The Salone in the words of the international press – part two

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The 60 years of the Salone del Mobile, the novelties presented by the exhibiting companies, an increasingly attentive and sensitive eye to environmental issues and great confidence in young designers. These were the topics covered by the foreign press, in Milan to check out today’s design and report back to their readers

Young designers and a more sustainable development of the furniture system, both environmental and social, are at the centre of the international press review. Three weeks after the close of the sixtieth edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano, which came to an end, proving a great success and very rewarding for the 2,175 exhibiting companies and over 262,000 visitors, the impressions of the foreign media are highlighting the brands and products presented at the fair. They carefully scrutinize the concrete gestures towards a trade fair system more attentive to the global ecological agenda. They welcome the decision to permanently remove the use of carpeting from the corridors of the pavilions and the drafting of guidelines for the design of displays by the exhibitors, in ways compatible with better recycling and the reuse of building materials. The installation “Design with Nature” also aroused great interest. Commissioned by the Salone del Mobile, it was devoted to the discovery and understanding of materials generated from waste with a view to the ecological transition and the understanding of cities as mines of resources to be regenerated. The general attitude expressed by the international press, attentive to sustainability and in search of practical and already viable solutions, was a great welcome back to the Salone in its traditional format.

VIVA IL Salone / A sucessful Restart is the title of the exhibition report in the German magazine Arcade, which observes the return of operators to the sector in the trade fair’s 20 pavilions. It quotes the President Maria Porro’s important statement on the geopolitical situation in Europe. The President spoke openly of “an elephant in the room” and stated that “sharing beauty is the best way to make peace.”

Well known German newspaper Die Zeit discovered the soft side of the Salon with the article: Pandemic design for the heart: You want to embrace this furniture. “Especially in Milan , where trends in the furnishing world are shown for the first time and only then find their way around the world, one rarely encounters such a large variety of products that are described by their designers and suppliers with roughly the same words: Embracing is on everyone's lips - perhaps also because it is so much a part of a warm welcome in Italy.” These words will find an echo in the mood of many visitors, buyers and experts eager to again feel the energy and the unique atmosphere they experienced during the week of the Salone del Mobile.

Salone 2022 — Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022, ph. Marco Mazzoni

The Belgian newspaper De Standaard finds the city of Milan vibrant and full of many new features, presenting its impressions in the article The design city is in a beautiful state. Talent Show in Milan and stressing the city’s exclusive role: “’Milano is design is Milano', is the message on large posters that you encounter everywhere. The most important design fair, the well-known Salone, takes place in Milan every year.” The other Belgian national newspaper, L’Echo, tells its readers about the 10 fundamental stages of the Salone del Mobile and its 60 years of history with 10 things you didn't know about Milan's Salone del Mobile.

The media of the absent giant, China, have tried to convey to its large design community at least a part of the immensely festive atmosphere breathed in Milan and at the stands of the fair in Rho. INTERNI China, whose crew filmed the pavilions, interviewed exhibitors, designers and international visitors, producing several live streaming services for its subscribers. The architect Mario Cucinella, curator and designer of the installation “Design with Nature”, was a special guest, explaining to Chinese viewers the importance of the project and the idea that inspired it. Some correspondents of Chinese newspapers in Europe managed to visit the Salone. They included Lifeness, which published a series of articles on its WeChat platform. “Milan has many identities as a city, spanning many levels, from fashion capital to design mecca. For the design world, it is almost impossible to separate the city of Milan and the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, as this is not only a fair, but also the design and art brought together by outstanding creative people from all over the world.” Lifestyle Asia, a magazine based in Hong Kong, explores the luxury brands that have captured the attention of many buyers and trendsetters who hurried to Milan. The article The luxury brands featured at Salone del Mobile 2022 comments: “With sustainability at the core of this year's theme, brands set out to bring to life concrete magic. Here are the special creations that some luxury brands have presented at Salone del Mobile 2022.”

The latest home design trends as captured at the 60th Salone del Mobile di Milano are cohesive design, sustainability, customisation and colour, according to the reportage broadcast by Hantang, one of China’s most powerful television stations. The programme shows encounters with exhibitors with short and effective interviews, explains the breadth and the importance of the Salone and highlights the latest products and trends for bathrooms and kitchens. “When we spend more time at home, our relationship with the home becomes more intimate than ever. What new trends are making headway in home design to meet the changing demands of people’s daily lives? If you’re keen to find out, go to the Salone del Mobile in Milan!” the report concludes.

According to the French Le Monde Design: a shower of stars in Milan: “after remaining suspended for months, high mass design has made itself at home again in the Lombard capital until June 12. And the greatest international designers are arriving. In Milan, at the start of a torrid June, most people walk in the shade. Others, by contrast, capture the light. The leading designers have returned and are being celebrated like never before, after months of suspension of high mass design in the Lombard capital, Covid has finally relented. The festivities are following one another from palazzo to palazzo, night after night in an almost mystical fervor, on the occasion of the Salone del Mobile which will run until June 12.” For Les Echos, Salone del Mobile di Milano has rediscovered its aura: “for its first normal edition since the Covid, the event brings together until June 12 the world of design in the Italian economic capital. It shows the dynamism of the sector and the emerging trends. The durability of the products is at the heart of the concerns. For its sixtieth anniversary, the Milan Furniture Fair has regained its effervescence. After a 2020 edition canceled due to Covid and a 2021 version not only less abundant than usual but also postponed to September, too late in the year for the taste of some buyers, the design and home event has resumed its marks. The Italian city once again lives to the rhythm of exhibitions all over the place, well beyond the only exhibition center which houses the official Salon as well as EuroCucina, dedicated to the kitchen.”

In the article Switzerland is setting an example. 60th edition of the Salone del Mobile, Espazium describes the perceptible absence of Chinese and Russian visitors and reflects on the presence of Swiss brands and designers at the design week in Milan. “The Salone del Mobile celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. After two years with Corona failures and a heavily reduced version last autumn, the world's most important furniture fair celebrated itself. It is true that far fewer trade visitors from China and Russia were to be found at the exhibition center in Rho-Pero than in the times before the pandemic, and a number of manufacturers had decided not to take part this year because the unusual June date of the trade fair conflicted with other furniture weeks caused the world. […] Nevertheless, the atmosphere in the exhibition halls was good and there seemed to be a lot of catching up to do.”

The numerous Brazilian operators and media were very happy to return to the city they love unconditionally. O Estado de S. Paulo, one of the most popular national newspapers, publishes the feature article Milan Design Salone goes beyond neutral tones and bets on a less gray world, an analysis of the importance of the return of the Salone del Mobile on the industrial and also the human level. “It doesn't sound exaggerated to say that the desire for reconnection, after the last few years, seems to function as the central axis around which most of the launches presented during Design Week gravitated. In many of the collections it is possible to detect the clear concern of the designers in emphasizing the connection between design and quality of life. And, consequently, between the conscious use of raw materials and the preservation of natural resources. A mirror of ongoing transformations and a more responsible approach to design, furniture today seems to be designed not only to respond to specific functions, but above all, considering its interaction with people.”

Archdaily, the worldwide architecture platform that has always been attentive to the themes of responsible design, talks with Mario Cucinella in On Designing with Nature and the 2022 Salone del Mobile, discussing the concept behind his installation, the relationship between the city of Milan and the Salone, the importance of valuing recycled materials and the conservation of the natural resources.

Conceived and created as a launch pad for young designers and a meeting place with the furniture industry continuously in search of creativity and ingenious visions, SaloneSatellite once again confirms itself as the reference point for the world of design. The US trade magazine Interior Design stressed all this in its article 14 Young Designer Highlights from the SaloneSatellite in Milan. “Without a platform to showcase their work and forced to learn remotely, young designers suffered during the global pandemic. At exhibition center Fiera Milano last week, SaloneSatellite, Salone del Mobile’s celebration of rising stars under 35 returned—to long awaited relief. With the theme Designing for our Future Selves and a focus on sustainability, the 23rd edition featured 600 participants. Once again, the SaloneSatellite Awards program singled out a talented few.”

The Wall Street Journal in Salone del Mobile Preview: 17 of Milan Design Week's Most Exciting Debuts is publishing its overview of the 2022 edition: “the Milan Furniture Fair, the annual blowout of design and arguably the world’s most important, turns 60 this year—but don’t expect anything yawningly middle-aged from the roughly 2,000 exhibitors setting up in the Italian city June 7 through 12. Energy is running high after a subdued showing in 2021, and the city has been buffing itself up for the past few years in anticipation of postpandemic crowds.” Likewise the Financial Times is running the 21 things to love from Milan's Salone del Mobile. The author of the article comments: “I've been visiting Milan and its annual design festival for countless years. Earlier this month, though, my return felt like a homecoming. The sun was shining, the city buzzing and on every corner were posters proclaiming: Design is Milano and Milano is Design.”

This second review of the international press concludes the article in The Times: Milan design week 2022 trends: what we learnt at the world's biggest interiors fair, concluding with “an inundation of immersive events, a celebration of womanly curves and a cuddle machine. The world’s most radical design fiesta is back, and it’s a sensual experience. More than that, it’s old-fashioned, analogue, in-real-life fun. You couldn’t do this over Zoom. Architects, designers and decorators, writers and influencers, students and superfans have assembled for the first Milan design week since 2019, eager to see the Salone del Mobile furniture fair and the Fuorisalone programme of shows and installations. Only a party pooper would mention their air miles, but the irony is unavoidable: many of the events are about sustainability.”