Salone del Cell Postponed to June

More disruption to the design world’s fair schedule: Salone del Mobile, the preeminent furniture and design showcase, has been postponed from its planned April date to June, the fair announced today. The new event, which will be the 60th edition of the fair, will now run June 7–12.

The news comes on the heels of several other European postponements and cancellations, including Ambiente in Frankfurt (canceled), Maison et Objet (postponed to March 24–28), Paris Deco Off (postponed to March 23–27), and Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair (postponed to September 6–9). Fairs and markets in the U.S., meanwhile, remain relatively intact—for now—despite a precipitous incline in stateside COVID-19 cases.

In a statement, Maria Porro, president of Salone del Mobile, detailed the organization’s decision: “The decision to postpone the event will enable exhibitors, visitors, journalists and the entire international furnishing and design community to make the very most of an event that promises to be packed with new things, in total safety.” This year’s Salone, she elaborated, will highlight sustainability as its theme.

The move will also ensure that international brands, designers, and journalists have a better chance of attending the festivities, says Porro. “Moving the event to June will ensure a strong presence of foreign exhibitors and professionals, which has always been one of the Salone’s strong points, and it will also give the participating companies time to plan their presence at the fair as thoroughly as possible given that, as we know, the progression from concept to final installation takes months of preparation.”

“We are all really longing for a Salone,” says Porro. For designers and brands worldwide, flexibility remains the name of the game.