The Foreign Press comments on the Salone del Mobile 2022

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From the interview with Maria Porro for the New York Times, to Oliver Jahn's considerations on Architectural Digest. Here is our international press review

Media coverage of the 60th edition of the Salone del Mobile by the international press has been rich and substantial. It has followed the Milan event as it unfolded, publishing articles day by day, posting photos and videos messages on social media and commenting on the products observed in the stands at the fair. The buzz surrounding the approach of the Salone in the previous months stirred a lot of curiosity and expectancy towards the return of the event that embodies the home system par excellence. First reports speak of 3,500 accredited journalists in the 6 days of the fair, more than half of them representing 68 different countries.

On the opening day of the Salone The New York Times drew the attention of the entire design community by publishing the interview with its President Maria Porro You Have to Make It Happen': A Conversation With Maria Porro by Ted Loos. A Panorama of Design. Some highlights of Milan Design Week, insights and highlights of the brands at the fair and events in the city by Arlene Hirst, Lauren Messman and Pilar Viladas and Julie Lasky who opened the article as follows “Three years after its last full-scale event, Salone del Mobile.Milano, or the Milan Furniture Fair, returns in its 60th iteration. Over the decades, Salone, which is widely judged to be the world’s pre-eminent design fair, has evolved into a platform for about 2,000 international exhibitors and a laboratory for ideas about sustainability in design materials and manufacturing.”

design-with-nature-salone-milano — Design with Nature, ph. Diego Ravier

The Washington Post took up Colleen Berry’s article published by the Associated Press Crowds returned to Milan Furniture Fair after 2-year hiatus: "Italy's furniture and design industry embraced the Milan Furniture Fair after a two-year pandemic delay with unapologetic, over-the-top statement pieces, multi-purpose furnishings adapted to small spaces, and sustainable creations by young designers pushing the industry toward a greener path.” Emphasis on the change of course towards a more sensitive fair comes from Adrian Madlener writing in Metropolis: Green Design Makes a Strong Showing at Milan Design Week 2022 and he quoted Maria Porro: "If the Salone del Mobile can make good use of newly developed or rediscovered low impact materials, entrepreneurs, designers, and brands should also be able to make the shift.” This is echoed by Giovanna Dunamall in the pages of Interior Design: Architect Mario Cucinella Puts His Sustainability Ethos into Practice.

The Brazilian media returned in large numbers to the pavilions of the fair. In his blog Design Filosofico in the pages of Gazeta do Povo, Pedro Franco describes his visit to the Salone this year as follows: "Unlike what many (lay people) might imagine, the Salone di Milano is much more than just a furniture ‘fair’. It is the largest cross-branding platform in the world, featuring brands that want to associate themselves with the theme of design. There you meet businesses in all the categories: fashion, automotive, food, and many others. There, design is a religion. In Milan I learned to respect craftsmanship as such. Italian design goes far beyond a commercial product. It is a political, sensuous, economic platform. There is a great responsibility behind the theme of design. Perhaps it is the biggest cog in the Italian economy. The city is transformed and it wears design. From window displays to confectionery stores and the futuristic complex designed by the Italian Massimiliano Fuksas, which hosts the main event." Casa Vogue Brazil reports: "With nature and sustainability at the center of the Salone del Mobile Milano 2022, the world’s most famous and eagerly awaited design week, which ended last June 12, was a laboratory of initiatives and new technologies in favor of environmental responsibility. Between installations with a focus on the future (and the present) and appeals to sustainability, there were many innovations presented by designers, brands and companies in the sector.”

schueller-salone-milano — Schuller, ph. Diego Ravier

From the German media comes the article This furniture is presented by German designers at the Milan Furniture Fair by Peter-Philipp Schmitt in the pages of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which presented an overview of the important presence of German companies at the 2022 edition. “At the Salone del Mobile, many of the booths seemed to suggest that we have reached a fork in the road as regards the direction the industry can and wants to take in the next few years: After the consistently sustainable concept of the supersalone by Stefano Boeri last year, carpets had completely disappeared from the aisles of the halls and from many booths, but the established manufacturers’ product show stands once again grew wide and extended far upwards,” comments Anna Moldenhauer from Stylepark, while Robert Volhard focuses on EuroCucina. AD India met Maria Porro in an interview with Cristina Piotti Kiran, who told the Indian operators and visitors about the anticipation at the great return of the long-awaited fair. Spotlight on the young designers at the Salone Satellite 2022 in Milan in the article by IDEAT France and Elle Decor US.

The Financial Times welcomed back the furniture fair with Caroline Roux's article Milan's Salone del Mobile returns with focus on revivals and recycle, emphasizing the responsible production and sustainability of many of the projects on display. Words of optimism and appreciation from Alice Fisher in the pages of The Observer: “a great sign that the normality that's been discussed so much during the pandemic might finally be a reality. While Salone is the best place to discover new names in design, art and furniture, there are interesting projects this month focused on rediscovery. New uses for hemp and a revolutionary way to use wood also feature in our stories. Old is very much the new new in design.”

Oliver Jahn's remarks in Architectural Digest close perfectly this first press review, “The Salone del Mobile and the Architectural Digest share a long history. For us, the fair has always been one of the highlights of the year. It is the place where trends and innovations will shape the industry to emerge in the long term. It is all the more pleasant that this year we will meet on site and in person. It's an event that traces the contours of this industry and makes it so special.