Salone Satellite is twenty years old and still today, after so many results and major recognitions (including the 2014 Lifetime Golden Compass Award), it continues to be the place where the ideas of many hundreds of young designers find a foothold

Where they can meet the critics, the manufacturers and the design market, in the knowledge that they are part of the event that has put their work, made of dreams and visions, experiments and struggles, and so much more, at the very heart of what it does.

SaloneSatellite, in Pavilions 22 and 24, with free public entry from Cargo 5, is an unmissable event. It brings together a selection of young designers from 5 continents with entrepreneurs, architects, interior designers and the press.

The theme of the 20th edition is   “DESIGN is …?”,  an open, topical and crucial question.

Like every year, the installation and a number of projects by the young designers followed a chosen theme which, for this edition, is entitled “DESIGN is…?”: an open question, at once relevant and crucial.

Rather than asking for a response, it opens the door to new reflections on the value of design and processes: an invitation, therefore, for young designers to test their ability to listen and dialogue with an increasingly sophisticated and attentive audience, to search for new solutions, both tangible and intangible, both individual and collective, geared towards building a better future.

Technological progress and the evolution of the web in recent years are redefining the paradigms of design, opening new fields of action: from research on advanced materials to interface design, from service design to rapid prototyping. In this complex and multifaceted scenario, industrial design is looking toward the future, working to respond to new needs and desires in a constant dialogue with a changing world.

An appointment with the 20th edition, focusing more resolutely than ever on design and celebrated with ad hoc design pieces and a great exhibition in the city.

More than 10,000 young designers have come up through its ranks, many of whom have become acclaimed designers at global level – from France’s Matali Crasset and Patrick Jouin, to Finland’s Harri Koskinen and Ilkka Suppanen, Japan’s Tomoko Azumi and Nendo, America’s Sean Yoo and Cory Grosser, Sweden’s Front and Johan Lindstén, Belgium’s Xavier Lust, Norway’s Daniel Rybakken, India’s Satyendra Pakhalé, Argentina’s Federico Churba and Italy’s Lorenzo Damiani, Tommaso Nani, Cristina Celestino and Francesca Lanzavecchia, to name but a few – as well as 270 of the most prestigious international design schools.

SaloneSatellite was the first event to focus on young designers, instantly becoming the unrivalled place for interface with manufacturers, talent scouts and the most promising young designers, and will run again concurrently with the Salone del Mobile.Milano.

Its creation in 1998 was essentially a declaration of faith in the creative potential of designers under 35.

Many of the prototypes presented in the previous 19 editions have gone into production, and many of the 10,000 designers who have taken part over the years, along with 270 international design schools, are now big names on the design scene.

Satellite Shows over the past 20 years

Attention to detail, a rich variety of materials, recycling, functionality and aesthetic quality: these are some of the recurrent watchwords inspiring works presented at SaloneSatellite 2017.

Young designers from Italy, Japan, Russia, the Netherlands, Germany and the United States conceived projects ranging from lighting to acoustic panels, chairs and interior furnishings.

Origins and Evolution

It is a benchmark, a meeting point and a place for interface between businessmen and up-and-coming designers, a talent scout in its own right. It is also a launch pad, a stage, a catwalk, an international showcase.

It is Salone Satellite, the originator of all the other events devoted to creations by young designers, all too often “exploited”, alas, as readily saleable merchandise nowadays.

Salone Satellite has given young creatives, their enthusiasm and their skills a helping hand. It has enabled them to grow and present themselves with credibility. Young people had been on the lookout for places in which to exhibit their own ideas in the city of Milan, which was honing its reputation as the capital of design at that time.

When asked for exhibition space by a group of young designers, the Salone del Mobile was keen to help, and the idea of starting up the exhibition, not just alongside the Salone del Mobile, but as an integral part of it was born.

In 1998, the Salone del Mobile asked Marva Griffin Wilshire to set up an event that would help further the careers of the most promising designers under 35 by bringing them into direct contact with its exhibitors, and it immediately became an unparalleled observatory for young international creativity.

As of 2005 the event has also been a part of the Saloni WorldWide in Moscow, and will also be featured during the Salone del Mobile.Milano Shanghai as of next November.

The exhibition “A Dream Come True” was held to mark its tenth anniversary, featuring 400 objects showcased at Salone Satellite as prototypes, later put into production by top Italian and foreign manufacturers.

In 2014 the Salone Satellite has won the Compasso d’Oro Award for career achievement.

In 2010 – twelve years after it started – Salone Satellite extended its range by coming up with something intended to further boost the visibility of emerging designers and their interface with the companies, bolstering the connection between supply and demand, between entrepreneurs and designers, between creativity and production.

The Salone Satellite Award provides its young competitors coming every year from about 38 countries with a further layer of visibility.

Designers taking part in Salone Satellite are asked to bring along one or more projects dovetailing with the goods on show at the Salone del Mobile.Milano exhibitions.

This project will be part of the Salone Satellite Award exhibition.

Each year, a different jury of experts awards prizes for the three best projects and also confers a number of special mentions.

The Salone Satellite Award competition has promoted young designers since 2010.

2107 Salone Satellite Awards Jury

Salone Satellite Award is chaired by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Architecture and Design-Director, Research & Development of the MoMA in New York.

An expert and internationally renowned selection committee meets each October to go through the portfolios of emerging designers under 35 who have applied to take part.

The committee is always made up of leading figures from the world of contemporary design

The jury also includes both an Italian and a foreign sectoral journalist, a critic or architect, a designer and, lastly, a former participant in SaloneSatellite that has made a name for themselves in the intervening years, as well as Marva Griffin, organiser/curator of SaloneSatellite.

The projects of the c. 650 participating designers from around the world were selected last October by a prestigious Selection Committee composed of internationally prominent figures in the fields of design, manufacturing and media:

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AWARDS

The Salone Satellite Award, which fosters direct contact between designers under 35 and the companies exhibiting at the Salone del Mobile.Milano, is now into its 8th edition.

An international jury of key players in the design world will select the 3 best projects which will be awarded cash prizes.

The Jury, also composed of key figures in the design world, is headed by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture & Design and Director of Research & Development at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, will choose the 3 best projects, whose designers were awarded a cash prize.

The winners will also enjoy consulting and press office services, with the aim of ensuring maximum visibility for the winning products.

2017 Salone Satellite Award Winners Ceremony

A Selection Committee, also made up of prominent figures from the world of design, headed by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Architecture & Design-Director, Research & Development of MoMA in New York, will choose the 3 best projects and their designers will be awarded an attendance token.

The winners will also qualify for a consultancy and press office service, geared to ensuring the greatest possible visibility for the winning product.

Intesa Sanpaolo will award a 5,000 euro prize to the most promising young designer who, in the opinion of the Selection Committee, best represents the theme of SaloneSatellite within the context of the 8th edition of SaloneSatellite Award.

First Prize:
Comma Stool/Chair
by Pistacchi Design, Taiwan

The winner of the Salone Satellite Award, Pistacchi Design is a Taiwan-based studio whose unsophisticated design style has spawned a stool solely comprised of its four legs which also form the seat.

Available in different heights, the stool juxtaposes marble and plastic, or wood and rubber.

First prize for the chair-stool Comma pistachio Design Twain, functional and formal sitting, modeled as a sculpture proposal is in darker tones that add a touch of bright yellow.

Reason: The seat’s functional and formal solution shows an interesting use of materials. It offers a new concept of urban interior design, with appealing and intuitive features.

Product description: Shaped like a modern sculpture made of contrasting materials, this public seat is appealingly seductive. Its height and comfy curve design are inherently inviting.

Second Prize
X Bench
by Edmond Wong Studio, China

Second prize to the bench X Bench of the Chinese study Edmond Wong: two seats for both the home and for training in the gym!

A part of the seat backrest as in fact is lifted, with the possibility of four different tilt angles.

Reason: The bench has an appealing design thanks to its dual use, offering the opportunity to have a gym even at home and in small environments.

Product description: This two-seater bench for home use turns into a training bench. Part of the seat can be raised up like a backrest, with a choice of four different angles.

Third Prize
Ëo
by Tanya Repina, Russia

Third prize in the Russian EO Tanya Repina: noise barrier made of fir needles and a biodegradable timber that brings home the peace and nature, even with protection function inept and harmful germs.

Reason: Rather than for the shape of the screen, the prize has been awarded for the material’s sustainability and innovation.

Product description: The innovative sound-absorbing material is made with pine needles and a biodegradable binder. It is a natural colour and the structure creates an indoor forest atmosphere. It also repels insects and harmful germs.

Special Mentions to

Priz
by Erdem Selek, USA

Reason: Adds an innovative aesthetic concept to a normal item of everyday use.

Product description: Can an extension lead be as beautiful as a jewel, as well as being functional? Yes it can. Not least because designing products attractive enough to be worth keeping is a first step towards sustainability.

Tom
by Kasper Nyman, Finland

Reason: The chair differentiates thanks to its formal construction which successfully combines comfort and aesthetics.

Product description: Tom is the result of an attempt to build a chair using basic woodworking machines while respecting the character of the material.

Table Lamp
by Fan Weiyan (Studio Ke) China

Reason: Emphasis is given to the innovative material which pairs the technical performance of two different materials – such as silk and copper – to create a bespoke fabric that can be used
in many diverse applications

Product description: The innovative material on the lampshade is crafted from silk and copper and is woven using the ancient Chinese Kesi technique, declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and
Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Banca Intesa Award

O-Line
by Laurent Verly, Belgium

Reason:  The prize is awarded for the innovative application of an existing material, making the lamp flexible and interactive with whoever uses it.

Product description: Inspired by the changing world, O-line adapts to your needs, demands and environment.

It can vary from a small lamp to a monumental lighting solution. All you have to do is let your imagination run riot.

Other Satellite 2017 notable entrants

The Italian Camilla Brunelli, instead, drew on the famous Italian pastina tiles made of fine marble chips, and gave them a fresh look with the insertion of small glass discs.

Klemens Grund from Cologne, meanwhile, proposed an extendable table that deftly maintains its formal qualities.

And lightness is the mantra for the young Dutch designer Spitsberg, who, in response to our bad habits, suggests that all we need to “stow” our garments is a simple clothes-stand made of curved wood resting against the wall.

The Japanese studios Shina Yoshida Design and Bouillon investigate new shapes for “ethereal” lamps with excellent light quality and a highly dramatic impact.

The all-female collective Luomo, instead, hails from Finland with austere aesthetics applied to a series of lamps and furnishings.

The acoustic panels by the Aotta studio are made with recycled conifer needles stuck together with natural adhesives.

And lastly, the duos Aratani+Fay and Res Anima introduce minimal yet ingenious furnishing elements to interiors which are viewed as a whole.

In addition to these winners, do not miss the stand of ECAL, Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne, with the presentation-installation “The Future of Sausage Carolien Niebling”, complete with a tasting!

Design Registrations

In line with its mission to support young people trying to break into the world of design, SaloneSatellite has renewed its agreement with the ADI (Industrial Design Association) for special support for those wishing to protect their work by registering it on the Project Register.

Design protection only applies in Italy.

SaloneSatellite and la Rinascente

2017 sees two major anniversaries: the 20 years of SaloneSatellite and the 100 years of the Milanese department store La Rinascente, which is celebrating the event with a large exhibition at the Palazzo Reale.

For the fifth consecutive year, SaloneSatellite and la Rinascente have renewed their shared effort to support young talents.

Cinzia Baldelli, Head of Home, Travel Accessories, Beauty and Kids la Rinascente, presents this initiative at the Design Supermarket of the Milan department store, from Sept 2017 to Christmas 2017.