Ciao, bella!

Beloved Lebanese designer Nada Debs is taking Milan Design Week by storm with her heartfelt exhibition at Galleria Rossana Orlandi.

- Joanne Molina

If design is an art of translation, then Nada Debs can speak any language. The Lebanese designer, who was raised in Japan, has already earned global accolades for her special brand of contemporary craftsmanship. One of her admirers is Rossana Orlandi – the creative Milanese doyenne of unique coveted design and artworks from around the world. And so, without further ado, Debs found herself with the perfect collaborator for her premiere solo exhibition at Fuorisalone del Mobile, which is entitled ‘Up, Close and Personal’.

“‘Up, Close and Personal’ is a response to my own observations about materialism today and how we connect to objects. I realise increasingly that when we are involved in the creative process – of anything – we feel far more connected to it,” says Debs. “The term ‘design’ is overused. I get concerned about bringing meaning to our pieces. So, when we design, we try to think a lot before creating a product to see if it has enough of a story or meaning,” she explains.

Organising the exhibition happened very organically. “I mentioned to a friend about how I finally felt ready to exhibit during Milan Design Week. He happened to know Rossana and the next thing I knew, he had suggested my products to her and she was very happy to collaborate. Rossana has an expert eye, a diverse passion and a compelling sense of fun, too. I have always admired her ability to bring people, products and ideas together, and to host them beautifully and effortlessly.”