The Milan Furniture Fair, or “Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano” in Italian, was first launched in 1961 as the largest trade fair of its kind in the world, showcasing the latest in furniture and design from countries around the world.
The Salone del Mobile, which opened this year this past Tuesday at the Rho fairground and will close Sunday, is rooted in the expansion of Italian manufacturing during the golden era of “la dolce vita” in the 1950s and 1960s, when visionary industrialists collaborated with talented designers to develop technically innovative products in an elegant, modern style.
The current show occupies an area of nearly 230,000 square metres (2,500,000 sq ft), and includes 2,500 companies, along with 700 young designers at the Salone Satellite, a secondary satellite exhibit. About 338,000 people attended the fair in 2012, more than in 2011, but less than 2008’s record of 383,793 visitors.
Stay tuned for follow up posts detailing some of this years “hits and horrors” of the show…
Have a wonderful weekend!