April 21, 2023, 1:35 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Curves, Marble and Teddy Fabric: At the Salone del Mobile, the Milan design fair, this year’s trends are all about comfort.
For the 61st time, the Milan Design Fair, the Salone del Mobile, has opened its doors (April 18-23, 2023). Nearly 2,000 brands from around the world are showcasing their latest furniture designs. In 2023, the focus of the Salone del Mobile is primarily on furniture that invites comfort—especially in uncertain times.
Furniture for Cuddling
Soft bouclé fabric is the big trend for seating furniture. It evokes the feel of a well-loved teddy bear that may no longer be as fluffy-soft as it once was—but instead conveys a sense of familiar closeness.
The plush textiles “satisfy our longing for security in these quite uncertain times,” explains trend analyst Gabriela Kaiser. “The cozy feel is also a counter-movement to all the clean, super-smooth surfaces that surround us daily through our tech equipment like smartphones and more.”
In addition to plush, bouclé, and similar fabrics, larger trends include loops, knots, and braids. Hardly any furniture maker offers covers without these features, and almost no stand in Milan was without a corresponding showpiece—whether Versace Home Collections, Porada, Minotti, or Kare, to name just a few.
Color-wise, things remain gentle. A large number of sofas and armchairs are in eggshell white or very light beige, with the occasional appearance of light brown—a classic teddy bear color. Chairs feature more mottled color structures, even in bright tones.
Incidentally, the tactile feel these pieces of furniture provide is often supported by their shape. The seating furniture is predominantly rounded. Armchairs often seem as if they are spreading their arms and backs for a hug. “A simple form in which the body is warmly received,” says Naoto Fukasawa about his new Cinnamon armchair for Molteni&C.
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Furniture That Conveys Stability
Another observation with sofas and armchairs: Recently, manufacturers often placed them on thin legs—making them appear to float above the ground. Now, the legs are missing or so short that dust, but not a vacuum cleaner, can fit underneath. Even some sofa names seem to suggest a certain security, such as Zanotta’s new model with the English name “Bumper.”
Tables also exude steadfastness: Their legs resemble elephant feet, bridge piers, or mountain ranges. So sturdy, so stable. This contrasts with the ideas from a few years ago when furniture designers were eager to create large tables that could stand on very thin legs. Now, they increasingly focus on solid table legs that emphasize: This is where weight is supported. This is also a result of the current zeitgeist, according to trend researcher Gabriela Kaiser. “The thicker legs literally give us stable security.”
The furniture is also inspired by symbols and institutions that signify permanence. For example, the wide base of the Mateo table by Molteni&C represents the nearly 90-year history of the Italian heritage company, according to Creative Director Vincent Van Duysen. Like roots deeply anchored, supporting future development.
Notably, many new introductions from recent years are now being expanded into series. For instance, the German designer duo Kaschkasch is adding coffee tables with conical legs to the P.O.V. dining table for the furniture maker TON, and the Tadao table by Draenert is getting alternative stone legs.
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Furniture with Marble
New dining and side tables, and often also dressers, feature sturdy marble or other stone tops. Like many trends, this development took a few years. It started with small side and coffee tables, which were increasingly grouped from various materials.
Alongside wood, glass, and plastic, stone was also included. It transitioned to dining tables and has now reached all furniture with surfaces for working and placing items. This is apparently so well-received that not only new introductions feature the often highly structured stone, but also popular design classics like the Bell Table by Sebastian Herkner for ClassiCon are now being released in marble versions.
With material from dpa