Milan's Biggest Design Trade Show is Bigger Yet

This year's installment of one of the design world's biggest trade shows, the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, held from Apr. 5-10, was larger than ever with 2,550 exhibitors, up from 2,100 last year. The roster featured a slew of fresh new talent, as well as forward-thinking technology from big brands such as Siemens (SI). Added to the mix were inventive experiments by famous designers who usually work in non-furniture arenas, like Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake. Of course, the latest sleek offerings from fashionable furniture labels like Italy's own Kartell were also on view. More than 670 nations were represented.

One of the design highlights was the venue itself -- Fieramilano, a 220,000-square-meter complex in the Rho-Pero district. During the event, about 200,000 visitors passed through the hallways of the recently opened site. It's situated at one of Italy's most innovative architectural destinations, a sprawling, undulating metal-and-fiberglass roof designed by Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas using a complex system of rhomboid and trapezoidal meshlike grid

Business Week Online reports from Milan here.