February 27, 2023

The 61st Salone del Mobile.Milano trade fair, the international point of reference for the furnishing and design sector, has reclaimed its traditional spot in the calendar, boasting a new format and multidisciplinary cultural content for Euroluce, and a decision to plan the 2023 edition on one single level at the fairgrounds, thus acting as a shockwave and paving the way for the new design of the trade fair event. 

The 61st edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano takes place at Fiera Milano Rho April 18-23, bringing its “good looking” and “well made” products back onto what is an internationally important stage. Its return is, in itself, somewhat exceptional, not just in terms of the quality of the proposals and the companies taking part, but also because of the acceleration of the process of transformation and evolution of the trade fair that the event has made. 

The Salone has always been testament to an extraordinary curiosity, willingness and openness to comparison and a huge desire and ability to improve, innovating consolidated formulas. During the last few difficult years, there has been much reflection, research and questioning around the future of trade fairs, leading to a concrete revision of the exhibition format in a bid 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. 

“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,” said Maria Porro, president of the Salone del Mobile.Milano. “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 1,962 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. Furthermore, the event 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). 

This April edition sees the return of the lighting biennial (Euroluce, Pavilions 9-11 and 13- 15), now in its 31st edition, its exhibition layout rethought by the Lombardini22 studio so as to guarantee better connections between the four pavilions, simplify the visitor path into an irregular loop, inspired by the street plans of traditional Italian towns and equally, to increase exhibitor visibility, ensuring that they each have a decent amount of space. The City of Lights will be the concept and the common thread running through the exhibition. 

There are many additional exciting changes and updates visitors will enjoy at this year’s event. 

The Salone del Mobile.Milano sees Federlegno Arredo Eventi and the Italian Trade Agency ICE ‒ the government body that underpins the economic and commercial development of Italian businesses abroad and works to attract foreign investment in Italy ‒ working closely together to devise a raft of strategic activities designed to pique the interest and encourage the participation of foreign professionals, buyers, architects, interior designers and journalists in the various editions of the Salone in particular. Again this year, ICE has lent invaluable and greatly-appreciated support to the Salone del Mobile.Milano, with a view to bringing as many skilled foreign professionals as possible to Milan, as a testament to the country’s ability to build a system that benefits businesses and regions alike.