20 May Saloni del Mobile 2024
Once again designers, architects and retailers from all over the world congregate in the city Of Milan for the annual Salone del Mobile design fair where the leading furniture manufacturers strive to showcase their latest and greatest.
This year however I came to an albeit obvious but crucial realisation, that this is first and foremost a trade show. And to a seasoned dealer such as myself the whole thing seems to be a bit lacklustre. The tragic absence of Euroluce (a large part of the exhibition dedicated to lighting) didn’t help either. That being said I still did my best to bring you the best the fair had to offer.
BATHROOM
BATHROOM
Ceramica Cielo
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Starting with one of my favourite pavilions Cielo offered a very strong showing this year. With a very well designed presentation and a large variety of products on display, offering not only the expected solutions such as freestanding bathtubs and tall floor mounted wash basins but a selection of more clever designs with unusual basin shapes and clever articulating mirrors. Even in the freestanding bathtub design category there was a space saving option for a bathroom with a trickier layout.
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The pavilion concludes with a more conceptual room filled with large shelving units stocked with washbasins illuminated by colour changing lights.
CASABATH
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Casabath presented a showroom designed to showcase their signature aesthetic including a limited though opulent material palette. Charcoal wood cabinets with top mounted marble basins, many of which were finished in their signature VERDE ALPI marble showstopping round bathtub carved out of a single slab of marble.
TUBES RADIATORI
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Perhaps one of the most overlooked though equally important components for any bathroom is the humble radiator and towel dryer. The TUBES RADIATORI display however is anything but humble, each product displayed as a work of art or sculpture.
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While showcasing a variety of products one of the more interesting was a shelving unit lovingly dubbed the “JJ”. A metal shelf with a “towel warmer” function.
ROCA
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Dubbed ‘Mediterranean Perspectives’ as a tribute to Barcelona’s iconic architecture Roca dedicates the centre of the pavilion to the award-winning Nu faucet collection with its vibrant and playful design. Available in six bright colours inspired by the Mediterranean palette, Nu features three models with different handles, infused with unique details.
FURNITURE
FURNITURE
FLEXFORM
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One of the grandest pavilions in the entire exhibition. Various pieces assembled in enclosed fantasy rooms to showcase a singular aesthetic.
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Each arrangement stands in front of a backlit white wall creating a very high end look for every piece. The furniture pieces were decorated with various accessories. Presenting an overall “trendy” look in both styling and colour palette. Lots of creamy fabrics paired with warm woods.
DESEDE
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The entire pavilion seemed to be devoted to the exhibition of the latest “Collina” sofa. The design seems to incorporate many features from their previous designs such as the sliding backrests of the “Slide” collection and the segmented styling of the DS-600 and DS-602 series. The latest interaction offers an adjustable height to each individual segment of the backrest.
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The sofa is available in an absurd amount of arrangements that can fit any imaginable application or space and that includes the outdoors.
BAXTER
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What caught my eye initially was the eye-catching design of the pavilion itself as well as the line in front of it. Somehow both dark and vibrant it was a welcome change from the repetitive beige boxes. Decorated in a very sultry burned orange in a variety of textures and finishes. Every furniture piece was finished in very opulent materials such as leather, suede and lots of natural stone.
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Initially I did not recognize the brand. That however quickly changed once I found “the chair”. The “Marilyn” chair and its lounge counterpart are perhaps one of my favourite contemporary furniture designs always popping up in social media and furniture libraries.
KITCHEN
KITCHEN
I’ll be honest much of the kitchens displayed were barely distinguishable from one another. So for sake of brevity I thought it would be better to simply round up some of the highlights.
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While there was very little distinction in choice of material or clever design solutions there were some notable exceptions.
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Elica displayed their usual selection of extractor hoods but the largest part of the pavilion was dedicated to the showcase of their latest appliance series. The Lhov is an elegant combination of both oven, hob and kitchen hood. In addition the hob has an integrated screen with controls for each appliance as well as other smart capabilities, including ever recipes.
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As for the design solutions the most interesting part was a variety of kitchen islands with a semi attached dedicated for serving and dining.
