Words The Kanto Team
Images Patrick Kasingsing
The 62nd Salone Del Mobile, the third live edition since the pandemic, roared into being last April 15 at the Rho Fiera Milano. Expecting to draw over 300,000 visitors from Italy and the world, the wraps were taken off the latest and greatest of each of the nearly 2000 global exhibitors.
Of the 36 listed nations that participated, eight hailed from Asia: India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, and, while not formally listed, The Philippines, with Kenneth Cobonpue flying solo for the country. A quick survey of the participating nations’ booths revealed varying degrees of booth sizes and production values, while a majority of the ASEAN nations played hard to their strengths with a distinctive tropical flavor for their corners of Rho Fiera Milano.
The largest Asian booths were from Japan and easily one of the more popular haunts judging from the packed interiors of contemporary Japanese design practitioners Karimoku Case and Ritzwell, among others. The two pavilions are polar opposites in terms of booth design, with Karimoku finished in dark wood tones and low-slung ceilings imbuing both intimacy and warmth (a plus from the frigid temperatures outside Rho Fiera Milano). Ritzwell lays bare its minimalist Japanese DNA with white walls and wood posts that give their beautifully uncomplicated pieces room to shine.
Another noteworthy Japanese presence is Nagano Interior, with its sheer curtain walls and flying chairs that demonstrate the brand’s celebration of craft. Fukuoka-based Look into Nature/ADAL’s booth is a handsome showcase of curved corners and undulating forms that seem to echo the nature-inspired silhouette of their award-winning Sakyu chair by Michael Geldmacher.
Kenneth Cobonpue’s sizable presence at the Salone gave him the corner space necessary to banner his illustrious practice’s new collections, like the playful “Llama” storage and display solution, the mesmerizing Curio collection, inspired by 18th-century curio cabinets featuring otherworldly blooms and creatures within woven enclosures. Iconic creations such as Bloom and the Peacock Easy Chairs cap off a decisive showing by the Filipino furniture maestro. Alas, he flies the flag solo this year in terms of studio presence; we see the great value (though understandably with considerable expense and logistical tribulations) for more local furniture brands to show at the Salone with its heavy foot traffic and the global exposure it brings. To note, The Philippines has sponsored representation under the Design Philippines banner previously in 2013 and 2017 at the Salone.
Curio collection Cobonpue classics on display
Showcasing his design prowess in two different brand booths, Milan-based Filipino designer Michael Vincent Uy penned the fan-inspired Ventaglio collection for Italian bathroom brand Gessi.
Ventaglio collection for Gessi Gessi display
The Flute doorknob by Uy for Olivari was inspired by champagne glasses and “its timeless and refined shape.” Uy now joins the long list of architectural luminaries, including OMA, Herzog and De Meuron, and Steven Holl, whom the 113-year-old brand has invited to design door handles.
Michael Vincent Uy’s Flute door handle Olivari’s door handle maestros
Perhaps a solution to the cost and logistics debacle comes in the form of shared booth space, as in the case of Indonesia and Thailand. The double-height booth of Host & Home Thailand plays, well, host and home to thirteen brands, organized and enabled by the nation’s Department of International Trade Promotion under the Ministry of Commerce. The brands are offered little alcoves demarcated by dramatic scarlet curtains. Most of the offerings had a distinctly tropical flavor with lots of weaves and outdoor-ready pieces.
Indonesia’s open-plan Salone booth, meanwhile, is brimmed with the archipelago’s diverse cultures, with modern takes on batik and contemporary lines injected with Indonesian cultural motifs. A whopping 17 brands shared the space, which appears to have been organized in conjunction with Indonesia’s tourism board, whose branding prominently figures.
We cap out our quick Asian survey of the Salone with Vietnam’s District Eight, whom we had the honor of featuring back in our brand’s early days. The Ho Chi Minh City-based studio created the handsome setup of dark-stained wood panels and bamboo blinds, which brought a stable of international collaborators for its “…collective quest to interpret Vietnamese contemporary design.” Highlights include the Lodge chair by French designer Jean-Marie Massaud, the stilt-like Inumbra shelving system by Italian architect Michele de Lucchi, and the Stilt armchair and Joss sofa of Toan Nguyen.
The Salone is not without a shortage of beautiful and innovative designs, but it could benefit from more international representation from the East as a platform that attracts designers and tastemakers from all over the world. Asian brands could likewise make the most of the product and media mileage the prestigious event garners with a presence there, perhaps with a little help from the government, as shown by the Thailand and Indonesia examples.
Still, this year’s edition appears to have been a large success based on face value and foot traffic alone; it has returned to its full scale, occupying all 20 pavilions of the Fiera from the downscaled, pandemic-addled editions before it. The fair has also made great strides with its events and content programming, which is more values-based than aesthetics-driven and with a layout that’s more inclusive and human-centric in its implementation. As another edition of the Isaloni winds to a fantastic finish, we look forward to next year’s edition with promise and anticipation! Grazie e a presto, Isaloni! •
