The world’s largest furniture fair — Salone del Mobile — in its 62nd edition attracted a whopping 361,417 attendees. This global event is the definitive go-to for furniture, lighting, decor and interior.
Situated in the expansive halls of Milan’s Rho Fiera, the furniture industry’s premier design fair displayed a vast array of innovations and eye-catching designs.
Here are some brands that caught our roving reporter’s eye:
Driade
The set was created by its creative director, Fabio Novembre. The booth’s entrance was flanked by two enormous statues of Venus — a nod to ancient Greece’s Caryatids. The brand served as a zone for its “Aesthetic Laboratory”, where imposing architectural structures embodied its philosophy of experimentation and research.
Notable furniture pieces include the “Freeze Me” console by Nika Zupanc. The sideboard pairs with a mirror to express the concept of frozen, fusing a pop-art aesthetic with functionality.
Novembre’s penchant for drama and elegance is encapsulated in the “Marble Collection,” a collection of upholstered furniture pieces resembling marble.
His “Shape” sideboard is inspired by ancient architectural mouldings with a modern aesthetic.
Flexform
The show “Between the Folds” extensively used natural shapes, reflecting a shift in design language toward something more flexible and dynamic. The primarily white booth allowed visitors to experience a narrative dimension that conveyed Flexform’s most memorable furniture pieces into a deeply moving experience.
Natural curves and flowing contours were incorporated into furniture and accessories. This deviation from conventional geometric shapes gives homes a touch of spontaneity and organic charm.
With this sofa that grabbed the show and had people stopping to admire its distinctive fluid shape, Flexform had the ideal example. Flexform’s 2024 Collection exhibits its ability to innovate harmoniously with continuity, perfectly balancing tradition and modernity, impassioned research, and attention to minor details. The innovations are revealed through the delicate folds of curtains and screens that characterise the space in an atmosphere of rarefied elegance.
The centrepiece of the living areas is the new “Camelot” seating system, designed to resemble ecosystems where every piece of furniture interacts with the occupants through acute perception. Innovations like the “Lauren” armchairs, “Arnold” coffee tables, and accessories chosen from the permanent collection are included to show the subtle design coherence that has consistently set Flexform apart and the endless possibilities for creative application and combining all of the company’s products.
The new “Oasis” sofa, also created by Antonio Citterio, was one of the newest outdoor arrivals. It was given a large area in a highly entrancing environment because of the unique way that the colours, textiles, and materials were combined.
Minotti
The Italians do it better, so says Minotti. In one of Salone’s most revered stands, Minotti stood out with its huge collection of bouclé fabric-focused upholstery pieces, which many people might say is a passing fad. Nevertheless, Minotti’s 70s-styled theme embraced this evocative era for furniture. The brand’s creative director, Rodolfo Dordoni’s passing in 2023 did not kill its spirit of ingenuity and innovation.
A notable product is Italian designer Giampiero Tagliaferri’s “Supermoon” sofa, in which he worked extensively with the brand’s creative team to shape the modular seating. Supermoon is a nomadic sofa piece where stylish backrests shaped to suggest lunar phases are materialised in rounded forms with sharper angles.
The sofa’s design was inspired by Tagliaferri’s journey to California, where he observed the architectural heritage of the West Coast of the United States. In addition, Minotti was proud to showcase its range of outdoor furniture, which had sustainability at the heart. The primary emphasis on using natural materials — wood, stone, rattan, rope — in furniture and decor took centre stage.
Kartell
With a sprawling stand where enormous colourful cutouts of cityscapes created the backdrop for their 2024 products, Kartell wowed the crowd with its standout theme — Urban Horizons. The brand paid homage to Milan and encouraged visitors to reflect on how the city is changing while maintaining its pole position as the destination for creativity and design.
Notable products include Fabio Novembre’s “Pumo” portable table lamps, inspired by an Italian good luck charm. Novembre also showcased his “Jewel” coffee table, which featured faceted gem-like aesthetics, striking transparency, and sparkling reflections that took centre stage.
Celebrated French designer, Philippe Starck’s presence, was palpable because numerous products peppered the booth. These include the “A.I. Family” of lounge chairs and consoles, where the inaugural collection was conceived with artificial intelligence.
These products are also made from recycled thermoplastic technopolymer with a mineral filler and soft-touch treatment.
Also present were Starck’s “H.H.H. — Her Highest Highness” dining chairs featuring highback structures that put the sitter in a royal-like posture. The chair’s frame is constructed from polycarbonate 2.0 and offers several finishes. Piero Lissoni’s “Asia” sofa design is a compact, refined, and well-balanced sofa offered in two- and three-seater configurations, including a standalone armchair.
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