By Hadeel Ayoub

The I Salone Internazionale del Mobile is an annual international furniture exhibition that takes place in Milan, Italy. It is considered to be without comparison the most major design exhibition in the world. COSMIT the event organizer referred to the I Saloni exhibition as ‘an international meeting of minds!’

This year the exhibition took place from the 16^th to the 21^st of April.  The fairgrounds were relatively easy to reach. As soon as we entered the fair, we were handed a small pocket size guide book, easy to carry and use, entirely translated in English. It showed the complete listings of booths and their positions categorized by style as exhibited. It also showed the dining areas within the fairgrounds, the internal and external shuttle buses and the Wi-Fi hotspots. Interestingly, the last pages contained suggestions for Milan finest restaurants and events in the city with price ranges and reservation contacts.

In accordance with the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, this year’s I Saloni featured 2,450 exhibiting companies spread over an area of 230,000 square meters, which showcased the latest in domestic furnishing, covering every conceivable style from classic to modern to designer debuts, not to mention trendsetters. Furniture was displayed according to category, resulting in clusters of royal classic pieces in buildings 1 to 4, minimalistic modern pieces in buildings 5 to 8 , as for innovative designer pieces, it occupied six building of the fairgrounds.  Shiny woods with deep colors made a strong statement in modern furniture and the main design approach was multifunctional furniture pieces. As for designer innovations, glass was the main tool in which designers experimented with transparency, layering, reflection, and visual illusions with bold curves and minimal joints. In contrast, the formal classic exhibition was all about glamour and sparkle, almost every piece had to have Swarovski crystals embedded  within it applying a capituné (buttoned) design, and the overall impact was stunning. The main colors that dominated all styles were matt monochromatic fabrics with shiny metallic woods and hints of color in small pieces like tables, mirrors, end lamps, and chandeliers, represented most often in violet or red. The highlight of this section was the waterproof furniture pieces which were displayed using a very interesting method.  The designer/vendor placed a shower hose atop the furniture pieces and kept the water running on the sofas (with water disposals underneath) to demonstrate this particular specification.

The exhibition also accommodated the International Kitchen Furniture Exhibition (buildings 15 to 18), a grand sector featuring the latest technology in kitchen design, layout and built in electrical appliances. This section especially was a perfect example of the new era of kitchen design which combines functionality, creativity and technology. All kitchen parts were mechanically automated; drawers open with a simple touch and shut automatically using a suction power which closes smoothly. Cupboards open with a push of a button and slide smoothly to the sides to allow full range accessibility to the shelves.  Laminated shiny wood cladding was the trend for this year with more organic lines and innovated use of glass.

As for bathrooms, the International Bathroom Exhibition had more than 120 manufacturers displaying the very best in bathroom accessories and furniture, shower cubicles and saunas, sanitary wear, radiators, coverings, bathroom taps, State of the art Jacuzzis and bathtubs. Stone was the surprisingly new material used for bath tubs this year sustaining its natural organic shape and barely treated to look as if it was brought to your bathroom straight from the mountains. The new approach towards bathrooms this year is that they are a part of the domestic environment, a living space just like any other room.  Creativity was pushed to its limits with different shapes and colors experimented with ordinary materials used in extraordinary ways. The highlight of this sector was the radio-therapy LED flood shower hoses, recessed in the ceiling, making it completely hidden, where every color represents a different healing purpose, very affordable costing a mere €2,000.

The final division of the fairground was the International Workspace Exhibition, with 160 participating companies showcased top quality furniture and accessories for the workplace, banks, insurance companies, post offices and communities as well as solutions for the home office and work environments through a series of products and innovatory technological solutions ranging from open-space to combined offices, mobile and teleworking.

A very interesting side of the exhibition was a space provided to a design competition displaying the work of 570 young designers coming from 22 international design schools with 220 students presented ideas and projects inspired by creativity, ecology and sustainability, and needless to say diversity!

To offer all the foreigners visiting the exhibition some leisure time, the I Saloni have put together a range of events both at the exhibition center and in the city, including free visits to Leonardo’s ‘The Last Supper’ painting and a trip to a major art gallery in Milan featuring Italy’s heritage and the most famous works of art in the world.