Highlights of Milan's Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2015

This year Milan is positioning itself at the forefront of international design. As well as hosting Expo 2015 - an event expected to attract about 20m visitors - the city is preparing itself for the 54th annual Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan's renowned design and furniture fair. Last year, the trade event, which is the biggest of its kind in the world, brought more than 300,000 visitors to the city and it promises to be even bigger this year, but is the show likely to be eclipsed by the Expo?

"Not at all because the Salone Internazionale del Mobile and Expo are two different realities," says Roberto Snaidero, the Salone's president.

Whereas the Expo will focus on the role technology is expected to play in sustainability and future food production, the Salone's chief concern is what Snaidero calls the "relationship between manufacturers and design".

The presence of Italian exhibitors at the Salone this year is even stronger than usual. Poliform, Giorgetti, Minotti and Flexform will all show new products, as will Kartell, which will be launching two new lamps designed by Ferruccio Laviani: Kabuki, a new floor lamp made of a thermoplastic technopolymer, which has a texture rather like embroidered lace; and Battery, which is a small table lamp that comes in a variety of colours and can be charged via a USB connection.

Running from April 14 to 19, it will be open to trade visitors throughout, and to the public on the last two days.

The nerve centre of the Salone is at the Milan Fairgrounds in Rho, which is a huge exhibition space northwest of the city centre, but there will be various satellite shows, exhibitions and events held across the city during the week of the fair.

Here is the FT's guide to some of this year's highlights:

Euroluce

Held at the event every other year, Euroluce exhibits some of the best new lighting designs from across the world.

At the Salone press conference in February, Stefano Bordone, president of Assoluce - the Italian national association of lighting appliances - and curator of Euroluce, was tight-lipped about what to expect this year, except that new LED technology will star.

Lighting designer Flos, which is known for its groundbreaking designer collaborations, will be a must-see at Pavilion 13, although it won't be announcing the designers it has been working with until the day before the exhibition launches.

Milan Fairgrounds, Rho, Pavilions 9-15

Ercol

British-based furniture brand Ercol will display Nest, a new collection of sofas by Paola Navone. Other pieces will include a dining chair designed by Tomoko Azumi, the Marino occasional chair, and new versions of classic pieces such as the Originals coffee table by Lucian Ercolani.

Milan Fairgrounds, Rho, Pavilion

Lee Broom

Away from the fair's headquarters in Rho, London-based designer Lee Broom will be transforming a street of disused shops in the San Gregorio district of central Milan into his own department store in what is certainly his most ambitious exhibition to date.

Unveiling 20 new products, the show will feature various tableaux representing different departments in a store: gents' fitting room, perfumery, bookshop, millinery and a store room, among others, with the new products arranged across all of them.

New designs include the simple, art deco-inspired Altar chairs and stained-glass pendant lamp; Crescent lights; Ring lights, which look like hanging saints' halos; and the Carpetry Chaise, a chaise longue that is designed to look like a rippling, flying carpet.

Via Alfredo Cappellini, San Gregorio, Milan

'Favilla: to every light a voice'

One of the most anticipated satellite attractions this year is a new light installation by architect Attilio Stocchi, whose previous installations ("Arbour" and "Skybook") were huge successes in 2011/12.

This year, his new project, which is sponsored by carmaker Ford, will be an immersive light show examining the science of light - the way it moves and how it is seen by the human eye - and how it allows people to discover new shapes by illuminating them.

Piazza San Fedele, Centro Storico, Milan

Tom Dixon

British lighting and furniture designer Tom Dixon will be returning to Milan with Cinema, a new exhibition taking place in an old picture house as part of the Designjunction showcase. As well as hosting a daily light show, it will feature a series of new installations containing new products.

Look out for the Melt pendant lamps, which look like misshapen globes in either copper, chrome or gold; the Lens pendant light; and the new Wingback chair.

Casa dell'Opera Nazionale Balilla, San Babila, Milan

Kvadrat

Danish textile company Kvadrat will unveil new curtain designs from its flagship store in Milan. Among the products will be the Ready Made Curtain 2 by Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec, as well as other curtains by Isa Glink for Kinnasand, a Swedish textile brand owned by Kvadrat.

Corso Monforte, San Babila, Milan

Terrazza Triennale

The new restaurant from chef Stefano Cerveni on the top floor of the city's design museum, La Triennale, is another of this year's attractions.

Launching on April 8 and open throughout the Salone and the Expo, the restaurant will feature a newly renovated terrace and a large conservatory and botanical garden.

Diners can enjoy dishes as they take in the view over Parco Sempione and soak up the city's atmosphere.

Triennale de Milano, Viale Alemagna, Milan

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