Salone del Mobile Recap: Show Growth, Award Winners, + More
The three winners for 2018 of the prestigious Salone del Mobile.Milano awards were CC-Tapis, Magis, and Sanwa. Maurizio Riva of Riva 1920 was the winner of a Special Jury Prize. This year’s jury of internationally-renowned figures included: Chiara Alessi, critic, design expert; Stefano Boeri, architect; Giovanni Gastel, photographer; Angela Rui, exhibition curator; and Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum in London. Lastly, President of Salone del Mobile.Milano Claudio Luti presented the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, with the President’s Special Award for his commitment to the collaboration between Salone del Mobile and its home city.
As for the show, it was one for the record books with 434,509 attendees, in 6 days, from 188 different countries. This represents a 17% increase compared to the 2016 edition, which featured the biennial kitchen and bathroom exhibitions, and a robust increase of 26% compared with the 2017 edition.
See complete press releases below of the awards and the show recap:
Third edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano Award
The winners of the third edition of the international prize intended to give further prominence to outstanding products at the 57th edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano have been announced. A Special Jury Prize and a Special President’s Award have also been assigned.
The three winners of the Salone del Mobile.Milano award are CC-Tapis, Magis and Sanwa, to whom three prizes of equal merit go for their outstanding contributions to the world of furnishing and design at this edition of the trade fair.
Maurizio Riva of Riva 1920 is the winner of the Special Jury Prize, awarded by a panel of internationally-renowned figures – Chiara Alessi, critic, design expert; Stefano Boeri, architect; Giovanni Gastel, photographer; Angela Rui, exhibition curator; Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum in London – who circulated anonymously among the exhibitors in order to select the candidates.
The prizes have been awarded to companies whose projects, products and displays at the fair stood out thanks to the quality and innovative nature of their creative and manufacturing process, of the technology introduced or developed, of their communicative power and of their display.
President Claudio Luti had this to say: “The Salone del Mobile.Milano award, presented at a great evening of celebration at Palazzo Marino, in the presence of the Mayor of Milan, is intended to pay homage to the extraordinary vitality of a business system that, yet again, has given its utmost, helping to make the Salone del Mobile into a unique and indispensible event that is the constant focus of global attention. We felt it important to give public recognition to the huge creative, productive and organisational effort that has gone into ensuring the excellent quality of the goods on display in each of the pavilions, upholding the leadership role of the event and of the city, and to share in a joyful celebration that is a reminder of the fact that the Salone del Mobile is, above all, an emotion.”
The President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, Claudio Luti, also wanted to award a special prize to Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan, in recognition of his tireless commitment to strengthening the ties between the fair and Milan and for ensuring that visitors to the event are met with a welcoming, inspiring and culture-rich city.
The following are the official motivations underpinning the awards:
CC-TAPIS
A perfect combination of product and presentation. Traditional craftsmanship meets art to create a suggestive and captivating atmosphere. Rugs made to be stroked and a stand to be experienced.
MAGIS
A small ideal city inspired by the work of Andrea Palladio, with clear references to other great visionary Italians such as Giorgio De Chirico and Aldo Rossi, the Magis stand is a true example of an urban environment. Iconic products sit perfectly alongside new ones, inhabiting and communicating in an open space, in which it is not clear whether they are the guests or the protagonists of this magical story.
SANWA COMPANY
Amidst all the frenzy and excitement of the Salone del Mobile, the Sanwa stand is an oasis, a breath of fresh air. Clean, minimalist, essential, the space allows the products to speak for themselves, with infinite examples of attention to detail and the equal importance of solids and voids.
LIFETIME AWARD
Maurizio Riva, Riva 1920
“I want to fight for a better world every single day, because there’s still no other planet on which we could survive.” A man whose heart is “half made of wood”, a man who knows how to appreciate and show off the infinite qualities of materials, while remaining firmly in the background.
PRESIDENT’S SPECIAL AWARD
Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan
For the commitment with which the Mayor, Giuseppe Sala, has worked tirelessly towards tightening the links between the Salone del Mobile and Milan, and for ensuring that visitors to the event are met with a welcoming, inspiring and culture-rich city.
Salone del Mobile.Milano 2018: huge crowds and business growth
An extremely positive result for the 57th edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, both in terms of attendance and in terms of the quality of trade relations, is testament to its power of attraction and its capacity for involvement and excitement, palpable in the exhibition pavilions right from the off. 434,509 attendees, in 6 days, from 188 different countries, made for a 17% increase compared to the 2016 edition, which last featured the biennial kitchen and bathroom exhibitions, and an increase of 26% compared with the 2017 edition.
This edition has shown, yet again, that the Salone del Mobile is not just an exhibition but, especially, that it is a demonstration of how business culture and team work within a sector, along with its creative and productive fabric, can be drivers of excellence.
“We are extremely proud of the success of this event and of the level of professionals who have come to this edition, proving that the Salone del Mobile is a global benchmark. A unique event, in which business and culture become the virtual model for an Italy that functions, where the industrial system and the institutions are working in sync towards a common goal”, said President of the Salone del Mobile Claudio Luti. “Over the last few days we have witnessed the very best creativity, products and capacity for innovation and narration – showcased by displays with all the evocative power and enchantment of the very best theatrical sets. This means that we are now ready to start thinking about the next edition, with even greater commitment to maintaining our acknowledged leadership of identity and values and responding to business and market demands.
Recognition of the importance of the Salone del Mobile and the furnishing sector was also attested to by the presence of senior government and institutional figures, demonstration of the fact that the Salone is one of the drivers of the Italian economy, thanks to the fruitful relationship between business, city and region that it fosters year after year. The enthusiasm and desire of all the actors involved to work towards maintaining the centrality of the event on the international stage of furnishing and design events was more marked than ever at this 57th edition.
1,841 exhibitors, 27% of them from 33 other countries, showcased their products at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, EuroCucina and the International Bathroom Exhibition, plus the 650 designers under 35 featured at SaloneSatellite – three of whom were presented with the SaloneSatellite Award.
Emanuele Orsini, President of FederlegnoArredo and Federlegno Arredo Eventi had this to say: “This has been an extraordinary edition, that has seen the companies’ efforts to promote the very best Italian design pay off during the most important week of the year. All the political movers who have visited over the last few days have confirmed their support for the wood-furnishing sector, which is crucial for the growth of this country, and have underscored the need to put industrial organic, effective industrial policies into action; these are crucial for a pillar of Made in Italy which alone accounts for 5% of GDP. We hope that the success of the Salone del Mobile will act as a further spur for the growth of our companies, which are all set to take on the market challenges with renewed vigour.”
The project Living Nature. La natura dell’abitare, produced in partnership with the Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) international design and innovation studio, has been a huge success. Located opposite Palazzo Reale in Piazza del Duomo until 25th April, it has drawn in over 2,000 visitors a day on average. An ideal continuation of the Salone in the city, it is a laboratory combining design, engineering and botany, and the only one of its kind. Once the exhibition-installation has closed, the Salone del Mobile.Milano will be gifting the splendid greenery of all four seasons to the City of Milan: twenty-three species of tall tree – including a Himalayan Birch, a Japanese Flowering Crab Apple, a Common Alder and a Persian Ironwood – along with flourishing beds of typical plants and flowers.
Two special occasions served to underscore the Salone’s ties with the city of Milan and its strategic partnership with the Municipality of Milan. The Gala Dinner in the Sala delle Cariatidi, which opened Salone week, and the great party at Palazzo Marino, hosted by the Mayor, Giuseppe Sala and conceived by Claudio Luti to celebrate the end of the business event, to which Salone exhibitors and protagonists were invited.
The evening festivities included the presentation of the three Salone del Mobile.Milano Awards of equal merit for outstanding contributions to the world of furnishing and design at this edition. The winners – selected by a jury of professionals – were CC-Tapis, Magis and Sanwa. Maurizio Riva of Riva 1920 was awarded the Special Jury Prize, while the President’s Prize went to the Mayor of Milan, in recognition of his commitment to and collaboration over the event.
The next edition will be held in Milan from 9th to 14th April 2019.
More photos from the 2018 edition may be viewed at https://www.salonemilano.it/en/media/mediagallery/Foto/2018.html
