The Salone del Mobile in Milan, established in 1971, is an Italian event of international significance dedicated to design and furniture. Its 62nd edition took place from April 16 to 21, 2024, at the Fiera Milano Rho, hosting the best artisans and industries in architecture and furniture design, with nearly two thousand Italian and international exhibitors.
This event serves as a benchmark for the design industry, with keywords such as sustainability, evolution, and innovation defining the most important moment for the sector. During this period, Milan becomes a magnet for people, business, attraction, and creativity, drawing the best companies not only from Italy but from around the world, with spaces also dedicated to emerging young designers.
The theme of sustainability takes center stage, a common thread that has remained unbroken in the recent editions of this event.
The Salone del Mobile is a melting pot of creative minds who care about beauty in all its forms. The beauty of the living environment, where we live every day, with the ambition to become an integral part of the nature that surrounds it. The focus is not limited to the sustainable materials chosen by designers and companies but extends to their production processes as well. Particular attention is paid to circularity, ensuring that a product is designed with its entire life cycle in mind.
Therefore, it’s not just about using recycled and recyclable materials; attention is also given to the end of the product’s life. There are easily disassemblable components, which can assist even consumers who are not experts in assembly and disassembly during the recycling or disposal phase. This is a significant help for those who don’t know where and how to recycle, and it’s certainly a very important trend in this era where we are overwhelmed and “suffocated” by an unmanageable amount of materials of all kinds.
The Salone del Mobile, in the satellite space, opened its doors to 600 young designers from emerging realities. This is a very stimulating platform that complements the established Italian and international excellences.
The culmination of the event’s leitmotif is found upon entering the spectacular setup of Poliform. Within a vast frame of 1800 square meters, we are immediately embraced by an environment with furnishings that interpret an elegant, contemporary, and timeless lifestyle. The exterior of the stand was characterized by black bricks, reminiscent of the mosaics of the Yves Saint Laurent villa in Marrakech, with graphics such as perspective lines that evoke the freshness and lightness of the birth of an idea. An idea that is often devoid of excessive support, a minimalist philosophy rooted in Poliform. The outer lines and directions suggest a path that guides visitors inside the pavilion, a 1800 square meter frame that finds itself under a new light with warm, gentle, and welcoming tones.
In this area, you can find the latest product innovations signed by the renowned designers of Poliform. Jean-Marie Massaud, Emmanuel Gallina, and Stefano Belingardi Clusoni stand out alongside the company’s best sellers, with numerous range expansions, all in perfect harmony. This framework provided a sensory experience, which is somewhat the principle that connects the various settings of Poliform and links to the various pavilions hosted in this event.
A sensory experience accompanies you right from the beginning, as you’re struck by the colors: a palette of contrasting yet perfectly harmonious tones, much like those found in nature. These colors are complemented by specially curated music and the fresh scent of leather, enhancing your soft stroll. It feels as if you’re walking on a bed of moss, thanks to the liquorice-colored carpet that you encounter in the various settings. Rough natural fabric curtains create cozy semi-spaces among the vertical walls that define and punctuate the living areas, lounge zones, dining rooms, kitchen alcoves, and relaxing bedrooms with various wardrobe proposals.
The furnishings greatly enriched the sensory scenic magic. A significant role was played by the marvelous sofa “Ernest” designed by Jean-Marie Massaud. The Ernest sofa represents a radical approach to comfort. The chosen fabrics are soft and comfortable, with a deep texture like very wide ribbed velvet. It’s a small system based on very simple, modular elements. These modular, deconstructed elements can be organically assembled, as Bruno Munari taught, to create a delicate domestic landscape and a way of living that is tranquil and relaxed. A linearity containing a balanced softness that pleases even the eye.
