The figures for this 60th edition of the
Milan Furniture Fair are surprising. As is the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the "Fuori Salone" (events held outside the fairgrounds), which are also quite optimistic. At the Rho pavilion, the Salone de Mobile welcomed 2,175 brands, 27% of which came from abroad, and 600 young designers from the Salão Satélite. According to the data released, today, the day the exhibition closed, there were 262,608 visitors registered in those 6 days, coming from 173 Countries. More than half were operators and buyers in the sector (61% from abroad). Interestingly, we highlight the smaller delegation of Chinese and Russian visitors, who after totaling 42,000 in 2019, this year did not reach 30,000. And as It could not be otherwise that the delegation of journalists added up to an important number: there were 3,500 accredited journalists from all over the world. Having overcome the antagonism that contrasted the "business" moment of the
Salone del Móbile with the "leisure" phase of the Fuorisalone, the two events are once again walking hand in hand, driving each other forward. To unite them, this year more than never, the projects' attention is on issues related to sustainability and ecological transition.
Since 2003,
Fuorisalone.it has been the reference platform that organizes and publicizes the numerous events that take place outside the fair. Anchored in the Salone del Mobile di Milano, the Fuori Salone define Milan Design Week. Check out our selection below of the 13 highlights:
1- Dimore Gallery and Dimorecentrale
'Orizzonti' is a collection of vintage treasures curated by Dimore Studio for their new space. Dimorecentrale was one of the highlights among the installations at Milan Design Week 2022. Creative duo
Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran have expanded their traditional haunt in Via Solferino and showed us this new HQ, (photo above) a fully restored space close to the Central Station.
In its traditional stronghold on via Solferino, Dimore Gallery unveiled a moving exhibition. In several rooms of the circuit, the proposal was to convey a sense of decadence, a phase of disenchantment and "desolation" with modernity. The creative duo chose to present landscapes sometimes unreal and sometimes covered. Some decorated rooms were smoky with their "still lifes" present.
2. Daniel Arsham vs. Kohler
American artist Daniel Arsham, shortly after collaborating with Kohler on a 3D printed sculptural sink for Design Miami (December 2021), was invited to create a specific installation in Milan during MDW 2022. The new partnership between Arshan and Kohler has been so successful. It is true that the work was even on the cover of the international edition of the NY Times. Named “Divided Layers”, the immersive work installed in the Palazzo del Senato impacted the city. Through an elevated walkway over the water mirror surrounded by a succession of irregular panels, visitors walked around and enjoyed this experience.
3. Dior by Starck
Philippe Starck reinterpreted the classic Louis XVI chair, the Medallion, for Dior. The French designer created 24 designs that were theatrically presented to visitors. With long lines outside the Palazzo Citterio, the event was a highlight during the 2018 design week. Milan 2022. By the way: the Medallion chair, which dates back to the end of the 18th century, has been associated with
Dior since 1947, when decorator Victor Grandpierre selected it for Monsieur Dior's shows at 30 Avenue Montaigne.
4- Hermès
Hermès has built four colorful towers inside an event space in Milan. The iconic brand’s artistic directors, Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry, designed the monumental wood and paper structures for Milan Design Week 2022.
The duo's idea was to reflect on lightness, a theme that has guided Hermès' choices for some years. At the former La Pelota sports center, in the heart of the Brera neighborhood, Hermes presented home products and some furniture pieces. but the show was put on by the facilities that housed the launches.
5- La Trinelle
At the
Triennale di Milano museum, the Memphis Again exhibition explores the radical design movement founded by Ettore Sottsass in the 1980s. The vast collection was displayed in a "dramatic" way by the curators who projected quotes about the movement.
6- Nilufar Gallery and Nilufar Depot
The gallery presented Khaled El Mays' "Flora Seating Series" during Milan Design Week 2022. The Lebanese designer
Khaled El Mays created this new series of sofas with a psychedelic approach. The idea was to transport visitors to a fantasy world.
7- Louis Vuitton
To celebrate 10 years of Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades, the brand presented a retrospective exhibition of all the pieces designed by the biggest names in world design. Patricia Urquiola, India Mahdavi, Atelier Biagetti, Barber & Osgerby, Campana Brothers, Raw Edges among others were new honored. Launched in 2012, the line dedicated to the home was presented in several new versions in a colorful setting installed at Garege Traversi.
Also noteworthy is the historic building built in the 1930s as part of the renovation of Piazza San Babila in Milan. Architect Giuseppe De Min was commissioned to design the city's first multi-storey garage, with a car lift system that was still not widely used. at the time. After years of abandonment, the space is now being reborn with a multiplatform vocation.
8- Lee Broom
English designer Lee Broom presented a poetic exhibition that highlighted six of his collections. Called “Divine Inspiration,” the meditative display included more than 100 pieces.
9- Cassina
Right at the entrance, the highlight of the week: the display window was entirely dedicated to the Esosoft modular sofa system, a collection that marks Antonio Citterio's debut at Cassina. The project was based on a structural exoskeleton in aluminum tubes that works as a support for a softly padded organic shell on which cushions have been arranged. Inside the store there are more than 8 new releases and re-releases edited by Cassina's designer and art director, Patricia Urquiola.
10 - Alcove
The independent design platform developed by Space Caviar and Studio Vedèt returns to the Milan Center at the "Ospedaliero Militare di Milano". The event featured a comprehensive and inspiring selection of established international figures alongside emerging talents. Well-known names such as OMA, Sabine Marcelis , Formafantasma and Snøhetta share the stage with new protagonists such as Leo Rydell Jost, Otherside Objects, The Empty Dinner and Material Fixations by Natalia Triantafylli. The focus is on technology, materials, sustainable production and social practice among other areas of design.
At Salone del Mobile 2022
11- Minotti
One of the brands that best represents the strength and quality of the Italian artisanal tradition is Minotti. This year, the brand exhibited its new products in a special space with walls made up of hollow elements, the cobogós, which alluded to concrete and sometimes integrated and sometimes divided the spaces. . The pieces by Rodolfo Dordoni, Marcio Kogan/Studio mk27, Nendo, GamFratesi and Inoda+Sveje coexisted in harmony throughout the company's immense stand.
12- Molten
The famous Belgian designer Vincent Van Duysen was invited to design a collection for Molteni. We highlight the Living Box, which was described by Van Duysen: "Based on the architectural structure and with strong references to the style of Gio Ponti, Living Box stands out for the delicate use of materials and refined details.
13- Arper
Arper's stand at the Salão do Móvel was well-received for its light-hearted design. A delicate space that balanced transparency and color to present the brand's new collections in a simple and beautiful way.
