In the Mood for Touch

Discovering, Crossing, Creating. Nina Yashar believes in valuing design to tell stories. She founded Nilufar Gallery in Milan in 1979. Originally located in via Bigli and specialized in antique carpets, a passion she inherited from her Iranian parents, the Gallery soon launched a series of pioneering shows, including “La rosa nel tappeto” (The rose on the carpet) – a study on the iconography of the rose motif in rugs from all around the world – while bringing both Oriental and European carpets, such as Kilim, Gabbeh and Aubusson varieties, into the Italian and international spotlight. By the end of the Nineties, the Gallery, now located in via della Spiga, ventured into modern and contemporary furniture, showcasing the work of midcentury masters alongside unusual carpets, cutting-edge furniture and emerging designers’ pieces. In 1999, the Gallery expanded its headquarters in via della Spiga with a project lead by Italian designer Gian Carlo Montebello. The first decade of the new century witnessed a series of experimentations and contamination which strengthened the Gallery’s reputation of a reference point to historical and contemporary design lovers.