The Milan Furniture Fair, which ended last Sunday, June 12, witnessed a renaissance and a craze for certain materials and furniture, which successive lockdowns had gradually erased. A look back at the design trends seen in Milan.
After successive lockdowns observed throughout the world, a common desire shared by many people has emerged: the desire of outdoors. Indeed, with the advent of telecommuting, many have found themselves working from home, on their balcony or terrace, if they had the opportunity.
Outdoor furniture in vogue
Wanting to elegantly dress their exterior to feel as good as inside has become a priority for some. The Salone del Mobile has therefore highlighted this trend of garden furniture rethought with new materials, fabrics, or aspects, always more modern.
“The boundaries between indoor and outdoor are now completely erased, a process already underway that has experienced an incredible acceleration in the last two years,””commented to AFP Maria Porro, president of the Furniture Fair. The followers of the open air “look for outside the same comfort to which they are accustomed inside, and textiles as pleasant to the touch, softer, more flexible and less technological” than in the past, she notes then.
As a result, exhibitors’ booths featured a slew of outdoor furniture such as canopy loungers, armchair tables, groupings and outdoor sofas.
“There’s been a boom in outdoor furniture sales” since last year when the Covid-19 pandemic died down, says Davide Gallo, export sales manager for Italian furniture manufacturer Atmosphera. “People realized that the safest place to invite friends was at home. So instead of going on vacation, they invested in outdoor furniture,” he says.
The latter also says that the share of outdoor furniture in its turnover has increased in two years from 50% to 60%.
The Italian luxury furniture companies Annibale Colombo and Flou also offered at this show a collection of sofa, armchair, and lounge chair for both indoor and outdoor or outdoor furniture.
“After being confined to the house during the pandemic, we all wanted to get back in touch with nature, hence the rush on outdoor furniture,” says Martina Terragni, interior designer at Flou.
The minimalist desk
Imbued with the lockdown, furniture manufacturers present at this show have solicited their imagination to rethink our everyday furniture. As mentioned earlier, the rise of telecommuting has had the effect of changing the daily habits of everyone. This has led to a desire on the part of most workers to change their furniture to something more modern, aesthetically pleasing and, above all, practical.
This “telecommuting revolution” has prompted designers to revisit the desk in lighter versions that fit into any room in the house. The 2022 trend observed at this show therefore pushes the minimalism of the desk to its paroxysm, which now lends its appearance to that of a wooden console, simple.
However, are housed small practical details such as a shelf integrated into the legs or a drawer discreetly camouflaged in the tray, to always keep this practical side to work. The Italian designers Poliform or Molteni & Co. have surfed on the trend, bringing out two modern and refined consoles/desks made of wood.
Rope, new essential material in decoration
Giving a very graphic or sometimes rustic look to indoor or outdoor seating, rope is one of the materials in vogue in 2022. Weather resistant, it gives contemporary furniture a country touch. Other designers are using rope to pay tribute to craftsmanship, tradition and know-how.
This is the case of designer Antonio Citterio, for Knoll, who uses natural cotton braided rope on the seats and backs of wooden armchairs in his Klismos collection.
Italian company Flexform also used the material to create a small Parker sofa in solid wood, which was turned and finished by hand with rope braiding, as did Pedrali for its Babila Twist chair.
Other slightly more discreet furniture trends were seen at Salone del Mobile 2022. From denim armchairs to luminous coffee tables and innovative screens, the show was the meeting place for a whole range of new furniture and decoration products that did not fail to seduce its visitors.
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Featured photo : © Mario Cucinella Architects
