The Italian press reaction to the Salone del Mobile 2022

SaloneSatellite 2022

The tours, the news, the thoughts and the figure - the 60th edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano as narrated by the Italian magazines dedicated to design, furniture, and more

Fanpage opened by tracing this year’s home décor new perspectives, exemplified by the collections presented by the companies’ world exclusives at the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022:

"Inclusiveness and versatility, new materials and sustainability were the key themes for the new furniture collections presented at Milan Design Week 2022. Objects and spaces are becoming more and more hybrid in everyone's homes, which is why many companies focused on light and modular furnishings that could be moved, arranged, assembled and exist individually.” The products conceived for contemporary living focused on significant themes (and less on stylistic ones), in fact, reflecting changes that have accelerated with the transformations brought about by the last two and a half years, which have seen the domestic environment at the centre of a revolution. Changes that were translated not just into the furnishings, but also into the way in which the companies presented themselves at the fair in the round - according to an article by Giovanna Mancini in Il Sole 24 Ore - stating that the new scenarios seen at the Salone concerned above all a "return to nature and craftsmanship," seen as "the search for more natural materials, colours and processes, linked to local traditions or techniques of the past […] one of the most evident trends among the stands of the Salone del Mobile." These directions were also confirmed by Carlo Boffi, Michele Gervasoni and Albino Celato. After all, as the same journalist said in a piece on ecological transition, at the 2022 Salone we saw how "sustainability (environmental and social) and ecological transition are at the centre of the strategies of furniture companies, now considered an out-and-out growth factor and not just an ethical or marketing choice, as demonstrated not only by the products and the stands of the exhibitors at the Salone del Mobile, but also by the choices made by the Salone itself."

Golran, Salone 2022 — Golran, ph. Andrea Mariani

Two articles published in Domus, in which Silvana Annichiarico - curator, researcher and former director of the Triennale Design Museum - and Lorenzo Damiani - architect and designer - also identify the new directions in which the leading companies in the furniture sector are moving. They each selected 10 pieces of furniture to represent the entire fair, including great classics, re-editions, innovative aesthetics, experimentation with materials, big names and collaborations that have been consolidated for decades. The innovations that are seen every year at the Salone continue to drive the market (and taste) and give us a glimpse of what living will look like in the future. "In the pavilions - which in this edition are all back in business - the atmosphere is one of great enthusiasm. Certainly due in part to the return to normality, but there is also a new and more conscious attitude towards interior and product design," said Sara Banti in Abitare. “The pandemic has brought a lot of attention to bear on the home. At the fair this is evidenced not only by the care taken over the products, but also over the fittings. As never before, in this edition there has been a great search for comfort in the stands, where a soft and pleasant brightness reigns." Also, according to the Huffington Post - which cited Andrea Molteni in an interview - "the Salone del Mobile confirms itself as a space of excellence that welcomes foreign visitors" in search of the very latest news.

It is not for nothing that some of the exhibiting companies have confirmed their presence at the show for 60 editions, from the very first onwards. Twelve "brands that, in the name of quality, research and innovation, have accepted, year after year, the invitation to the show and have grown with it. Companies that have never stopped believing in the value and the strength that working together for a common purpose produces: to show the world the beauty and quality that Made in Italy produces,” said Interni magazine on 10th June.

Salone 60th — 60th Salone del Mobile.Milano, ph. Alessandro Russotti

But that’s not all. This year may have marked a return to normality for the Salone del Mobile, but it was also the year in which the biennials EuroCucina and the International Bathroom Exhibition made their return. With regard to the former, explains Living - the Corriere della Sera magazine dedicated to design and architecture – “a glance at the exhibitors in pavilions 9 and 11 of the Milan fair helps to understand the trends and the directions the sector dedicated to kitchen furniture and design is taking. […] Looking at the latest EuroCucina 2022 products, there are several shared proposals which, even when interpreted in a different key, indicate the possible evolutions of this domestic environment. Some ideas come from technical possibilities, while others are answers to the new demands of those who design kitchens (and homes) that have emerged in recent years." While the specialist magazine ilBagno reported that "companies in the bathroom world have waited with great excitement to carefully hone the details of this great occasion" and made a top list of this year's products, focusing above all on washbasins, tubs and taps.

The annual appointment with SaloneSatellite focused on "attention to materials and sustainability, while the highest recognition goes to a project of contemporary craftsmanship that combines elegance and dignity" - explained Living in its focus on the winners, discussing "the awards to three projects that stood out for their message, underscoring not only the formal incisiveness of the design but also the sustainable and inclusive component."

Dieffebi Salone 2022 — Dieffebi, ph. Diego Ravier

Finally, the numbers confirm the centrality of the Salone del Mobile as an opportunity for dialogue between professionals, for catching up with innovations and as a place of inspiration to consider the opportunities offered by the future of the sector. Wrapping up this edition, Il Sole 24 Ore opened: "The 60th edition of the Salone del Mobile in Milan - the first in its complete format after three years and two months of the pandemic - closed with 262,000 visitors from 173 countries, a figure lower than 2019’s record (almost 400,000 visitors) but higher than expected and judged very positive by its organisers.” According to IFDM, it was “an event that […] has rediscovered its role as a meeting point for reflections on the future of living, as well as a gateway to new business, also on an international scale, involving the entire city.”

For Elledecor.it, a profoundly innovative element that had moved up a gear from previous editions "was that of digital: concerted work on the website, newsletter, app, push and social networks (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube) which allowed 13.5 million accounts to be reached, with user-generated generated by an over 50,000-strong community using the official hashtags (#salonedelmobile2022 and #salonedelmobile60th), 600,000 video views, 120,000 interactions with content and 25 million impressions. Over the week of the Salone del Mobile 2022, the site recorded 4.8 million page views with an average of 100,000 users per day (69.2% from Italy, 30.8% from abroad) and a 42% increase in new users registered on the platform."

Check out here all the articles from the Magazines from the World