2003 Milan Furniture Fair

May 5, 2003 - Milan, especially during the Salone Internazionale del Mobile (International Furniture Fair), is recognized worldwide as the capital of design, be it from a cultural or a commercial point of view. Design and fashion are Italy's calling cards to the world and Milan is the ambassador of all that is 'made in Italy'. During the SALONE, or design week, in April, when the population of the city increases by 180,000 visitors, in large part foreigners, Milan is the perfect host. As the most important names of the furniture and lighting industries put on show their latest creations, thus ending one trend and sparking another, the FUORI SALONE (events outside the fair) phenomenon comes to life. The entire city becomes an endless loop of events and 'happenings'.

There are over 200 events spread around the city that every architect, designer, journalist, student, and others pencil into their agendas. Moving from one end of the city to the other they try to be part of as many of these events as possible. The presentations of these new 'must see' products take place in moody lit galleries, or in extravagant locations such as abandoned warehouses, parking lots, or even restructured churches, and are usually accompanied by intoxicating drinks and inventive snacks… open to all visitors of the 'city of design'.

Every year these separate events, the SALONE and the FUORISALONE, are produced by two independent institutions. COSMIT and INTERNI magazine came together this year for the first time to produce EARTHLY PARADISE, a major exhibition that reflected the changes in domestic spaces in terms of relaxation, and mental and physical well being. EARTHLY PARADISE exhibited design scenarios by nine designers, Giampaolo Benedini, Carlo Colombo, Jacopo Foggini, Anna Gili, Massimo Iosa Ghini, Claudio La Viola with Mario Nanni, Marco Piva, Luca Scacchetti, Michael Young, and their sponsor companies. They engaged in the research of environmentally friendly materials, recyclable objects, clean and alternative energies to create a 'synergy of light and water' with new figurative and typological expressions of design and interior architecture which attempted to stimulate a redefinition of an increasingly 'complete' habitat, the home.

Following this trend many other FUORISALONE events such as Dutch Delights, Mogu's 'FEEL CONSCIOUS', DELIGHTED by CORIAN (light installations using CORIAN by James Irvine, Ross Lovegrove, and Marc Newson), ZONA TORTONA, DROOG, and even SAAB presented lifestyle-enhancing proposals. The gloomy political and economic mood that has plagued design industries across the board has made designers create many forms of escapism. The movement towards 'light' furniture, 'nomadic' objects, and 'ethereal' colors is strong and liberating. It seems that after a long period of 'formal' abstinence design is reclaiming it's right to curves, decoration, excess, and glamour.

The signs of a ROCOBAROCCO revival, which made a cameo appearance at the SALONE last year, have finally flourished and found a visual voice with the major player being the lounge chair. Never has there been such a variation of shape, form, and color on the theme of 'lounging', a symbol of luxury and disposable time in any household. Zanotta offered the garden white and the classic abstract black mesh versions, while others ventured in the textural mixing of natural elements, rattan, linen, and metal. Not only does this melange of materials remind us of recent sporadic trends in car design towards cross material pollination, but also notes the same attempt to 'relax' the consumer. It is evident that both design groups are trying new ways to reassure the insecure and skeptical consumer that every thing is well by promoting variations on the theme of mass luxury. See also: Geneva Motor Show 2002 Review - In the Lap of Luxury

The design message was clearly one of fanciful flights of imagination, impulse design, artistic one-of-a-kind expressions, uniqueness without substance, and a little bit of everything, but not much of one. Much like the chaotic landscape witnessed at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, the Salone Internazionale del Mobile showed quite the same symptoms of 'creative differences'. From design stars to young designers at the Salone Satellite (the Satellite is reserved for independent and young designers and often considered as the platform for tomorrow's design trends), there were traces of wilted Philip Starck and Marc Newson ideals and signs of a more independent and quality driven pack. Catering to a design mature audience designers now realize that they can't get away with 'cheap' design and that in times of social insecurity people want value for money, albeit poetic value or real value, its up to the customers. Similarly car design has been attempting to cover many niche markets creating natural weakness in mass car segments, such as sedans. This extreme blinding dispersion of attention may likewise be detrimental to industrial design field.

Aesthetically there were no forms of heaviness or permanence at the Milan furniture and light design week.

Even EUROLUCE, which is the exhibition of lights that accompanies the SALONE every odd year, was characteristically 'light'. An extensive use of florescent lights, white or pure colors, translucent materials, and 'non-existent' connections gave form to lights that show the way to a bright, secure, and strong ambiance. It was in this enlightened environment that some of the most innovative pieces of the fair were on show. Incredible uses of molded plastic, blown and bent glass, dissipated and spot on light, human sensitive devices, and free flowing fantasy were notable newcomers. Although the usage of light as an element in car interior design has become more mainstream in recent years taking one look at EUROLUCE and the halls of lights at the Satellite leaves much room for development. A simple example of this renaissance is the re-interpretation of the chandelier, an icon of 'luxury living', as an elegantly bent neon tube or as an overly lavish cascade of red Murano glass. Car designers have been taking clues from home furnishings to make the 'place where you spend the most time while driving' habitat more comfortable and familiar, but maybe they should now be thinking of how affective and effective light is in creating moods and expanding contained spaces.

For some time now designers in general have been seeking reassurance in the reality that is today but seemed to have stumbled upon a parallel universe full of imagination, bright colors, positive energy and a rich future. The powers that be at KARTELL alone could have fulfilled anyone's desire to recover 'innocence lost' with a wonderland of layers of color, light, form, and dreams, as their booth vibrated total positivity. The message? Take it easy, live from day to day, satisfy your whims, and anything goes! Deja vu? Yeah baby!