Supersalone shows what the international furniture fair should look like in the future *

 * A translation of my article in "More for the house"

photo Temenouzhka Zaharieva

After more than a year of restrictions due to the pandemic, which excludes any exhibitions, trade fairs and events, and after several delays, the largest international event dedicated to furniture and interior design - the Milan Fair, although on unusual dates, is a fact. Supersalone, the special event of Salone del Mobile curated by Stefano Boeri took place from 5 to 10 September 2021.  It proposed a new interesting format that shows what the international furniture fair should look like in the future - with a sustainable design, prevailing digital information, and a holistic approach.

In just a few months, Salone del Mobile.Milano managed to organize and hold its special event, which gives hope for a fresh start. Of course, it was limited to the first four of the 24 pavilions at Fiera Milano, where 1,900 projects of almost 69,000 square meters were displayed. But this was actually the goal of the curator Stefano Boeri and his team - to show the essence of innovations and achievements in the design of furniture and interior products, created during the past months of restrictions.

 They were presented on slightly raised platforms and attached to the walls. The usual wasteful supply of advertising bags and paper materials was missing, and instead the QR codes for scanning each booth, as well as the special application, allowed each visitor to receive the necessary information.

photo Temenouzhka Zaharieva

Special conversation areas were created, made of the same OSB boards as the stands and resting places. They are assembled without glue so that they can be disassembled and reused. All this is a very good implementation of the idea of reuse of materials and products, which the organizers talked about before the pandemic, but now we have seen it realized live.

photo Temenouzhka Zaharieva

In the products presented at the exhibition, the emphasis was on quality and versatility, along with good design. Many manufacturers offered a variety of combinations of materials and patterns:


There were several very interesting thematic exhibitions such as "The Makers Show", dedicated to designers from around the world who are their own producers, as well as student projects in "The Lost Graduation Show". The latter presented about 170 projects by students from around the world who graduated between 2020 and 2021 - in many ways two lost years for a new generation of designers who could not show their work live to the industry due to limitations. or the public. For the first time for Salone del Mobile, the idea to give these young designers a platform within the fair attracted hundreds of schools from 59 countries who responded to the open invitation.

The Lost Graduation Show - Courtesy Salone del Mobile.Milano

The ADI / Compasso d'Oro exhibition "Take your Seat - Solitude and Conviviality of a Chair" was also presented with 30 award-winning chairs and over 100 honorary mentions from recent years and decades.

photo Temenouzhka Zaharieva

Numerous trees and pots of greenery were located in the entire area of ​​the exhibition, which will then be donated to the municipality.

Of course, as every time the exhibition in Rho Fiera was accompanied by many events, installations and special projects scattered throughout the city, most of which required pre-registration. But that didn't seem to have significantly reduced attendance. One of the new venues was the recently opened D Studio showroom with its luxury and design quality, which unites the Design Holding brands (B&B Italia, Maxalto, Azucena, Flos, Louis Poulsen and Arclinea) under one roof, designed by Massimiliano Locatelli with interior by Piero Lissoni.

photo Temenouzhka Zaharieva

A special meeting was organized for the journalists with the new president of Salone del Mobile - Maria Porro, who very emotionally presented - and confirmed - the initial intention of the organizers for a completely new form of the fair to change the overall image of the exhibitions, to show how design can help for a better and sustainable way of production and supply. Some of the conclusions she shared with us:

    photo Temenouzhka Zaharieva

"Salone del Mobile is a shared treasure that everyone needs. This is confirmed by the joy of its resumption and the presence of more than 16% of international exhibitors, despite all the difficulties and limitations, " 

photo Temenouzhka Zaharieva

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