With the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023 on the way, the world of design and furniture is getting ready for one of the most awaited events of the year. The Salone del Mobile is the international reference fair held annually in Milan, and represents a global showcase for the latest trends and innovations in the world of furniture and design.
The Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023 returns to its traditional location on the calendar, it will take place from 18 to 23 April at Fiera Milano Rho and represents a return of the international trade fair event in a completely transformed guise. The event will adopt a new exhibition format and completely new multidisciplinary cultural contents for Euroluce. There will be three important innovations of this edition, including a single exhibition level, a new layout of Euroluce and a cultural component that will be integrated into the spaces of the biennale of light. The aim of these innovations is to simplify, improve and enhance the visitor experience, placing people at the center of the event. Maria Porro, president of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, says that the event has the ambition to help redesign the trade fair model.
The Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023, which will take place in April, will bring together approx 1962 exhibitors, including 550 young talents under 35 and 27 design schools. The event will create different worlds such as the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, Workplace3.0, S.Project, euroluce and the SaloneSatellite, with new distribution rules, which will be on a single level, aesthetic and cultural itineraries, experiential spaces and rest and relaxation areas will be managed to provide visitors with an unforgettable and engaging experience.
The event will suggest calls-to-action such as participation in vertical workshops and thematic exhibitions, the presence of site-specific installations and visits to bookshops.
The April edition will be the biennial of light (Euroluce, pavilions 9-11 and 13-15), now in its 31st appointment, which will be renewed in the exhibition layout, redesigned by the Lombardini22 studio to ensure a better connection between the four pavilions, simplify the visit itinerary − which becomes an irregular ring and takes inspiration from the road routes of traditional Italian villages − and, at the same time, increase the visibility of the exhibitors, ensuring each one an adequate space.
The 2023 edition of the biennial of light (Euroluce) will have as its theme "The city of Lights“, which will be the concept and thematic fil rouge of the biennial.
Power of imagination and concreteness of vision will characterize the interdisciplinary cultural content curated by Beppe Finessi, which will make Euroluce a happy laboratory of emotions and knowledge. Thanks to'precise and intelligent intervention by Formafantasma, the heart of the biennial will be Aurore, a large square and arena for immersive and reflective experiences and a place dedicated to various talks. Of the study also the
draft twelve Constellations, architectural interludes that will host exhibitions in the exhibition curated by Finessi along the entire exhibition itinerary.
Main exhibitions will include solo shows by Hélène Binet edited by Massimo Curzi, an exhibition that pays homage to the classic shape of the incandescent light bulb curated by Martina Sanzarello, a review of images of interior architecture with artificial light as the protagonist curated by Michael Calzavara and a neon site-specific installation by Maurizio Nannucci. There will also be a bookshop specializing in design, art and illustration.
The 24th SaloneSatellite, within the pavilions of Euroluce, will have as its theme "Design Schools – Universities / BUILDING THE (IM)POSSIBLE. Process, progress, practice“. More than 550 young designers under the age of 35 and 27 design schools will be present. The arrangement of the exhibition spaces has been renewed to highlight the contribution of design schools to the training of new designers and the development of design. The exhibition will also include a special exhibit titled “Sate-light. 1998-2022 SaloneSatellite young designers” which will present most of the lamps designed by young people in the past. In addition, there will be special installations and the presence of the guest of honour Gaetano Pesce, which will talk about his career and inspire young talent. The scenography and graphics of the installation will be inspired by natural light.
During Euroluce, in pavilion 13 will be held a new talk program curated by Annalisa Rosso, focused on lighting, technology and sustainability. Conversations and debates will be led by leading figures from the contemporary design scene, including Shigeru Ban, Nao Tamura, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Marius Myking of Snøhetta and Andrea D'Antrassi of MAD.
We will discuss how innovation in the field of lighting can improve our future, focusing on important issues such as the ecological transition and the role of technology. It is expected that these debates will highlight how project, design and architecture are able to understand the present and imagine the future, opening new paths and finding solutions.
The Salone del Mobile.Milano, scheduled for 2023, will focus on sustainable management of the event, with the aim of achieving the ISO 20121 certification for the sustainable management of the event. The verification process was carried out by the multinational certification company RINA. Furthermore, the Exhibition has launched procedures to identify suppliers of recycled, recyclable or reusable materials for the construction of the common areas, and will work to regenerate the resources consumed and absorb the waste produced. The event has also expanded the guidelines for sustainable set-ups proposed last year to exhibiting companies. The Salone del Mobile.Milano has joined the United Nations Global Compact, the largest global initiative for business sustainability.
The Salone del Mobile in Milan is considered an example of dynamism and the will to innovate of the Italian wood-furniture companies, which have made Italian design famous all over the world. The 61st edition, together with the Euroluce biennial, will represent the energy that companies in the sector have invested to bring the supply chain to a turnover of almost 57 billion euros in 2022 (+12,7% compared to 2021).
The results are due to various factors, such as the effectiveness of building bonuses, the centrality of the home during the pandemic period and the recognition of product quality. Companies in the sector are increasingly engaging in research and innovation to create sustainable products, using secondary raw materials, saving energy and training human resources. FederlegnoArredo is promoting product, process and social sustainability and is working together with its associates to become a leader in the sector. The common goal of the Federation, entrepreneurs and the Salone del Mobile is responsibility towards the future.
Photo credits: AM Andrea Mariani
