By Ghaith Beshri

Isalone del Mobile, the premier furniture and accessories exhibition has just completed its 48th edition at the Milan Fairgrounds in Rho recently. It is an annual international furniture exhibition that takes place in Milan, Italy. It is considered to be, without comparison, the most celebrated design exhibition in the world.

It was indeed a great experience for me to be a part of this grand exhibition. Being a passionate collector of innovative furniture, it was an awesome experience to witness such artistic designs and novel creations.

Furniture were displayed according to category, resulting in clusters of royal classic pieces in buildings 1 to 4, minimal modern pieces in buildings 5 to 8, as for innovative designer pieces, it occupied six buildings of the fairgrounds. Shiny woods with deep colors made a strong statement in modern furniture and the main design approach was multifunctional furniture pieces. As for designer innovations, glass was the main tool in which designers experimented with transparency, layering, reflection, and visual illusions with bold curves and minimal joints.

The engines driving the great Saloni were all up and running, fired up by the huge success of the previous edition. Great projects, great displays and great crowds provided the basic ingredient for what was universally regarded as the key event par excellence at global level in the home furnishing sector. The eagerly-awaited International Lighting Exhibition had also set a benchmark with its wide range and broad spectrum of goods that made up a unique lighting sector scenario – from light sources to domestic lighting, from technical illumination to urban illumination – embracing both technological and formal innovation. It was a special pedigree mapping out the origins of Made in Italy.

The show had three varied categories of Modern variety, Classico approach and Design trends. All the three categories were decorated with elements of innovation and carried a central theme. The most important aspect that really inspired me was the designs of stands. Those were simply amazing with one of my favorites being Kartell which was designed using visual illusions and 3D techniques. The other items displayed were of wooden and steel that reflected high quality and design precision. The most common colors were lime green and black in addition to the wooden texture.

Classico was a very luxurious selection of furniture specially made from genuine leather and fancy crystals. In this category, the most distinguished exhibitors were FENDI casa and IPE cavalla. The design section was adorned by simplicity. The notable feature was its “Make Your Own Furniture”. It attracted large numbers of potential buyers as the idea facilitated that you select your own size, color and finish that will be produced in collaboration with designers, architects and specialized manufacturers. The section also attracted the “Rising of an Egyptian Design Identity” theme that kept my eyes glued. The concept was to present Egyptian furniture designs with a modern touch. It presented an evolutionary process of a nation living with an important past and yet willing to develop a new Egyptian design identity.

The second segment of the exhibition was considered the biggest lighting fair in the world. It was the largest part of the exhibition spread over six halls. The most distinguished exhibitors were Philips and Flos. Most exhibitors were focusing on saving energy and environment-friendly innovations.

The third segment was Salone Satellite, a gathering of young creative designers to show their creations spread over two halls. There were also many workshops on design. A very interesting side of the exhibition was a space provided to a design competition displaying the work of 570 young designers coming from 22 international design schools with 220 students who presented ideas and projects inspired by creativity, ecology and sustainability, and needless to say diversity.

A huge number of specialist operators had flocked to the Saloni, making for a total of 278,000. The widely-hailed internationality of the Saloni had been confirmed again this year by an even greater influx of visitors from abroad: 153,456 visitors from 152 different countries, the majority from Russia, Germany and France.  The 124,544 Italian operators who also attended the Saloni were testament to the fact that the sector is holding on fast after the last few difficult years and despite the current financial crisis in particular.

Another 30,000 people converged at the Saloni on Sunday, the only day the Fair was thrown open to those who are not operating in the sector. There was also an impressive press presence, with 5,385 journalists from all five continents. All in all, therefore, visitors, members of the public and the press accounted for a massive total of 313,385.

The events proved to be of great interest and really pulled in the crowds: these were the large ”Magnificence and Project” Exhibition, which will run until 21st June 2009 on the piano nobile of the Palazzo Reale in Milan, featuring important and extremely valuable pieces of classical furniture alongside twentieth-century design pieces. The installation devoted to light and its scenic qualities, entitled I=N=V=O=C=A=T=I=O=N, signed by the British artist Cerith Wyn Evans will remain on exhibit in the Triennale Garden, which has been given as a free loan to the prestigious Milanese institution by Cosmit.

All in all, it was an exhibition worthy of the time invested in it. It developed fresh ideas and gave a thorough insight to new furnishing décor and design. The trend has been set and I am all geared up to anticipate the call next year.