Salone del Mobile Milano 2024 - Theory & Research
The Rigby & Rigby team attended The 62nd iteration of the Salone del Mobile Milano 2024. The fair hosts 2000 exhibitors & 300,000 visitors spread over 6 days, along with the Milan ‘Brera’ design district that showcases design leading showrooms and installations. We thoroughly enjoy this annual design trip, Winter is (hopefully) behind us and Spring has arrived so it’s a great time to be inspired by new products, experiential spaces and build new & stronger relationships across the design industry. Here we share a few of our highlights and some noticeable trends from the show.
TREND - STYLE: 1960s & 1970s
We noticed an overall trend towards the 1960’s and a ‘mad men’ look. The styling across many brands was mid century modern, with rich timbers, monochromatic schemes, chrome, block colour and fun geometry. a lot of environments had clean open spaces with form prioritised over function and immersive colour, mostly as focal points but also whole rooms.
TREND - COLOUR: BURGUNDY
At the 2023 Salone del Mobile there was an influx of burgundy and the theme has continued into 2024 as an accent colour.
TREND - GEOMETRY: CURVILINEAR
There is a big trend to emphasize form via organic and 3D elements. Often form is shaped via two axes, the horizontal and the vertical, and in past years we’ve seen clean architectural lines featured. This year we’ve seen an influx of playing with depth & corners, shapes are softened and more organic. Sculptural table bases are popular and nod to the mid century & 1970s theme. On fitted furniture such as bookcases and panelling we saw curved framework & intersecting jigsaw pieces. We are working on projects where these pieces will become a feature, the architecture is clean lined and paired back, a perfect backdrop to encourage appreciation of the sculptural furniture.
SPECIAL VISIT: CONTE CASA
Milan provides a platform to discover exciting new products and suppliers. Conte are a new entity and one that we will utilise across future projects. Their product, attention to detail and execution are aligned with the same quality that Rigby & Rigby design and deliver.
SPECIAL VISIT: BOFFI
The interior systems from Boffi, the architectural partitions from ADL, the furniture elements from de Padova, are all part of an impressive showroom in the Brera design district of Milan. Boffi displayed some impressive new details and a surprising kitchen island that appears to float and has a concealed integrated hob.
SPECIAL VISIT: PALAZZO RALPH LAUREN
The Ralph Lauren Palazzo had a grand welcome and an atmosphere that’s very personal to its owner: “I was drawn to the modernity of the building. It had a timelessness and classical elegance that was the ideal setting to bring my collections to life … a very personal expression of my vision of living, a way to share my home in this special city”.
SPECIAL VISIT: MINOTTI
The Minotti stand at the salone del mobile is always one of the most impressive and this year it did not disappoint. The entrance was an architectural corridor with glossy floor, coarse backlit walls and mirrored ceiling, a brutalist entry to the softer luxuries on display.
SPECIAL VISIT: ARTEMEST L’APPARTAMENTO
For the Milan Design Week 2024, Rigby & Rigby attended an evening hosted by Artemest at l’appartamento, an elegant 1930s Milanese apartment.
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