Design Week 2025 in Milan saw 25 artists offering fresh perspectives on the iconic teapot.
In the heart of Milan during Design Week 2025, the Loewe Teapots exhibition will grace Palazzo Citterio, Via Brera 12. This unique event, featuring designs by renowned artists, designers, and architects such as Patricia Urquiola, Simone Fattal, and David Chipperfield, promises to elevate the humble teapot to a figure of design, showcasing its cultural, historical, and ritualistic importance.
For many, the tea ceremony holds deep personal significance, and this is no exception for Simone Fattal. Before the civil war in Lebanon, Fattal began her daily tea ritual, a practice that continues to this day. Fattal's teapot, crafted in porcelain with a woven leather handle, maintains a simple design that is close to traditional, reflecting her respect for the teapot's historical elements.
Simone Fattal finds joy in using her teapot for the convivial moment of the tea ceremony, a ritual she sees as an anchor and support during difficult times. The tea ceremony, in various forms, is considered in the context of its cross-cultural and ritualistic nature by the commissioned designers, including David Chipperfield and Dan MacCarthy.
Chipperfield's design for the tea ceremony emphasises the importance of ritual and doing simple things with care and attention. Inspired by the tea ceremony's significance in Japanese culture, Chipperfield collaborated with Galician ceramic artist Paula Ojea and jewellers Noroeste Obradoiro to bring his design to life.
Patricia Urquiola's design, named 'Ardilla', blurs the lines between form and function, creating a more abstract form that embodies the duality of the animal squirrel. Urquiola's design plays with organic curves and tactile elements, resulting in an object that feels natural in the hands.
The Loewe Teapots exhibition also marks a contrast in teapots, with creatives using traditional mediums such as porcelain and ceramic, but with eclectic twists on material and form. The May 2025 issue of the website's magazine features an article on the exhibition and is available in print on newsstands from 3 April, on the website app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. More information on the exhibition can be found on the Palazzo Citterio website (palazzocitterio.org) and Loewe's website (loewe.com).
In East Asia, the tea ceremony is deeply significant as a cultural ritual, embodying values such as harmony, respect, tranquility, spiritual connection, and social bonding. Each country's tradition reflects its unique historical and philosophical context.
In Japan, the tea ceremony (chanoyu) is highly ritualized, emphasizing harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility, deeply influenced by Zen Buddhism. It is a meditative practice highlighting the beauty of nature and the art of hospitality.
In China, the tea ceremony (Cha Dao) stresses harmony between people and nature, with elaborate preparation and appreciation rituals developed since the Tang and Song Dynasties. It symbolizes good fortune, prosperity, longevity, and self-cultivation.
In Korea, while not detailed in the search results provided, the Korean tea ceremony (darye) shares similar values of respect, ease, and mindfulness rooted in Confucianism and Buddhist traditions, fostering calmness and social harmony.
The Loewe Teapots exhibition at Milan Design Week 2025 presumably showcased innovative artistic interpretations that highlight and reinterpret this rich tradition through design. Unfortunately, no detailed descriptions of the exhibition are available to provide specifics on the artists or their works.
- Simone Fattal's teapot design, deeply rooted in personal history, will be displayed amongst other innovative teapots at the Loewe Teapots exhibition, a home-and-garden piece that reflects the cultural and historical significance of the teapot.
- The Loewe Teapots exhibition, held during Milan Design Week 2025, not only showcases stunning teapot designs by renowned artists like Simone Fattal, but also delves into the lifestyle aspect of the tea ceremony, emphasizing its rich cross-cultural and ritualistic nature.
