A Guide to the Must-Sees at Salone del Mobile 2024
L’OFFICIEL has compiled a definitive guide to Salone del Mobile 2024, from an installation from legendary filmmaker David Lynch to a lighting exhibition dedicated to the Monza company.
Every year, beginning in April, Italy hosts a fluid intertwining of art and design. The many exhibitions, artists, and designers featured throughout the Venice Biennale, Milan Art Week, Milan Design Week, and Salone del Mobile (or Milan Furniture Week) bring to life the cornerstone of Italian culture: an overload of creative vision and stimuli that draws global attention. Salone del Mobile, a part of Milan Design Week, runs throughout the city and is poised to satisfy design afficiandos with its impressive roster of talent.
Whether you're making a trip to Milan for Salon del Mobile or you're new to the illustrious event, L’OFFICIEL has compiled a definitive guide to the must-sees, highlighting rising talent, can’t-miss collaborations, and classics featured at Salone del Mobile 2024.
Interiors by David Lynch: A Thinking Room
The Rho pavilions host an installation from legendary filmmaker David Lynch [Blue Velvet], curated by Antonio Monda. Interiors by David Lynch: A Thinking Room consists of two rooms in which viewers can immerse themselves and reflect on the interiors that occupy the space, but also on the space itself. The concept explores the ability of Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence to support human creativity.
When: April 16 to April 21
Where: Salone Del Mobile, Fiera Milano, 20017 Rho, Milan, Italy.
I Am a Dragon: The True Story of Alessandro Mendini
Triennale Milano Italian Design Museum, along with the Fondation Cartier, will host design exhibitions starting in April. I Am a Dragon: The True Story of Alessandro Mendini is a tribute to the master Milanese architect, designer, and artist. Open April 14 to October 13 in collaboration with the Alessandro Mendini Archive and curated by Italian architect Fulvio Irace (with exhibition design by French designer Pierre Charpin), the exhibit is accompanied by an immersive installation conceived, designed, and directed by French industrial designer and architect Philippe Starck.
When: to
Where: Triennale Milano, Milan, Italy
The Imperfect House
Starting April 15 is The Imperfect House, curated by Marco Sammicheli, director of the Triennale Milano. The most recent work from French designer Inga Sempé—characterized by a curious and colorful aesthetic—is placed into a domestic context, the titular house, designed by Italian architectural collective Studio A/C.
When: April 15 to September 15
Where: Triennale Milano, Milan, Italy
Wunderkammer
Wunderkammer, or cabinet of curiosity, is the most suitable way to define Universo Satellite, open from April 16 to April 28 in the spaces of via Alemagna. The container format was chosen by architect Beppe Finessi to structure this exhibition, which is dedicated to 25 years of the Salone Satellite. The exhibition, a journey into creativity that explores the design world of the future, is a launchpad for designers under 35.
When: April 16 to April 28
Where: Alysi, Via Ponte Vetero, 6, Milan
AAS:Object:Project
The mix of genres in the exhibitions continues with the Venetian footwear and accessories brand Marsèll, which, for Fuorisalone 2024 during Design Week, hosts AAS:Object:Project, by the Berlin architecture studio Gonzalez Haase AAS. Housed between the Marsèll showroom in via Paullo and its flagship store in via della Spiga, the exhibition is a symphony of architecture, scenography, and lighting, and is an example of the fluid dynamic between art and design, play and provocation, function and entertainment.
When: April 14 to May 10
Where: Via Paullo 12/A, Milan
Nice to See You
Italian architect and designer Gaetano Pesce is once again a highlight of Design Week with Nice To See You, set up in the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana. A total of 30 works, many unpublished from 2023 and 2024, are a reflection on objects that lose their value over time but are simultaneously charged with meaning and intellectual stimulation, such as a sofa made of two large handcuffed hands, meant to communicate injustice.
When: April 15 to April 21
Where: Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosian, Milan
100 Lamps
From April 5 to May 12 in via Simone D'Orsenigo—a former industrial space designed in 1950 by Elio Frisia—design historian and critic Anty Pansera curates 100 Lamps, the Arredoluce lighting exhibition led by Alessandro Padoan and Alessandro Palmaghini. It is dedicated to the Monza company, founded in 1943, and includes collaborations with Gio Ponti and Nanda Vigo, Egle Amaldi, Ettore Sottsass, Jr., the Kennedy family, and Peggy Guggenheim, all passionate collectors of Arredoluce lamps.
When: April 5 to May 12
Where: Via Simone D'Orsenigo
Faye Toogood
Faye Toogood is the latest entry in the roster of designers at Poltrona Frau. Toogood’s first creative endeavor occurred at the age of eight, when she visited the studio of the sculptor Barbara Hepworth in Cornwall. After studying art history at the University of Bristol, she worked as an interiors editor at The World of Interiors, and then concentrated professionally on interior design. In 2008, she opened her studio, Toogood, in London. Toogood’s works, characterized by a strong sculptural approach and an intriguing contrast of materials, have been exhibited at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, and the Fabergé of St. Petersburg. “I find no difference between a coat, a chair, or the design of an interior. My design is narrative and personal, influenced by life changes and experiences: from my growth in the countryside, to my love for the landscape, motherhood, and the study of art history," she says. Her collaboration with Poltrona Frau began when the leading Italian furniture brand was looking for an edgy but comfortable armchair. “I wanted to celebrate the brand's leather workmanship by offering a wrinkled version that gives it movement and malleability. When you are sitting [in the chair], you feel the sensation of being hugged. There is nothing rigid.” Toogood’s Squash collection is rounded out with a mirror and rug. “I believe that function and aesthetics are not mutually exclusive; on the contrary, they should enhance each other.”
Where: Via Alessandro Manzoni, 30, 20121 Milano MI
Echi dal Mondo
The new Armani Casa collection, entitled “Echi dal Mondo,” is inspired by atmospheres, colors, and shapes collected by Giorgio Armani during his travels and research. It’s set up in the magnificent rooms of Palazzo Orsini in the Quadrilatero, the historic headquarters of the brand.
When: April 16-21
Where: Palazzo Orsini, Via Borgonuovo, 11, Milan
