Visiting the Salone del Mobile in Milano
Urška Gregorič
Piazza del Duomo; Source: Creative Commons, Author: Steffen Schmitz
In April, we visited the Milan furniture fair for three days - Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano 2023, the largest fair of its kind in the world. Over the course of six days, furniture and related manufacturers exhibit in various pavilions and often present their latest products to the public.
We had the opportunity to test and see up close a variety of pieces of furniture that we often only see in photographs, so it was a prime opportunity to check the latest design guidelines in practice.
EUROLUCE
Every two years, the furniture fair is accompanied by the biennial Euroluce - the light fair, where we explored the latest indoor, outdoor, and decorative lighting innovations. Lights ranged from the smallest, general lights to the largest, monumental chandeliers or outdoor lights, and from simple, minimalist to extra decorative and artistically unique pieces.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Many companies presenting their new product lines at the fair are also looking for innovative solutions for a more sustainable design of furniture pieces with the desire for a "greener future". Above all, this has manifested in the search and use of the most sustainable materials, such as wood, cork, paper, and various materials, with as much recycled material as possible. At the same time, they often pointed out the importance of local production enabling lower emissions for transport.
Of course, the entire field still has a long way to go to incorporate more sustainable designs; there are individual products or even certain companies where the environmental aspect is one of the primary topics, but this will definitely be an interesting area for progress in the future.
Shigeru Ban; Source: Creative Commons, Author: 準建築人手札網站
LECTURES
As part of the fair, there were also live lectures by various design icons. Let us highlight a lecture by a Japanese architect and Pritzker Prize winner; Shigeru Ban gave a lecture on his views and experiences using new, sustainable materials in construction in innovative ways. Materials such as wood, paper, or even recycled beer crates, are regularly a part of his design strategy.
Aspen Art Museum, Shigeru Ban; Source: Creative Commons
He also placed great emphasis on his humanitarian work and how, as an architect, he can help communities in need - people who have lost their homes or public buildings due to severe earthquakes, wars, or other crises, and how, even in these projects, he persistently seeks the most rational solutions possible, with a sustainable approach both in the social sense and in the use of materials. A truly fascinating man with an extensive body of work that can serve as an example to all of us.
