District Eight Debuts Latest Collections at Salone del Mobile.Milano

District Eight, a furniture and design objects brand, debuts this year at the Salone del Mobile.Milano, showcasing its latest collections by three renowned designers: Michele De Lucchi, Toan Nguyen, and Adam Goodrum.

District Eight is a highly regarded Vietnamese brand well-known for its unique style and prestigious international collaborations. Founded in 2010 by Australian-born Darren Chew, the brand is based in Ho Chi Minh City and takes its name from the eponymous district in Saigon where manufacturing workshops were historically located. From the beginning, Darren Chew drew inspiration from Vietnamese and Asian industrial and artisanal manufacturing tradition, blending it with European influences. This approach is reflected in collections with pure and minimalist lines, a strong focus on masterfully crafted details, and the use of natural materials such as solid timber from sustainable responsible sources, metal, leather, and stone.

In the ten years since its inception, District Eight has grown exponentially to international recognition, which culminates in the collaboration with three renowned designers such as Michele De Lucchi, Toan Nguyen, and Adam Goodrum.

Inumbra: The Essential and Functional System by Michele De Lucchi

Italian designer and architect Michele De Lucchi brings his rigorous and functional style to a modular shelving system: Inumbra. Characterized by pure and refined lines that combine historical references, ancient manufacturing techniques, and formal experimentation, Inumbra reinterprets the classic modular shelving system in a sculptural and imposing way. The system enhances the beauty of the materials and demonstrates great attention to detail and the artisanal quality of the workmanship.

The structural uprights rest on the floor and are anchored to the wall with brushed steel elements, without visible screws once assembled. The joints are concealed by magnetic metal caps that facilitate easy fixing of the shelves, giving the system a linear and seamless appearance.

Inumbra offers great compositional flexibility thanks to the possibility of modulating the shelves and containers with variable heights and widths, without ever betraying the essential and functional design. “In District Eight, I recognize a design attitude that’s very Italian in its approach to high quality products – the result of a perpetual curiosity towards technical possibilities, a deeply rooted humanistic sensibility and a strong innovative undertone,” says Michele De Lucchi.

Inumbra is available in various finishes and variants, alluding to District Eight’s signature take in combining multiple materials on one product. In the floor-to-ceiling version, the system is integrated with an adapter that makes it self-supporting. The reversible containers offer access from both sides, further amplifying the compositional versatility.

The Stilt Collection: Formal minimalism and Vietnamese heritage by Toan Nguyen

The Stilt Collection is the perfect combination of art and Vietnamese manufacturing tradition with European formal influences. Each piece of the collection has its own personality, all sharing an elegant and minimal aesthetic. Designed by Toan Nguyen, a French designer of Vietnamese origin known for his essential and poetic style, the collection combines functionality and simplicity with a refined and innovative aesthetic solution.

The Stilt Collection includes a sofa module, an armchair with footrest, a chaise longue, a series of tables, and a bed. The structure of the seating is an explicit tribute to the traditional stilts found in northern and central Vietnam. The sofa and armchair are characterised by a wooden base upholstered in handmade leather or fabric that gently holds the cushions.

The series of tables is available in different configurations, including high and low versions, with round, square, or rectangular tabletops of different sizes. The Stilt bed is designed to maximise comfort and offer intuitive elegance, with tailored finishes and elements in wood and steel.

The collection is designed and made with oak wood completed by steel bars to provide stability and durability, making Stilt an ideal collection for residential and contract settings.

Joss: A collection paying tribute to the ancestral forms of architecture in Asia.

Toan Nguyen’s distinctive vision of Asian influence in District Eight’s design has inspired Joss, a new collaboration that expands the boundaries of artisanal production. The collection of sofas with monolithic dimensions is a contemporary statement of harmony and tranquility. Characterized by a curvature in the upper part of the solid wood base, the collection pays explicit tribute to the typical architecture of Asia. The curved lines flow sinuously into the solid volumes of the seats, backs, and armrests, creating a strong identity and giving the collection a decidedly contemporary sculptural appearance. The Joss collection is composed of nine single components, including a daybed and a coffee table, which can be combined in various formats to adapt to the needs of constantly evolving contemporary spaces.

Collette by Adam Goodrum: The softness of a wooden “collette”

The Collette collection, designed by Australian designer Adam Goodrum, pays tribute to the archetypal wood workings. Its fluid and sinuous line that extends harmoniously from the backrest to the armrests of the seats is a work of art, demonstrating the production skill of the master craftsmen at District Eight.

Each piece in the collection conveys a passion for the raw material, wood, which is always certified and treated with non-toxic varnishes for maximum safety in the brand’s production. The name “Collette” evokes the softness of a refined French collar, but it is an elegant and robust collection that is well-suited for use in both residential and commercial spaces.

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