Having just returned from the Milan Trade Fair it’s an ideal opportunity to provide readers with an up to date insight into the latest products and trends in the world of furnishing. This year celebrating 50 years in existence, the Milan Fair every April is recognised as the world’s leading event for furnishing held in the global capital of style. The convergence on Milan this year from 12 – 17th April was yet again so great that even the controversially high prices for hotel accommodation unapologetically sustained themselves and the city was thronged with design and furnishing ‘tourists’. There’s no doubt that the inspirational blend of culture, architecture and art are a tremendous backdrop for a fair visit where even a cappuccino on a street café is served with a panache which seems to transcend right the way through to industrial production and how the wares at the trade fair are presented. As a Milan focus and frenzy this trade fair is only equalled by the fashion week in September.

However strong trends do not emerge or change as quickly in furnishing as they do in clothing fashion. This is not just because of the nature of industrial production’s response time but because in my (biased) view the depth and integrity of good design which is leading the way in furnishing is enduring and not vulnerable to the idiosyncratic notions of a few who create seasonal changes necessary to perpetuate the strong marketing that we see in fashion.

The brand new purpose built fair grounds at Rho North-West of the city has 20 halls (each about the size of the Odyssey’s main arena) which lead off a central spine or mall which itself is covered sporadically with dynamic architecture of sweeping glass roofs providing at times a pleasing uncertainty of whether one is indoors or outdoors. The mall is a constant sea of people all heading to view what’s new on their existing supplier’s stands and perhaps review a newcomer. Each year the i Saloni – to give it its correct name, runs concurrently and alternates with either Cuccini (Kitchens) or Euroluce (Lighting) and 2011 was the turn of the lighting. The Euroluce lighting exhibition took up about 4 halls and the remainder are divided up into classic, modern and design and the design halls which is my own interest have more than enough to be reviewed in a short 3-day visit. These 4 halls are of great interest to those of us who provide a total package of furniture, fabric and lighting with the common thread being design because they include several complimentary items such as fabrics, accessories etc.

Trends – Fabrics

In window furnishing fabrics there was no doubt that experimentation was the theme this year and the voile effect achieved by acid burn-outs stencil style has been taken to another level by adding new techniques for crumpling, introduction of metal content – which provides shimmer and even openings which create a pocket effect. All very subtle but colour choice still available within these creations. Some fabrics for example for window blinds even within the same colour have a choice of 5, 10 or 20% density providing a variation in effect and solar control. The leaders in this would be Kinnasand and Silent Gliss. In upholstery fabrics the top design-led manufacturers who make their own seating have always been careful not to have a busy pattern disguise the elegance and simplicity of the form of their sofas but there is an emerging trend for more texture but that which is practical in wear terms combined with a multi-threaded look which is plain – but not plain. The UK Martindale test is still the recognised wearability test which can be found on most fabric labels. As an upholstery covering leather was showed off in a way which reminded us that because it gets its colour from dye it has endless…