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Review of the 2007 Milan Design Week, Part 1: I Saloni – the League Champion
Reviews
By Le Vin Chin
Lamps at Bonaldo
It was perhaps fitting that - towards the end of the week - FC Inter Milan won the Italian Championship. As we rolled out of I Saloni 2007, the International Furniture and Furniture Accessories Exhibitions in Milan, at the end of a day that was long and hard on the feet, the streets were all abuzz with cars and scooters tooting their horns in celebration. The Milanese had cause: not only had Inter Milan won, but I Saloni had been a roaring success.
We have so much to report that we are splitting our I Saloni coverage into two parts: the first covering I Saloni proper, the second covering the SaloneSatellite young designers exhibition.
 Shades of black at Orrigi |  Black and white aesthetic: Stripe by Roberto Lazzeroni at Gallotti & Radice |
The mood may have been good, but the size of the show made it hard to find the real novelty and innovation. The main over-riding look for this year’s show was – once more – the Apple aesthetic. Entire showrooms were given over to combinations of pure acrylic white, glossy black and chrome. Whether wood, plastic or metal, the black and white surfaces were very shiny and smooth, highly polished and lacquered, with black and white carpets and upholstery providing cool luxury.
More white: Brand912 chairs by Martin Ballendat at Tonon
Every color AND black and white: 404 chair programme by Stefan Diez at Thonet
The most interesting development at the show was the continued exploration of the use of wood: in more combinations (contrasts with other woods, with metals and plastics and resins) and with more varied finishes (limed, stained, colored, varnished, lacquered, metallised … and even raw) and in more applications, including as wall coverings.
 New forms of wood: Maui armchairs by Terry Dwan at Riva 1920 |
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 Wood, wood, everywhere: Brera by Lievore Altherr Molina at EmmeBi |
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|  Modern standard: Poly by Karim Rashid at Bonaldo |
Many other pre-existing trends came to their culmination at this year’s show: for example transparent, colored furniture. Transparent colored glass came into prominence specifically at the Tre-P & Tre Più booth, which featured a stunning pavilion designed by Antonio Citterio using the company’s ranges of wooden wall coverings, glass panels and sliding doors. The use of colored glass panels to manipulate the visual experience of the pavilion proved very popular.
Another long-term trend is the use of metals and metallic shades and coatings, now less shiny, more raw, beaten sheets and with a liberal use of leafing. Metallic colors are no longer simple golds and silvers but now a spectrum of bronzes, brasses all the way to platinums. Meanwhile having exhausted plastic and wood, metallization is now also entering the realm of upholstery. A few cases of metallic leathers and artificial leathers may not be a trend, but they sure are pretty!
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Metallic leather: Pierrot King Dormeuse by Glenn Thomas at Bonaldo
Look out for Part 2 of our review of the Milan Design Week, focusing on the SaloneSatellite, the young designers’ showcase, in a short while!
Major installation: the Poliform booth
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