“iSaloni”, the most extensive and popular international furniture exhibition in Milan, Italy, will soon take place from April 18th to 23rd. Traditionally, it will feature several sections:

• “Salone Internazionale del Mobile” (International Furniture Accessories Exhibition)
• “Workplace3.0” (Analytical Center for identifying and understanding the necessary changes in the work environment)
• “S.Project,” dedicated to designing products and decorative technical solutions for interior design
• “EuroCucina” – kitchen furniture / “FTK” – kitchen equipment
• International Bathroom Exhibition
• “Euroluce” Lighting Exhibition
• “SaloneSatellite” showcasing young designers.

The organizers promise that this year’s exhibition will amaze participants and guests with many innovations and surprises. During the event, virtually the entire city of Milan transforms into a massive display of contemporary design. This exhibition is typical of interest and beneficial to everyone, including furniture and interior accessory manufacturers, architects, designers, decorators, interior retailers, distributors, exporters, and importers.

Among the “iSaloni” participants will be a group of Ukrainian furniture makers united under a national stand thanks to the support of the Ukrainian Embassy in Italy. Thus, Ukrainian companies will participate in the prestigious exhibition free of charge (except for the cost of creating their own exhibits). It is worth noting that among the Ukrainian participants in the Italian exhibition are members of the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers (UAFM) who, even during the tragic and challenging previous year, actively demonstrated their products at several international exhibitions, which helped to increase the number of foreign clients. It seems that this year, they have no intention of relinquishing their positions.

Ukrainian Design Brands supports Ukrainian designers and provides an opportunity for seven Ukrainian brands to showcase their innovative and exciting products that collectively embody Ukraine’s identity and distinctive aesthetics, blending familiar materials and traditional crafting techniques, rich cultural heritage, and dynamic modernity. Among the featured exhibitors are NOOM, DONNA, Woo, Kassone “Panoptikum Collections”, llab.design, Tivoli, and Mebus.

Mirt and Diza companies will have a separate stand.

Each of the brands showcases a wide range of unique and innovative designs with high-quality manufacturing and attention to detail. Their captivating products are united in the way they illustrate feelings of freedom, courage, and beauty, making the exhibition an excellent representation of the country’s design scene.

Natalia Donchenko, co-owner of the company “DONNA,” said:

“Our participation in the iSaloni exhibition will be our first, premiere experience. Therefore, it is a particularly responsible mission for us. We are also honoured to be among the group of colleagues with whom we will create a national stand for the Ukrainian furniture industry.

However, the Italian exhibition is not our first this year. We have already visited two professional exhibitions in Paris, including “Maison & Objet,” and were very pleased with the attention given to furniture made by Ukrainian manufacturers, as well as the high rating that visitors gave to the design and quality of our products.

At iSaloni, we will showcase some of our own furniture collections, which are, without exaggeration, our pride and joy, as they were created in collaboration with top Ukrainian designers. Specifically, we will present our very popular RAFT sofa (designed by Denis Sokolov) and the equally interesting Suminagashi table in Japanese style (designed by Valery Kuznetsov). By the way, one of the goals of our company’s participation in the mega-popular Italian exhibition is to connect with foreign industrial designers for possible cooperation with our company, as we intend to actively expand the range of furniture in our own collections.”

 

Boris Piliypenko, the founder and current director of the furniture workshop “Kassone,” says:

“In terms of exhibitions, March was an active month for us, as we participated in the Brussels design exhibition ‘Collectible,’ which has gained popularity throughout Europe over the past few years. However, April is even busier for us, as we prepare for the powerful international forum, the Milan exhibition ‘iSaloni.’ This will also be our first time exhibiting our furniture, so we feel an even greater responsibility to present ourselves in the best possible way. We hope that our Italian premiere will be memorable not only for us but also for those visitors to the exhibition who will see what we are capable of.

Unlike the Brussels exhibition, our participation in the Italian exhibition will be free, and we will bring furniture from our new collection. We showcased these pieces in Belgium in March but in a slightly different form.

After ‘iSaloni,’ we plan to take a break from exhibitions, but not until next year. In the fall, we plan to participate in the Paris exhibition ‘Maison & Objet.'”

 

Katerina Sokolova, the co-founder of the brand “NOOM“, said:

“We are participating for the first time in such a reputable European exhibition as iSaloni. However, this is not our first Milan Design Week overall. Like many of our colleagues, iSaloni is also not the first exhibition we attend this year. We have already met some brands in Paris at Maison & Objet and in Brussels at Collectible.

Some exhibits – such as the Flock chair and Freyja coffee tables – are the same as those displayed at previous exhibitions, while others, such as the Paul table and Lake mirrors, have been updated with different materials, such as marble.

For an export-oriented company like ours (95% of our production is exported), active exhibition activity is natural. Therefore, the April Milan exhibition will not be the last for us this year – we will participate in other exhibitions in London. We participate not only in commercial exhibitions but also in designer and other image-building public events to demonstrate our creative capabilities and make a more comprehensive statement about ourselves.

Alexander Yushchenko, owner of the company “MIRT”.

“A week ago, we unexpectedly “jumped into the last wagon” to ISaloni – received a separate stand at the world’s largest furniture design event. In fact, I was already travelling from Kyiv to Europe to organize the purchase of 20 cars for the Armed Forces – by the way, many furniture makers and designers, especially Dmitry Timoshenko (owner of the company “LTL”), take an active part in this, but this should be a separate article about our patriots… So, there was almost no time for preparation – only 7 days before the cars were sent out for installation. The only option was to assemble an exhibition of products that we had already presented at previous exhibitions – our new collection of doors, a set of furniture for the negotiation room, and window structures. I also invited my friend Dmitry Zanko to join me, who will present a sofa, chairs and tables from the new DIZA collection.

In addition to promoting domestic products, as always, we do not forget about our humanitarian mission. This time, together with the “Hope Ukraine” foundation and its President Marco Toson, we are organizing a charity exhibition-auction of paintings by Valery Zaluzhny signed with markets. All the funds raised will go to humanitarian aid for those affected by the war with the Muscovites.