The world’s largest furniture fair, Salone del Mobile, attracted a whopping 361,417 attendees for its 62 edition. This global event highlights the best in furniture, lighting, and interior decorative designs. LUXUO had previously covered the Salone Del Mobile 2024 showcases in the first edition of our round-up, however a part two was needed to fully encompass the event’s showcases. While many major brands displayed their new products at the cavernous halls of Milan’s Rho Fiera, numerous furniture brands also displayed memorable displays at their flagship showrooms in Milanese. These events are part of Fuorisalone which means “outside of Salone.”
Read More: Roving Eye: Salone Del Mobile 2024
Here is the second edition of LUXUO’s coverage of the Salone del Mobile 2024 including furniture brands that caught our roving reporter’s eye:
B&B Italia
B&B Italia’s presence at Salone was absent, but the brand did deliver a memorable display at its flagship showroom in Milan. The theme for 2024 traced B&B Italia’s path through time, highlighting valuable pieces that have changed the history of design while allowing newer creations to stand out with their revolutionary forms and purpose.
Piero Lissoni’s masterful stroke was palpable because he’s the artistic director at B&B Italia. His “Dambodue” sofa offers generous, linear proportions set in a clean geometric shape. The richly upholstered back and armrests provide functionality and comfort. The sofa’s base is made of bronzed nickel, adding an elegant edge. ‘It has presence, but it is an understatement; it has physicality, but it is an understatement; it has the dimension of architecture, but it is an understatement,’ adds Lissoni.
The revered Italian designer also delivered several new, large dining tables, such as the “Isos” table, where glass and marble legs meet. The super-long table offers six legs, with the tops cut at 35 degrees to create a nook.
“The rounded edges of the tabletop add a touch of softness to the design, ‘but the interesting thing is the tension built between these pencil columns and the top,” explains Lissoni. Isos is also available as a round dining table with legs offered in black Marquinia marble, white Carrara marble, or oak wood in different finishes.
There’s also the “Assiale” table with its super long table top, offered in two extendable versions (210cm extends to 294cm, or 250cm extends to 334cm). There’s also a fixed version in 250 or 294-cm sizes, crafted from showstopping Levanto red marble. Leading Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa’s “Omoi” armchair comes in a welcoming embrace with soft curves and bold aesthetics.
The leather-clad armchair sits on sturdy wooden legs and appears like a cat or dog lying quietly to welcome its sitter. Tiziano Guardinin and Luigi Ciuffreda’s “Narinari” armchair stole gazes at the showroom. Inspired by the sea eagle, the armchair looks like it has two surfaces chasing each other in an infinity-shaped design. Upholstered in raw cut felt, the rich detailing and finishing make this accent armchair stand out. The new collection will probably arrive at Space Furniture in the coming months.
Cassina
The long queues at Cassina’s Milan flagship showroom attest to the brand’s diehard fans and design lovers everywhere. The furniture brand did not accept casual walk-ins. Instead, it adopted a QR code registration to gain entry. Cassina departed from the beige trend that dominated many showrooms in past years. Year after year, Cassina was devoted to colour for its showroom. The theme that the brand adopted this year was called “The Cassina Perspective 2024” – focusing on transformation and the ongoing evolution that reflects the core values and the very spirit of the company, consistently known for its pioneering attitude and commitment to innovation. Here are the trends we spotted at Cassina’s showroom.
Curved and Sexy
Patricia Urquiola’s “Dudet” for Cassina, now available as a fully upholstered, two-seat settee, entices with its rounded, seductive form and offers a sophisticated relaxation experience. Barber & Osgerby’s “Tamburound,” designed for Cassina, now gets an armchair and chair without a backrest added to the family. The seat retains the same compact aesthetics with a concealed orbital rotation to allow the sitter to swivel. Cassina’s new creations with past and present designers allowed the brand to display more vibrant colours and textures tempered with a whimsical sense of expression and adventure.
Visual Impact
Most notable was the contrasting colours of the “Cornaro” boxy sofa designed by Carlo Scarpa in 1973. The rigorous wooden structure in a lush burgundy hue holds the baby blue upholstered backrest, seat and armrests to create an imposing structure.
Revered French designer Philippe Starck also had some tricks up his sleeves, evident in his “Somewhere EL-S” seating collection for Cassina. Combining haute couture techniques to create distinctive tailoring resembling a handbag or suitcase, the seating collection is offered in three sizes: an armchair and three different ottoman sizes. The saddlery work, eye-catching embellishments with metal elements, and arresting patterned upholstery give it visual distinction.
Cypriot-based designer Michael Anastassiades’ “Flutz” dining chair is now offered as a chair without armrests, available in two models, with backrests in two different heights. The chair’s sleek and minimal design creates a cosy environment in a small dining space.
Retrospective Look
Reissued creations from the posthumous works of Gaetano Pesce, Charles & Ray Eames, and Charlotte Perriand were also the talk of the town. Pesce’s recent passing (i.e. 3 April 2024) shook the furniture industry, and to pay homage to this design great’s work, Cassina reissued the “Notturno A New York” (i.e. The New York skyline) from 1980.
The new edition three-seat sofa comprises nine skyscraper elements on its upholstery design, serving as armrests and seats, while the middle seat gets a backrest designed like a large moon. The sofa is made from recycled PET fibre, and only a unique series of 50 pieces will be made.
Mid-century, husband-and-wife design duo Charles & Ray Eames’ “Galaxy” chandelier sees the light of day. Initially designed in 1940, this luminaire’s design was inspired by gathering components from the automotive industry to produce this showstopping creation. Cassina’s research and innovation have put this masterpiece into production because the couple faced the technological limitations of the industry during the post-war era. “Galaxy” comprises 36 light rods of varying lengths in matte black or polished aluminium finish.
Lastly, French architect Charlotte Perriand’s “Indochine chaise lounge” gets a 2024 production version. The initial version, designed in 1943, was crafted in rattan instead of tubular metal, which was hard to find during wartime. Cassina is now manufacturing it in tubular steel, honouring the designer’s original intention. In the coming months, you can look out for Cassina’s new collection in the showroom of W. Atelier.
Baxter
Renowned for their leather expertise, Baxter’s 2024 Indoor Collection was all about the masters of design and architecture. The brand evoked the past, references to 1970s designs, imbued with modern aesthetics to keep the functionality relevant. Notably, the iconic dining table “Loom” was designed by young architect Hannes Peer, who worked with Rem Koolhaas and Zvi Hecker in Berlin. The South Tyrol-based architect from Austria relished the challenge of remodelling historic buildings and furnishing them mostly with his custom-made furniture. The “Loom” table expresses architectural volumes and creativity via its wooden legs of stacked slats gracefully supporting the glass tabletop.
Peer also designed the “Aura” modular leather sofa, where the extra-large seat and backrest cushions rest on a solid, slightly raised base that can serve as a side table. The sofa’s design is inspired by the glamour of Californian villas from the 1970s.
Veteran furniture designer Roberto Lazzeroni’s two new chairs – “Stig” and “Olaf”; the former is all about a “teddy bear hug” where its plush armrest cuddles you as you sit in front of a fireplace while it snows outside. The latter is another cosy, embracing armchair inspired by Jean Royere furniture pieces from the 1950s/60s. Lazzeroni’s “Isamu” dining table has new stone finishes.
Christophe Delcourt’s creativity for Baxter has landed him two creations: “Juliette” modular low sofas with rounded modules and “Lana” family of low tables and consoles offering an interlocking base with a geometric-top configuration.
Paola Navone, a long-time collaborator with Baxter, also designed two new products: “Miami Beach” is a linear version of the brand’s best-selling modular sofa, “Miami Soft,” and the “Ortigia” armchair, with its rounded, pebble-form, is a wide dormouse festooned with a free-pattern capitonné finish. The new collection may be previewed at Space Furniture.
Molteni & C
Guests were led to discover the Italian design legacy of Molteni & C at Salone del Mobile with the 2024 collection. Vincent Van Duysen imbued every item with profound emotional resonance and inventive functionality, drawing inspiration from Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi. The collection is defined by chic curves and movements that balance innovation and heritage to set the stage for modern living. The furniture pieces offer curves and movement, also helping to define the collection’s proportions while anchoring the style with a contemporary aesthetic.
Led by its creative director Vincent Van Duysen, the Belgian designer’s “Logos” is a modular wall unit which can effortlessly blend into any setting thanks to its chic lines and modularity.
The brand also dug into the Gio Ponti archives to revive the “D.157.6 – Due Foglie” sofa. This historic design was commissioned in 1955 by Anala and Armando Planchart, ardent fans of Ponti’s talents. The sofa radiates a certain kind of poetry/movement with its welcoming curved seat and plush backrest. Cypriot-based designer Michael Abastassiades’ “Card bookcase” utilises a high level of technological innovation to create the product’s graphic identity. The functional bookcase reflects Anastassiades’ pursuit of pure forms. These new creations can be previewed at P5 Furniture in the coming months.
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