Last week, a screenshot of an editor’s schedule for this year’s Salone del Mobile, in Milan, circulated on X. It listed cocktail parties hosted by Gucci, Etro, Fendi, and Hermès. One comment read, “Isn’t this a design fair?”
Since its inception, in 1961, the fair has been an annual pilgrimage for designers. Cutting-edge objects draw editors, architects, and other experts to opulent palazzos and warehouses, with deep-pocketed collectors following suit. This year, the Italian furniture retailer Artemest took over the frescoed 19th-century Palazzo Donizetti, while Alcova—a platform for emerging designers—occupied the postmodern designer Osvaldo Borsani’s 1945 home, Villa Borsani, the private 16th-century museum, Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, and the former SNIA factory.
