As is to be expected from this world-class design festival, Salone del Mobile passed in a riot of colour and activity, from the gargantuan halls of the Rho Milan Fairgrounds, to the quirkiest of neighbourhoods throughout the city.
This year’s edition saw an unprecedented 372,151 attendees across the duration of Salone del Mobile.Milano, with 67% of those attendees from foreign destinations – emphasising the strong international pull of the festival, and the crucial importance of exports as a crucial segment.
From a trend perspective, there was a clear leaning towards multi-use or modular designs – particularly in terms of furniture, but also within the bathroom sector. Some took compact living spaces as their inspiration, emphasising the benefits of space-saving multifunctional furniture solutions, while others emphasised the opportunity for consumers or designers to customise and adapt their products to suit.
In line with this reassessment of function, many brands took the opportunity to revaluate classic designs, isolating certain aspects and fusing them with unusual material combinations – metal and wood, or precious stones for example – or reproducing them in high performing plastics.
Undulating, rounded and smooth shapes or lines also seemed prominent, particularly with regards to dining and occasional furniture, as well as lighting. The trend towards marble fed well into these designs, its smooth aesthetic and intricate mottlings lending it perfectly to a softer look.
Though the show’s highlights were many, here are just a few of our top picks and observations ...
Designed by architectural practice, Kuehn Malvezzi, Artek’s booth invited visitors to discover Alvar Aalto’s wood-bending experiments. Alvar Aalto’s iconic bentwood furniture, the Kaari Collection by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, and Ilmari Tapiovaara’s Kiki Collection, upholstered in a brand new fabric were all on display.
Swedish design company Bolon brought its brand new flooring collection, Bolon By You, to Milan. With a stand designed by designers Doshi Levien, Bolon made their seventh appearance at the fair a memorable one.
Offering six patterns – Weave, Geometric, Dot, Lace, Grid and Stripe – the overriding concept behind Bolon By You is the multifarious visual identities it is able to create.
Tapping into the notable trend towards modular furniture, Campeggi displayed a number of innovative designs on its stand. Designed in collaboration with Giulio Manzoni, Slalom – in particular – epitomised this notion of flexibility and adaptation. With a few simple adjustments, Slalom can be transformed from a large sofa with chaise longue, into a bed with headboard and footboard.
DEDON’s jungle-themed stand this year captured the outdoor furniture brand’s sense of fun. Created in collaboration with internationally renowned interior and industrial designer, Werner Aisslinger, DEDON JUNGALOW is the brand’s first collaboration not only with Aisslinger but with acclaimed art director, Mirko Borsche, who created the leafy collage that covered several walls of the stand.
Pedrali, meanwhile, presented four new collections at its stand this year, which centred around urban living. The Dome collection, for example recalls the traditional bistrot chair with curved silhouettes, while the Vic collection of upholstered armchairs features classic, elegant shapes.
Kartell’s booth took the opportunity to present a more philosophical perspective on design, calling upon designers to share their thoughts and visions through visuals and audio, alongside a showcase of their designs for Kartell.
Among the designers involved were Antonio Citterio, Ferruccio Laviani, Piero Lissoni, Philippe Starck and Patricia Urquiola.
Visit Salone del Mobile’s website for informatiom about next year’s edition, which will take place between 4-9th April 2017.
