Interior design specialist Julia Day shares her top picks from this year’s event"There are currently two very distinct genres of design," says Julia Day about her recent trip to the annual Milan Furniture Fair. "Designers are either trying to recreate the past, or they're looking into the future. Nobody's living in the here and now." Past perfect "Designers are also looking back to the past, they're talking about humanity, celebrating nature, focusing on craft and personalising design," says Day. "It's almost a reaction to the first trend, an attempt to balance out this fascination with the future."1) BITOSSI CERAMICHE Seams ceramic collectionby Benjamin HubertLondon designer Benjamin Hubert has created a range of moulded ceramic tableware for Italian manufacturer Bitossi Ceramiche. The Bitossi family business has been producing artistic ceramics since 1871, and Seams is a collection of ceramic vessels that celebrates, rather than erases, the raw seam details that are conventionally removed during the slip-casting process.  2) DE PADOVASquare Sofa 16 2004/2015 by Piero Lissoni/Vico MagistrettiThe iconic Square Sofa, which was originally designed by architect Vico Magistretti for De Padova, has been reimagined in 2016 by famed designer Piero Lissoni. This piece looks to the past for its inspiration and makes precise cultural references, from folk to classic.  story_article_right13)Firefly lamp by Alexander Ahnebrink 2016 for De PadovaA charming, nomadic lamp equipped with a USB charging port, Firefly can be carried around to light up indoors and outdoors. The natural leather basket and hand-blown glass are reminiscent of a classic picnic thermos, adding a whimsical retro touch to the design.  4) Sen Tables by Ken Oshiro for De PadovaMade from old oak and marble, these tables show a real subtlety in depicting nature. A nanotechnology called "soft touch treatment" is used to make the finishes seem almost hand drawn. The cluster of tables can be used separately or together, making them easily adaptable to any space.  5) KVADRAT Akira Minagawa collectionJapanese textile and clothes designer Akira Minagawa is mainly known for his minä perhonen fashion label, famous for its romantic, slightly naïve style. His new collection for Kvadrat is all about refined patterns, detailed embroidery, weaving and scenes from nature.  story_article_right26) BOFFI Code kitchen by Piero LissoniBoffi refers to its latest offering as a kitchen programme, not a model, as it offers extremely tailor-made solutions for materials, finishes and cabinet typologies. The materials are handcrafted and some of the woods have been extracted from rivers with thousands of years of history. A true return to craftsmanship. 7) DANSKINA CARPETS Hella Jongerius Cross Cut rugHella Jongerius has reinterpreted the traditional tufted rug in a way that creates a unique visual interaction between the rug and the floor underneath. In the Cross Cut designs, the whole surface of the rug is formed as an open grid, with geometric lines merging into an organic pattern at one end.  Future fantastic "This trend is very much about looking towards the future, about utilising technology and imagining we're living on other planets," says Day. "It's all very forward thinking. People are starting to dream about life as it could be in a few years' time." 8) SELETTI/DIESEL LIVING Cosmic Diner with brass additionsCosmic Diner is a new, visionary collaboration between Diesel Living and Seletti. It consists of porcelain dinnerware, borosilicate glasses, brass and stoneware bowls, salt and pepper grinders, a vase and candlesticks - all designed to add a vintage space and cosmonaut look and feel to your home.  story_article_right39) MOROSSO Gemma sofa by Daniel Libeskind (pictured top)Architect Daniel Libeskind's Gemma sofa is reminiscent of a precious gemstone, thanks to its multi-faceted surface. For this futuristic piece, Libeskind has drawn a tremendous amount of inspiration from natural geological forms, including crystals, gems and natural rock formations.  10) ARTEMIDE Ameluna in collaboration with Mercedes-BenzThe collaboration produced Ameluna - a futuristic pendant lamp that, with the use of a dedicated app, can memorise the lighting in the new Mercedes E-Class, or any other lighting, and replicate it in another space. ..