In 2023, the Salone del Mobile.Milano will be transformed. The 61st edition is being held at Fiera Milano Rho from 18th to 23rd April, bringing its “good looking” and “well made” products back onto what is an internationally important stage, but also proposing a concrete revision of the exhibition format in a bid to be able to continue to generate value for the entire design community.
This positive and constructive energy has fuelled 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, had this to say:
“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. 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 − the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, Workplace3.0, S.Project, Euroluce, and SaloneSatellite −, will administer the rules – distribution and layout on a single level, aesthetic and cultural paths, experiential spaces and rest and relaxation areas −, suggest calls to action − (take part in) conferences, vertical workshops, (visit) thematic exhibitions, bookshops and (experience) site-specific installations − to allow visitors the possibility of an exciting, subjective, memorable exploration, the only one capable of creating long-term connections (business included).
Euroluce, now in its 31st edition, will be renewed in its exhibition layout inspired by Italian villages, reimagined by studio Lombardini22 according to the concept The City of Lights. Here, Beppe Finessi will curate the interdisciplinary cultural content while studio Formafantasma will create Aurore, a large plaza and arena for immersive experiences and talks, and the twelve Constellations, architectural interludes that will host exhibitions of various kinds. There will also be a bookstore curated by Corraini Edizioni and designed by Formafantasma, and a bistro and restaurant designed by Piero Lissoni.
More than 550 will be the protagonists of the 24th SaloneSatellite, which will find its new but natural location inside the Euroluce pavilions and will host Gaetano Pesce’s talk, while Annalisa Rosso will curate the talks in the Aurore space with focus on sustainability, technology and lighting and great international guests from the world of design.
Environmental, economic and social responsibility will also be a priority at the 2023 edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, which has embarked on the path that will lead it, at the end of the event, to achieve ISO 20121 certification for sustainable events management.
Thanks to the App, podcasts, activities on the official website and social networks, the combination of real and digital will be enhanced, well represented by the hashtags #salonedelmobile2023 and #euroluce2023.
Collaboration with Universities and Schools of Design to foster student involvement also continues as does the partnership with the Fondazione Teatro Alla Scala, which, together with the soundtrack offered by Radio Deejay, Radio Capital and Radio m2o, will enrich with many cultural and educational initiatives the program of Milano Design Week, the most anticipated event of the year in Milan and beyond.
