On the eve of the Salone del Mobile, we interviewed President Maria Porro to hear about the new edition, the overall vision, the prospects related to strengthening the expansion policy towards the United States, new markets, and the recent agreement on widespread sustainability policy. In addition, there is a look at Milan, which is the epicenter of these changes, also in relation to the world of the Fuori Salone.
Luca Molinari
In the last three years, following the pandemic, the Salone has been undergoing a very interesting metamorphosis. Some points of this change can be traced in the increased dialogue with design cultures, in the desire to transform exhibition spaces into community places where people can engage, converse, and “be.” Additionally, there is a growing passion for environmental policies marked by an increasing sensitivity to sustainability. Can you tell us about this metamorphosis and the reasons driving it?
Maria Porro
First and foremost, we come from the pandemic – a term that some no longer wish to mention – and thus from a time that forced certain processes that were already underway and perhaps highlighted or emphasized certain critical points and strengths of the so-called “major events.” For us, it was essential to try to understand what the evolutionary model of a major event like the Salone del Mobile could be. In studying this growth model, digital plays a very important role when it is fully integrated, serving and supporting the real, physical world.
We work with the idea that the encounter between the public and the real-physical-spatial dimension of the Salone is realized in the best possible way. We do this by creating community spaces within a fair that exhibits both products and brands, precisely to give even more value to the experience of living in a unit of place, time, and space. At the same time, we use digital means to communicate the Salone not only during its opening period but also to narrate what happens at the Salone 365 days a year.
Therefore, with this spirit, we have created physical occasions scattered around the world, especially concentrated in North America, to promote and showcase the Salone del Mobile, Salone Week, and what happens in Milan with the support of the companies that create it. This allows us to reach a high-quality audience of visitors and exhibitors. The Salone is the container of design and furnishing proposals at their highest level of quality in terms of design, production process, and offerings. This container is increasingly international because we now see a percentage of 70-30% between Italian and foreign exhibiting companies. If we then look at the visitors, the proportion is reversed; we register about 70% of foreign visitors and the remaining percentage of Italians. The Salone is truly a meeting place for the international design community. How do we keep this community alive when they come to Milan? We can do this by telling the Salone’s story abroad and thus engaging and involving young architects, new designers, and important players in the contract world, inviting them to come to Milan and telling them what the Salone will be like in the future.
This evolutionary model places the specific layout of the Salone, that is, its architectural and urban nature, at the center, while also emphasizing our commitment to sustainability. We cannot deny that major events (due to the way they are conceived) can consume many resources. The Salone responds to this actively through obtaining certifications: global compact first, and by inserting ourselves into an international framework, we have obtained ISO 2012 certification: the European certification for sustainable events that allows for the presence of an external auditor who measures, checks, and verifies that what we do is correct and that it is on a trajectory of continuous improvement.
For these reasons, we establish guidelines that concern the setups, knowing that sustainability is not limited to a problem solvable only by choosing one material over another. For example, by ensuring the same proportion of spaces for the same exhibitor, we give the exhibitor the opportunity to reuse their stand for multiple years. This policy ensures the quality of the work of those who do the assembly and disassembly of the stands. So, everything falls within an understanding of work that can be defined as holistic: for us, this is an essential and fundamental step.
L.M.
Going to the Salone del Mobile (as it happens with the openings of biennials) means joining a community that renews itself every year and grows bigger, and has grown enormously. There is also the whole world of luxury that has somehow elected the Salone del Mobile as a moment to represent itself. It is often said that at the Salone there is too much and that it is difficult to focus on anything. And this is also caused by the dualism that I know you are working on, between the Fuori Salone and the Salone. How are you moving in this direction?
M.P.
It’s a beautiful question. What happens within the boundaries of Rho is very clear, and above all, it has very clear governance with very clear rules. The beauty of what happens outside is the reason why the Fuori Salone was born: freedom, the self-generation of events and opportunities that go beyond the rules canonized by the Fair and that offered and offer the possibility to the same brands that are in the Fair to speak another language, reaching another type of audience, taking liberties. As you rightly said, this is a great opportunity for brands from other sectors to present themselves to the world and come to light in a context that suits them precisely because the quality of the audience is so high that it constitutes a unique opportunity for everyone.
This not only creates opportunities, added value, and contaminations but also intrinsic risks that, in our opinion, must be at least considered and governed. The work we are doing is precisely to try to start from the analysis of what “this week” means. We are understanding this together with the Politecnico, the Municipality of Milan, and all the stakeholders involved. They are helping us to measure the events because only through analysis and measurement can they be understood and then draw guidelines and strategies for future projects. The intention is to work on a “permanent observatory”. The focus, therefore, is not to obtain a measurement for the year 2024 alone (as if it were a photographic snapshot), but to work in progress.
L.M.
I greatly appreciate the fact that already last year you had implemented with Beppe Finessi, with Formafantasma and others, the idea of defining spaces that were physically recognizable as containers of design culture; places to be, like a square, a bookshop; places united by having a very clear physical identity. This clearly indicates a direction that you are further strengthening this year.
M.P.
These spaces continue to exist. That wonderful square in relation to the bookstore is also there this year, and the idea is, working within the boundaries of the Fair this time, that these spaces that last year were concentrated on Euroluce will be present in all the pavilions this year. For example, we will have the large arena designed by Formafantasma, which in a sustainability perspective will use recycled, refurbished, repositioned furnishings. The bookstore is the same and we are very happy that it is the same. In the two EuroCucina pavilions, we have prepared a large square made up of two symmetrical squares, where a large installation will be presented: a place where every day a food design studio together with an independent magazine will showcase their idea of food design in collaboration with an invited artist. This idea is very fun because every day will be different from the other, and the same food design studios that we have selected (which are a bit of the avant-garde of cuisine) can be of great inspiration even for those in the kitchen design field. For example, in this space, chefs will have the opportunity to change the lighting set depending on the dish prepared. In addition to this, the involvement of artists will provide a different perspective on the theme of food. This is how we build that avant-garde dimension that I believe is the only way to add value to what the brands already tell. Then there will be a large space dedicated to David Lynch who will curate two very small rooms, “two rooms of thought” (as he called them), created with the contribution of the scenographers of the Piccolo Teatro. In the bathroom pavilions, there is a space curated by Salotto NY (Accurat, Design Group Italia, Emiliano Ponzi): an immersive installation with a great emotional impact capable of effectively telling the numbers related to the bathroom industry, the theme of water saving, and product design. One will wonder, for example, how a faucet can be designed to reduce water consumption, or how the design of a faucet can change the behavior of us who open that device every day to wash, etc. And then a look at the production process. We all know that chroming, which is the typical finish of everything in the bathroom environment, is a production process that has a huge environmental impact, as well as being subject to a huge consumption of water resources. So what are the new frontiers in this regard? Within this aquatic world where the visitor will have the opportunity to walk and relax, all these themes will be indicated and told.
L.M.
It’s interesting to see how you have somehow decided to abandon the logic of “square meters” to give the public set-up spaces, more free and to “inhabit.” These are stimulating spaces for the companies involved and for the public that frequents them: they become play spaces. Playing means knowing, entering into discussion, stepping out of the comfort zone, entering into something that unsettles, and that gives a reason to return. Regarding the public, what does it mean to work on “quality public”? Because I imagine it’s not just about big spenders, but it admits a wide audience of designers, even students.
M.P.
Students are very important to me; they are the future. The opening day dedicated to students is Friday, which is still a trade day: so the student does not come to the Fair on Saturday or Sunday when it’s open to the public. Architecture and design students can visit the fair on the trade day, in the world they will have relationships with in the future when they will be professionals, and reading it from this perspective, this dynamic I think is very interesting. This year we did an international tour that touched practically all continents. We went back to China in Shanghai, to Berlin, to Copenhagen; we were in London, in Paris; we toured most of the United States (last year we were in Los Angeles) from Miami to Texas (the latter very interesting today for the world of design) to New York and Chicago; we touched Canada. I went to India and now I will go to Korea and then to Japan and Spain. In short, we toured the whole world by holding press conferences with design ambassadors from Grcic, Nichetto to De Lucchi, speaking not only to the press but also working with the category associations of interior designers and architects. For example, in the United States, we cultivated contacts with architects registered with the AIA, in order to involve them. Then, of course, there are the buyers who are a body of the public that has rooted itself over time in an important way. Today’s challenge is to work on architects, contractors, and major players in the real estate world. These are the people we involved in this international tour. We strongly wanted to speak to them in their places.
L.M.
What has emerged from this important work internationally? Have you had any surprises, provocative insights, or interesting feedback? Because the press conference is not only a moment to say things but to receive things.
M.P.
It’s true, questions often help you understand and verify what you’re doing. Often in press conferences, like the one in February, there is no way to tell all the content, but we start by telling a general approach. Only later, with things completed, the staff tries to understand the reactions: the journalists we had in front of us went to Euroluce, saw Euroluce, appreciated Euroluce. But do they understand what we are doing? The very interesting thing that emerged is that Euroluce was greatly appreciated and so were the innovations we are carrying out. This gives us the strength to say that the direction we have taken is correct both for the work we are doing with the Politecnico on the measurement of events, and for the essentiality of giving life to continuous dialogue tables with the organizers of the Fuori Salone.
L.M.
Let’s go back to the theme of squares and meeting-space places. The Satellite celebrates its anniversary this year: it’s 25 years old. It was a crazy intuition to bring very young people, schools, immediately into the world of the Salone. What does it mean to celebrate the Satellite and how will you do it?
M.P.
I must say that when I used to visit my father’s stand at Porro as a young girl, my dad would take me and say, “Let’s go to the Satellite.” For me, it has always been a beautiful thing because there were young people there – and there are still young people – along with their schools. I have a very strong memory of those moments when, at 16 or 17, I discovered this incredible world of talented and young individuals. On the other hand, my entrepreneurial father would say, “Let’s put this to work.” That’s the strength of the Satellite, a space dedicated to young designers within the most important trade event in the sector; it’s a real operational stage, a workspace. Getting there means passing the selection of a jury with Marva Griffin, who, being the founder of the Satellite, has an incredible experience, eye, and ability to see. As you said, this year we celebrate the 25 years of the Satellite, and we do it at Triennale, in the place where design is talked about all year round. I think this is a wonderful thing, indeed beautiful. Additionally, this year we have decided to reduce the ticket price: the Satellite is free and furthermore, the ticket price for the Salone in Fiera for students is reduced to 15 euros. We think this is very important.
L.M.
There is also a sense of hope in what you’re saying. A designer needs to feel welcomed, and if they are welcomed in that place, the Satellite, it’s as if they’ve already made a fundamental step for their career: they’re presenting themselves as young professionals.
M.P.
We always talk about this aspect with Marva. Indeed, more and more, young people come with their own press kits, with small catalogs that are often graphic masterpieces. The way the stands are set up is also interesting. The fact that all the stands are equal in proportions sets a sort of great democracy, allowing everyone, regardless of geographic origin or even economic possibilities (because we certainly realize it’s a considerable effort from this point of view), to have the opportunity to “shine.” Many of the 14 thousand youngsters who have passed through the Satellite (and that’s an impressive number) are now established names in design, entrepreneurs, founders of companies. At the Satellite, we also thought of a square: a meeting place. Last year we had Gaetano Pesce who gave a beautiful lecture. This year there will be another “great sage” of design. There, at the Satellite, that’s where design is.
L.M.
We’re talking about the audience, the Fair, and we haven’t yet talked about design, which is the reason why all this happens. It’s interesting to note how design, on one hand, has now internalized sustainability issues at all levels also because its audience is changing. The theme of sustainability is foremost in the minds of buyers. From your perspective, from your family and personal history, but also from those governing all of this, how do you perceive these tensions, the urgencies of a world that needs to change?
M.P.
It’s a very broad topic, and it’s a topic that changes depending on geographical locations and production models. If I think about the Italian furniture system (now I deliberately use the word “furniture” and not “design”), it’s a sector that is heavily manufacturing-oriented, unlike other systems in other parts of the world (but also European ones): here companies function as manufacturing hubs. This great transformation passes through us, especially through the product because having production in Italy and in Europe, I tend to take everything concerning the social responsibility of companies for granted. A recent study came out mentioning how in Italy there is one of the highest wage gaps in Europe, which contradicts what I just said. Change goes through the production system, and we’re on the right track. For example, we did this nice survey with Federlegno that shows how Italian furniture production and the entire wood supply chain are among the most sustainable in Europe. We are very advanced in terms of, for example, the sourcing of sustainable energies and also regarding the recycling of wood raw material. It’s also clear that when we analyze upholstered furniture, there is a material issue there. Another interesting thing is to see how the furniture sector, the brands, the companies, are on average smaller than raw material suppliers. So, the power of change is reversed compared to the fashion world, where instead the “big” brand can say to the supplier “either you do this or you don’t work with me anymore.” So it’s very important to create a system; it’s very important that the requests for change or for certified raw materials, or for new, innovative raw materials, come from the entire sector. It’s the same sector saying “we need this.” Then there’s the whole issue of certifications that are not harmonized at the European level. Let alone outside European borders: if I go to California, they ask for a certain type of emissions for formaldehyde products; in Germany, there’s another rule, certain countries in Southeast Asia have their own regulations. China has stringent rules at the entrance, so now sustainability has become a way to block goods from entering: a form of protectionism. But maybe we can turn this to our advantage. Aren’t we perhaps the country with the best furniture and design production, the one that expresses the highest quality and durability of the product? On the other hand, there’s also the model of a very strong circularity of the product’s life: I don’t care how long it lasts, but I care that I can use it and then put it in a “grinder” and that what comes out of the grinder can transform it. This is an incredible challenge that confronts us with investments in terms of production, with the need to create a system so that innovations in terms of raw materials become accessible and have the right price. Great designers have always had the intelligence to design things to be disassembled, replaceable, and durable. We need to recover this great quality, which is also the hallmark and school, not only Italian but also of the great examples of international design.
L.M.
And what can the Salone do in this regard?
M.P.
The Salone can offer the best visibility to those who follow a coherent path and can try to stimulate debate in public places also around these issues, providing information starting from numbers. That’s the sense of what we do with the installation curated by Salotto NY. The large installation helps the playful aspect, but it makes you think and gives presence to the substance of the studies we are carrying out. I see it as a great opportunity, but it needs to be taken very seriously. Design here is truly the sector that can speak out strongly enough to influence other sectors.
L.M.
Also symbolically?
M.P.
Yes.
Text by Luca Molinari
Captions and Photo credit (from top to bottom)
– Cover, Maria Porro Portrait – photo by Guido Stazzoni
– Maria Porro Portrait – photo by Guido Stazzoni
– EuroCucina | Sketch new layout | Courtesy of Lombardini22
– Biennials | Sketch new layout | Courtesy of Lombardini22
– Project rendering “All You Have Ever Wanted to Know About Food Design in Six Performances” | EuroCucina | Courtesy of Lombardini22
– Project rendering “Under the Surface” | Salone Internazionale del Bagno | Courtesy of Salotto NY
– Lost and Roll | Photographic project for Il Salone del Mobile. Milano 2023 | Ph. Gianluca Vassallo
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