And that’s a wrap! The 18th edition of Design Miami’s flagship fair has come to a close, and we couldn’t be more thrilled by this year’s iteration. The latest edition saw robust attendance, strong historic and contemporary sales, over 50 gallery and Curio presentations, as well as a dynamic program of talks and special collaborations.

Our esteemed participants offered up an array of intriguing responses to this year’s theme, The Golden Age: Looking to the Future. Conceived by Design Miami/ Curatorial Director Maria Cristina Didero, the optimistic Golden Age prompt invited participants to explore the universal desire for a better, more idyllic tomorrow—a future of our own making—through the lens of design.

While it’s impossible to list all of this year’s wonderful moments, we’ve put together a roundup of a few of our favorites. Scroll on for a selection of highlights (a few among many!) from Design Miami/ 2022.

Galleries

This year’s gallery program featured exceptional, thought-provoking designs from eminent galleries and creatives across the globe—ranging from rare, historical works, to unexpected, forward-thinking contemporary design. Shout out to the Best Gallery award winners, a tie between Sarah Myerscough Gallery (London) and Magen H Gallery (New York), as well as to Best Historic Work winner Diletante42 (São Paulo) and Best Contemporary Work winner Gallery FUMI (London).

Sarah Myerscough presented a selection of work honoring our enduring connection to nature, as well as the inherent beauty of organic materials. The installation featured objects by some of today’s most acclaimed, craft-driven makers, including Christopher Kurtz, Lin Fanglu, Fernando Laposse, Gareth Neal, and Angela Damman (who created a stop-you-in-your-tracks, eco-contemporary reimagining of the chandelier, hand-crafted from sansevieria plant fiber), among others. The installation was also an excellent example of one of the broader, recurring themes we witnessed throughout the fair—a celebration of natural forms and materials, as well as the mark of the hand. Meanwhile, at Magen H—a gallery known for pioneering revolutionary and significant design in sculpture, decorative arts, architecture, and ceramics, with a special emphasis on French post-war designers—visitors were treated to stunning historical masterpieces by Pierre Chapo, Pierre Jeanneret, Philoloas Tloupas, Charlotte Perriand, and La Borne ceramics.

The fair also saw the successful debut of Diletante42, a São Paulo-based gallery committed to supporting Brazilian designers. The gallery was awarded Best Historic Work for its José Zanine Caldas’ Zanine Sculptural Dining Table (1977), arguably one of the most important pieces of furniture created by the Brazilian Modernist architect and designer. Made in a single piece from a tree collected from forest residues, it remained with its first and only owner until the year 2021, when it became part of the collection of Flavio Santoro, gallery partner and Zanine collector.

Finally, London’s Gallery FUMI—a longstanding champion of experimental, material-driven designers—presented a dreamy, naturally-hued installation of pieces by some of today’s most exciting designers, including a pair of Max Lamb chairs that received the honor of Best Contemporary Work: Cleft Chair (Gold) and Cleft Chair (Platinum). Split from a single Sycamore log, the pieces are carved from wood in a technique that splits along the grain so as to reveal the texture, before being covered in a 23.5 carat gold leaf and platinum leaf.

Curios

The Curio program invites designers, curators, thought-leaders, and gallerists to present cabinets of curiosity throughout the fair. Interspersed amongst Design Miami’s core galleries, Curios infuse the exhibition program with inventive snapshots of today’s design landscape. This year’s Curios boasted several inspiring moments responding  to The Golden Age theme, ranging from reflective scenes of quiet beauty to bold, playful celebrations and poetic, timely critiques and commentary.

Highlights include winners of the Best Curio Award—a tie between Tuleste Factory (New York) and Stroll Garden (Los Angeles)—as well as Roberto Lugo’s Village Potter Bodega, Gufram x A$AP Rocky, and Aqua Creations.

Tuleste Factory presented a booth inspired by the color blue, abstracting history’s philosophies surrounding the color into a single, striking space, featuring works such as woven silk rugs by JT. Pfeiffer and selections from Ian Alistair Cochran’s Plump series of sculptural resin furniture. Stroll Garden’s installation spotlit a new collection of fountains and ceramic bird baths by LA-based artist Lily Clark that reflect on the elemental focus of water and light, as well as new minimalist woodwork by Sara Lee Hantman and Coley Brown, the creative team behind furniture studio Prísma.

Meanwhile, the Village Potter Bodega—a collaboration between NYC gallery R & Company and acclaimed Philadelphia-based artist, activist, and educator Roberto Lugo—took the form of a neighborhood bodega, transforming Lugo’s widely recognized digital platform, The Village Potter, into a physical, shoppable storefront. The pieces within captured Lugo’s singular aesthetic approach and his mission to foster inclusivity and community.

Also not to be missed? The elegant Light on Water installation by Israeli design studio Aqua Creations (pictured at left). These elevated lighting pieces—marriages of tech and craftsmanship—were designed to shed light on a timely topic: the vulnerable state of freshwater lakes around the world.

Elsewhere, iconic Italian design brand Gufram made its Design Miami/ debut with the launch of the Shroom CACTUS ®, a new edition of its storied, Radical Design cactus by multi-hyphenated artist, entrepreneur, actor, and fashion icon A$AP Rocky and his design studio HOMMEMADE.

Learn more about all the installations in this year’s outstanding Curio program here.

Partner Collaborations

The fair also featured collaborations with some incredible partners, including Dolce&Gabbana, Fendi, Kohler, AIG, Bottega Veneta, Orient Express, Miami Design District, Audi, USM, Maison Perrier Jouet, Grand Seiko, The Savannah College of Art and Design, Panerai, Maestro Dobel Artpothecary, and others.

Standouts include Come Stai?, a collection of chairs created by legendary Italian designer-architect Gaetano Pesce in collaboration with Bottega Veneta, designed as a celebration of originality;  Germane Barnes’ Rock | Roll for the Miami Design District, a multi-scale installation drawing on the vibrant visual language of Miami Carnival to honor the BIPOC communities who have contributed to Miami’s one-of-a-kind, polyethnic culture, from the city’s earliest foundations to today; a gorgeous hammam-inspired installation constructed from hand-crafted custom tiles designed by Lebanese designer Nada Debs and the Kohler WasteLAB team; and Dolce&Gabbana Alta Gioielleria, a presentation spotlighting truly incredible jewelry pieces, each one a unique and extraordinary work of art (though the list goes on and on!).

Talks Program

Last but not least, this year’s extensive talks program featured conversations with a blockbuster array of world class, multidisciplinary talents—including Gaetano Pesce, Erykah Badu, Roberto Lugo, Maria Cristina Didero, Nada Debs, A$AP Rocky, Daniel Arsham, Samuel Ross, Bradley Bowers, and many others. A curated selection of these talks are available for online viewing here starting today!

Our sincere gratitude goes out to all our amazing contributors and collaborators! And thanks to all those who visited live and online!

’Til next time.*

*Design Miami/ Basel will return to Basel, Switzerland for the 17th edition of the fair held June 13 - 18, 2023, with Preview Day on June 12, 2023. Dates for the 19th edition of Design Miami/ will be announced in early 2023.