“We are very proud of the success of the show and the quality of the operators visiting this edition, confirming that Salone del Mobile is a reference all over the world. A unique event, where business and culture become a virtuous model of an Italian country that works, where the industrial system and the institutions move in synch to pursue a common goal”. These words by Claudio Luti, president of Salone del Mobile, closed the 57th edition of the event that is a symbol of the Lombardy capital.
From April 17 to 22, 434,509 visitors (26 percent more than last year) coming from 188 countries entered the Fiera Milano Rho expo center to watch and touch the trends and news presented by 1,841 exhibitors and 650 designers in five concurrent exhibitions – Salone Internazionale del Mobile, International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, EuroCucina including FTK (Technology For the Kitchen), International Bathroom Exhibition and SaloneSatellite.
“This industry – said outgoing prime minister Paolo Gentiloni at the opening ceremony – is a model with its 79 thousand companies, big turnover and export figures, and hundreds of thousands of employees”.
As usual, we also visited Salone del Mobile.Milano, not only to see the current trends, but most of all to talk about wood with those who use this material every day in houses, offices and other environments. With a mixture of innovation, tradition, creativity, technology, quality and sustainability, wood keeps playing a key role, according to virtually all the industry operators we met at the fair. So, on one hand it is processed and presented in different ways from traditional applications, but on the other it is still a “living” material and it will be also in the future. Another universal trend is the focus on environmental friendliness and certifications, such as FSC, which ensure that wood is exploited with a smart approach and great awareness.
Furniture and furnishing
We started our tour from the Salone Internazionale del Mobile and the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, covering as many as 14 halls of the Fiera Milano Rho expo center for a total area of 150,550 square meters and 1,434 exhibitors, 30 percent from abroad. Many different design routes were displayed, all sharing the same basic trend, namely the search for more and more custom products, designed to the specific requirements of each customer, without losing sight of innovation and quality. This trend perfectly reflects the current development of the manufacturing industry across all sectors.
Warm, recyclable, soft, ductile: how is wood perceived by the stakeholders of this market segment? “We have always used wood for our furniture and this material will play a key role also in the future”, said Gabriele Provasi, architect and art director of the same-named company. “We will certainly see combinations with more contemporary technologies and materials: it’s all a matter of finding the right compromise“.
Wood remains an essential element also for Grazia Grifoni, who is in charge for sales in her family company. “In my opinion – she adds – the only change is in the finishing and carving patterns”.
Finishing is also the focus of Sergio Bertossi, vice president of Very Wood: “Today the perception of wood is much more natural. While in the past it was coated and painted, now customers prefer natural and transparent finishing, which highlight the texture of the material”.
Bertossi’s word are echoed by Alessia Bernardinelli of Riva, a furniture manufacturer since 1920 and winner of the special jury award at Salone del Mobile.Milano Award: “Wood is eco-sustainable by nature and, from the very start, we have been committed to preserving its natural aspect, also through the use of natural adhesives and specific coatings”. “Since 2009 there had been a proliferation of plastic seats – says Luigi Billiani, president of the company that bears his name – and many companies in our industry had adopted that material. We remained focused on wood by necessity and today we see we have made the right choice”.
Kitchen is transforming
From the furniture and furnishing accessories exhibition, we move on to EuroCucina and FTK (Technology For the Kitchen), hosted in four halls on a total area of 22,192 square meters, with 117 exhibitors, 26 percent from abroad. It’s no news that this industry is very dynamic, especially if you consider that it is characterized by an excellent factory system, which we often talk about in Xylon. So, amid of different styles and materials, the overall trend is focused on totally enclosed surfaces to hide well-organized spaces, ideal for practical daily use. In line with this focus on practical aspects, a key role is played by new technologies which, in the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence domains, help simplify and streamline daily activities. To improve daily life also in terms of health, it’s worth noticing that kitchen base units are getting taller to support healthier ergonomic positions.
Sustainable bathroom
Two halls were dedicated to the International Bathroom Exhibition, the expanding historical biennial show and the third stage of our tour. Here, 243 exhibitors, 14 percent of them from abroad, occupied a total area of 20,657 square meters to showcase their proposals, most focused on the topic of sustainable quality. To achieve this objective, all product development stages are involved: from design to industrial development, from business plan to marketing and communications, up to after-sales service.
While the kitchen is gradually invading other rooms to become the hub of the house, the bathroom is no longer just a service room, but it is transforming into a room to spend pleasant hours and take care of oneself.
The future of design
Finally, 650 designers occupied 2,800 meters in halls 13 and 15, where SaloneSatellite showed what the design of the future can be like. The topic of this exhibition is the Southern hemisphere, represented in the multimedia show “Africa & Latin America Rising Design / Design Emergente”. Again this y ear, the SaloneSatellite Award, edition number nine, has rewarded the best three projects, while its real purpose is to support the meeting of supply and demand, entrepreneurs and designers, creativity and production.
