In 2023, the Salone del Mobile came back in full force! With a fully realized Euroluce and halls upon halls of new collections, the Milan mecca has returned to its former glory. In fact, the 61st edition of the event attracted a crowd 15 per cent larger than that of 2022. And this was fully evident, as manufacturer stands were brimming with visitors and, at some of the most packed brands, back to requiring QR codes for entry.

As we toured the Rho fairgrounds, a number of trends popped up: nature is the ultimate inspiration, as many stands were bursting with plants and trees; relatedly, the outdoors is the ultimate frontier for many furniture companies that have ventured into verdant terrain; the sofa, forever being reimagined, is more communal and transformable than ever before; and bold colour and pattern is back in a big way.

Here are just a handful of the snapshots we took at Salone del Mobile 2023, featuring some of the fair’s biggest exhibitors, from Kartell and Porro to Varaschin and Fantoni.

Ethimo’s stand, designed by Studio AMDL CIRCLE and Michele De Lucchi, was inspired by wheat fields. A perfect backdrop for Paola Navone’s Rafael lounge.

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Flou, which presented new soft seating and bedroom furnishings, featured lemon trees in its stand.

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In its bucolic ambience, Flexform reintroduced Supermax, a more generously proportioned version of Antonio Citterio’s design, in time for its 40th anniversary.

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Acerbis also gave special prominence to a classic: Claudio Salocchi’s Free System from 1973. The half-century-old modular sofa feels as relevant as ever.

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Sancal’s Link sofa by Raw Color – which makes sitting down a sort of performance art piece – was just one of the vibrant highlights of the Spanish brand’s booth.

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Tacchini introduced Umberto Bellardi Ricci Torus pouffes, a delightful approach to mixing materials.

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Exemplifying the trend of indoor/outdoor furniture, RAF, by Piet Boon, is the brand’s first upholstered lounge series for both indoor and outdoor use.

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Sant’ambrogio Milano made its glass craftsmanship shine with a light-integrated display.

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At Molteni&C, the Cinnamon armchair by Naoto Fukusawa felt like a hug, a sensation heightened by its double elastic jersey upholstery.

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Luca Nichetto’s shapely Figure sofa for Wittman was one of the most mannered furnishings on display at the Salone. And in a very good way…

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Jaime Hayon, shown here, was also present at Wittman, seated opposite his Vuelta sectional. The piece is upholstered in bouclé, a definite trend in textiles seen throughout.

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A view through Varaschin’s Sunmoon gazebo, by José Manuel Ferrero, to an elegant daybed. The brand soared with its outdoor offerings.

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In a series of vignettes, Kartell contrasted offerings from its expansive collections. Shown here: the Lunam sofa in new upholstery, with Okra tables, the Parays rug and the Toobe floor lamp.

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Living Divani is most renowned for its ultra-high-end soft seating, but one of the loveliest sights in its stand was this setup of its Alvea table and Paradigma mirror – which created a truly artistic expression.

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Glas Italia was just one of the companies where Yabu Pushelberg was presenting novelties. The Canadian duo’s Ollie bookshelf is a feat of glass mastery.

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Patricia Urquiola also shone at Glas Italia (among other venues where her genius was front and centre). Her CC coffee table is made of glass tiles in a multihued mosaic.

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Bold tables were also featured in various booths. Poliform’s Monolith table, with a thin top made in Cementoskin or basalt stone, was designed by Emmanuel Gallina.

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Zanotta’s glossy Bol table by Italian design studio Zaven adds intrigue to dinner parties with a sculptural curved base.

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Another statement-making table, Pedrali’s Frank by Robin Rizzini, was shown paired with the Lamorisse chair by CMP Design for a colour-block effect.

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Porro collaborated with Alessandro Mendini’s estate to introduce these sideboards derived from his archives.

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Ichiro Iwasaki filled Arper’s stand with bursts of colour via his ultra-modular seating system, Ralik.

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Arper also introduced a new storage collection to complement its soft seating lines.

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To much fanfare, Magis presented Twain, a collaboration between Konstantin Grcic and Hella Jongerius – two giants of design. Made with wood, leather and fabric (a textile designed by Jongerius), the chair exudes an artisanal eclecticism.

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Edra went all Edra! Employing mirrors upon mirrors, the furniture brand presented its wonderfully ostentatious offerings at the Salone.

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Classicon showed off Sebastian Herkner’s Plissé pendant lamp and Christian Haas’s solid wood table lamp, Forma. These contemporary offerings were balanced by the brand’s ode to Eileen Gray.

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Last but not least, Fantoni’s Panorama line bridges the distance between home and work. Its settings bring together privacy enclosures, made with 100% recycled wood chipboard, and soft seating elements. Designed by UNStudio, the line shows that work and play coexist beautifully.

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The post Scenes from Salone del Mobile 2023: The Fairest of Them All appeared first on Azure Magazine.

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