Salone Del Mobile.Milano 2015: Furnishing, Lighting and Workspace Excellence

The 54th edition of the Salone del Mobile will fling open its doors from 

Tuesday 14th to Sunday 19th April, at the Rho Milan Fairgrounds. 

Quality and innovation, along with major collateral events and a comprehensive, wide range of goods are the ingredients that make the Salone such an unmissable event.

With over 2,000 exhibitors, more than 200,000 m2 of exhibition space and thousands of products making their market debut, the Salone del Mobile is the acknowledged sectoral international benchmark event year after year, attracting more than 300,000 visitors from over 160 countries.

The Salone is open to operators each day from 9.30am to 6.30pm, and also open to the general public on the Saturday and Sunday.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile, split into three style categories: 
Classic, Modern and Design, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition and SaloneSatellite, will be flanked by the biennial Euroluce / International Lighting Exhibition in Pavilions 9-11 and 13-15 and Workplace3.0/SaloneUfficio, dedicated to the workspace, in Pavilions 22- 24.

Euroluce, the exhibition devoted to excellence in the lighting world, will showcase the very latest in outdoor, indoor, industrial, event/show, special use and hospital lighting solutions, lighting systems, light sources and illumination technology software and consulting. To mark the 2015 International Year of Light proclaimed by UNESCO, architect Attilio Stocchi has conceived "FAVILLA. To every light a voice" for the city of Milan - an installation/event telling the story of and exploring the essence of light.

Workplace3.0 is an exhibition with an innovative concept, devoted to design and technology for planning the workspace in the round. Workplace3.0 will bring together the top proposals from the furnishing world for office, banks, insurance offices, post offices and other public spaces, seating for offices and public spaces, acoustics, flooring and coverings, lighting and office accessories as well as audio-video technologies and communication.

"The Walk", a huge installation on exhibit inside the Workplace3.0 pavilions, was conceived by internationally renowned Italian architect Michele De Lucchi as an area for showcasing ideas and design triggers for planning workspaces in their many different contemporary interpretations. New activities and working modes generate new workspaces and new design requisites for "inhabiting them", with offices increasingly becoming a hub for social interface, meetings and living side by side.

Another event - IN ITALY - created by the architectural practice Four in the Morning to a design by architect Dario Curatolo, will feature 64 Italian manufacturers and a select group of designers, planners and architects, who will tackle the theme of products, design and planning. The firms involved will be presented innovatively through the medium of film, with the curator taking the audience through a virtual exploration of Italian know- how and uniqueness and the production processes behind each object. The film will become an installation, which in turn will become an App used to explore five apartments - in Lecce, Milan, Rome, Venice and the Sienese hillside - done up in five completely different styles.

SaloneSatellite will be back in Pavilions 22 and 24 - the same as Workplace3.0 - with free public entry from Cargo 5. Now in its 18th edition, the exhibition is dedicated to the theme "Life Planet", dovetailing with that of EXPO 2015: Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. SaloneSatellite is an unrivalled meeting point for 700 young designers selected from all over the world, businessmen, architects, interior designers and the press. The exhibition showcases the work of designers under 35, and offers them a chance to be selected for the 6th annual edition of the SaloneSatellite Award for the 3 best prototypes on exhibit, relating to the product categories on show.

The Salone del Mobile can be followed on the social networks and through its website and the online magazine (www.salonemilano.it), its official Facebook and Twitter pages, a dedicated YouTube channel, Flickr gallery and profiles on LinkedIn and Pinterest.

The official hashtags for the 2015 edition on Twitter @iSaloniofficial are:
#iSaloni | #Euroluce | #Workplace | #SaloneUfficio | #SaloneSatellite

For the second year running, the Salone is renewing its ties with the Municipality of Milan, Councillor for Employment, Economic Development, University and Research, Cristina Tajani, and the city's design schools, which led to the setting up of the Welcome Project at the 2014 edition. Salone del Mobile information points at various focal points around the city will be manned by 100 students, on hand to provide visitors with information on how to negotiate the city, on the trade fair itself and the palimpsest of events in Milan organised by the Department.

The Salone del Mobile is also one of the supporters of the exhibition "LEONARDO 1452- 1519" - the greatest Leonardo da Vinci exhibition ever held in Italy - which will launch on 15th April 2015 at Milan's Palazzo Reale, just after the Salone opens. Promoted by the Municipality of Milan, the project was conceived and carried out within the framework of a partnership between Palazzo Reale and Skira going back over more than 15 years, and curated by Pietro C. Marani and Maria Teresa Fiorio - both prominent Renaissance art historians.

For the third year running, an agreement between the Salone del Mobile, Milan Fairgrounds and Milan's transport agency ATM - means that visitors to the Salone will be able to acquire a combined ticket, valid for public transport on Milan's urban network and for entry to the trade fair.

Trenitalia high-speed Frecciarossa, Frecciabianca and EuroCity trains will stop specially at Rho Fiera Expo Milano during the Salone. Frecciarossa and Frecciabianca will make three stops during both the morning and the afternoon, as well as two EuroCity train pairs to and from Switzerland.

Thanks to an agreement with SkyTeam Global Meetings, exhibitors, operators and journalists taking part in the Salone will be eligible for discounts of between 5% and 15% on flights, depending on flight class. Discounts are available on all international and intercontinental return flights to Milan, operated by SkyTeam member airlines between 9th and 24th April.

Negotiations are currently under way with Alitalia for discounted airfares on national flights to and from Milan during the Salone.

The Salone is also making the real-time Salone del Mobile.Milano 2015 App available for free download on iOS and Android devices, enabling people to plan their visits and orientate themselves at the fairgrounds.

Detailed information can be found on the website www.salonemilano.it

INVISTA's Antron Color Trends Autumn/Winter 2014/2015

[New York], September 3, 2014 - INVISTA's Antron® carpet fibre has launched an interactive color palette tool that allows designers to create custom palettes using colors taken from its Autumn/Winter 2014/2015 Color Trend forecast created by Global Color Research.

Photo: TREND IV - Playful Spectrum, © and Courtesy of www.colortrend.eu

Antron® carpet fibre has a team of dedicated creatives from across the globe who collaborate on color and trends in order to bring you relevant forecasts.

Antron® has joined forces with leading color forecasters, Global Color Research to bring you four key color themes in commercial interiors for 2014/2015.

Global changes have taken place and economics have dipped and dived, revealing altered ways of living and working. This push and pull state has brought divided directions to the forefront as we adapt to a new state of play. But what's significant is that what has been before will never be the same again.

So what will be important? Which design fundamentals will be at the forefront? And more importantly what will the future user desire?

TREND I - Mysterious Illusions
A story of magic and mystery, conjures up an unlikely palette with a dreamlike appeal. This trend focuses on creating a veil from the outside world where turmoil resides, stepping back into the ethereal and secret haven. Erring on the dark side of the color spectrum, deep shades of black and shadowy grey create transitory and moody effects without being too sinister or macabre.

TREND II - Eccentric Icons
A blurring of eras merging past, present and future is prevalent, making way for a hybrid aesthetic. Classic features and shapes are equally as relevant in our pared down new century as modern technology. The result sees yesteryear ornamentation merge with modern design principles, giving birth to a new ageless aesthetic key for the luxury goods market.

TREND III - Magnified Cosmos

Grow your own wellbeing with the health-giving properties of plants, as we rediscover the simple and restorative side of nature. New Growth reminds us that nature is bigger tha ever and is an important factor in our lives going forward. This trend draws on the basics and explores the diversity of green creating a mood of energy and positivity.

TREND IV - Playful Spectrum
Having survived an era of self-imposed austerity a vivid palette of punchy tones drives an optimistic attitude to the future. Upbeat colors reveal a trend that is creative and innovative as 2014 spells the start to economic global recovery. However this isn't a return to mass produced design, past mistakes have been noted and new creative approaches to sustainability and materials bring elements of surprise and delight to our living environment.

SOURCE & CREDITS: www.antron.eu | www.colortrend.eu | www.globalcolor.co.uk

Bolon Wins Design Award for Best Web

[New York], May 2, 2014 - Swedish design company Bolon has been awarded the prestigious 'Best Web' prize at Milan Design Week 2014. 

Sponsored by Microsoft, the award is given to the website that best uses the latest standards in web design, offers high levels of user friendliness and is compatible over various platforms.

The jury, which included world-renowned Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola, motivated their choice by describing Bolon's campaign site dedicated to the launch of the Silence collection as 'having harnessed the possibilities of the web in an exemplary fashion'. The jury also commented that the site 'best represents the future of web - increasingly immersive, touch-optimised and unforgettable in its simplicity.'


The Contradiction of Silence from Bolon on Vimeo.

Amongst other content, the site features visitor-controlled loops from a ground-breaking film
'The Contradiction of Silence' made by Bolon in collaboration with internationally acclaimed choreographer Alexander Ekman. The full version of this short film also featured as an integral part of the site's visitor experience.

Annica Eklund, CEO at Bolon continues - How we chose to execute the film sequences definitely struck a chord with the jury. The slow motion, stop-start loops and the films' colour and tone received a lot of positive comments. We are extremely grateful for this award as it is further confirmation of our desire to push the boundaries of creativity within the design branch - in this case, using innovative technology to bring life to a visually strong concept in an unexpected way.

Silence - The New Collection from Bolon - Visit the Silence site →

Inspired by the tranquil beauty and deep forests of our Swedish homeland, Silence by Bolon is a true sensory treat.

‘Silence’ is 100% free of the softening agent phthalate – a feature that shows the company’s continuing commitment to environmental innovation and one that will be applied to every Bolon collection from 2014 onwards.

'Silence' is available as a combination of sheets, tiles and, as a new article, planks as standard. The whole collection holds the same high ratings for wear and tear and fire-resistance and comes with the same long guarantees as every other Bolon collection.

All images courtesy of BOLON - http://www.bolon.com/