The entrance at i Saloni 2012 (Eurocucina) Photo by Alessandro Russotti – Courtesy Cosmit spa

The eyes of the design world were focused on the 51st edition of the Saloni ( 17th to 22nd April), which encompassed 2,700 Italian and foreign exhibitors at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, the SaloneSatellite and the biennial EuroCucina, International Kitchen Furniture Exhibition and the International Bathroom Exhibition.

During Eurocucina, Fiera Milano, 2012. Photo by Annalisa Cimmino – Courtesy Cosmit spa

In figures: 331,649 visitors overall. 292, 370 industry professionals (3.5% up on 2011). 188,579 foreign industry professionals making up 64.5% of the total (+5.9%), plus 103,791 Italian professionals (in line with last year’s results). In addition to the industry, 6,484 members of the press attended the 2012 Saloni, 5,725 of them from countries all over the world (outside of Italy). “These are exceptional results, especially given the prevailing bleak economic climate in the run-up to the Saloni.” said Cosmit’s President, Carlo Guglielm. “However, our minds are at ease not just by the figures, but particularly by the level of exhibitor satisfaction at the very real business opportunities and the excellent operator standards. The whole thing has been a tremendous success,  not just in quantitative terms. The events in the city promoting the culture of living also had a large part to play. Yet again the Saloni has proven itself not just as a business opportunity but as a vehicle for culture, with culture at the very heart of our city-wide events.”

Cosmit is reporting numbers up from 2011 Photo by Annalisa Cimmino – Courtesy Cosmit spa

FederlegnoArredo’s President, Roberto Snaidero, had this to say: “We are delighted with all that has been achieved. The results and the awareness that the Saloni generate just go to show how firmly they are established as a prime trigger for relaunching the Italian economy. We cannot lose sight, however,  of the fact that businesses are going through an extremely tough time, some of them forced to close down or make staff cuts. We must stress our solidarity with the families of all those employed in all our companies, conscious of the fact that businesses and employees are all pulling together to overcome this swingeing financial crisis.

SALONE MOBILE, DESIGN FAIR, MILANO, COSMIT, FIERA. Photo by Annalisa Cimmino – Courtesy Cosmit spa

Salone Internazionale del Mobile

Next month (April) will be the 51st anniversary of Saloni (Tuesday, April 17th., to Sunday, April 22nd.) – the largest and most important Furniture fair in the world. Every other year, as part of Saloni show, a portion of the fair is dedicated to Eurocucina – the largest and most important kitchen show (also bath and appliances) in the world. This will be the 19th. time Eurocucina is taking place and the 2nd. time it is joined by FTK – the Technology in The Kitchen section, with new technology, appliances and such.

The entrance to the exhibit space

The show organizers, Cosmit (Comitato Organizzatore del Salone del Mobile Italiano), are hoping for a big turnout this year. 2010 was the first year since the inception of Eurocucina, back in 1974, that the total number of visitors declined from the previous show (297,460, vs. 348, 452 in 2008). It was blamed on the world economy and the fact that many non-Europeans stayed home. Add to that the fact that 2010 was remembered for the Volcano eruption in Iceland, that trapped many of show attendees in Italy with no way to get back home and the declining economy in Europe and the organizers are keeping their fingers crossed…

Eurocucina 2012, at the Milan Fair

Our sources are telling us that several brands, such as Poggenpohl and Pedini, to name a few, have pulled out of the show and are doing something else this year. Poggenpohl chose to attend KBIS (Kitchen & Bath Industry Show) in the US and Pedini are having an In-House Fair instead, celebrating the grand opening of their new showroom in the factory.

2012 Saloni with Eurocucina

Saloni 2012  Figures

Place: Milan Fairgrounds, Rho

Date: 17th-22nd April 2012

Times: from 9.30am to 6.30pm. Open to sectoral operators only.  Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd April open to the public.

Salone Satellite: open to the public every day during the trade show from 9.30am to 6.30pm. Free entry.

Total exhibitors: 1.729 + 750 designers of SaloneSatellite

Net exhibition area: 209,000 square metres

Overall exhibition area: 530,000 square metres

EuroCucina

International Kitchen Furniture Exhibition

19th edition

Products on exhibit:  plastic laminate kitchens, wood kitchens, metal kitchens, lacquered kitchens, brick kitchens, furnishing accessories for kitchens.

Associations and sectoral bodies, newspapers, magazines  and sectorial publications.

Exhibitors: 130

Pavilions: 9-11-13-15

Net exhibition area: 27,000 square metres

Press Gallery: inside the Pavilions

Frequency: Biennial

It all started in 1939

Since then Vipp has grown into a large family offering a wide range of products. Today, the original bin is available in five sizes and has been joined by several new bathroom and kitchen products.

The kinship in the Vipp collection is unmistakable in both the choice of materials and style. The new products are manufactured using the characteristic Vipp materials, steel and rubber, enhancing Vipp’s more than 70-year-old tradition for excellent craftsmanship and durability.

More than 70 years of experience

Vipp’s experience lies within product design focusing on solid materials, mechanics and function

Now, some 80+ years later, Vipp is launching one of its most sensational product-developments with a radical reinterpretation of the kitchen.

Since the creation of the bin in 1939, Vipp has become synonymous with quality products for the kitchen and bathroom.

“Vipp’s experience lies within product design focusing on solid materials, mechanics and function. As a consequence we have chosen to design the Vipp kitchen as a product or rather as a piece of furniture. The result is a range of kitchen modules where choices have already been made based on a thorough knowledge of materials combined with an aesthetic opinion on what constitutes good design.” – chief designer in Vipp, Morten Bo Jensen.

“Like with the Vipp bin, we bring the industrial look into the home with the new kitchen – a solid product, standing to be used day after day.” - Morten Bo Jensen.

Different sizes can be combined and formed after individual needs.

Vipp’s more than 70 years of experience within processing of steel makes stainless steel an evident choice of material in the development of the Vipp kitchen.

“Like with the Vipp bin, we bring the industrial look into the home with the new kitchen – a solid product, standing to be used day after day.” – Morten Bo Jensen.

A range of modules in different sizes can be combined and formed after individual needs. The complete Vipp kitchen concept unfolds in every detail – even fixtures, drawer pulls and inserts, as well as gas knobs are developed in respect to Vipp’s design DNA injecting a functional and visual cohesiveness into the kitchen.

The Vipps Kitchen

The Vipp kitchen is sold in Vipp Flagship Store in Copenhagen.

The top European kitchen manufacturers are facing an ongoing dilemma – year after year, to come up with something new and exciting . The kitchen industry is really a fashion-driven business, and just like the clothing designers, kitchen manufacturers are doing whatever they can to  be different and to pioneer a new look, one that will set them apart and get them noticed.

One of the ways these manufactures are trying to stay original, in the last couple of years, is to use unique materials – not just wood, laminate, glass and lacquer anymore but stone, concrete, leather and even paper are showing up on the scene and we are not talking about the counter tops…

a courageous plan to use a new material derived from recycled paper, eco-friendly

. The PaperStone ® is a material made from fibers derived from recycled paper and resins not derived from petroleum.

A kitchen from Key Sbabo – the material derived from recycled, eco-friendly paper… PaperStone ® is composed of recycled paper fiber and non-petroleum-based resins. Meticulous attention has-been paid to details – even the sink is made of PaperStone ®

Kitchen design made in Tuscan

Leather doors and drawer faces, leather drawer sides...

How about an entire kitchen, made from marble and leather…? Why not…? Toncelli Cucine.

Sturdy, but light enough - not just the counters, but the entire kitchen!

Steininger Kitchen in concrete

Steininger – an entire kitchen made of ultra-thin concrete – light, strong and safe.

The companies who seem to be effected the most, by the world recession, are a few of the largest companies. Perhaps their sheer size, makes it so much harder to adjust to though times and make the unnecessary adjustments quickly.

If you look at the 10 largest European Companies, you can see the effect of the global economy – Nobia, the largest European kitchen group (at least in 2009), already sold off  Pronorm in 2010 and  is now reported to pull out their Poggenpohl brand from the up coming Eurocucina…

One other German industry giant – the Alno Group, is also reported to be in rough waters. The ever so needed capital, from new Swiss investor, Mr. Max Muller is hopefully going to help the company who has reportedly have gone through several changes in middle and upper management lately and allegedly is in the middle of a pending law suit by the previous CEO over compensation.

In Italy, the recent bankruptcy of the 50+ year old Salvarani and the rumors of many brands in financial difficulties have the industry in buzz…

It will be very interesting to see what the Milan Fair  and the Eurocucina show will look like next April. Rumor has it that Cosmit, who is the organizer of the show,  is working very hard on convincing companies to return to the show next year.