful Mondrian-inspired displays.
A...beautiful lifeguard chair? From Milan's Galleria Rossella Colombari