What to expect from Salone del Mobile 2018

What does an over-the-top furniture fair in Italy’s fashion capital have to do with you, with me, with anyone we know? 

Well, I’ll tell you: In between the crush of loafer-clad gawkers and volumetric tons of prosecco, a practiced eye starts to pick up on industry news (did I hear “recession”?), material trends (marble: always a trend), and general inklings of what you, dear reader, have to look forward to on mass-market retailers’ shelves in the coming years. 

Here, we highlight a few salient design stories you can expect from this year’s edition of Salone del Mobile. —Kelsey Keith

Materials serving lewks

One thing we can always count on from Salone is materials galore—after all, dazzling new work has the prerogative of using outrageous and expensive materials designed to wow... before any manufacturer gets involved to talk actual production.