Milan is often synonymous with fashion but as we discovered, Milan also happens to be the capital for stylish living.
There’s nowhere on earth quite like the Milan Furniture Show or ‘I Salone’ to give it its proper title. Shocking became conventional at the centre of the design world pushing the boundaries of colour, texture and shape.
Trend Setting
The 'I Salone' show is the best place to watch out for trends. If you're wondering what will hit the streets in a year or two, this is where you'll find all the emerging trends. The Milan Furniture Show saw acid yellows, soft greens, burnt orange and wild ‘florals’ in abundance, along with acres of coloured glass. If glass wasn’t coloured, it was clear. There was no frosting, no milk finish, just ‘show every fingerprint’ clear. Practicality and high design rarely compete for space here. In typical Italian style, it is design, design, design; with practicality left to the Germans.
A new style to emerge this year was the blending of elegant modern colours with classical shapes. Big chandeliers, which traditionally would have been in gold and crystal, were sprayed black like a haunting silhouette hanging from the ceiling. The glass walls were etched with mottled designs; sideboards were with a twig motif instead of wallpaper and wooden cabinets.
New Wood
The new wood colour was the biggest shock of all. What has been 'wenge' - A dark brown stained oak or walnut colour - has given way to a lighter autumn oak shade or ‘teak’ colour. Yes, it seems that teak is back in fashion, as things tend to swing back full circle.
New Style
Don’t dust off the G-Plan yet though. The design still has to have square cut edges and polished chrome legs to stand apart from the old style cabinets. It really should have been predictable given the overwhelming prevalence of Jackie O’ sunglasses and Pucci style floating around the show.
Who knows, long hair and flares might be next?!
