Salone del Mobile.Milano is back for their 60th edition from 7 to 12 June. Expect a full schedule of events and exhibitions centred around the fulcrum of innovation, beauty and, now more than ever, sustainability – including a groundbreaking installation by architect Mario Cucinella, Design with Nature.

Happening at Fiera Milano Rho, this edition of the Salone seeks to reflect the ongoing ecological transition of the furnishing system – an ever-quickening pace toward ethical design:

“The Salone firmly believes in the need for a real and immediate ecological transformation, which is why it has decided to be an accelerator of ethical and virtuous behaviours, investing in a large project curated by the architect Mario Cucinella. Companies and creatives will be able to physically touch alternative materials that are already a reality and let themselves be inspired by a vision of urban areas as potential “mines” of raw materials and reflect on the function of our homes as cells that make up a more complex organism: the city. The sustainability of the event is the competitive lever on which we want to focus with honesty, commitment, and transparency,” says the President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, Maria Porro.

Mario’s Design with Nature installation will cover 1400 sqm and illustrate a ‘virtuous ecosystem’ – a microexpression of the cellular homes that make up the macro: the city. In line with the theme, it will be dismantled, reused, and recycled following the Salone.

Exhibitors, stand designers and builders have been provided with a series of guidelines to ensure builds adhere to basic sustainability criteria, while further suggestions call for the employment of reusables, FSC/PEFFC-certified materials and those with a low environmental impact. ‘Adaptability’ and ‘disassembly for reuse’ are the cardinal principles for component choice – a nod to the need to always consider the inevitable afterlife of materials.

This year’s edition will host more than 2000 exhibitors, including over 600 young designers under 35, all of whom are set to express their own identities as guided by the theme Designing for our Future Selves. The theme is an invitation to reflect on inclusive design that fosters autonomy, a sense of safety, fluidity, functionality, interrelation and comfort.

For more information, visit salonemilano.it.

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In 2014, Cape Town-based industrial designer Martin Doller was selected to be part of SaloneSatellite, an exhibition hosted as part of the Salone del Mobile furniture fair in Milan. Intended to bring together promising young designers from all over the world, the initiative is a three-year programme that gives emerging creatives an opportunity to exhibit alongside the world’s biggest brands and leading designers.

This year was Martin’s second time on show. We caught up with him just before he jetted off to Milan.

Tell us about the concept you presented?

I developed a woven web-like structure using faceted crystal beads. Delicate spider webs covered in dew sparkling in the morning sun inspired the idea. I experimented with different weaves to create an intricate crystal web comprising different geometric patterns, which reference traditional African beading patterns. The web was then externally illuminated.

How does that work?

I didn’t want to complicate the see-through structure with piping, cabling or light bulbs, so a spotlight in the ceiling-mounted base illuminates it. The downward beam of light is refracted by the crystals, creating the illusion of a suspended structure that magically glows.

It must be expensive to exhibit in Milan…

The cost of getting my exhibition to the fair is astronomical. The Department of Trade and Industry through its export funding programmes has been incredibly supportive. Without it, the exposure on the international design stage would not be possible. I have a lot to thank them for.

For more information about Martin, visit martindoller.com.

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