Affordable Granite at The Milan Design Show
Affordable Granite has always aimed to be at the forefront of the solid stone worktop industry. To help us to do this we like to keep abreast of current and future trends, not only in worktops but more generally in kitchens and furniture design. Cassie Barbasio and Naomi were excited to be given to revisit the world’s leading design exhibition in Milan.
The Milan Design Show
The Design Show in Milan, also known as the Salone del Mobile, is one of the most important design events in the world. It takes place annually in Milan, Italy, usually in April, and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the globe.
The Design Show in Milan showcases the latest trends and innovations in furniture, lighting, and interior design. The event is held at the Milan Fairgrounds, and is divided into several sections, including the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, the International Bathroom Exhibition, and the EuroCucina kitchen exhibition.
The show features the work of top designers and brands from around the world, with a focus on Italian design. It is an important venue for designers, architects, buyers, and design enthusiasts to network, exchange ideas, and showcase their work.
In addition to the main exhibition, there are also a number of related events, including talks, workshops, and installations throughout the city of Milan. These events provide additional opportunities for attendees to engage with the latest trends and innovations in design.
The Design Show in Milan has a rich history, dating back to 1961. Although initially created as a way to promote Italian furniture and design, it has since become one of the premier design events in the world. Today, it continues to be an important platform for designers and brands to showcase their work and connect with industry professionals and enthusiasts.
Naomi and Cassie at Milan Design Show - Part 1
Cassie and I had the great privilege of attending the huge Milan design show. We love the opportunity to visit the show because there is so much to see in every aspect of design. From a company point of view it is always good to understand where trends are heading. We visited the show before Covid, 5 years ago and it is remarkable how many of those trends that we saw there then have now come to the fore in the UK.
General impressions from the show.
Obviously we work a lot with kitchens but, with more open plan and multi-functional space living, it is really useful us to see design elements that go to make up different areas of the home.
Materials
Texture was important in all design elements from bed frames to lighting, with ribbing being a really key trend.
Furniture
- Curves and organic shapes have made a come back particularly in sofas and tables but there were also a lot of strong shaped sideboards with geometric fascias and ribbed panelling.
- Furniture suites were teamed with strong statement accent pieces of furniture and there was a definite lean towards more of an individualistic style.
Materials again
- Stone – stone is huge in all aspects of design , with the most popular trend still being a marble or marble look; the wilder the pattern, the better
- Wood – we didn’t see as much natural wood this time at the show and the wood that we did see was much more machined, with geometric designs and ribbed /fluted panelling and less of the driftwood / natural-edge finish than we saw previously
- Brass and gold-toned detailing and hardware. Cassie & I had thought that brass handles and gold metal finishes and taps might be coming to the end of their current popularity but we were surprised to see a lot of gold at the show still and a general trend towards warmth. A lot of the gold elements were more muted so were knurled or machined to give a matt texture.
- Boucle soft furnishings. We saw hundreds of Boucle texture sofas. Boucle lends itself to a less formal sofa style with large curves and reclining areas.
Colours
- The Boucle sofas and chairs were nearly always in a winter white or off-white colour with the occasional one in the on-trend green or burnt umber.
- The most popular colours in cushions and other soft furnishings was Old-gold or Yellow ochre and burnt umber .
- We saw a lot of green with the predominant shade being a more mossy green through to a forest green.
- The other colour that we saw at the show that really made an impact , was cerise and shades of really bright pink.
Lighting
- The lighting displays at Milan are fantastic and this seemed to be THE year for lights. There was literally something for everyone with organic shapes, ultra-modern geometric lighting and huge crystal chandeliers. The big new trend of this year was Alabaster. There was Alabaster everywhere and we loved it!
Images copyright © Naomi King and Cassie Barbasio
