An unrivaled passion for furniture design returned to Milan this year at Supersalone, a special edition of the 60-year-old Salone del Mobile.Milano. The annual event, also referred to as the Milan Furniture Fair, is typically held in April but had been on pandemic-induced hiatus for the last two-and-a-half years.
The booths at Supersalone lacked the extravagant, multi-floor expressions of participating brands. Instead, each company shared an identical footprint. Photo courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano
Supersalone, a temporary name to capture the spirit of the mid-season catch-up event, was a scaled down (about one-fourth of its normal size) but still vibrant celebration of design from 425 brands, 170 design students, with more than 60,000 attendees from 113 countries.
A series of lectures called Open Talks was a great addition to Supersalone this year. Above: Bjarke Ingels discussed sustainability and the intersection of landscape, engineering, architecture, and product design. Photo courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano
The event was the first for new president Maria Porro, who took over for Claudio Luti, CEO of Kartell. “Just leaving an empty space would have been a mistake. I think we have been courageous and brave. We made a miracle,” Maria said about producing the show on a condensed timeframe and with strict Covid protocols.
“The Lost Graduation Show” at Supersalone showcased 170 projects by students who graduated between 2020 and 2021, from 48 schools of design in 22 countries. Photo courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano
Supersalone was curated by architect Stefano Beori, best known for his urban forestry projects and the Vertical Forest building in Milan. He designed clever ways to incorporate trees throughout the fair grounds that could later be replanted. The show booths and public spaces were all constructed with limited materials (no glue, paint, carpet, or finishes) for easy reuse and recycling after the show.
The full Salone del Mobile.Milano returns to Milan April 5, 2022.
Our in-depth recap of the best of Supersalone design will be published in Sixtysix 07 (subscribe today) available next month.
