David Lynch isn't necessarily the first name that springs to mind when you think about a giant furniture fair on the outskirts of Milan.
However, this year, the famed director was invited to create an installation inside the halls of the Salone del Mobile fair – creating something designed to transport guests into another dimension.
"I remembered going to see Lynch about his lifetime award when I was running the Film Festival, and I found him in his workshop, planning a piece of furniture," said curator Antonio Monda. "I was really intrigued. I found out that this is something he does, which is much more than just a hobby, it’s something he believes in."
Before long, Lynch had agreed to take part in the festival, and came up with the idea for "A Thinking Room" – an installation that sees two identical spaces mirror one another, and aims to create a place of contemplation amidst the chaos of the furniture fair.
Across the design, only four colors are used: red, black, blue, and gold. The curator dubs these "Lynchian colors", but also draws parallels between the palette of the space and that of artist James Lee Byars.
The interiors are concealed behind a thick blue curtain. Lynch’s passion for woodworking and making furniture is evident (although he didn't physically make these pieces himself, and worked alongside artists at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano.
In keeping with his typical output, symbols are hidden everywhere, and the space is filled with motifs that have a bigger meaning: from clocks to mirrors. In the centre of the room is a huge wooden chair supplied with paper and crayons on which visitors can sit and draw.
"Scenery, and therefore furniture too, take on a life with Lynch – they’re not just a background or an object. They have their own personality," Monda adds.
Thinking Rooms was on show at Salone del Mobile last week, during the city-wide Milan Design Week.
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