SALONE DEL MOBILE ’17 PART 2:
FIERA MILANO AND THE CITY
From my ‘Salone ’17 Series’ about my adventures during Salone del Mobile, I herewith present you part 2.
It’s about the fair itself in Rho and the site locations in the middle of the design district of Milan.
Two totally different experiences, but both so much fun!
Fiera Milano
For the Dutchies: imagine the RAI Amsterdam times ten, plus the number of visitors at Kings Day, Gay Pride and the Ajax Championship all together. That is Fiera Milano. Unprecedentedly huge. So: with my best sneakers on, two liters of water in my handbag and my iPhone charged, I entered the ‘holy grounds’.
In preparation to Fiera Milano, I selected only two (out of a total of twenty) halls. And that already took me a whole day!
Italian do it better
VITA DI LUSSO and Italian design are inseparable, so in those two halls I only focussed on the toplabels Poliform, Flexform and Minotti. Knowing that I would co-incidentally run into some new Italian pearls. And so I did: EmmeBi and Frigerio are my latest discoveries. But nevertheless the big labels rule at Fiera. Nice to know: Minotti and Flexform competed in who was going to build the biggest stand. I cannot decide who won the match, and I think nobody can including them, but they both had a more than 2000 square meter stand. In that case one can say that you are a ‘Royal Exibitor’.
Creative city vibes
I selected some showrooms in the centre of Milan as well. Because you just cannot visit everyone. Henge was on top of my wishlist and therefor my first stop. Located at the lovely Via Della Spiga, hidden behind two impressive doors, Henge presented its beautiful new collections on the first floor. I’m still thankful Marcel Wolterinck tipped me about this location.
Right after I visited Henge, I went to the extravagant gallery of Rossana Orlandi. Talking about creative vibes! A melting pot of various creatives who show their work in a super relaxed atmosphere. I saw the Dutch designer Piet Hein chill with NLXL and visitors seemed to fully enjoy all the presentations.
But for me, the most extraordinary site location by far, was Baxter Cinema. This stunning showroom, located in a former cinema, was completely furnished and decorated as a ‘jungle paradise’. All my senses went into overdrive! Between the greenery on the walls, the moss on the floors and the vines hanging down from the ceilings, I also saw digital waterfalls coming from the stairs and exotic flowers projected in the mirrors. In the background I heard alien birds whistle and fountains dipping. And in this scenery, Baxter presented its latest collection. Truly amazing!
And during the evening hours, this cool hotspot turned into a trendy dance club. For me, it was like the ultimate Milano experience!
In part 3 of my ‘Salone ’17 Series’ you can enjoy my totally unexpected interview with topdesigner Piero Lissoni.
