Milan show excites buyers
U.S. retailers like new materials, colors
By Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, April 28, 2002
MILAN, Italy — It was, in the opinion of a diverse group of Americans, one of the best Salone del Mobile shows in a number of years, with new materials, lots of lacquer and lots of color.
"It was a great show, not so much in terms of breakthroughs but in taste, excitement and maturity of product," said Michael Lerner, president of Roche Bobois USA.
"The use of color was extraordinary, with reds, oranges, greens and yellows all over. Color showed up in lacquers, fabrics, leather," he added.
For Dan Flickinger, president of Kasala in Seattle, "There was a good energy level in terms of product." In upholstery, "large scale and straight square boxes were the silhouette," he said. And there was color galore.
In case goods, Flickinger said, "Wenge now is a real basic, but we saw a lot of light oak as a new wood."
Similarly, Michael Wilkov, owner of Dallas-based Cantoni, said wenge was now "extremely widely distributed." For Cantoni, the bleached oak woods were important and were something he hasn't seen much in the United States.
In upholstery, Wilkov said the oranges and reds that crept in last year were even more important this month. "But there were lots of neutrals as well as brights," he said.
In leather, Wilkov liked Gamma for its "soft, poufy styling with clean frames and a fabric look."
Lerner of Roche Bobois saw a selection of case goods he liked.
"There were lots of solutions for closets, which Europeans don't have — lots of big flat-screen TVs, doors of wood and frosted glass or shoji and lacquer. And woods moved away from wenge to lacquer and wood combinations as well as a lot of light and natural woods and new veneers," he said.
"There was more function than ever, even in upholstery with lots of built-in tables," Lerner added. He noted that in contrast to the slimming-down of American upholstery, "They're making very big sofas — and probably have to delivery them in two pieces."
Calling Salone del Mobile "the best in years," Scott Morgan, president of Dezine Source, pointed to a "stronger sense of brights like yellow and orange, and undulating fabrics setting a mood."
In construction, he saw a number of bent materials, especially plywood, along with thin foam that was colored, amoebic and oval teardrop shapes, and colored acrylics. There was also a resurgence of lacquer finishes and lots of sheen and shine.
The move to natural woods in case goods, especially birch and maple and bleached walnut, stood out for Howard Galler, owner of Chicago-based Design Studio. Another trend was acid-treated frosted glass doors on case pieces that eliminated the smudging factor, he said.
In upholstery, Galler said smoother leathers and microfiber fabrics were still making news, as were "big chairs at the end of sectionals."
| The Simplice collection expanded with new designs from Antonio Citterio and a new wood — black varnished pine — shown here in a chest. |
| Luca Bonato created a limited edition of 10 pieces for his Space chair, made from laser-cut acrylic and a brightly colored inner cushion. |
| Fat-Fat and Lady Fat, designed by Patricia Urquiola and covered in fabric, leather or felt, serve a number of functions — as seating pieces, tables and storage when the metal tray is lifted. The shapes of the pieces are determined by a filling of polyurethane with flakes of regenerated PET. |
| Futuristic shapes in yellow — one of the show's color favorites — was featured at Giorgio Saporiti. |
| Rivolta fashions a sleek, sinuous leather chaise on a steel base. |
| Stone International introduced a stately, all- upholstered leather bed. |
| Molinari used giant photographic images as its backdrop for furniture that sat low to the floor, including this sofa. |
| Low-to-the-floor chaises are featured at Molinari, with deep seating. |
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