The dissertation of design across the world turns it into a functional syntax for crafting a varied set of products which espouse the right concoction of form, function and desire. Individually it’s more like a different set of languages trying to arrive at aesthetically pleasing solutions for their individual circumstances. When all of them come together it creates an event called Salone Del Mobile. And this year too, the infinite manifestations of design were celebrated in full glory at Salone, the international referencing point for the furnishing and design sector!
By the time my Emirates Flight 101 was preparing to land at the Malpensa Airport in Milan, I was friends with a group of architects and designers who had come to attend Salone Del Mobile. A number of these professionals were infact return visitors. The anecdotes they shared with me as made one point quite clear, Salone for them was more than a design yatra; it was a precise concoction of creativity and business which held a lot of relevance in their professional endevaours.
Post the immigration checks and a couple of handshakes and goodbye’s each of us were off to our individual hotel rooms to plan for the day ahead.
SaloneSatellite witnessed the participation of more than 650 young designers ready to redefine the design ideologue
The arrival of Salone, much like spring itself, was splashed everywhere across the city of Milan; its omnipresence was established via dedicated advertisements in trams, signboards and railway stations. Metro train services to Rho Fiera was increased keeping in mind the huge footfalls the fair receives each year, it was a bit like the Maha Kumbh back home where you have special train services to accommodate the largest confluence in the history of human civilization.
The different stalls are akin to a part of the design narrative which add their own dose of charm to Salone Del Mobile
This year Salone began with an ode to human interaction right at their workplace itself. For a period of four days the office premises of Federlegno Arredo; located at Foro Buonaparte 65 in Milan was converted into a meeting space for people to meet and interact with the façade lit up in signature colours of Salone. The building was home to URBAN HUGS an installation by Architect Stefano Boeri, a fenced area where people could escape from their social interactions and hug each other for a few seconds.
While Foro Buonoaparte 65 was fostering hugs and personal conversations, 11.7 kms away at the Rho Fierra fair grounds, business conversations were in full swing across the dedicated pavilions of Salone Del Mobile.
Handcrafted and machine made the fair converges the best of both worlds. Photo Credit: Luca Fiammenghi for Salone Del Mobile 2018
After entering the fair grounds, I moved towards Pavilion 13-15 where SaloneSatellite was being held. SaloneSatellite, is an event where young designers realise their dreams and set off conversations on the future of design. This year the designers were asked to showcase works that explore the relationship between heritage and the contemporary with projects poised between the new technologies and craftsmanship.
One of the studios which caught my attention at this event was the Butterply Studios. The team showcased an easy to assemble plywood furniture titled “Butterply Desk”. The desk was a modern take on the Japanese wood joinery technique and no screws or tools were required to assemble it.
La Planète des singes
The pavilions which hosted the 21st edition of SaloneSatellite also witnessed an emphasis on Southern Hemisphere, Africa and Latin America with “Africa/Latin America: Rising Design – Design Emergente“ a multimedia exhibition which was held throughout the week. This year SaloneSatellite represented an amalgamation of 650 young dreams across 2,800 square meters of exhibition space and three titans in this league were presented with the SaloneSatellite Award, the winners emerged from Italy (1st), Croatia (2nd) and Japan (3rd)
Titans : Dorja Benussi (Croatia),Stefano Carta Vascconcellos (Italy) and Yuri Himuro (Japan)
Later in the day Italy and Japan once again emerged as winners, when the Salone Del Mobile Milano award bestowed three prizes of equal merit to CC-Tapis (Italy), Magis(Italy) and Sanwa(Japan) for their outstanding contributions to the world of furnishing and design. Theawards ceremony was held at Palazzo Marino, a 16th century palace located in Piazza della Scala, in the centre of Milan.
In the brand narrative that Salone has come to be, this year too brands made their presence felt across the different pavilions. The uniqueness in this narrative was achieved by the way of stall design, products and presentation. Oozing luxe in the xlux pavilion were brands like Boca Do Lobo, Brabbu, Giorgio Collection srl, Roberto Cavalli Home Interiors and Smania.
The Salone Del Mobile Milano Awards. Photo Credit: Alessandro Russotti for Salone Del Mobile 2018 Ceremony
Likewise in the Classic Pavilion, brands like Boiserie Italia, Medea, Roberto Giovannini, Jumbo Collection, Dreamlux, Asnaghi Interiors were resurrecting the values of tradition and craftsmanship.
A reasonable part of the classic section was dominated by chandeliers and for an Asian who has been exposed to an array of jhumars back home, these glassical marvels were akin to a global treatise of an Indian art form. After a tour of xLux and Classic, a Gatorade break was necessary; following which it was time to check out the power of IoT in the kitchen space at EuroCucina.
Brand Samsung which is largely popular in India for its electronic gadgets heralded a different avatar in the design capital. In EuroCucina, Samsung showcased premium built-in appliances including the Dual Cook Flex oven. Equipped with IoT technology, the oven allows consumers to remotely preheat, monitor and control the oven from anywhere with an app.
While Samsung was busy promoting a smart kitchen, the play of colours in one corner enticed me to check out a brand called SMEG. A 70 year old Italian home appliances company, the stall featured an array of colourful products, but the most vibrant of them all was “Sicily is my love collection” the collection according to the brand, combines SMEG’s experience with the creative spirit of Dolce & Gabbana. Each appliance in this collection is nothing short of an objet d’art.
What is it that you seek? You will find it here!
In the lunch break that followed suit, the best thing that happened was an Italian version of the Indian Fried Rice. It’s the kind of moment you come to relish when your carnivorous friends feed you with dismal stories about being a vegetarian in a European nation!
Next day it was time to tour the Design Pavilion, considering the size of this pavilion it leaves you wondering if a golf cart is available to take you on a tour of this chapter of Salone. And likewise if an attempt were to be made to document the creative explosion out here, it would be good enough to write an edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica!
The Design Pavilion was spread across ten pavilions including Pavilion 20 which offered you a bird’s eye view of Rho Fiera; in this pavilion Brand Kartell unveiled its smart design for smart people across eight display platforms. Among the new products showcased, Kartell presented the Catwalk and Venice seats, Philippe Starck’s Cara armchair and Tokujin Yoshioka’s Matrix chair.
Amidst the global fairy tale in the design pavilion, the Indian pride and prejudice was upheld by Kolkata based brand Scarlet Splendour,the brand which was launched at Spazio Rossana Orlandi during the Milan Design Week in 2015, showcased the Snow White range by Artefatto Design Studio, which featured a sheepskin sofa.
By the time I completed my tour, the sun was ready to embark on a journey across a different time zone. In the backdrop of the setting sun, my train ride from Rho Fiera to Duomo lasted for 40 minutes, post which it was time to witness Salone’s take on sustainability with the project “Living Nature”.
La natura dell’abitare produced in partnership with international design and innovation studio CarloRatti Associati (CRA). The project presented special design stories that were contextualized and attunted to nature.
The project located opposite Palazzo Reale in Piazza del Duomo until 25th April featured four natural microcosms in which all four seasons of the year could coexist alongside each other. The idea was to bond nature’s cycles and domestic spaces, through a series of rooms and familiar areas, each of them furnished according to a different theme.
“Living Nature”. La natura dell’abitare produced in partnership with the international design and innovation firm CarloRatti Associati. Photo Credit : Andrea Mariani for Salone Del Mobile 2018
The event can be best summarized in the words of Carlo Ratti “In the 20th century, cities expanded outwards to conquer nature and the countryside, we believe that today’s challenge is the opposite: how can we bring nature back in the city and into our homes?” After immersing myself in sheer eco-consciousness, it was time for me to dine and get some sleep.
In a period of six days Salone witnessed 4,35,065 visitors from 188 different countries, an increase of 26% compared with the 2017 edition; call it a ‘sweet enigma’ of design at work. An enigma which compels people to come back to Salone year after year. And as I readied myself to board the flight to Dubai at Malpensa, a towering image of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, across the A380 was ready to welcome me, as if saying “Let’s get you back home”.
And 15 hours later I was back in Mumbai, conjuring design memories, none of which had alas made its way into my Instagram account!
