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Designers Big and Small at Salone del Mobile 2016

By Allison Fonder - April 27, 2016

Marcel Wanders for Poliform Allison Fonder 1 of 43

Patricia Urquiola for Zantilam-Zant Part of the "VERY WOOD" Installation exhibiting excellent examples of chairs utilizing bent wood techniques. Allison Fonder 2 of 43

Carl Hansen and Son The installation space by Carl Hansen & Son was an elegantly well-considered visual delight. Allison Fonder 3 of 43

Carl Hansen & Son continued Allison Fonder 4 of 43

Carl Hansen & Son continued Allison Fonder 5 of 43

Carl Hansen & Son continued Carl Hansen & Son have ties with Hans Wegner that span over 50 years. For Salone, a craftsman was seen in the booth building one of the designer's classic creations to demonstrate how the handcrafted element of production in Wegner's chairs lives on even today. Allison Fonder 6 of 43

Carl Hansen & Son continued A comfy rendition of a classic dining chair by EOOS in the Carl Hansen & Son booth Allison Fonder 7 of 43

Carl Hansen & Son continued A beautiful example of plywood bending in Ejner Larsen and Aksel Bender Madsen's Metropolitan chair Allison Fonder 8 of 43

DL PROTOTIPI Furniture at Salone Satellite Beautiful furniture silhouettes in black by Daphna Laurens. Core77 9 of 43

Crane Lamps by Animaro at Salone Satellite Designer Matthew Gilbert gave a demonstration at Satellite of these fun walnut lamps, which can be height and position adjusted according to your needs. Allison Fonder 10 of 43

Solstice Clock by Animaro at Salone Satellite This inventive clock changes size throughout the day according to the time. Allison Fonder 11 of 43

Prism Lamp by Animaro at Salone Satellite Another lamp by Animaro is totally adjustable and is able to hold its position through the use of tight tension springs. Allison Fonder 12 of 43

Polyester Thread Lamp by Susanne de Graef A beautiful lamp made of polyester thread and powder coated steel that plays with our expected material notions. Allison Fonder 13 of 43

Hybrid Adjustable Chair by Studio Lorier at Salone Satellite This chair is the answer to consumers who seriously need to save space—through a clever locking mechanism, you can easily turn this chair from work to lounge mode. Allison Fonder 14 of 43

Aizome Chairstool by Ryota Yokozeki at Salone Satellite These beautiful chairs were seamlessly made from wood and cork. Allison Fonder 15 of 43

Aizome Chairstool by Ryota Yokozeki at Salone Satellite Yokozeki's chairs utilize the ancient process of indigo dyeing to achieve the deep blue color in this furniture collection. Allison Fonder 16 of 43

Tatous Chair Experiments by Valentin Van Ravestyn at Salone Satellite Interesting material experiments utilizing thin plywood and flex patterns made using a laser cutter. Allison Fonder 17 of 43

Valentin Van Ravestyn at Salone Satellite The result of Van Ravestyn's material experiments, the Tatous Chair. The wooden seating is applied to the metal base using thread, giving it an elegant handcrafted quality. Allison Fonder 18 of 43

Valentin Van Ravestyn at Salone Satellite Back detail of the Tatous Chair Allison Fonder 19 of 43

A wacky chandelier on display that can be mechanically shrunken or expanded. Allison Fonder 20 of 43

Jonas Lutz at Salone Satellite Beautiful ceramic works by Jonas Lutz of the Netherlands. Allison Fonder 21 of 43

Jonas Lutz at Salone Satellite Beautiful ceramic works by Jonas Lutz of the Netherlands. Allison Fonder 22 of 43

Jonas Lutz at Salone Satellite Lutz created these ceramic pieces by hand carving plaster molds and slipcasting the pieces en masse. Allison Fonder 23 of 43

Anton Karlsson at Salone Satellite Allison Fonder 24 of 43

Anton Karlsson at Salone Satellite Karlsson's "peeper" mirror stood in the center of his booth installation. Allison Fonder 25 of 43

Anton Karlsson at Salone Satellite Allison Fonder 26 of 43

Anton Karlsson at Salone Satellite A calendar in Karlsson's booth featured tons of his past conceptual projects, including this freaky "Tattoo-ring". Allison Fonder 27 of 43

Studio Nito at Salone Satellite Studio Nito's BOBINA collection, inspired by bobbins, uses cotton yarn impregnated with resin to create sturdy structures. Allison Fonder 28 of 43

Studio Nito at Salone Satellite Studio Nito's BOBINA collection, inspired by bobbins, uses cotton yarn impregnated with resin to create sturdy structures. Allison Fonder 29 of 43

Fondue Process Products by Satsuki Ohata A designer well known for his fascination with cheese fondue, Ohata created a lamp that submerges a light in an enclosed glass sconce filled with a lotion-like yellow liquid—the more you submerge the bulb into in the solution, the dimmer the light gets. Allison Fonder 30 of 43

Fondue Process Products by Satsuki Ohata Vibram-like fondue slippers by Ohata Allison Fonder 32 of 43

"Talking Minds" by Kartell For their installation this year, Kartell highlighted star designers they've worked with over the years to help define the brand, such as Patricia Urquiola and Phillipe Starck. Allison Fonder 33 of 43

"Talking Minds" by Kartell Kartell notes that the common thread that connects all the designer's diverse aesthetics is the use of the brand's innovative plastics and technology. Allison Fonder 34 of 43

"Talking Minds" by Kartell The Roy Stool for Kartell by Alessandro Mendini—a visual tribute to Roy Lichtenstein. Allison Fonder 35 of 43

Artek One section of the Artek installation space, which featured a collaborative furniture collection between Artek, Kvadrat and Raf Simons. Allison Fonder 36 of 43

Artek Another feature of the Artek installation was highlighting their decades old techniques of wood bending as discovered by Alvar Aalto. Allison Fonder 37 of 43

Artek Another feature of the Artek installation was highlighting their decades old techniques of wood bending as discovered by Alvar Aalto. Allison Fonder 38 of 43

The Other Side of Salone Several large swaths of Salone are dedicated to a more traditional, Rococo-style selection of furniture—I was inevitably intrigued. Who doesn't need a feather tree? Allison Fonder 39 of 43

A post apocalyptic Chandelier scene? Still unclear. Allison Fonder 40 of 43

Lounge by Versace Who knew Versace made ornate specialty furniture? I sure didn't. Allison Fonder 41 of 43

Another very lush view of the Versace installation. Allison Fonder 42 of 43

I don't even want to know how much this costs... Allison Fonder 43 of 43

Milan's annual design fair Salone del Mobile always provides a platform for a vast diversity of talent—whether you visit a booth of a major player like Kartell or a little guy showing her first full collection, the range of offerings at this giant exhibition fairground promise something for everyone. Over 300,000 people visit the Salone del Mobile each year and as the anchor event for Milan's Design Week, it is the main show for anyone who is interested in the trends and ideas that will dominate interiors in the coming year. At this year's show, highlights included strong debuts from emerging studios at SaloneSatellite, the premier exhibition space for young designers, as well as high production installations from companies like Carl Hansen & Son and Artek.

As a bonus, we even took a short tour of the other, more fantastical and traditional side of Salone (needless to say, it was head-swirling, garish and eye-opening).