Objects that, instead of aging, rejuvenate

BarcelonaTo the designer Miguel Milá (1931-2024), more than commissions, he liked to make commissions for himself, among which are the handle of a cane with boxwood, a tie rack, a belt rack and a leather pendant to hold an old coin he had found in the garden. woman, an elegant fly swatter, made of bamboo and leather, and a coat rack that is also a piece of furniture to store helmets and not have them lying around the entrance of the house. Among them all, one of the most famous were some wicker chairs that he ordered when he got married, and that broke in his house because he wanted them to make them.

Many of these objects Milá worked on in the workshops he had at home and at his vacation home, and now they can be seen in the exhibition dedicated to him at the DHub until September 28, Miguel Milá. (Pre)industrial designerThe title of the exhibition refers to how Milá defended himself, because he was a pioneering creative when the design industry in Spain was nonexistent. It also reflects his character.

As Claudia Oliva, the exhibition's curator alongside Gonzalo Milá, also a designer and collaborator of her father, explains, the elegance, simplicity, and utilitarian nature of his work seem to run in the family. Miguel Milá's father was an "exquisite and sophisticated" man who became president of the Barcelona Provincial Council, and his mother was a "very austere, very serene woman, who took great care of things, repaired things, and educated her children to save." Thus, as can be seen throughout the exhibition, many of Milá's designs have become classics, including the TMC and TMM lighting families and the Cesta collections, as well as numerous public benches. But these objects have not only become icons; Milá improved them over fifty years and incorporated technological innovations. "Not only have they not aged, but they continue to rejuvenate with time," says Oliva.

The exhibition, curated by architect Iñaki Baquero, was organized by La Fábrica for the Madrid Design Festival and can be seen in Barcelona in an expanded format thanks to Miguel Milá donating his archive to the DHub's Design Library and Archive. However, as Gonzalo Milá recalls, since his father was active until the very end, before making the donation he began scanning plans for some designs to have them on hand for further work.

Around 150 objects and a hundred more models and documents can be seen at the DHub. Milá's start in the field of design dates back to the mid-1950s, when he decided to leave architectural studies and begin working as an interior designer in the architectural studio of his brother Alfonso and Federico Correa. "I designed minimalist spaces out of necessity, because nothing else could be done. There weren't any catalogs to choose furniture from, and people didn't have much money to spend," Milá recalled. Another of her maxims was an apologia that design can make life more pleasant. "Objects surround us always, even when they're not in use. A light is off much longer than it is on. And when it's off, the least it can do is not bother us. And the most, it can brighten our lives. Accompanying would be the middle ground," said Milá.

Milá always said that abandoning her architectural studies and later quitting smoking were two of the best decisions she made in life. "Miguel, from the time he was little, had a great interest in all the trades that were close to home, and his mother gave him and the other younger siblings in the house a toolbox like the one the carpenter used to bring to the house," says Oliva. "He began designing furniture and lighting that were capable of fulfilling the necessary functions within these modern architectures. And from that point on, objects began to appear, without him fully realizing that he was an industrial designer who was solving problems—in other words, being useful," explains Gonzalo Milá.

For Oliva, the 1960s and 1970s were Milá's most fruitful period, and he also worked as a promoter with initiatives such as the pioneering company Tramo (for "Trabajos Molestos," a reminder of the odd job he did as a child to earn four reales from his siblings) and the Gres store, in addition to the work he did for Polina. "All these initial pieces involved many artisans, blacksmiths, and people close to architecture, in order to be able to produce these pieces. Then, little by little, the design became a little more standard," says Milá Jr. "Gres was very important," he adds, "because Milá dedicated himself to making a lot of everyday furniture, i.e., shelves, trolleys, chests of drawers... People wanted them because there was no supply of clean, simple, and functional furniture. Later, the curators delved into "the passion and sensitivity" Milá had for materials. "A hardware store was like going to a toy store for a child," explains Milá Jr.