Jewel-toned stained glass, symmetrical curvature, and lavish floral engravings. The longevity of Art Deco’s prominence as a beloved interior design motif demonstrates its brilliant ability to merge fantasy with minimalism. In their new Objets Nomades collection, Louis Vuitton aims to make time travel possible with inclusions of the Art Nouveau style’s most celebrated design elements. The new designs, displayed in juxtaposition with the label’s classic trunks, take on a rich and colorful energy in their Milan Design Week installation, sprawling through several of the Palazzo Serbelloni’s historic rooms and grounding featured pieces in an appropriately extravagant, palatial setting.

The collection is first introduced in the Giangaleazzo room, which dramatically presents a train shaped structure that echoes the travel methods of the 1920s. The exhibit’s focus on travel themed faire and the act of pilgrimage serves as a nod to the House’s origins as the manufacturers of fine luggage trunks. Drawing on quintessential Art Deco design elements, Louis Vuitton molds textile and furniture creations to invoke the aesthetic tone of historically relevant bookbinder Pierre Legrain, whose famous usage of color and curvature exemplified the nostalgic creativity of the era.

The Gabio room is a passageway of deep blues and browns that similarly involves Legrain’s legacy with the inclusion of a Tikal style rug reminiscent of the artisan's bindings. This more intimate, domestic setting comes to life in recognizable library and dining furniture motifs involving items belonging to previous Louis Vuitton Nomades projects such as last year’s Fotunato Depero Homage collection.

The voyage continues in the Napoleonica room, where graphic throws from the Pierre Legrain Homage collection decorate the walls like murals, flattering furniture pieces like the Riviera chaise lounge. This space also spotlights the omega-shaped Celeste dressing table, a legacy art piece created for Louis Vuitton in 1921, now reimagined in Nomade leather.

Red is the muse of the Parini room, with the color weaving patterns and textures through many of the space’s prominent works. Legrain’s minimalistic signature informs an array of accessories including tableware and candles. These furnishings are grounded with a complimentary rug from the Pierre Legrain Homage collection, infusing the space with a dynamic finishing.

Louis Vuitton also invites Design Week visitors to its Via Montenapoleone store, currently housing a collection of iconic trunks, including the Malle Courrier Lozine Maison de Famille, a runway piece made entirely out of stained glass, displaying classic Art Nouveau floral motifs modeled after the family home. This trunk embodies the elegant creativity and appeal to modernism demonstrated by all Art Deco era art, a true symbol of the brand’s fusion between tradition and novelty.

The exhibit is on display from April 21st to 26th at the Palazzo Serbelloni.

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