Milan Design Week. Paola Marella’s point of view.

Once again this year the days that preceded the Salone del Mobile were days of great ferment and enthusiasm for the preparation of one of the most important events on the Italian calendar. In recent years this ferment has been particularly perceptible also because the Salone del Mobile is increasingly targeted at a wider audience given the general public’s growing interest in a field that until not so long ago was exclusively for those “in the business”. 

Milan was once again the capital of design and, thanks to the amazing weather, it was possible to enjoy it al fresco during what are its seven most “crowded” days of the year. The Salone has grown significantly in recent years to become one of the most important furniture fairs in the world. Milan opens its doors and becomes a hub of creativity proposing, over the seven days, a whole range of events that create a magical atmosphere and make this week a key date for our diaries. The city becomes an authentic “window” on the world. A leadership that the Salone has established in the field thanks to the work of many companies which, with their innovative, high-quality products, have created what has now become a pre-eminent event in the industry. Thirty percent of exhibiting companies are from outside Italy, proof of how important it is to be here and of the increasingly international profile of the Salone. 

Whether you love architecture and design or not, unless you live like a hermit in a wood, you have to admit that all of our actions take place through architecture. We live our lives in architecture and for this reason the real goal of designers should be that of improving our lives: spaces are designed for people, objects are designed taking into account our habits and to make our lives easier, because architecture can carry out an active role, adapting to our presence and changing, in time and in space, to meet our requirements. 

If we think back to the architecture and design of the 1950’s and 60’s we can’t help but recall the main forms of design that made history: Achille Castiglioni’s lamps, Vico Magistretti’s chairs, the Brionvega television by Marco Zanuso or the living-rooms of Afra and Tobia Scarpa; but in recent years too those that have participated at the Salone del Mobile with their projects have sought to reiterate Italy’s leading role in the world of furniture and design and if one day we write the history of the Salone and ask ourselves what this event represented, the contribution made by the distinctive creativity of “Made in Italy” will be very evident. With the extension of the Fuori Salone, for a number of years now the Salone has managed to make this culture, creativity and power of expression accessible to the general public, who are able to soak up this atmosphere of great ferment and innovation as they walk the streets of the city. 

With this in mind, Marazzi proposed two new bathrooms, which also feature in the new advertising campaign, produced using particularly elegant and evocative collections; the first combining Treverkchic and Evolutionmarble, which reinterpret exquisite American walnut wood and large slabs of Calacatta marble respectively, and the second with Block, the new resin-effect stoneware proposed together with ash-coloured Treverkhome. These, together with all of the other collections in ceramics and stoneware, were exhibited at the stunning showroom at 2 Via Borgogna which, during the Milan event, welcomed over 300 architects and designers. 

Marazzi also participated in a very prestigious cultural event at the Milan Triennale: “The Art of Living” exhibition organised by Living-Corriere della Sera. Marazzi joined forces with Paolo Gonzato to present “Kitchen”, an abstract, visionary interpretation of the kitchen where the modules of Treverkchic stoneware and SistemC ceramic tiles serve as a contemporary “palette” for three-dimensional painting. As well as Marazzi, other top companies in Italian design helped to give form to the creativity of the exhibition's star artists: B&B Italia, Poliform, Persol, Martinelli Luce, Meridiani, Bticino, MDF Italia, Hodara Art Designer, Potocco, Gardesa and Teuco.