Fewer Exhibitors This Year at Milan Furniture Fair

This year’s Milan Furniture Fair has fewer exhibitors compared to last year. From 2,723, the numbers dropped to 2,499. According to Alice Rawsthorn, a design critic for the New York Times, coming up with something exceptional is getting to be more difficult in the furniture business. One reason cited is the recession. However, the economy is slowly getting back to its feet, though furniture markets in North America and Western Europe continue to suffer from weak demand. Patrizia Moroso of the Italian furniture company Moroso says that there is a more cautious approach to furniture spending.

Because of the recession, manufacturers are exhibiting fewer products and even taking some of their products off the production line. Rawsthorn says that the designs exhibited are not as interesting as in years past.

Ilse Crawford, a British designer said that “design needs to be seen more as a critical process, and less about making things look good.” This means that furniture designers are expected to come up with products that are sustainable and use digital technology in new ways as well as design items that “strike an emotional chord“with consumers.

For the full Alice Rawsthorn article, click here.