The Supersalone, which has just ended, was significantly smaller than the traditional Salone del Mobile, which it is replacing this year. The number of new products was also manageable. But that says nothing about the quality. We took a look at some of the most important innovations from the exhibition halls. In recent years, […]
The Supersalone, which has just ended, was significantly smaller than the traditional Salone del Mobile, which it is replacing this year. The number of new products was also manageable. But that says nothing about the quality. We took a look at some of the most important innovations from the exhibition halls.
In recent years, it has become a well-established practice: after every trade fair season, journalists and manufacturers alike complain about the avalanche of new products that are presented. Some were annoyed by the oversupply, which made exhaustive reporting increasingly impossible. Others suffered from the pressure to present something new in order to get any media coverage at all. And both groups realized that things could not go on like this in terms of sustainable trade. Now the pandemic has broken the cycle that all those involved were unable to break.
The pandemic also disrupted something else: the trade fair calendar. Practically all furniture and design trade fairs were canceled in 2020. Now the industry leader, Milan’s Salone del Mobile, is venturing a cautious return with the “Supersalone“. However, due to the pandemic, not in April as usual, but in September. The late date in the year has meant that many new products have already been presented beforehand. The outdoor segment, which has been booming in recent years, therefore played virtually no role in the exhibition halls in 2021.
Fortunately, the reduced number of new products at the Supersalone was not accompanied by a loss of quality. The Italian furniture manufacturer Mattiazzi, for example, which has worked with almost every important contemporary designer, is presenting one of its best designs in years with “Filo”. The chair by Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec is the result of the two designers’ long-standing exploration of ropes and cords. In the “Rope” chair for Artek, strong ropes form the back and side rests. “Filo”, on the other hand, is a beautifully proportioned wooden frame chair with a cord covering. The cords take up the color of the frame. This works particularly well with the warm yellow shade, which Mattiazzi offers as one of four colors.
Piero Lissoni has expanded the “KN” chair series for Knoll, which the company is showing on its stand at Supersalone. KN06 and KN07 are armchairs with a base, either with or without armrests. With “Ombra”, Piero Lissoni has designed another chair, this time for Lema. The most striking design feature of “Ombra” is its seat shell. At first glance, it looks like a leather mat suspended on just two sides. In reality, it is a rigid polypropylene film covered with leather. It allows the flowing shape of the seat shell. Also new at Lema and also from Lissoni’s pen is the “Sesto” table, whose top appears to rest unstably on the pairs of legs that converge at the top and the crossbar they support.
New from Pedrali is the “Caementum” side table, a small piece of concrete furniture that stands on a sturdy base with a vertical central seam to give it structure. Rounded shapes between rectangular and oval determine the overall impression of the design by Marco Merendi and Diego Vencato. In addition to this new product, Pedrali will be presenting additions to the “Blume” seating series by Sebastian Herkner and “Ila” by Patrick Jouin at Supersalone.
Artemide was the only major lighting manufacturer to have a stand at Supersalone this year – but it had a few new products worth seeing. For example, “Katà Métron” by Mario Cucinella, a lighting system that essentially consists of a modular LED strip. As a result, it can be moved from module to module in a straight line, to the left, right or diagonally. In this way, the LED strip can move in wild twitches under the ceiling. The six available colors blue, yellow, green, red, white and black, which can also be combined, underline the playful impression of the system.
“Funiva” by Carlotta de Bevilacqua is another new lighting system from Artemide. It is similar in function to Stefan Diez’ “Plusminus” system for Vibia. However, unlike Diez’s system, the spots are not mounted on a textile band, but on a cable system. As with “Plusminus”, this also serves as the power supply and can be tensioned in the room using anchors.
The Danish architecture firm BIG and its subsidiary BIG Ideas have now become Artemide’s most important designers. One new product is the “Vine Light” luminaire. It consists of a rectangular tube from which the base, stem and head are formed. LEDs are embedded in the lamp head, which is bent into a circular shape. In addition to floor versions, wall-mounted versions are also available. The “Slicing” outdoor light also comes from the BIG studios. “Stella Nebula”, also from BIG, seems to float like a shimmering soap bubble. BIG is not the only big architectural name on the Artemide stand at the Supersalone. Foster+Partners have designed “Takku”, a small multi-purpose luminaire that adds a simple and well-designed product to the growing market of rechargeable luminaires.
The Supersalone not only showcased products by architects, but also primarily for them. For example, Olivari, the traditional fittings manufacturer, presented the new “Paddle” handle by British designer duo Barber&Osgerby. The name is no coincidence: Paddle is designed as a flat, rounded body in the area of the handle surface, which only has more body in the area of the pivot axis.
Another premiere: German bathroom specialist Kaldewei presented its new “Superplan Zero” shower base for the first time at Supersalone. This was developed in collaboration with the internationally renowned designer Werner Aisslinger. Because the shower base is made of steel enamel, it is fully recyclable. Thanks to its extremely flat design, “Superplan Zero” combines the advantages of a classic shower base with those of a level-access shower.
Opinions differ on the concept of the Supersalone. Find out what we think here.
