Back from Salone!

Back in Beirut and it smells great! Spring here is perfect. But I can’t wait to share all my thoughts about Salone with you. So here we go:

This year, you couldn’t move without being reminded of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. I don’t know if it’s the Mad Men effect or what, but everywhere was decorated in vibrant 50’s and 70’s colours, with a lot of lighter pastels mixed in for good measure. There was a lot of lacquer around too, proving that furniture trends can last more than a single year.

Vanlian got it pretty right too. Our Beyond collection was displayed in a room inspired by a 1970’s diva stuck in space, carrying her memories with her to the modern age and beyond! No doubt she felt right at home among all the 70’s colours and patterns at this year’s Salone.

But things didn’t stop with the tendency for recreated 50’s furniture. Collections travelled even further back in time, the older the better. A lot of designers showed off a very rough, vintage look, using a lot of exposed wood and unfinished surfaces to create a jagged, but very cool, retro feel.

Again, we fitted right in. Globe trekker was inspired by and created as a tribute to luxury travellers of the early 20th century. The result was a much more calming, peaceful collection but we made good use of the beautifully textured wood that was so present elsewhere at Salone.

My favourite show rooms belonged to Bacarat, Boffi Kitchens and Bathroms, Tom Dixon,and Rosana Orlandi.

For more pictures from Salone and to know what I thought about this year’s show and design in generally, be sure to check out my Twitter and Facebook pages.