Salone del Mobile 2023: An AD PRO Essential Guide

Salone del Mobile, the largest and most prestigious furniture show in the world and the anchor event to Milan Design Week, returns April 18 through 23. With hundreds of new products scattered through the halls of Fiera Milano and installations popping up across the city as part of Fuorisalone, a mere six days of fair is a blink of an eye for the amount of time needed to cover it all. But we’ll try our best—and we promise to bring you along.

Below, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide on how to best tackle the seemingly endless installations, product debuts, exhibitions, and social events scheduled to take over Milan. From first-timer tips on where to eat and drink to a neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown of where to go and what to see, we have all your Milan Design Week questions answered.

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What, When, Where

This year marks the 61st edition of Salone del Mobile, the Milan furniture fair that draws nearly 2,000 industry brands from across the world to the sprawling halls of the Fiera Milano convention center, located in Rho, about a 30-minute commute by car or train from the heart of Milan. Fuorisalone, made up of showroom events and design installations within Milan, coincides with the April 18–23 fair dates.   

What to Know About the Fair

For those wanting to scope out as many new makers and product debuts as possible, walking swiftly through Salone del Mobile will be your best bet. Reserve several days to work through 16 halls and the thousands of industry exhibitors, with categories hitting every room of the house (home spa, office, gym, and outdoor spaces included). The Milan furniture fair also hosts Euroluce, the biennial lighting exhibition showcasing what’s new and next in illumination. Also returning is the SaloneSatellite showcase, the always-inspiring section highlighting the work of young designers.

Prior to setting foot in Fiero Milano, we recommend making a list of priority exhibitors. (It's easy to overlook a brand you love while trying to navigate the crowded halls.) On our list? Gebrüder Thonet Vienna (Hall 4, Booth G05), which will be presenting its latest collaborations with India Mahdavi, Nichetto Studio, and AB Concept, as well as Knoll (Hall 4, Booth D11/E12), which has a new outdoor sofa by Piero Lissoni to share. 

We're also looking forward to seeing Rockwell Group's new lighting series—inspired by the celestial mural on the ceiling of New York's Grand Central Station—for Lasvit (Hall 15, Booth 212). Tacchini (Hall 2, Booth G11-H14) will be reintroducing historical editions by architect Tobia Scarpa, namely the Sempronia and Dialogo dining chairs, plus new designs by Gianfranco Frattini, Studiopepe, and EWE Studio.

Attendees can also expect to find a host of cultural programming at the fairgrounds, including a talks series located in the Formafantasma-designed Aurora plaza. Several exhibitions will explore the theme of light—among them, a survey of the work of architectural photographer Hélène Binet, an homage to the incandescent lightbulb curated by Martina Sanzarello, and an installation by artist Maurizio Nannucci.

Where to Eat, Drink, and Stay

During Milan Design Week, installations take over nearly every square inch of the city, so it makes sense that bars and restaurants take part too. Mix drinks and design at Dry, a cocktail spot where you can find the Venetian designer of color-blocked Murano tumblers, created for Strega Alberti, Lucia Massari. Meanwhile, natural wine bar Palinurobar—one of the city’s hippest haunts—has been known to draw a design-loving crowd. This year, the bar is partnering with Brooklyn-based studio In Common With and Sophie Lou Jacobsen to host Bar Flora, a special installation of the Flora lighting collection. 

The past year has seen a boom in restaurant openings: Sant Ambroeus returned to the city, Beefbar tapped French duo Humbert & Poyet to design its new Milan location, and Mediterranean-inspired Zaia just opened in the Aethos Hotel. And if it’s under-the-radar trattorias you’re after, might we recommend a scroll through @PostSinceri on Instagram for its annotated map of Milan’s hidden gems?

When it comes to hotels, the latest addresses include Venice-by-way-of-New-York transplant Casa Cipriani, the Studio Marco Piva–designed Palazzo Touring Club, and ultraluxe Ferragamo-family owned Portrait Milano hotel set in the grand Seminario Arcivescovile di Milano. You also can’t go wrong with a classic like Grand Hotel et de Milan, designed by Dimore Studio, or relative newcomer Milano Verticale, strategically placed behind the 10 Corso Como complex (which will be showing an Augusto Betti retrospective during Milan Design Week).

Design Happenings Beyond the Fair

Brera and the Fashion District

The beating heart of Fuorisalone is Brera and its surrounds, where a crush of both temporary and permanent showrooms could keep you busy for all six of Salone del Mobile’s days. While stalwarts like Dimoregallery, Memphis Milano, and Fornasetti can always be counted on, several new additions are set to shake things up this year: SolidNature is planning an immersive exhibition with architecture firm OMA in the basement of a private home—giving full reigns to Sabine Marcelis, Laila Gohar, and Iranian artist Bita Fayyazi to reimagine the garden—and Nemo Lighting will present Enlightenment, a solo exhibition of previously unseen works by Ron Gilad, at Via Borgonuovo 19. Nearby, Eugeni Quitllet, the inaugural creative director for Sutherland Furniture, will introduce his first outdoor collection for the American firm.

Meanwhile, London-based creative studio Blond has planned a week of workshops in their temporary headquarters, Casablond, and newly minted gallery Sofia Zevi will inaugurate its first show with a wunderkammer-like installation imagined in concert with textile designer Chiarastella Cattana, architect Edgar Jayet, and glass artist Akira Hara.

5Vie

Across town, the tangled streets of Cinque Vie (Milan’s oldest neighborhood) are a buzz during design week. A good first stop is the courtyard of Via Cesare Correnti 14, which has a lineup of exhibitions in store: This year Artemest has taken over a 1930s flat and tasked six design studios (Styled Habitat, Moniomi, and Anne-Sophie Pailleret among them) to reimagine the interiors for the L’Appartamento exhibition. Also channeling a domestic vibe is Bocci, which celebrates the grand opening of its new Milan showroom, housed in an early 20th-century residential building on via Lorenzo Mascheroni. 

Jewelry brand Buccellati will once again open its Piero Portaluppi–designed headquarters to show off its new collab with historic Muranese glass company Venini, backdropped by an installation by landscape artist Lily Kwong. On the northern fringes of the neighborhood, within the Teatro Istituto Marcelline Tommaseo, you’ll find Teatro Albers, a collaboration between master weaver Laura de Cesare and London-based designer Marco Campardo inspired by the work of textile artist Anni Albers. And nearby, at Palazzo delle Stelline, a solo show of French designer Constance Guisset is meant to evoke the feeling of a surprise party.

Durini District showrooms

It’s become more and more common for brands to eschew the Fiera Milano altogether and instead invest the resources into their showrooms—many of which are located in the central Durini neighborhood. Roche Bobois, for instance, has tapped Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos to create an outsize installation titled Valkyrie in their Milan showroom. (A similar inspiration recently spurred the artist’s standout installation for Dior’s latest show in Paris.) You’ll also find the design showrooms of B&B Italia, Poliform, Cassina, Flos, Artemide, Natuzzi, and CC-Tapis clustered throughout the neighborhood.

Fashion meets design

In the so-called Golden Quadrangle fashion district, Bottega Veneta plans to continue its collaboration with designer Gaetano Pesce, erecting a special installation in the label’s via Montenapoleone boutique. Just around the corner on via della Spiga, Diesel Living will present its collaboration with Moroso, and, nearby, Loewe will unveil a new exhibition in the courtyard of Palazzo Isimbardi. Independent brands are also well represented: Accessories label Boyy will unveil the FOS-designed showroom on via Bagutta, and Venetian footwear label Marsèll will mount an exhibition of fashion collective CFGNY, curated by Pin-Up magazine’s Felix Burrichter. 

Milanese lifestyle label La DoubleJ will debut its first-ever wallpaper line, sure to delight in the exuberant patterns and palettes for which the brand is already known. To fête the launch, La DoubleJ is taking over the restrooms of 10 restaurants, cafes, and design spots across the city (namely Pasticceria Cucchi, Pasticceria Cova, Giacomo Bistrot, Giacomo Ristorante, Giacomo Rosticceria, Apophis Club, Fioraio Bianchi Café and Vasiliki Kouzina), redressing each from floor-to-ceiling in the new maximalist wallpapers, which will be only available for trade special requests.

 Ralph Lauren will reimagine its Via della Spiga flagship and The Bar at Ralph Lauren (its first restaurant in Italy) in celebration of American style during design week—though unlike last year’s invitation-only affair at the brand's Milanese Palazzo (you’ll likely recall the scroll-stopping centerpiece on Instagram), this year’s celebration will be open for all in the design community to enjoy.

Other happenings among the fashion set? Armani Casa, which will open its Palazzo Orsini headquarters to the public for the first time to showcase its latest interiors collection. Fendi Casa, Loro Piana Interiors, and Dolce & Gabbana Casa will present new collections in their showrooms.

Alcova

Independent design platform Alcova, now in its fifth year, has found a new home in an abandoned slaughterhouse in the Porta Vittoria neighborhood, which offers expanded square footage and a more central location compared to previous years. (The expanded space will also contain a food court, high-concept bar, and a pop-up shop by uniform designers Older.) 

Comprising more than 70 exhibitors spanning independent designers to established brands, the location will host new work from Lindsey Adelman Studio, Stories of Italy, and Marion Friedman Gallery, as well as a large-scale installation by research platform Atelier Luma. New to this edition is Alcova Project Space, a group show curated by Alcova founders Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima featuring the work of 12 up-and-coming designers.

Outside the city center

Though there is plenty to keep you busy within the fair hall and the city center, there are several locations scattered across the north end of Milan that are worth your time and steps. Start with Cristina Celestino’s Clay Court Club, a playful reimagining of the historic Tennis Club Milano Bonacossa originally designed by Giovanni Muzio. Then head to Nina Yashar’s Nilufar Depot on via Lancetti, which has a blockbuster exhibition planned with new work by young designers including Objects of Common Interest, Audrey Large, and Hsin Min Chan. Conveniently down the road, new space Convey will bring together emerging brands like Bloc Studios, Very Simple Kitchen, and Vero. 

Heading east towards the repurposed railway arches beneath Centrale station, experimental architecture project space Drop City makes room for Jorges Penades, Daisuke Motogi, and Studio Ossidiana for a series of research-driven shows. Then moving along to Porta Venezia, make your way to Capsule Plaza, a new design platform by Capsule Magazine showing projects like Gufram x Snarkitecture and Dozie Kanu for Byredo. Venturing farther north, to the hip NoLo neighborhood, Oxilia Gallery is opening a solo show by British-born, Zurich-based designer Grace Prince. 

On the opposite side of town, Gubi will take over the Rationalist-style swimming complex Bagni Misteriosi with an exhibition of 10 artistic reinterpretations of GramFratesi’s Beetle Chair. A bit farther south, Galerie Philia moves into a deconsecrated church nearby Fondazione Prada for a group show featuring work by Rick Owens, Faina, and Arno Declercq. Meanwhile, in the industrial Corvetto district, Form magazine and Berlin-based design studio Loehr are taking up residence at Dopo Space for a week of events. Finally, in the Tortona neighborhood, you’ll find Assembling the Future by Ikea, a deep dive into the brand’s past 80 years, as well as Paola Navone’s Take It Or Leave It exhibition, in which the acclaimed designer will raffle off items from her own personal collection.