The Livingspace team, led by Ross Bonetti, takes on Salone del Mobile 2024 in Milan - here is the best of the week.
Every year thousands of design creatives gather in Milan to experience the innovation of design from around the world. This year Salone del Mobile marked record-breaking attendant of 361,000+ people, 17% more visitors than 2023.
For over 35 years, Ross and the Livingspace team have attended Salone del Mobile. This year we visited our brand partners at the fairground, flagship stores, special events, and parties during Milan Design Week.
Out of the hundreds of exhibits during the week-long event, these were our favourites.
Baxter – La Casa Sul Lago & Baxter Cinema
The Sunday before the fair, we previewed Baxter’s new collection at the antique setting of their Villa on Lake Como.
The stunning new materials and colours foreshadowed the most popular colour-ways of the year at Salone – burnt orange and rhubarb.
Bookending that week, we revisited the new collection at the Baxter Cinema, a repurposed theatre in central Milan. The underground space, with large video displays, music and crowds of people was ‘cinematic’.
Ross’s Top Picks:
Miami Beach sofa, designed by Paola Navone
Aura sofa, designed by Hannes Peer (One of our favourite emerging Designers)
Minotti
Minotti’s history witnessed a significant turning point with the presentation of the first collection since the death of Rodolfo Dordoni in 2023. For the first time in twenty-five years, his absence marked a notable shift in the company’s creative direction. Minotti introduced two young designers to their collective, injecting a renewed energy into their designs.
In a piece of architecture spanning 4000 square meters across two floors, the brand unveiled 50 novelties within their indoor and outdoor collections.
“This year’s collection exudes a ‘vintage feel’” remarked Ross. Designers within the group, including newcomers Giampiero Tagliaferri and Hannes Peer, found inspiration in the mid-century designs of the brand’s early days.
Ross’s Top Pick:
Supermoon seating system, designed by Giampiero Tagliaferri (Also featured on Interni Magazine’s Top 10 from Salone del Mobile 2024 List)
Porro
Porro presented their collection in a newly designed stand at the fair, as well as in their recently completed showroom in Milan, both featuring the rigorous design of Piero Lissoni.
Ross’s Top Picks:
Ventiquattro table, designed by Piero Lissoni (A whopping 400cm in length)
Origata bench, designed by Nao Tamura (also highlighted by Dezeen)
Living Divani
Also under the direction of Piero Lissoni, Living Divani presented in a luminous, industrial space with a semi-transparent facade.
Three new sofa systems were presented this year, with an emphasis on comfort.
The Living Divani Gallery is located in Milan’s Quadrilatero della moda district on Corso Monforte near other big names Porro, Gallotti&Radice, Baxter, Poltrona, Frau, Molteni&C, Gaggenau, Flos, Artemide, Nemo, and so many more – all highlighted spots by Wallpaper magazine in their “Salone del Mobile 2024: what to see at the fair and at Milan Design Week – The Wallpaper* guide to Salone del Mobile 2024 and Milan Design Week.”
Ross’s Top Picks:
Echoo sofa, designed by Piero Lissoni, Living Divani Art Director
Pebble stools, designed by Lanzavecchia + Wai (part of the Pebble collection designed in 2018+2019)
Acerbis & MDF Italia
MDF Italia & Norwegian architecture and design firm, Snøhetta, designed a unique seating system, flexible in size and shape. The innovative construction and modularity addresses sustainability in a new way.
Acerbis presented their Free System in the unspoken colour of the year – Rhubarb, alongside the beautiful blown glass Lokum tables, designed by Sabine Marcelis.
Ross’s Top Picks:
Lokum coffee tables, designed by Sabine Marcelis
Array seating system, designed by Snøhetta
Paola Lenti
The highlight of our week is always the visit to Paola Lenti. Their new home, a sprawling former factory complex in Milan, is nearing completion. The indoor and outdoor collections feature an overwhelming mix of innovative materials, craft and colour. Relaxing with a Spritz in their beautiful garden is the perfect end to a busy week.
Ross’s Top Pick:
Hana-arashi collection, designed by Nendo
![A statue of a horse sits between two carpets hanging on two walls. The horse statue has a rug on it's back as well. These three rugs are all part of the newest Golran collection release by Pieor Lissoni called Plaid. The rugs are mostly simple, with small irregular lines on them in geometri]c shapes.](https://design.livingspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Golran-New-Piero-Lissoni-collection-2024.jpg)
