The World’s Biggest Design Fair Is Postponed Due to the Coronavirus

Milan’s Salone del Mobile is being pushed to June, giving Italy a substantial runway to restabilize in the wake of the recent outbreak.

Milan’s mayor Giuseppe Sala just announced that this year’s edition of the Salone del Mobile trade show will be postponed, and it will now take place from June 16 to 21.

The furniture fair usually occurs in April, however a recent coronavirus outbreak in Italy’s Lombardy region—resulting in 212 infected, the most outside of China—has brought the city of Milan and its economy to a standstill.

The city of Milan isn't off-limits to visitation, but landmarks like the Duomo Cathedral are closed until further notice.

The city of Milan isn’t off-limits to visitation, but landmarks like the Duomo Cathedral are closed until further notice.

Photo by Pawel_Pacholec

Landmarks like the Duomo Cathedral and La Scala opera house, and universities, schools, and bars are all shuttered. Armani’s Fashion Week show happened behind the doors of a sealed theater. But Mayor Giuseppe is urging citizens to play a part in recovering from the scare, and he promises that the government will help carry the city through the trial.

An office vignette showcasing furnishings by Arper from the 2016 Salone del Mobile.

“I am calling on our colleagues in the furnishing sector and the Salone del Mobile to pull together to make sure Milan doesn’t grind to a halt,” says Giuseppe in a video-recorded press release. “We need to work objectively to stop the virus from spreading, but we must also take care not to spread the virus of distrust. Milan has to carry on.”

By postponing, Giuseppe and the fair’s organizers aim to give the occasion the full breadth of its usual pageantry. “It’s not easy right now to try to appeal to visitors and convince professionals from all over the world,” says Giuseppe, “but I believe this is the right decision.”

According to the Italian design publication Domus, “Many organizers and exhibitors, already worried by the absence of about 30,000 Chinese buyers, had been asking to reschedule the fair.” 

An ad by Studio Becheroni-Marotta from 1962—the second year of Salone del Mobile.

See the full story on Dwell.com: The World’s Biggest Design Fair Is Postponed Due to the Coronavirus

Similar Posts

  • Space in the Wall

    Space in the Wall The thought process regarding the challenging tall and narrow structure centers around a space that flows through the building and functions as a light cone that allows daylight to pierce through all the way to the basement and a joint wall, made of exposed concrete in “board” configuration, divided into squares, separated from the exterior wall of the house, which is made of glass, and acts as an artistic, somewhat “Brutalistic” element the house, one half of a two-family dwelling on a 220 square meters lot, and 360 square meters built, is designed for 2 young families with 2 children each, each family has 2 floors, the first family has the ground floor (living room, kitchen, dining room and garden) and basement (bedrooms and pool). The second family has the first floor (bedrooms) and the top floor (living room, dining room and a garden balcony)
    The front of the building that faces the street is made with a combination of concrete, steel and wood. We’ve used these natural materials throughout the building. Stairs and banister from steel plates on the ground floor and a banister and counter-top with a sink out of steel grid on the first floor.
    the flooring is out of concrete, with the concrete wall “accompanying” the entire house. Wood beams in the kitchen, the ceiling, a vertical shading and the floor.
    The challenge to create a living space while using every available inch and maintaining privacy, while communicating with the residents who are design enthusiasts was completed with 2 modern villas, each with its own connection to the outside and with a unique and fashionable living space in the dense urban surrounding. Architect: Yulie Wollman
    Photography: Shai Gil