TMU Interior Design students make their debut at Milan’s top design show
Nine TMU interior design students did what most designers only ever dream about: they exhibited at Salone del Mobile.Milano (external link) in Milan, Italy, the world’s top design event.
“As interior designers, we always hear of Salone. For us to know that our work will be standing alongside some of the biggest interior design firms, that's a huge deal in our design career,” says Ernest Yeung, fourth-year interior design student. “This opportunity is incredibly rare and one of the biggest honours we can have coming out of TMU.”
This was TMU’s first time exhibiting at the highly competitive showcase, and the only Canadian institution invited this year. Interior design professor Jonathon Anderson made it happen after nearly two decades of work to secure the invitation.
The students were selected for SaloneSatellite, a section of the event dedicated to emerging designers under 35.
“It was pure joy and bliss when the nine students got the email,” says Anderson. “They really understood the impact that this project would have on their portfolio and future career, so they took this incredibly seriously.”
Exploring Digital Grotesque
The students worked under the theme Digital Grotesque – a concept that challenges clean, perfect design by embracing excess, distortion and imperfection.
To build their pieces, they used advanced tools at TMU's Design + Technology LAB (DTL), including robotic arms, 3D printers and computer numerical control (CNC) machines.
“We were able to play with a lot of design tools and the machines that are provided in the DTL,” says Cathy Yan, fourth-year interior design student.
Months of experimenting
The process demanded serious commitment.
Fourth-year student Sana Nasir spent months testing materials and produced nearly 70 individual pieces before arriving at her final product, Triptych Vessels.
“This project really gave me the chance to delve into this craft,” says Nasir. “There was joy in going down to the basement each time and seeing what was going to come out.”
Fellow fourth-year student Areesha Asif took a different path, engineering a robotic arm to drip wax onto vessels for her installation – a process that meant learning how the material behaves.
“Going into it was a whole exploration of materiality," says Asif. "I have worked with wax before, but not to the same level as this project."
Overcoming challenges
Tight timelines brought real stress. When Yan’s ceiling lamp piece – called Beyond Body – cracked from tension during production, she had to stay calm and problem-solve fast.
“I learned how important it is to calm yourself down and stay focused,” says Yan. “I took deep breaths and told myself to let the machine do its work.”
Anderson and her classmate Yeung stepped up to help her fix the piece.
“Jonathon was so kind and really there to guide us through this,” says Yan. “Without him, I don't feel like we would have this amazing project.”
Building the exhibition in Milan
Once in Milan, the students went from making to presenting. They arranged the installation so everyone’s projects were visible, then spent days explaining their concepts to international visitors.
Esther Bailey (left) and Dilara Cengiz posing with their projects
“After the first day, I quickly learned the best way to connect with people and how to talk about our projects when we're exhibiting them,” says Asif.
For many, seeing strangers genuinely engage with their work was the highlight.
“Being selected was a confidence booster. We put our heart into this project, and got to show our work on such a big scale,” says Yan. “It's just such a fascinating idea for me to bring my project, and then to be part of this event.”
Reactions from a global crowd
Visitors engaging at the TMU exhibition.
As visitors moved through the TMU exhibition, students were met with reactions ranging from curiosity to fascination.
Yeung's decomposition-inspired furniture piece drew curious and impressed reactions from passersby.
“My favourite part of the experience was creating something so out there and seeing everyone’s reaction,” says Yeung. “People would stop and ask, ‘What am I looking at?’”
Nasir’s material experiments drew attention from visitors interested in learning about her process and techniques — a few expressed interest in purchasing the pieces.
“I was really happy to see how much interest people were taking in our projects,” says Nasir.
Beyond the classroom
The Milan exhibit was entirely extracurricular – students balanced it alongside their coursework. The exhibition also aligns with The Creative School’s long-established Global Learning initiatives, which connect over 750 students to international learning opportunities each year.
“Watching these students grow, not only in terms of their design and fabrication capabilities, but in terms of their confidence to present at the professional level – that was the most amazing part,” says Anderson.
International experiences like Milan Salone give students the opportunity to travel the world, gain new perspectives and explore professional development around the world.