Milan Design Week returns to its usual spot in April, having taken place in June for two consecutive years due to the coronavirus pandemic. The festival runs from 17th to 23rd April 2023. As usual the largest event taking place during Milan Design Week is Salone del Mobile, located at Fiera Milano exhibition centre from 18th to 23rd April 2023.
The furniture fair anticipates more than 370,000 visitors and presents thousands of brands showcasing furniture, lighting, electrical appliances, kitchen, bathroom, outdoor and workspace products. Also taking place during the week are events under the banner Fuorisalone, including installations, exhibitions and talks.
Milan Design Week normally takes place across four districts in the city: Brera Design District, located in central Milan, Isola Design District located in Milan Isola neighbourhood, north of the city centre, Tortona Design Week southwest of the city centre, and 5Vie Design Week in the Cinque Vie district in Milan, a Medieval quarter close to the Duomo cathedral.
Departures
The Milan trade fair, the international point of reference for the furnishing and design sector, has reclaimed its traditional spot in the calendar, boasting a totally new format and multidisciplinary cultural content for Euroluce, and a decision to plan the 2023 edition on one single level at the fairgrounds, paving the way for the new design of the trade fair event.
The 61st edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano is being held at Fiera Milano Rho from 18th to 23rd April. The official news release talks of the acceleration of the process of transformation and evolution of the trade fair resulting in three major new departures at this edition: the single exhibition level, with the exhibitors from the upper pavilions (8-12, 16-20) moving into the lower ones, thus simplifying, improving and enhancing accessibility and the visitor experience; the new Euroluce layout, which rather than being stand-centric is now focused on people and their fruition of the event, with a smart, hyper-accessible and better connected loop-shaped path; and the cultural component will be integrated into the spaces of the lighting biennial, with interdisciplinary and experiential content ranging from architecture to art, with exhibitions, talks, workshops and site-specific installations.
Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, says: “One of the characteristics of the Salone del Mobile is its ability to evolve in order to respond to the most urgent challenges of contemporary life. We did so in 2021, when we invented Supersalone, the first global event after the really tough years of the pandemic, and with last June’s edition, when we went back to the traditional format, getting to grips with sustainability, and this we have continued to do for the 2023 edition. The idea of simply reverting to April, our traditional spot in the calendar, after three years, as if nothing had happened, was unthinkable. We worked on giving shape to the suggestions and visions that have emerged over the last few years, based on a couple of simple questions: what is the new role of the Salone? How and where to start redesigning its evolution? We listened to the needs of those who make and experience the Salone, exhibitors and visitors alike, holding more than 2,300 interviews and themed work groups. This fostered the idea for an exhibition on one single level to facilitate the flows and we took an almost “urbanistic” approach to the internal design of the pavilions.
Spaces
“Taking our cue from Euroluce, the biennial devoted to the lighting world – which has changed so markedly over the last few years – we redesigned the path, integrating the spaces for companies with interdisciplinary cultural content connected with the relationship between light, architecture, art and science. A metamorphosis likely to interest the Salone as a whole, geared to helping redesign the trade fair model.”
Overall, the 2023 events will bring together 1962 exhibitors, including more than 550 young talents under 35 and 27 design schools. The Salone will create different worlds including the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, Workplace3.0, S.Project, Euroluce, and SaloneSatellite, to allow visitors the possibility of “an exciting, subjective, memorable exploration.”
www.salonemilano.it
