From "Aqua" to the "De-signo", from the "Workplace" to the "xLux", the 58th edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano at Fiera Milano in Rho, which also featured "Euroluce", "S.Project" and international exhibitions, closed its doors having an outcome of extreme visitors' numbers with high-quality trade relations, attraction and inclusiveness of the fair.

"Being a global experience that attracts professionals who are directly involved with the sector as well as people from outside the design business, The Salone del Mobile provides an extraordinary opportunity to spread the culture of design, amongst other things. This is why the Salone is so much more than just a trade fair."

Melded history with the contemporary, the cultural and artistic heritage inspires the creativity of the future with a set of unique keywords that are 'a virtuous design', 'product', 'quality', 'innovation', 'city', 'value chain' in the Salone of Milan .

"Provided an extraordinary opportunity to spread the culture of design and inspired the creativity of the future; 'the ingenuity' is this year's keyword of Salone del Mobile that "largely manifest as the concept of intelligence that fuels creativity, a sense of the talent, an inventive ability to create and think."

"Ingenuity is a valuable asset, which grows and develops in situations capable of picking up its signals, and manifests itself in the ability to intuit new and different pathways. Space, where ingenuity grows and develops, is now the economy of knowledge, through which creative thought takes shape and substantiates the idea, be it an object, a product or a concept. Ingenuity today is an invitation to look forward, not to rest on one’s laurels, to realise that everything can always be reinvented and rediscovered with new eyes that look to the future," said Salone del Mobile organizers.

Exhibited excellent products by Italian manufacturers having “good looks, comfort, innovation and sustainability,” which also have cultural and social value, Salone del Mobile not only furnish our houses but also impact society as a whole, stimulate young people and the world of design in a broader sense, huge public impact and great prominence for almost sixty years.

"The Italian companies are looking ahead to the most important appointment of the year in the furnishing world and for the entire country system, with mindfulness and enthusiasm, which will enable them to lay down even more solid foundations in order to continue to see off the market competition. The wood-furnishing chain crosses over into other sectors, with synergies that build a very real system."

"Culture, design and industrial system thus become an international benchmark as well as a virtuous model for a country that is functioning and is perfectly conscious of the fact that in order to grown investments have to be made in the circular economy, in work and in training," said Emanuele Orsini, President of Federlegno Arredo Eventi.

Six exhibitions took place concurrently with more than 2,400 exhibitors. "The Salone Internazionale del Mobile" and "International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition" and "Workplace3.0", split into three style categories 'Classic, Design and xLux' were joined by the "Euroluce", "SaloneSatellite" and "S.Project", a cross-cutting space dedicated to interior design products and decorative and technical solutions.’

"The Salone Internazionale del Mobile" and "International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition" cater to many and varied aesthetic tastes, in which the stars are increasingly innovative products that respond perfectly to the changing contemporary social structure, the consequent rapid changes in the furnishing market and the individual demands of each and every client, explained by the organization committee.

Tended to better illustrating the evolution of the workplace, which has now become a hybrid space in which the professional and the personal element coexist in a sort of osmosis, the 2019 exhibition put/showed the "Workplace3.0" in an extensive exhibition format.

"This new exhibition format is geared to better illustrating the evolution of the workplace, which has now become a hybrid space in which the professional and the personal element coexist in a sort of osmosis. Its topical narrative is a faithful reflection of the social transformation of the workspace into a flexible, permeable and dynamic space, ripe for professional interaction and engagement with other day-to-day activities," as pointed by the Salone del Mobile.

It was the aim of unveiling "S.Project" - a multifaceted space in which the keywords are multi-sector, synergy and quality - to acknowledge and decode the latest interior design product and design strategies in a cross-cutting exhibition format.

Euroluce 2019: From Nature to Technology

Marked of new design trends, which the distinction between decorative lighting that is more sculptural and artistic and architectural lighting that deals, almost invisibly, with the quality of the environments, the exhibition of lighting gained more space in the fairground pavilions.

Defined as 'à la Anastassiades', that Andrea Anastasio’s rods and spheres, pure and rarefied lines, geometric shapes and aerial mechanisms, there is suggestive of the metaphor of light in the womb without forgetting to look back in time with relish.

It is pointed out that, “past masterpieces, which have achieved real totemic value, having a formal basis for new research are back. For example, Roberto Menghi‘s iconic Libra Lux table lamp (1948) is now produced by Nemo."

Being narrated nature in a rather more poetic and positive vein, the references of the natural world observed life in the Euroluce of the fairgrounds. 

"The Czech group Brokis, has come up with Ivy, designed by Lucie Koldova, which directly references the plant world, suggesting the horizontal and vertical growth of the branches of trees."

"The wave of ramifications from the quest for new applications for Led sources has ceased. The miniaturization of sources has led to the creation of formally minimalistic objects that nevertheless achieve an impressive evocative glow (and performance). This holds good for Occhio’s large Mito Largo floor arc lamp, with its carbon shaft," explained by the Euroluce.

Salone Satellite

Focused on the crossover between different spheres and vocabularies, in Salone Satellite in its 22nd edition 550 talented young designers proposed their ideas with the theme of ‘Food as a Design Object’ to generate intelligent, responsible and practical projects that also encompass the food system of the future.

"Because food is a product on the same level as others, which have always evolved from creativity and human need. It demands careful planning, as well as a study of artisan and industrial processes, both traditional and not– as well as a healthy dose of curiosity and openness towards cultures other than one’s own. Our hope is that these young people will come up with designs fuelled by avant-garde vision, ideas, projects and original contributions," said the Salone Satellite Award– into its 10th edition.

As continued, "the prizes are assigned by an international jury of leading design figures from around the world– designers Nipa Doshi, Davide Groppi, Luca Nichetto and Eugeni Quitllet; journalists Silvia Nani (Corriere Della Sera) and Ellen Froissart (Associate Editor, Bee Media publishing group); Giuliano Mosconi, President and CEO of Tecno/Zanotta; Stefano Seletti, Creative Director, Seletti and Marc Zehntner, Director, Vitra Design Museum– chaired by Paola Antonelli (Senior Curator of the Department of Architecture and Design at MoMA and curator of Broken Nature, the XXII Triennale di Milano)– which selected the 3 most outstanding products submitted."

"Kuli-Kuli", the Japanese studio that based in Kobe is awarded the first prize for turning cowhide, which is not traditionally used, into a collection of new products in collaboration with local tanners.

Studio Philipp Hainke’s "Halo Chair" from Germany get the second prize "to showcase the strength and possibilities of a lightweight material made from hemp and casein", showing the "contemporaneous study of material, form, functionality and production method."

Baku Sakashita’s '2.5 Dimensional Objects' that are "3D wire structures that look like 2D black lines drawn on flat paper", credited as the sophisticated artistic abstraction of the 2.5 Dimensional Object project, while demonstrating the scope for further,  having different potential in terms of development and application."

Milan at the Centre

"The Salone del Mobile’s exhibition space is of particular importance in the relationship between the event and the city- Milan. Milan is the moral capital of a beautiful and culture-rich country, Italy- and has allowed its cosmopolitan character to emerge over the last few years, going beyond the industriousness that its inhabitants have always acknowledged."

"Milan has become the 'Great Milan'. For one week the geography of the city is redesigned and re-equilibrated, using areas normally vacant or seldom frequented as showcases and laboratories for experimentation and creativity all at once: this is the 'Widespread Salone', the evolution of the 'Fuorisalone concept', all the things that take place outside the boundaries of the fairgrounds; in other words, the Salone transforms the city into a fluid space, open to a great many experiences and a great many opportunities for meeting and sharing."

Milan and Its "Favourite Son", Leonardo

"'Ingenuity' is also an homage to the multifaceted genius of Leonardo da Vinci, the 500th anniversary of whose death Milan is celebrating, to his ability to dialogue with the great patrons of the times and to hand down the finest legacy of his works and the visible signs of twenty years spent in Milan creating works of genius, in the sense of intelligence as the driver of creativity, sense of talent, brilliance in doing and thinking.”

Two outstanding and powerfully evocative installations - "Aqua" in the city and "De-signo" at the fairgrounds- provided visitors with what promises to be a memorable cultural and emotional experience.

As this explained: "Aqua. Leonardo da Vinci’s Water Vision has been conceived as an almost initiatory experience, in which the viewer becomes an integral part of the work in a journey that will be both exterior and interior. With this event, the Salone del Mobile.Milano, true to its long tradition of harnessing emotion to valorise the form and function of design and furnishing, is celebrating not only Leonardo’s engineering prowess but also and especially his spiritual and emotional side, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in a different dimension of time and space in Milan, his city."

"Aqua. Leonardo da Vinci’s Water Vision at the ‘Conca dell’ Incoronata’, harnesses hyper technology to flesh out the great master’s studies of water, imagining a Milan of the future in which the watercourses acquire new meaning and usefulness. Conceived by Marco Balich for the Salone del Mobile, this site-specific immersive installation conjures up a sense of wonder and references responsible and far-sighted design capable of improving the relationship between man and the city," said in the Salone exhibition grounds.

Covered the Conca with an architectural insert in the form of a great expanse of water, a huge Led screen showing a skyline-changing according to the time of the day has become a window onto a future Milan. 

"Beneath this structure, inside the canal itself, a wunderkammer has been created, where visitors can experience all the beauty, energy and shape of water, enfolded in image and sound thanks to the use of cutting-edge technology, in a totally self-contained environment," explained the designers.

"The experience starts in a mirror room with an interactive symphony of sounds and sets off real water jets following an ethereal projection of the rising and falling movement of the water controlled by Leonardo’s lock gates. The strobe lights create optical illusions with the jets of water As the water level rises, and suspended in time and space, reflected and multiplied in the mirrors' ad infinitum as they slow down. The experience ends when the projection becomes transparent and reveals an unexpected artistic reworking of Leonardo’s designs."

Claudio Luti, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano had this to say: "The installation Aqua. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Water Vision is intended as a celebration of the great Renaissance master and his capacity for innovation, meaning an aptitude to always look beyond, laying down the foundations for progress, i.e. continually surpassing what exists." 

"These are gifts that are inherent in our design/business system and which our city fully embodies. By showcasing his studies of water in a physical and pivotal place such as the Conca dell’ Incoronata, we are building a bridge between past and future, offering a vision of how things were and how things can be when creative and business talent meet."

"De-signo" - The art of Italian design before and after Leonardo’ narrated the Renaissance genius and his relationship with contemporary Italian design with commentary by Italian cinema and theatre actor and cinematographer Diego Abatantuono.

"Leonardo represents genius, curiosity, the pleasure of experimenting and the desire to bring culture and innovation together. He is a figure who symbolizes all our values, focused on talent and research, which entails the ability to think and, equally, to do everything possible to enable ideas to come to fruition," said Claudio Luti, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano.

Joined an immersive installation with the languages of film and theatrical scenography in an inclusive and exciting way, 'De-signo.'  is an immersive installation that marries the languages of film and theatrical scenography in an inclusive and exciting way. The blend of Leonardo’s approach to design and the industriousness of the Renaissance workshops and savoir-faire of contemporary design companies justified ‘the Italian banner of the art of beauty.’

As Professor Davide Rampello explains: "The basic concept inspiring this project was largely to create awareness around the art of design. Design (or de-sign, the English word that derives from the Latin disegnare) is one of the building blocks of Italy’s cultural DNA, like a somatic trait that, astoundingly, has survived over 2000 years of history since the Latin era (de-sign), resurfacing again in exceptional manifestations, such as the genius of Leonardo, which is why it can never be forgotten but is constantly reinterpreted."

Conclusion

It has said that "the success of the Salone del Mobile.Milano is due entirely to the production system that underpins it, allowing it to showcase innovative products and processes every twelve months. The affirmation of the Salone exhibitors and therefore of the Salone itself rests on this capacity for ongoing innovation."

"Innovation has encompassed from lines to shapes, from market approach to sales from communication to the brand’s anchor points without denying its history. However, it is the duty of the Salone companies to accomplish a fulfillment each year to an even greater extent than in the past."

Having said on "creating design these days means that thinking about the future, its sustainability, not just in terms of the use of the materials but also of the productive processes, upholding certified and universally acknowledged quality standards first of all, but also thinking about design that will endure over time."

"The next Triennale International Exhibition will focus on sustainability and the intrinsic quality of design, but the Salone 2019 explored the relationship between nature and living, with an exhibition/installation in the heart of the city that would trigger reflection on tomorrow’s living and on how to relate the design of an interior space to the nature of the external space."

The figures:

Between the days 9-14 April 2019

Salone del Mobile.Milano

• over 205,000 m2 of net exhibition space

• 2,418 exhibitors– including the 550 SaloneSatellite designers, 34% of them from 43 different foreign countries.

International exhibitors that split at Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, Euroluce, Workplace3.0 and S.Project

• More than 1,300 exhibitors 

• 149,500 m2 split into 3 style categories (30% from abroad): Design – 843 exhibitors; xLux – 349 exhibitors; Classic – 140 exhibitors.

• Euroluce: 449 exhibitors, 49.5% of them from abroad, over 38,200 m2.

• S.Project 87 exhibitors, 43% of them from abroad, over almost 14,000 m2

• SaloneSatellite: 550 designers and undergraduates from international design schools over 3,000 m2

In Total

• Average over 2,000 visitors a day for AQUA, Leonardo’s Water Vision

• Visitors from 181 different countries.

• The 386,236 attendees.

• An 12% increase over the 2017 edition.

• More than 5,000 journalists.

Aqua Credits 

- Creative and Executive Production Balich Worldwide Shows Srl for the Salone del Mobile.Milano 

- Creative Executive Producer – Marco Balich Creative 

- Supervisor – Marta Marchesi Executive 

- Producer – Laura Cappelli Project 

- Manager – Alessandra Rossetti Artistic 

- Director – Marco Cisaria Set, Light & Water 

- Design – NONE Collective Video Content & Motion 

- Design – Territory Studio Indoor Video Art 

- Design – Karmachina Real-time Compositing 

- Software Programmer – Andrew Quinn 

- Outdoor Sound Design & Soundtrack – Chiara Luzzana 

- Indoor Sound Design & Soundtrack – Maurizio D’Aniello (The Spectrum Studio) 

- Scientific Consultant – Simone Ferrari Technical 

- Director – Matteo Tagliabue

De-signo Credits

Creative and Executive Production Davide Rampello & Partners for the Salone del Mobile.Milano 

- Concept and Artistic Direction – Davide Rampello

- Architectural Project and Graphic Design – Alessandro Colombo 

- Project Manager – Tania Di Bernardo

- Set Design – Mekane

- Light Design – Aldo Solbiati

- Sound Design & Soundtrack – Alessandro Linzitto

- Video Content & Editing – Natia Docufilm

All images courtesy of Salone del Mobile except otherwise mentioned

> via Salone del Mobile