Milan International Furniture Fair 2018 "Il Salone" - Day #1

"Hey Vasile, let's go, we're missing volo!" were the first Italian words I heard on the way to Milan.

And in between that and the applause landing I made a plan for how I was going to try the impossible: visit Milan International Furniture Fair between four sandwiches with a nap in between. (Spoiler alert: No way! There's 345,000 m² of indoor exhibition space and another 60,000 m² of outdoor space filled to capacity).

In addition to the Fiera di Milano, the FuoriSalone (a multitude of shops that are part of the fair under the open-door policy, as well as spaces specially set up for the presentation of designers from abroad) are held all over the city. The number of installations and design pieces on display under the Fuori Salone umbrella is overwhelming even for a journalistic team, so I won't attempt to cover them in detail.

Babies, dance!

Unlike in previous years, the classical design has been reduced to two pavilions (2/4), and by this we can conclude that, at least for the near future, the main direction of interior design will be predominantly modern.

Pavilions 1/3 are home to the luxury divisions of brands renowned for both design and exclusivity.

Apart from the two categories mentioned above and the 6 pavilions dedicated to kitchens and sanitary ware (about which I will tell you more in a future episode) modern furniture occupies 10 pavilions (5/7 , 6/10 , 8/12 , 14/18 and 16/20 - where you will also find the Romanian representatives).

If I wanted to take in all the collections in the 10 pavilions, I would need at least 10 days. This is how I also came to the conclusion that the Milan International Furniture Fair 2018 is not for word of mouth, but for entrepreneurs who want to add new products to their personal showrooms and their clients' spaces; entrepreneurs who come and talk to a finite number of manufacturers. Again, not like me trying a combination of Usain Bolt and Ansel Adams.

I ran to prepare for the day #2

Photo: Vlad Dodan