Nilufar Gallery was founded in 1979 by Nina Yashar - one of Italy’s most inspirational furniture dealers.
In the late nineties, Nina opened Nilufar Gallery on Via della Spiga in Milano which has been ever since the reference point for collectable historical, modernist and contemporary furniture design.
Later, in 2015 a second space opened its doors to the public. Located in a warehouse not far from Garibaldi train station, Nilufar Depot showcases over 3,000 pieces of historic and contemporary designs that Nina has collected over the past thirty years, along with new creations of young talents.
Milan-based architect Massimiliano Locatelli - who often displayed his furniture designs at the Nilufar showroom on Via della Spiga, was appointed for the interior architecture of the depot. The result is a stunning space with a central atrium encircled by three storeys of black metal balconies, inspired by the Milan's unrivaled Teatro alla Scala.
Working closely with her sister Nilu and their small team of five people, Nina curates extraordinary pieces which she displays at international design fairs such as the Pavillon des Arts et du Design (PAD) in Paris or Design Miami/Basel where they were present last month.

Design Miami/ Basel 2018

The selection of furniture in bright colours and dynamic shapes exhibited last month at DesignMiami/ Basel is a mix of aesthetics bringing to focus Nina Yashar's deep-rooted interest in mid-century Brazilian furniture, brilliantly matched with the historic Italian design - the gallery’s trademark.

The setting displayed a couple of elegant armchairs by Jorge Zalszupin and two Zig Zag lounge chairs by Estúdio de Arte Palma: LBB and Palanti,  placed around an off‐cut low table by Martino Gamper, which had been used in the foyer of the Teatro Cultura Artística, São Paulo, Brazil.

The Tre bracci floor lamp by Gino Sarfatti cast a beautiful silhouette on The Spättan carpet designed by Barbro Nilsson, hung on the wall next to Vittorio Introini's chromed steel and glass Proposal bookcases.

Ettore Sottsass's Minareto sculpture sat next to Jorge Zalszupin 's cabinet and Plato Guacamayas wall-hung carpet designed by Jorge Lizarazo and manufactured by Hechizoo Colombia.

The colourful room dividers designed by Martino Gamper were paired with the Crosette floor lamp by Michael Anastassiades.

Gino Sarfatti's ceiling lamp by and the Arredoluce floor lamp in bronze and marble enhanced the light in the space.

Six chairs designed by Augusto Bozzi and manufactured by Saporiti complimented the Poligonal table in ebonized jacaranda wood, painted steel and backpainted glass top designed by Joaquim Tenreiro.

Lina Bo Bardi, Giancarlo Palanti, Studio d’Arte Palma ~ 1948–1951
Presented by Nilufar Gallery at Design at Large - Design Miami/ Basel 2018

Design at Large is dedicated to large-scale historical and contemporary design pieces as well as innovative architectural installations. Organised around the theme '20th and 21st century architectral expression', this edition was curated by photographer François Halard.
One of the exhibition's highlights was the collecion of unique furniture presented by Nilufar Gallery.

Nilufar Gallery has been participating in Design Miami/ Basel since its first edition back in 2005, constantly presenting rare collectable furniture pieces. This year, the gallery displayed an unprecedented Lina Bo Bardi collection of furniture, the biggest ever exhibited, produced by the Estúdio de Arte e Arquitetura Palma. Together with the Italo-Brazilian architect Giancarlo Palanti, the founder of Estúdio de Arte e Arquitetura Palma, Bo Bardi had designed and produced several unique furniture pieces which were on display this year at Design at Large - Design Miami/ Basel. The exhibition was meticulously curated by Nina Yashar - who was recently appointed founding member of the new International Committee of the Lina Bo Bardi Institute, with the support of Instituto Bardi / Casa de Vidro.