Salone del Mobile 2024: 10 highlights at the Milanese design fair

Salone del Mobile Milano - Photo by Delfino Sisto Legnani, courtesy of Salone del Mobile.

Salone del Mobile Milano 2024 – Photo by Delfino Sisto Legnani.

Design – According to Darwin’s theory on species evolution, it is not the strongest one that thrives but the one that best adapts to its evolving natural environment. Based on this axiom, Where Design Evolves is the overarching theme of the Salone del Mobile 2024 from April 16 to 21.

RELATED STORIES: Read more about Milan Design Week 2024 on Archipanic.

Salone Satellite – Photo Ludovica Mangini.

According to Maria Porro, President of Salone del Mobile, the main ambition is to capture the evolution of the entire sector and experiment by involving and listening to communities near and far. For the 2024 edition, organisers brought together “neuroscience, artificial intelligence, new formats and paths, and a unitary but widespread cultural project.”

More than 1,900 exhibitors are set to present their new products and collections, taking over Milan’s fair’s whole ground floor plan at Rho.

New layouts developed with Neuroscience and AI

EuroCucina layout – Image by Lombardini22.

Lombardini22, Italy’s leading architecture and engineering studio, has developed new exhibition layouts that harness neuroscience to improve the visitor experience. The studio analysed visitors’ neurological, emotional and perceptual reactions to the various paths and the location and distribution of the exhibition and rest areas.

International Bathroom Exhibition Layout – Image by Lombardini22.

“After a number of experiments in a virtual environment, the loop-shaped circuit chosen for both biennials turned out to be more intuitive, simpler to navigate and easier to remember, while allowing the exhibition offering to remain meaningful along the entire route.”

David Lynch in Milan

Pavilions 5 and 7.

Interiors by David Lynch. A thinking Room @Lombardini22 - Courtesy of Salone del Mobile.

Interiors by David Lynch. A thinking Room – Image by Lombardini22.

Curated by Antonio Monda, the exhibition ‘lnteriors by David Lynch. A Thinking Room’ plunges visitors into the dream-like and mysterious world of the acclaimed director known for masterpieces such as Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, and Mulholland Drive that channel the subconscious. Two identical and mirrored “thinking rooms” are conceived as symbolic doors that must be entered to immerse oneself in the event.

Under the Surface

Pavilion 10.

Under the Surface – Photo by Salotto NY.

The Under the Surface installation by Emiliano Ponzi with Accurat and Design Group Italia almost literally submerges visitors into an underwater environment. How far has bathroom furniture come in terms of water sustainability? The exhibition triggers a visual narrative inviting us to reflect on the environmental impact of our daily water consumption habits. The exhibition is part of the International Bathroom Exhibition.

EuroCucina 2024

Pavilions 2 and 4.

EuroCucina 2022 – Photo by Diego Ravier.

EuroCucina is the biennial event dedicated to the kitchen, with a special focus on food design and innovative Technology ‘For the Kitchen’ – the FTK section. The fair section hosts six independent and international food magazines, along with artists, designers and international chefs. Together, they present an unprecedented and original vision of the present and future of the ingredients that nature has to offer.

FTK – Technology For the Kitchen, EuroCucina 2022 – Photo by Diego Ravier.

Some highlights? LG presents a refrigerator with colour-changing LED doors; Smeg presents a new electric barbecue and smart built-in wine cellars. Aran Cucine teams up with Michelin-starred chef Davide Oldani; Scavolini unveils a new furnishing system that combines two types of recessed grip profiles.

Drafting Futures Arena

Pavilion 2.

Arena Drafting Futures by Formafantasma – Courtesy of Formafantasma.

Francis Keré Diabaté, Jeanne Gang, and John Pawson are among the speakers of the talks programme at the Drafting Futures Arena by Formafantasma. The Italian design duo has reused the seating from the previous edition. These were recovered with carpet printed with abstract designs, similar to the doodles we make when thinking hard or talking on the phone, like the exterior signs of a complicated thought process. The project also includes the adjacent Corraini Bookshop, which features books for children of all ages.

International Bathroom Exhibition

Pavilions 6 and 10.

International Bathroom Exhibition 2022 – Photo by Alessandro Russotti.

The International Bathroom Exhibition features 180 exhibitors. The event’s main themes are state-of-the-art technologies, innovative materials, new collaborations with designers, and cross-cutting sustainability across all the new products on display.

Some highlights? Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta presents a tactile ceramic exhibition for Laufen; Vismaravetro presents a semi-frameless shower enclosure with a hinged door in which everything works by subtraction; and Roca launches a new collection by Andreu Carulla.

Leading design companies and brands

Pavilions 9-11 and 22-24.

Photo by D-Vision, courtesy of Salone del Mobile.

Some of the most influential Italian design companies and brands launch their new collections at the 22-24 and 9-11 pavilions. The line-up includes Molteni&C, Kartell, Edra, and Magis at the 22-24 pavilions. Head to the 9 and 11 pavilions to find Minotti, Flexform, Poliform, Porro, and Living Divani.