Inga Sempé: La Casa Imperfetta at Triennale Milano
In 2024, French designer Inga Sempé transformed the Design Platform at Triennale Milano into a full-scale domestic interior for La Casa Imperfetta. Curated by Marco Sammicheli, with exhibition design by Studio A/C and Sempé, the exhibition placed her work within the setting it has always been closely connected to: everyday life.
Rather than presenting design as a sequence of isolated objects, La Casa Imperfetta unfolded through the familiar rooms and functions of a home. Lamps, tables, chairs, beds, mirrors, rugs, door handles and other objects coexisted in an interior that appeared inhabited rather than staged. Visitors were invited to use the space, sit on the furniture, read a book or switch on a lamp, gradually leaving their own traces within the exhibition.
The setting reflected Sempé’s distinctive approach to industrial design, where utility is accompanied by curiosity, character and an instinctive use of colour. Functional objects remained individual and sometimes unexpected, creating a home shaped by accumulation and use rather than an idea of perfection.
Colour formed part of this domestic composition. Four shades developed by Inga Sempé for Blēo were used throughout the exhibition: IN SE 09 Amande, IN SE 12 Seiche, IN SE 13 Blanquette and IN SE 15 Assiette Cassée. Together, the colours became part of the architecture of La Casa Imperfetta, moving between objects, surfaces and rooms and placing Sempé’s colour palette within the context of her wider design practice.
La Casa Imperfetta was presented at Triennale Milano from 15 April to 15 September 2024.
Curated by Marco Sammicheli.
Exhibition design by Studio A/C and Inga Sempé.
Photography by Lea Anouchinsky and Gianluca Di Ioia.
