“Curiosity is the engine of progress.”  

Wise words spoken by Italian Architect Gaetano Pesce at Salone del Mobile 2023, the world’s largest furniture and design fair – an event with endless inspiration.  

Milan Design Week is an opportunity that brings the design community together to celebrate exceptional creativity and furniture design trends like no other. 

Here we join King Living Designers Zara Fong and Dominic Harrison behind-the-scenes as they explore Salone del Mobile and find inspiration and learnings to bring to their creative process.  

King Living Designers Zara Fong (left) and Dominic Harrison.

Atmosphere of creativity

With countless hours of preparation, the scene is one that brings a sense of permanence rather than the temporary nature of the event. 

“You don't feel like the stands are temporary. It's like a showroom. Some are multi-level. Some had real grass in their display,” Zara shared. “There is so much attention to detail, planning, and curation.” 

“It was so interesting to see how people interact with the products. How they try a sofa or use a table can really vary. Everyone is unique and comes from a range of industry backgrounds.” 

For Dominic, the event was a full sensory experience. 

“Consideration was given to all senses at the event, with many exhibitors implementing custom scents and soundscapes to entice visitors within their world.” Dominic shared. 

“Entering some stands, I had to double-take that I wasn’t inside someone’s house! It was a showcase of designers who are experts in curating ambience and mood within a space.” 

Inspiring colour choices and on-trend terracotta hues. 

Confidence in the use of colour

From colour block sofas and throws to pastels to bold brights, colour was seen all-around Salone del Mobile and across the Milan CBD. 

For our King Living Designers, a clear trend stand-out in colour was the use of orange shades, and particularly terracotta. 

“Terracotta appeared regularly across a range of materials. We saw full block colours, textures and patterns, with colour tones spanning from orange to terracotta and all the spectrums in between.” – Zara Fong 

Blue tones were also a popular choice – ranging from a dusty powder blue to cobalt blue. The city was truly alive with colour across the spectrum. 

“We saw a lot of dusty colour schemes with muted, earthy tones. Soft greys, dusty pinks, browns and creams created a warm and cozy atmosphere to escape the hustle and bustle of the crowd,” Dominic shared. 

“There were many bright, high contrast colours on display too. Electric orange, butterscotch yellow and ultramarine blue were used to create spaces with energy and joy.” 

The team even noted fabrics with iridescent or holographic fiber, further showing this year’s celebration and playfulness with colour in interiors. 

Multi-directional sofa spotted at Milan Design Week.

Flexibility and function

The continual trend of multi-functional and open-plan living spaces has also led to a rise in multi-directional designs. 

Sofas that support and explore flexibility in function so you can face in and out of the home and have varied uses performed at once were on the rise as a furniture design trend. 

“One side of the sofa could face a television and the other towards an outdoor view – offering the same level of comfort for either side,” Zara shared. 

“These styles used to be more regularly seen in public spaces where you would sit back-to-back – now we’re seeing them in open-plan homes and walk-in wardrobes." 

Multi-functional furniture was also a focus – designs that can be easily transformed into different configurations to meet modern lifestyle needs. 

“Furniture was arranged in many approaches – dining tables backed onto sofas for informal office work, clusters of small occasional tables you can move to do yoga or exercise, and sofas paired with dining tables to create comfortable dining booths.” - Dominic Harrison 

These features demonstrate the current desire for multi-purpose spaces, and furniture settings that serve more than one function. 

The beauty of timber furniture is always timeless.   

Sustainable furniture and innovation

Sustainable furniture and innovation are key drivers, with recycled materials and cutting-edge technologies being incorporated to create truly unique pieces. 

“In Milan we saw a range of exciting new materials, such as leather and upholstery foam made from mushrooms, wall tiles composed of salt, and innovative recycled plastics with fresh and elevated aesthetics.” - Dominic Harrison 

King Living Designers found that sustainable furniture and a focus on eco-friendly materials was part of many brand’s designs – whether that was better material choices or use of offcuts. Speaking with other designers, and people across the city the team noted a real awareness for the materials being produced. 

“It was great to see sustainability being strongly considered across the board,” Zara shared. “It’s clear that designers are incorporating these considerations into their design process.” 

By building in these considerations, designers are ensuring that better sustainability outcomes are achieved for every product – rather than only having a few products in their range that incorporate eco-friendly materials. 

“Sustainability is not just about swapping one material for another, but rather considering the impact of the product from the outset, from the moment design work begins.” Dominic shared 

“Our goal is to create products that contribute to an environmentally responsible world.” 

The beautiful city of Milan (left). King Living Designers explore Salone del Mobile (right). 

Inspiration and learnings

Each year the world of furniture and design descends on the city of Milan. 

Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile is an opportunity to find inspiration and embrace new furniture design trends and all the design industry has to offer. 

“Great design should enhance and simplify our lives,” Dominic shares. “We are inspired by furniture that is designed to look great and has the features that allows it to change form and function with the seasons or a change in style.” 

No matter the trend or season, attention to detail and the intersection between form, function and aesthetics will always be a successful design.  

The beauty of the event aside, King Living Designers have a few recommendations for your Milan coffee order, “Don’t try to order anything other than an espresso. If you do – it's likely to still come out as an espresso.” 

For more inspiration, explore the King Living Journal or learn about sustainable furniture design. 

Image Credit:

Courtesy Salone del Mobile.Milano and photo credits: AM Andrea Mariani (@baguray), AR Alessandro Russotti (@barabba_64), DR Diego Ravier (@diegoravier), LF Luca Fiammenghi, RS Ruggero Scardigno, LM Ludovica Mangini, FR, Courtesy FederlegnoArredo and photo credits: FR Francesco Rucci