SALONE DEL MOBILE.MILANO LANDS IN NEW YORK FOR THE FIRST THREE INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

Images courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano

Italian Design: from Classic to Contemporary 

A tribute to Italian design curated by Ferruccio Laviani in the heart of New York, with 23 Made in Italy brands and a calendar of talks dedicated to the culture of design: thus begins the Salone del Mobile.Milano’s new journey around the world. The next stops are Shanghai, which has a site-specific installation for Art Week, and Hong Kong, which will be used for the presentation of the SaloneSatellite collection.

The design community gathered in Bloomingdale’s New York flagship store to celebrate the opening of the Salone del Mobile.Milano’s installation Italian Design: from Classic to Contemporary. Curated by Ferruccio Laviani, this tribute to Italian design culture will be on display until September 29th. The installation will be accompanied by a series of engaging talks entitled Conversations about Italian Design, curated by Annalisa Rosso.

The Salone del Mobile.Milano chose New York City to kick off a rich program of international events that in 2024-25 will take the contents, protagonists, and unique features of the Salone all over the world in this series of major events, talks, and conferences.

Presented by Melandas Indonesia

The USA is the third-largest export market for the Italian Wood Furniture Sector, which in the first four months of this year posted a 5.2% increase in exports to reach €663.6 million (source: Federlegno Arredo Events Study Centre, data January-April 2024, % variation over January-April 2023). In the US, “Made in Italy” and Italian design, in particular, have earned an excellent reputation, one in which distribution channels play a crucial role: single-brand and specialized stores, architectural design and engineering firms, and construction companies as well. The United States is a land of experimentation, a reference market for the contract sector and large projects alike, in both the residential and hospitality sectors; these sectors in particular have always appealed to Italian design companies.

Maria Porro, President of Salone del Mobile.Milano explains: “We are happy to return to New York as the first stop on a new journey that will take us all over the world to present the Salone del Mobile.Milano is the event that enhances the quality, heritage, vision, and passion of Italian design companies and all our exhibitors. The Salone is the event capable of imagining, generating, and developing new ways and worlds of living; it is a forerunner in the opening of new markets, a meeting place for the design community, an incubator of talent, and a unique opportunity to bring relationships, energy, and dreams to life – as evidenced by Laviani’s installation, in which art, furniture, and theater engage in a dialogue that opens up new ways of understanding our industry. The enthusiasm is there, as shown by the response of the entire design community to our invitation. New York always triggers a special emotion and unbounded energy and, with that in mind, I would like to thank Bloomingdale’s for allowing us to create a unique experience made of icons, innovative concepts, and moments of pure inspiration linked to Made in Italy”.

The project Italian Design: from Classic to Contemporary, curated by architect Ferruccio Laviani, was inspired by the imagery and works of Giorgio de Chirico, Mario Ceroli, and Achille Castiglioni. The showcase, which unfolds in Bloomingdale’s sixth-floor Home/Furnishing department, consists of a selection of Italian design pieces that include icons and novelties from the catalogues of 23 emblematic brands as an expression of Italian furniture production at its finest: Artemide, Edra, Flexform, Flou, Foscarini, Frigerio, Gallotti&Radice, Gessi, Kartell, Lema, Living Divani, Minotti, Molteni&C, Oluce, Porro, Riva 1920, Scavolini, Sigma L2, Tacchini, Technogym, Turri, Villari, Visionnaire.

The installation was inaugurated yesterday in the presence of Fabrizio Di Michele, Italy’s Consul General in New York, with a talk that brought together the President of Salone del Mobile.Milano Maria Porro, Bloomingdale’s Fashion Director Kelley Carter, curator and founder of SaloneSatellite Marva Griffin Wilshire, and architect Ferruccio Laviani. Moderated by Felix Burrichter, Founder of PIN-UP magazine, the panel discussed the value of the Salone and its heritage and outlined its international influence and future evolution thanks to the contribution of the new generations of designers promoted by the SaloneSatellite.

The series of talks continues on September 11th with Eleni Petaloti, Co-founder of Objects of Common Interest, who will dialogue with Qiyao Li, Associate Principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, alongside moderator Ingrid Abramovitch, Executive Editor of ELLE DECOR. The talk will present Italian design as an international model for the sector, examine the crucial role of Italian companies globally, and reflect on the “next perspectives” in the sector. On September 18th, artist Francesco Simeti and Stefano Giussani, Partner & COO of Lissoni Architecture New York, will explore the relationship of contemporary design with classical Italian culture, discussing the evolution of our living space. This talk will be moderated by Wendy Goodman, Design Editor of NEW YORK magazine.

Accompanying the Salone on this global journey are official partners Cà del Bosco, S.Bernardo, and illycaffè – each an emblem of Italian quality in its own right.

When & Where September 5th-29th 2024
10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Bloomingdale’s 59th Street
1000 Third Ave, New York, NY Level 6