Early December provides one last warm weather escape before the months long cold of NYC winter. So it’s back to South Florida for the 20th edition of Design Miami. And for this two decade anniversary, there were some subtle but major changes to the event. First is the logo sans the familiar /. I’m glad to see it gone as it was a vestige of 2010s era symbol usage. I guess it technically has been replaced with a period, but overall looks better.

This is also the first edition with new owners Basic.Space producing the event. The usual mix of galleries, curios, special projects and partner installations remained, but the floor plan was revised to group them together rather than randomly scattered around the tents. I more prefer the old layout as the partner installations in particular felt too much like a trade show of brands.

Curatorial Director Glenn Adamson landed on Make Believe for the theme this year. Maybe a nod to fantasizing about a happier reality than the one we’re currently in. Overall the fair slanted more to presenting vintage rarities than ground breaking new work. Near the entrance was Adamson’s Design Miami 2.0 collection of curated work and it mostly reflected the state of current collectible design aesthetics.

My personal highlights include the industrial design-slanted seating, shelving and lighting from Galerie Signé.

PET Lamp based in Madrid exhibited Gurunsi, a ceiling chandelier made in Ghana. PET works with economically challenged communities around the world to combine weaving traditions with plastic package upcycling. The lamps produced bring traditional handcraft to a modern context and result in unique pieces with an aesthetic link to the place of production.

Finally, Glassmith Simone Crestani exhibited a pair of giant light fixtures covered with hundreds of individual glass elements. Photos don’t do the scale and drama of these pieces justice and I appreciate the sheer insanity of commitment to making these pieces.

Photos and Text: Dave Pinter