UPHOLSTERY
HOME BECOMING INCREASINGLY CENTRAL A turnout beyond expectations for the Salone del Mobile.Milano which confirms the good moment of the furniture production chain which now fears a slowdown in demand due to inflation
The crowd of operators at the Salone del Mobile and in the city testifies to the excellent moment of the furniture industry. Covid, lockdown and home working have made us discover the centrality of our home taking its revenge on the city in terms of new needs, functions, attention. Alongside the ongoing social transition, which sees the house at the centre to restructure our lives, the sustainability theme has become the leitmotiv of the new furnishing proposals. Reuse, upcycling, transformation of materials and more generally the circular economy are the new keywords of design. It is now clear that the home must also contribute to safeguarding the planet. Here, too, we no longer speak of just style and aesthetics, but concrete examples of sustainability are shown, obtained thanks to the technology that allows the reliability of new materials born from waste. Sofas confirm to be the core of the house. They are increasingly more multipurpose, ideal for any function, including work. Often modular, transformable according to needs, preferably cuddly. Among the coverings, leather is always the protagonist, mostly smooth, sometimes woven, often suede. The latest trend is to combine parts covered in leather with parts in fabric: a winning combination that creates new pleasant material and chromatic effects. The lines of the new seats are mostly rounded and enveloping, while the light tones and the shades of the earth with material textures that bring out the rounded shape of the upholstery stand out among the colours. But designers do not just choose leather for sofas and beds but also to cover drawers, wardrobes, lamps. 28 ARSTANNERY
“The smart home, the renewal of materials, the entwining of tradition and innovation aiming at sustainability increasingly seen as a competitive lever, are a practical demonstration of how much companies have continued to invest in these years, albeit so difficult, without ever ceasing to look to the future with optimism”, comments Claudio Feltrin, president of FederlegnoArredo. A successful Fair More than 262,000 attendees at the 60th edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano last June, which exceeded all expectations in terms of turnout and recorded very positive results also at a commercial level. 61% of buyers and operators in the sector came from abroad, despite the almost complete absence of Chinese and Russians who in 2019 accounted for more than 42,000 presences. At the forefront buyers and visitors from France, Germany, Spain, followed by Brazil, the United States, Switzerland and India. “An important result that confirms the state of health and the value content of the Salone del Mobile, and it shows how teamwork across a whole sector and its creative and productive fabric can produce excellence, achieving great results also at international level even in the most complex moments”, comments Maria Porro, president of the Salone del Mobile.Milano. “We experienced the great enthusiasm of meeting customers and stakeholders three years and two months after the closing of the last
