Spring has begun. For many furniture makers it means (among other things) that Salone Internazionale del Mobile is not far off. The 58th edition of this highly prestigious trade event will run from 9th to 14th April 2019. Ever since 1961, this annual exhibition takes place in Milan, Italy, turning this city for a short while into a capital of furniture design. Manufacturers of high-end furniture from all over the world look forward for this event.
For Bellavista Collection – a brand well-known in many countries for its Italian luxury furniture, this event is a must-attend for the last ten years, since the brand itself was introduced during Salone del Mobile 2010. For Bellavista Collection, every edition of iSaloni means newly designed items, which are created specially for the show. This year the company will showcase furniture pieces designed by Bellavista’s brilliant designer Attilio Zanni.
Well, why Milan International Furniture salon (or iSaloni, as it’s sometimes called for short) is so special for furniture manufacturers? There is a number of reasons for this. First, it’s is the most reputable and influential trade show in the industry. No wonder: 58 years is more than enough to build a solid reputation and gain popularity with the flower of the industry professionals.
Second, the exhibition area of iSaloni is organized inventively indeed. In accordance with the style of the showpieces, the showground is split into three sectors with self-explanatory names: Classic: Tradition in the Future, Design, and xLux. For the first time it was done in 1965, and Salone del Mobile was the first trade show where pieces designed in similar styles were grouped together. The idea was a great success, and in just two years later, in 1967, the event was named ‘International’. It marked growing international influence of Salone del Mobile.
This division remains since then, because it has proved to be really convenient. Classic sector quite predictably contains pieces designed in classic style. Design sector showcases ultramodern items, and xLux sector is all about luxury and chic.
X-lux section is the very place where Bellavista exhibits its new products year after year. For example, in 2018 the company showed its collection called Dulcechina.
For 2019 edition, Bellavista prepared a number of beautifully designed showpieces, inspired by design trends of 1980s. Many of us will instantly remember the distinctive style of 1980s and the idea of ‘dolce vita’, popular at that time. You will be able to see Bellavista’s exhibits soon – at the stand F-26 in Hall 3 of xLux sector.
A Constellation of Exciting Events
The Salone del Mobile.Milano is widely known for its collateral events, which also take place in pavilions of Rho Fiera Milano. These exhibitions excellently complement both the main event and one another, that’s why they have already become an inseparable part of Salone Internazionale del Mobile.
This year, visitors will be able to attend several exhibitions along with the main event. International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition will showcase a range of classic and design furnishing accessories. International Biennial Lighting Exhibition, known under the name of Euroluce, will display lots of solutions for indoor and outdoor lighting, as well as special lighting systems like those used in hospitals. International Biennial Workspace Exhibition (Workplace3.0) will present furniture and equipment for offices and public places.
In 2019, pavilions 22-24 (showgrounds of Workplace3.0) will host S-Project. Unlike previous editions, this year Workplace3.0 will be scattered through a number of pavilions, forming kind of a path. Such an arrangement of exhibitors reflects the latest trend in contemporary lifestyle, i.e. working space is merging with other functional spaces, blurring the line between workplace and recreational space, for example, in a private house.
And, of course, SaloneSatellite – maybe, the most influential event devoted to young talented designers, for whom it has become a real springboard into future fame. This annual collateral event was launched in 1998 (so, in 2019 its 22d edition will take place) and quickly gained popularity and international recognition. In 2010 SaloneSatellite Award was established, which is granted to the authors of the most creative designs and concepts.
For more than two decades, thousands of design students and young designers have got a chance to show their brainchildren to entrepreneurs, industry professionals and journalists at SaloneSatellite. Many of them have already become renowned professionals.
The theme of this year at SaloneSatellite will be “Food as a Design Object”. Promising young designers will try to find a way to combine modern technologies and traditional art of home cooking.
Novelties of 2019 edition
Actually, Salone del Mobile is much more than a large-scale commercial furniture exhibition. Now this event deeply influences image of the entire Milan. Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan, stated at a recent press conference that thanks to Salone del Mobile, the city has improved economic performance, and the number of tourists has increased by 6{4bb90c710c9135bb17c9969037440282a9bd1b39a62d95d22d0efe26a44cbc4d}.
2019 is the year of 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, so this Renaissance multifaceted genius will be widely commemorated in Italy and all over the world. Considering the fact that Leonardo lived and worked in Milan for twenty years, it’s no coincidence that during iSaloni two events – DE-SIGNO at the fairgrounds and AQUA in the city – will be devoted solely to Leonardo da Vinci.
“DE-SIGNO: The art of Italian design before and after Leonardo” is an installation designed by a well-known architect Alessandro Colombo, will celebrate Leonardo’s design heritage. This enormous 400 square-meter structure will feature four cinema screens for a visual show.
One more installation by Marco Balich called “AQUA. Leonardo’s Vision” will be located at the Conca dell’Incoronata – a floodgate built in 1496. It will be covered with a massive architectural structure resembling a huge glass corridor, with a huge LED screen at its edge. The screen will serve as a window, showing ever-changing skyline of a future Milan. Beneath this structure, inside the canal there will be an exposition showing among others Leonardo’s works related to water.
Good news for classic music lovers: Salone del Mobile has signed a three-year partnership with world-famous Fondazione Teatro alla Scala! In 2019, for the first time ever, the main event will be opened with a concert. Visitors will listen to Modest Mussorgski’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”, and “Ouverture of Semiramide” and “Guglielmo Tell” by Gioachino Rossini. It looks like a start of a new remarkable tradition!