The 62nd edition of the Salone del Mobile was a true success in many respects. This year's main theme, 'Design and the Future', explored the role of design in striving for a better, more sustainable and inclusive future.
The Salone del Mobile Milano is much more than an exhibition fair: it is an event that combines tradition with modernisation and experimentation, a moment of updating on furnishing trends and more. Indeed, the collections presented offer a foretaste of what will be in demand by future buyers of real estate, especially luxury properties.
The Salone del Mobile brings together the world's most renowned brands and designers, presenting the latest trends and innovations in the field of luxury furniture and design, a useful showcase to considerably increase their value and appeal. Here, industry professionals can draw inspiration and adapt their real estate proposals to meet the most refined needs and tastes.
An opportunity to immerse oneself in an atmosphere of art, architecture, design, fashion and events that, over time, has become a meeting point for enthusiasts of this sector coming from all over the world. An unmissable event for luxury real estate professionals to discover new products and exclusive solutions to be offered to their most demanding customers, meeting the highest expectations.
And since this year's edition has recently come to an end, what better occasion to briefly recall the history and evolution of this famous fair and discover the proposals of this latest edition?
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What's new at Milan Design Week: the 2024 edition.
The leitmotif of the Salone del Mobile 2024 was sustainability: green projects, innovative and sometimes linked to reflections on contemporary issues, such as the use of artificial intelligence or the 'foods of the future', governed this edition.
The designers who worked on the concept of the Salone del Mobile 2024 used recycled and recyclable, bio-based and circular materials to pursue the idea of sustainability that was the main theme of this edition.
What was also new this year was experimentation: thanks to a special exhibition layout, the focus was on the combination of neuroscience and artificial intelligence, two disciplines that can offer new perspectives on design and its impact on our lives. The new exhibition layout afforded a veritable experience for those present, thanks to the analysis of the neurological, emotional and perceptive reactions of the visitors that was carried out during the tours.
The role of neuroscience is to facilitate the understanding of our brain's interaction with the surrounding space, in order to identify the impulses that render an environment comfortable, stimulating and functional. These principles can then be applied to design to create spaces that meet our psychological and physical needs more effectively. With the help of AI, design has new tools and possibilities at its disposal. Intelligent algorithms can be used to analyse data, identify trends and generate innovative solutions, to bring customisable spaces to life, and to improve the performance of buildings both on a sensory level and in terms of energy impact.
Through exhibitions, installations, talks and workshops, visitors immersed themselves in a stimulating environment and were inspired by new ideas and creative solutions.
Among the most striking events, we would like to mention the installations that most attracted the attention of the spectators: the most successful was Interiors by David Lynch. A Thinking Room. This work, created by the famous director, represents two mirrored thinking rooms conceived as symbolic doors to enter the Milanese event.
The installation Under the Surface, designed to stimulate reflection on water sustainability and its ethicality, was also very popular. Its unusual shape, reminiscent of an island submerged in water, left everyone speechless.
Finally, the installation All You Ever Wanted to Know About Food Design in Six Performances at EuroCucina 2024 focused on some natural ingredients and their use both today and in the future, giving importance to a topic much discussed this year. The brand presented another undisputed protagonist of the event: technology. As part of EuroCucina/FTK, Technology for the Kitchen presented projects demonstrating the functionality (and captivating design) of smart appliances. Artificial intelligence-driven products are becoming increasingly popular, even among the stands at the Salone del Mobile. These everyday objects, such as ovens and washing machines, are equipped with cameras and other innovative technologies capable of simplifying everyday life in the kitchen, one of the most lived-in areas of the home.
Sustainability at Milan Design Week 2024.
Furniture trends for 2024 include natural materials, such as wood or bamboo, and sustainable materials, such as glass or recycled plastic. Interpreting design through the lens of sustainability was the way to present original, well-crafted and exclusive products to furnish personal spaces while remaining up-to-date on trends.
At Fuorisalone 2024, for example, the theme of sustainability was interpreted in a thousand ways, with installations, events and projects that made Milan an open-air laboratory of innovative ideas and concrete solutions.
Numerous were the installations that caught the attention of visitors: unique, contemporary and innovative projects enlivened the city of Milan during Design Week and communicated messages of social importance.
Among these is the installation by Hermès that, with The Topography of Matter exhibition, wanted to evoke the bond that the famous brand has with nature: wood, earth, stone and bricks are the materials with which Hermès created original and elegant products for the Design Week exhibition.
Armani also presented a new Armani/Casa collection, entitled Echoes from the World. The furnishings presented were divided into geographical areas: from Europe to Asia to Africa, Armani's designs expressed with extreme elegance the designer’s cosmopolitan soul that has become an expression in his brand.
More evocative were the installations by Studiolatte and Finemateria, which revisited the traditional Milanese baths of the 1800s in a modern key with a multisensory project, in line with the objective of the Salone del Mobile 2024, namely to give space to the conception and sharing of projects, leaving individual products more in the background, in order to involve the visitors in an inclusive and complete experience.
“Materia Natura”, a topic chosen with the aim of provoking reflection on the importance of environmental sustainability also in art and design, took centre stage, remaining in line with what was addressed in the last edition, which featured reusable and recycled materials in design, thus giving due importance to the theme of sustainability.
We have talked about the Salone del Mobile in its contemporary guise, but do you know its tradition?
History and evolution of the Salone del Mobile Milano 2024.
For more than sixty years, the Fiera del Mobile has been one of the most eagerly awaited events in the city of Milan, and has become a rendezvous not only for industry experts but for all those who love fashion and design.
The first edition of the Salone del Mobile dates back to 24 September 1961, when some furniture makers decided to organise a furniture-related fair to promote Made-in-Italy, with a view to opening up their businesses to the foreign market.
As early as 1965, the leading companies in the sector were grouped together in one pavilion of the fair, thus creating more commercial offerings and giving the Salone a defined and effective identity. It was thanks to these measures that the Salone del Mobile was awarded the title of International Exhibition two years later.
In the 1970s, the first two biennials of the Salone del Mobile were introduced: EuroCucina and EuroLuce, to celebrate the decisive role of technology, already at that time, as an indispensable element for furniture and for people's everyday lives.
In the years that followed, innovations focused on office furniture, an interlude that is now called Workplace 3.0, and the SaloneSatellite, a transversal exhibition created with the aim of bringing out young talent in the sector.
Over time, the Salone del Mobile has confirmed its role as a laboratory of ideas and catalyst for change, offering a comprehensive and stimulating overview of the challenges and opportunities inherent in the world of design. Indeed, one of its goals is to raise public awareness of current topics such as eco-sustainability, sustainable mobility, energy efficiency and the circular economy, understood as the process of reusing recycled materials.
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Salone del Mobile 2024: the highlights.
With more than 360,000 visitors, this year's edition of the Salone del Mobile was a true success, with a 17.1% increase in attendance compared to last year.
The Salone del Mobile 2024 has confirmed itself as the international benchmark event for design, a place where tradition and innovation meet to create new horizons.
The international leadership of the Salone del Mobile di Milano was demonstrated by the large turnout of foreign visitors, who accounted for more than half of those present.
From China to the United States, from Japan to Brazil, as well as delegations from the Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, new business opportunities were guaranteed.
The 62nd edition of the Salone del Mobile surpassed expectations, encouraging the organisers to continue along this path in the name of a common goal: the goal shared by all the organisers of the show is to continue, with future editions, to give the proper relevance to Made-in-Italy as well as to delve more and more deeply into contemporary themes of a certain calibre.
A key theme of the 2024 edition was the marriage of neuroscience and artificial intelligence and sustainability, with a concrete commitment by the organisers and exhibitors to reduce the event's environmental impact.
There were many initiatives aimed at innovation, with a keen eye on the design by the young generation: the SaloneSatellite, dedicated to young designers under 35, proposed an edition full of innovative and creative projects, offering an overview of the future of design, creating connections between young designers, established designers and professionals, investors, architects, and influencers in the luxury real estate sector. Attending the event means having the chance to make valuable contacts, expand your professional network and generate new business opportunities.
And for total involvement and immersion in the atmosphere, we must mention the Fuorisalone, an event within the event, full of installations, exhibitions, events and talks, with a special focus on the theme of sustainability and the design of the future.
In addition to these highlights, the Salone del Mobile 2024 offered a wide range of proposals from exhibitors from all over the world, with a selection of the best products and design solutions for furniture, lighting and furnishing accessories.
The Salone del Mobile di Milano 2024 was therefore able to demonstrate that Italian craftsmanship in sectors such as fashion and design, is capable of creating products and projects that are envied the world over. The success of this extraordinary edition confirmed the prestige that the Milanese design fair has had for over sixty years.
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