Every year the Italian Salone del Mobile exhibits the latest developments in furniture and product design, The new head of the conference is the CEO of furniture and interior giant Kartell, Claudio Luti. On the selection board with him are other Italian majors like Flos and Poliform.

Thousands of design disciples from across the globe made their annual pilgrimage to Milan for the 52nd edition of the Salone del Mobile in April(9th – 14th). The fairground gates swung open and galleries, museums, stores and villas across town opened their doors for a week of design exhibitions and parties.

Companies spend years developing the products and prototypes they unveil in Milan, and just as much thought goes into the exhibition design. Designers like Philippe Starck(remember that name; you’ll be hearing it a lot more!), Simon and Nikolai Haas introduce a handful of products each year, and booths to boot.

Here are some of the must-sees from over 2,500 exhibitors showcasing their 2013 ranges inside the Rho Milan Fairground Pavilion. Scroll down and take a quick look at some of our favorites:

Salone Internazionale del Mobile

Aunts and Uncles Collection by Philippe Starck for Kartell

For Kartell the French designer Philippe Starck designed a true family of indoor and outdoor furniture pieces entitled “Aunts and Uncles”. Starck found inspiration in his personal memory consisting of his aunts and uncles sitting in their armchairs and sofas either smoking their pipes or knitting surrounded by relatives telling stories.

Tools for Life by OMA for Knoll

OMA, the collaborative practice co-founded by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, has designed a kinetic furniture range entitled ‘Tools for Life’ for Knoll. Designed as a high-performance instrument rather than a design statement. The furniture not only contributes to the interior but to its animation, too

Home Collection Versace x The Haas Brothers

Versace Home has collaborated with brothers Simon and Nikolai Haas to design a collection of furniture made up of 12 pieces. The iconic item of the design family is of course the “Donatella Chair”. The bold collection has Versace written all over it. See for yourself and watch the making-of video here.

 Euroluce

Aria and Avia Lamps by Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid designed two monochrome pendant lamps for the Italian brand Slamp. The Aria has six light sources plus one downward-facing spotlight shining through 50 sheets of translucent black plastic. The plastic sheets differ in shape forming an organic, asymmetric shape when hung radially. Avia is a similar construction,with opaque plastic sheets in either white or black.

Baccarat, “Tuile de Cristal chandelier”

From the Baccarat manufacturing plant, comes the new collection that includes Arik Levy’s “Tuile de Cristal chandelier”, the piece that makes its first appearance at Milan’s Design Week, at Palazzo Morando.

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