A striking, well-designed (and strategically located) booth goes a long way in garnering the coveted buzz and long lines at Salone del Mobile. This year at the annual Milan trade show, booths were a behemoth unto themselves. Larger sizes, intricate spatial organization, thoughtful facades, and reusable material were top of mind for many of the temporary structures at the fair. While, of course, products on display took center stage, the pavilions encapsulating them were impressive in their own right and reflective of each brand’s aesthetic vision—thanks to the designers and architects tapped to create them. Here are a few of the pavilions that, while temporary, will not be forgotten from this year’s fair.
Knoll by OFFICE
OFFICE, the Belgian architecture practice helmed by Kersten Geers and David Van Severen, outfitted the Knoll’s gridded steel pavilion using recycled materials from last year’s fair. The layout weaves different vignettes to showcase Knoll’s new products, which are then surrounded by gardens envisioned by landscape designer Jeroen Provoost.
Kohler by Yabu Pushelberg
Yabu Pushelberg looked to the rhythm of flowing water as inspiration for Kohler’s booth. A transparent facade allows the curving structure that divides the floorplan to poke through. The weaving walls create intimate spaces to highlight each distinct Kohler product. They are showcased alongside careful lighting and color choreography. The interior and product designers mimicked the evolving hues of daylight through projections onto the booth.
Drafting Futures, Conversations about Next Perspectives by Formafantasma
The 2024 edition of Salone’s arena, entitled Drafting Futures, Conversations about Next Perspectives, was designed by Formafantasma. The Italian studio covered the area in mossy green carpeting, printed with abstract “doodles.” The flooring matches the velvet seating, recycled from last year’s fair, as well as the adjacent green- and wood-clad library.
All You Have Ever Wanted to Know About Food Design in Six Performances by Lombardini22
In the middle of EuroCucina, Italian architect and design studio Lombardini22 designed an exhibition, performance, and functional kitchen booth for the installation, All You Ever Wanted to Know About Food Design in Six Performances. A curving metal frame and white drapes create a neutral and flexible backdrop suited to meet the changing needs of the designers, artists, and chefs that will take over the space at various points of the fair. The fluid vision is reflective of the goal of the installation: to highlight the ways food and design interconnect.
Kartell by Ferruccio Laviani
Architect and designer, Ferruccio Laviani modeled Kartell’s pavilion by creating a new Milanese skyline, a representation of the brand’s roots in the city and an homage to its changing landscape. Made up of various iconic Milanese monuments and buildings, the facade and entrance echoes the brand’s Milan flagship. Inside, various buildings create a backdrop for staging vignettes and collections.
Poltronova by Donatello D’Angelo
Art director Donatello D’Angelo designed a maximalist booth for Poltronova in an exhibition entitled Hyper Poltronova. It is inspired by the 1972 exhibition, L’invenzione della superficie neutra. D’Angelo transforms the brand’s graphic patterns and designs with a 2D treatment to clad the entire pavilion. The result is an immersive, pop style surround that coincides with Poltronova’s funky objects on display.