Fairground attractions

Roll up, roll up. Milan's furniture fair is considered the greatest interiors show on earth. Fresh off the plane from Italy, Alanna Gallagherreports on the trends

SALONE Mobile, better known as the Milan furniture fair, is where the world's interiors aficionados head for in their droves because this annual exhibition offers design's best in show. There are kilometres of style and creativity here.

This year there were two strong themes: at one extreme there was lots of black on black and white on white in matte and gloss finishes; at the other end it was full-blown, over-the-top theatrical drama featuring rococo revival curves, jewel colours and nip and tuck silhouettes.

ROCOCO REVIVAL

BAROQUE and Rococo styles featured heavily.

This season the chairs and couches featured were mostly wearing total black or white looks. Matte black or black lacquer frames upholstered in high-shine latex that wouldn't look out of place in an S&M dungeon competed with metallic velvets for the over-thetop texture of choice. At Oscar (0039 0362 72164) the award for most outlandish armchair went to its appropriately named Casanova Alta.

Mantellassi's Estasy (0039 0573 77600) is another example that perfectly illustrates the genre while Visionnaire's pop star styles included a black chandelier you could swing out of. The Bedroom Studio (01-235 2815), Italy Design (048 9023 4283) in Belfast and Galleria Design (091 776 480) in Galway will soon be stocking some of Visionnaire's range.

CURVES ARE BACK

WITH the wasp silhouette continuing to dominate the catwalk collections, salons interiors have followed suit. The shape of things to come is as well upholstered as Anita Ekberg's derriere in Felini's La Dolce Vita.

Busnelli's Spinnaker, pictured above, (+39 02 963 20221) is a perfect example of nip and tuck accenting. The extremely lightweight thing of beauty is perfect for any living space.

Also on show was Arflex's design classic, the Femme sofa in lipstick red which will give any room oodles of va va voom. Helen Gilmartin of Minima (01-662 7894) has always stocked a small selection of this range but is broadening the collection significantly. "It's great to see the classics being revived. People are ready to embrace this range now."

MINI ME

DESIGNER furnishings are not just for grown-ups. Aesthetes will like to see their little darlings in all the best settings and can invest in Ligne Roset's best-selling seat, the 1973 seat, designed by Michel Ducaroy in 1973.

The company have created versions of the Togo in mini and baby versions. The range will be available, going forward, from Haus on Exchange Street (01 670 6677). Aesthetically-minded kids of all ages should investigate the sleek lines of B.Lab Italia's glass based foosball structure (+39 0331 774 445).

The Tezel, with its black and white players is bang on monochrome trend.

LACEY

ONE OF the showstealers was the trend towards crochet and all things lace. Designer Marcel Wanders (+31 20 4221 339) created quite a stir with his crochet chair at his exhibition in Via Tortona.

It and his cactus, dog and mushroom topiaries looked like they might have been inspired by the Carrickmacross lace confections that were set in sugar and given pride of place in parlours up and down the country.

The crochet chair is one of a limited edition of 20 that sold out. Maybe he has an Irish granny. Philippe Starck's Miss Lacy, left, showed at Driade (0039 02 7600 5059). They have been collaborating together since 1984. The mirror-polished steel dining chair has a floral pattern reminiscent of baroque lace while Crassevig (+39 0432 932 896) showed a Nett chair that won the hearts of Doug and June Elliott, of Belfast-based design store Batik (048 9024 9311).

LIGHT SHOW

A SIGNIFICANT part of the Salone incorporatesEuroluce, one of the world's biggest lighting shows.

One of the most interesting prototypes on view at Salone Satellite, which features the best of design students' talents, was Barcelona-based Kilkenny man, Joe Power. His Sweet and Heady central light pendant (pictured above), inspired by a line from Nina Simone's Lilac Wine, will appeal to bar and restaurant designers.

Its light and airy structure features elegantly displayed wine goblets and should be an oenophile's dream. He's already had a swell of interest from architects. Power showed with the IN/D Label collective and can be contacted through Andy Hale (0044 7720 427695).

METALLICS

SILVER has replaced gold as the heavy metal of choice while burnished copper maintained third position in the gild hierarchy.

For me a little of this look goes a long way.

Where metallics really threw new shapes was in the designer installations created for tile manufacturer Bisazza (+39 0444 707 511).

Rising Spanish star James Hayon's Engine Table with traditional-style turned legs, that resembled spark plugs, all decorated in gilt mosaics and topped with a beveled edged marble slab, was an exercise in understatement.

To counterbalance its functionality he also created a 4.2 metre high tile butler called Pinnocne. Studio Job continued the serving theme with a Goliath-size cloche installation decorated with mosaic tiles.

OUT OF THE CLOSET

WARDROBE design throughout was created as much to be seen as to offer storage solutions. Walk-in closets abounded.

There were behind closed doors styles to suit clutterologists whose busy lifestyle can be hidden from view with the flip of sleek floor to ceiling doors while fashionistas will favour the store-style on-show design suggestions from Lema (+39 031 630 990).

WELL READ

THE book as interior accessory is back on view in a big way. A library is now an essential ingredient in any on-trend household.

The styles on show ranged from neoclassical to super-pared down suggestions with the books, in some cases, being positioned spine side in to reveal a democratic show of leaves that could have airport novels sitting cheek by jowl with first editions.

Wrap-around libraries set into the back of sleek-looking sofas will allow for a limited selection of well-edited reading material while wall-lined shelving with old-school ladder access offers plenty of space for bibliophiles.

Sidewall by Piero Lissoni for Porro (+39 031 780 237), is a series of slimline sets of shelving that revolve to hide the look of the books.