The eagerly awaited press conference to present the special event 2021, organised from 5 to 10 September at Fiera Milano Rho by the Salone del Mobile, revealed the project's new concept: a new name and logo - “supersalone“ - a new format and, alongside curator Stefano Boeri, five co-designers Andrea Caputo, Maria Cristina Didero, Anniina Koivu, Lukas Wegwerth and Marco Ferrari and Elisa Pasqual of Studio Folder.
It will therefore be “supersalone“, an auspicious name and logo that become the programmatic manifesto of the event, intended as a unique project in line with the exceptional nature of the times, which will be aimed not only at sector operators and the international design community, but also at the general public, who will be able to access the fairgrounds for the entire duration of the event. The appointment will therefore go beyond the confines of a purely commercial meeting to also offer cultural events such as lectio magistralis, talks, meetings, live music and art, always in compliance with the health rules and protocols adopted at national level against the spread of the coronavirus.
In this way, the Salone del Mobile.Milano aims to promote actions, thoughts and feelings that will enable the entire sector and the entire supply chain to restart in September with optimism, reaffirming its centrality in the international panorama of design, culture and innovation.

The format: a large design library

As illustrated by Giorgio Donà, co-founder and director of Stefano Boeri Interiors, who will collaborate with the international team of co-designers chosen by Boeri, the proposed format is that of a large design library, a great showcase that will celebrate the renewed attention and care for contemporary living spaces.
The setting will enhance and harmonise the new products and creations added to the catalogue over the last 18 months by companies with their historic products which, thanks to the debut in June of the Salone del Mobile.Milano digital platform, can be purchased at the end of a customer journey; part of the proceeds will contribute to a charitable cause.
The layout of the “supersalone“ at the Fair will include long parallel partitions, designed for specific product categories, which will allow companies to tell their identity and present their products on vertical walls, using, in some cases, horizontal surfaces, both modular. A fluid and dynamic exhibition network that will allow visitors to freely navigate through an enormous national and international archive of creativity, excellence and know-how.
With a careful eye on circularity and sustainability, all the materials and components of the exhibition have been designed to be dismantled and then reused, as Lukas Wegwerth explained. Moreover, thanks to the Forestami project, a green reception area will be created at the Fair's East Gate entrance with 200 trees which, at the end of the six-day event, will be planted in the Milan metropolitan area.
Other areas and themed itineraries imagined by Studio Stefano Boeri Architetti and the five co-designers will also be an integral part of the layout: arenas for talks to be shared and explored in depth, lounges reserved for the companies' commercial and business meetings, areas dedicated to young people from design schools and the exhibition, organised by ADI, of the chairs awarded the Compasso d'Oro, food courts designed and created in collaboration with Identità Golose - The International Chef Congress, social and relaxation areas. A special programme of meetings with some of the protagonists of the contemporary scene will alternate with great live musical events in collaboration with the most representative experts in the sector.
“supersalone“ is therefore intended to be a new way of conceiving the exhibition space, transforming it into a place with multiple meeting possibilities and, at the same time, an invitation to pause, to think, to feel. At the same time, Triennale Milano will be the hub of the “supersalone“ in the city, with a cultural proposal that, in addition to the institution's exhibitions, will present a series of new projects.

The digital platform

The new digital platform of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, which will make its debut on 30 June, has been designed to enhance the design on show through original content and specific languages of the medium, but also to place the user at the centre of the event before, during and after the visit. The exhibition spaces and thematic itineraries will dialogue with it in a new way and products can be viewed and booked for subsequent purchase. The platform, available 365 days a year, will remain as a permanent showcase available to the end customer and will also be a great opportunity for companies, a new media designed to present products and offer services.

A choral effort

In his presentation speech, architect Stefano Boeri spoke of a concerted effort by thousands of manufacturers, operators, dealers, technicians, workers, fitters, designers and enthusiasts, thanks to which for six days the Rho Fairgrounds will once again become the epicentre of international design.
The “supersalone“,“ said Boeri, “is the result of the generosity and creativity of Design companies and professionals at a very delicate time of economic and cultural recovery and revival. I would like to thank FederlegnoArredo and Salone del Mobile.Milano for the trust they have placed in me and for their courage in wanting to keep such an important event“.
Maria Porro, President of Assarredo, also emphasised that “at a time of great change, the ability to reinvent oneself will be the main driving force behind this unique edition which, thanks to great teamwork, will be the event that sanctions not only the restart of our sector, but of the whole country. A choral moment, finally in presence, in which the design sector with all its energy will be able to express at its best the quality that distinguishes it, a quality that needs to be experienced“.
We are well aware that this September edition will be different and, given the exceptional nature of the moment, it could not be otherwise,“ said Claudio Feltrin, president of FederlegnoArredo, “but if there is a common thread linking it to the Salone del Mobile.Milano, it will be the undisputed quality of the products on show and the prestige of our brands, which will be enhanced and valorised in the exhibition itinerary designed by Boeri and the curators specially chosen for the occasion. I am certain that the result will be surprising and I would like to thank all those who, starting from Fiera Milano, local, regional and national institutions, have been and will be at our side in this adventure“.

Photos by Gianluca Di Ioia