Austria and Czech Republic-based design firm Vasku & Klug has transformed the magnificent Sala Reale, once the waiting room of the Royal House of Savoy, into a dynamic design pool at this year's Salone del Mobile, the world’s leading furniture and design trade fair which will kick off on April 9, 2019 and continue until April 14, 2019 in Milan, Italy. 

More than 40 top designers and furniture producers from around Austria will be represented at the world’s most influential design event, the Salone del Mobile. A series of pink-colored arches, circular bases and a sea of foam will showcase the Austrian furniture and brands to the visitors at a pinkish design pool. 

For the eighth time already, Advantage Austria will be showcasing a top-class selection of the latest design products from around Austria parallel to the Milan Furniture Fair. 

Image courtesy of Advantage Austria

This year, the event will be held in the Sala Reale, which once served as the royal family’s private waiting room at Milan’s central station. The exclusive location opens its door for the first time in history during "Fuorisalone", and will host the Austrian exhibition under the motto "Pleasure & Treasure", a concept created by the international renowned and recognised architects Vasku & Klug.

From imperial waiting room to design pool

"The Austrian exhibition will be an extraordinary scenographic experience," promise architects Michael Vasku and Andreas Klug.

"We are transforming the magnificent Sala Reale, once the waiting room of the Royal House of Savoy, into a design pool." Visitors will have to wade through a sea of foam to find their way to the exhibits. Furniture and interior products from more than 40 Austrian designers and manufacturers are set to be showcased using this explorative approach.

Image © Vasku & Klug

Design exhibition illustrates every facet of interior design

The exhibition will showcase a wide range of products from the field of Austrian interior design – from home accessories such as table mirrors to office furniture, tableware and lighting. The exhibits themselves were selected by a jury of four experts based on criteria such as degree of innovation, craftsmanship as well as formal, aesthetic and functional qualities. 

"The level of the submissions was very high," explained Reanne Leuning, Project Manager and Director of Creative Industries at Advantage Austria. 

"We are very much looking forward to presenting the high-quality design objects to a specialist international audience in an integrative and charming way."

Image courtesy of Advantage Austria

The Sala Reale in Milan’s central station will serve as this year’s exhibition venue, despite being rarely accessible to the public. The venue will open its doors for the first time to showcase the Austrian exhibition as part of the Design Week. 

Working together with design experts, Advantage Austria in Milan, Consul Gudrun Hager, visited various locations to examine their originality and assess staging possibilities. It was the exclusivity and complexity of the Sala Reale that captured the imagination: the venue’s splendour is combined with urbanity and industriousness thanks to its connection to Milan’s central station. 

Image courtesy of Advantage Austria

"The Sala Reale is a hidden gem in a great central location and is a genuine local secret," highlighted Gudrun Hager. "The venue spans 400 square metres over two floors and will be used to stage our chosen design highlights from across Austria in a unique way."

The Salone del Mobile is the world’s leading furniture and design trade fair, opening its doors to over 400,000 visitors from 188 countries every year – and that’s not including guests at the shows of the Fuorisalone, which takes place at the same time each year. 

Image courtesy of Advantage Austria

The Austrian design exhibition as part of Milan Design Week is thus hugely important, offering exhibitors the ideal opportunity to meet trendsetters and VIPs, to discover potential partners for future cooperation and to identify new distribution channels.

"With its global appeal, Milan Design Week represents a dynamic stage and source of inspiration for the creative industries," claimed Michael Otter, Director of Advantage Austria.

Vasku & Klug also created a dynamic installation - named "Breath of Light" for a lighting design company Preciosa at Salone del Mobile last year. Vasku & Klug Studio, founded in 2011, collaborates with clients worldwide, on architecture, interior design and exhibition architecture projects.

> via Advantage Austria