Is Milan's Salone del Mobile becoming too commercial?

Salone del Mobile in Milan is nothing if not a spectacle. Leading designers from all over the world launch their collections at the main fairground in Rho. Meanwhile, the non-curated Fuorisalone, which is spread across palazzi and public spaces in the centre of the city, is packed with theatrical displays, which this year range from Lee Broom's 1940s department store to Studio Appetit's display of edible design.

Each April about 330,000 people descend on the city to visit what is still regarded as the leading international furniture fair. This year's event, which opened on Tuesday and runs until this weekend, has many distinguishing features. Many of the biggest names in furniture, such as Cassina (which produces the licensed works of Le Corbusier), Molteni & C and Artek, are holding retrospectives of their work, as well as exhibiting new products. Kartell, known for its contemporary plastic furniture, is displaying a striking collection of Philippe Starck's Ghost chairs, along with the Plastics Duo sofa by Piero Lissoni. And designer Enzo Mari has unveiled his Elisa sofa, which was drawn from a prototype he had kept in his sitting room for 40 years.

The Euroluce light fair, which appears every other year at Salone, is spectacular in both scale and scope, with new products, including the Angel Falls light - a chandelier composed of miniature glass figures - by Nigel Coates and sustainable, handmade wood lighting from LZF. Antonangeli is staging an eye-catching display of neon lighting, riding on the crest of the 1970s style revival, and Carlesso has produced a handblown glass chandelier with 12 lights.

Amid the spectacle, however, there has been criticism that this year's fair has become too much of a marketing operation and overly focused on new releases and products. British designer Jasper Morrison has nicknamed it "Salone del Marketing", while Hella Jongerius, a Dutch designer, used this year's event to launch her "Beyond the New" manifesto in collaboration with design theorist Louise Schouwenberg. It criticises design fairs for being a "cornucopia of pointless products and commercial hypes".

Stefano Core, chief executive of design firms Valcucine and Driade, acknowledges there is an exclusivity about the fair and that it can be difficult for emerging designers to make their mark, but he argues that it also provides an important testing ground and a place where careers can be forged. "It gives you the chance to show your product strategy to the world . . . [Salone] is the best window you can have for design," he says. To secure a stall inside the fairground's two or three main buildings "you have to acquire respect over time, reputation and the right sort of brand".

This year, Driade has chosen to look at classic products, such as designer Konstantin Grcic's bookshelf, and reinvent them in subtle ways. "We have totally changed the product, starting from the same DNA. It also shows how timeless these pieces are. Design is about making something with internal integrity but also with an artistic function," says Core.

In the centre of Milan, both in established locations, such as the Brera district, and edgier areas, such as the San Gregorio Docet, there are a number of collections that take a more experimental approach to design, exhibiting products as if they are art installations. This is evident at the Brand New World exhibition in the Dusan showroom, featuring the work of eight design studios.

Vesna and Jovan Jelovac, its organisers, are seeking to challenge the established business model by helping emerging talents "take control of their own future" by being designers, makers and entrepreneurs. Among the installations, Buro Belen, a studio formed by two graduates of Design Academy Eindoven, used rose quartz and soft spheres of fabric for its eye-catching Falling Rocks series of tables. Meanwhile, Swiss designer Tom Strala showcased his tables, lights and chairs made out of concrete and steel.

Salone del Mobile still manages to accommodate a broad range of design styles, as well as designers at all levels, but in some ways it is facing an identity crisis. How does the fair maintain its reputation for high-quality, cutting-edge design while keeping up with commercial demands? Roberto Snaidero, Salone's new director, has a challenging road ahead.

Serena Tarling is a commissioning editor on House & Home. She was in Milan as a guest of Salone del Mobile

Main photograph: Salone del Mobile Milano

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