Building on their previous success – the latest was the 50th anniversary 2011 edition –the Saloni are gearing up for the next round: from Tuesday 17th to Sunday 22nd April at the Milan Fairgrounds, Rho.

The myriad proposals from the about 2,500 exhibitors range from furniture to furnishing accessories, from kitchens to bathrooms to the prototypes conceived by the under 35s, all bearing the distinguishing hallmarks of quality and innovation that have earned Milan its place as the capital of furnishing. Every April, over 300,000 visitors beat a path to the Saloni, testifying to the quality of the array of goods on offer and to the exhibition organisation. The 51st edition will be no exception. Right here – “Milan, where else?” – as the publicity campaign for this year’s Saloni proudly proclaims.

The Saloni – which will take to the 209,000 square metres of exhibition space at the Fairgrounds, with the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, EuroCucina / The International Kitchen Furniture Exhibition, the International Bathroom Exhibition, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, and SaloneSatellite – are set to take off with the confidence that has always marked them out, and bolstered by the terrific exhibitor uptake that has already caused the entire space to be sold out.

The wide range of goods being showcased at the five exhibitions encompasses every sort and kind of furnishing and style, not least at EuroCucina, which will feature all those items that help to make the rituals of eating and conviviality easier and more special. This year EuroCucina will again be accompanied by FTK (Technology for the Kitchen), the exhibition devoted to technological innovation in built-in domestic appliances and cooker hoods, in Pavilions 9, 11, 13 and 15, in total synergy with the International Bathroom Exhibition, opposite it in Pavilions 22 and 24, where the emphasis is on natural products for accessories and coverings, crafted by leading international designers. There will also be a large wellness area, open to all visitors. The pavilions of both biennial exhibitions will contain areas designed and furnished by the architect Piero Russi, who conceived the Gallery and Stadium for the last edition of SaloneUfficio. These business/relaxation spaces are for the exclusive use of exhibitors and their clients.

For convenience sake, the Modern Sector of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile will again be housed in one single building, Pavilions 14 and 18, directly adjoining the Classic and Design pavilions, thus making up one single visitor itinerary.

This year’s 15th edition of SaloneSatellite is devoted to “Design<–>Technology” pursuing its vocation as a talent scout for the most promising international designers, offering them visibility and an opportunity for contact with the exhibiting companies. Alongside the exhibition, there is the Competition for the 3 most outstanding Kitchen and Bathroom products in each of the 2 sectors. All in Pavilions 22 and 24.

In response to market demand, the organisers – Cosmit and FederlegnoArredo – are throwing the Saloni open to the public all day on Saturday this year, in addition to the traditional Sunday opening, which last year saw over 32,000 visitors pass through the gates.

The events being held in the city, focusing more than ever this year on quality products and lifestyle enhancement, are absolutely not to be missed. The Teatro dell’Arte at the Triennale di Milano willbe showing “Design Dance” – a project by Michela Marelli and Francesca Molteni. The latter has already curated several events for the Saloni, “A Celestial Bathroom” at the Milan Planetarium in 2010 –enables the works by the protagonists of design to speak and act, dance even. The objects become actors and storytellers because, as with all the fruits of human creativity, they narrate the emotional run-up to their inception. Modern day objects and objects from the past, classical and modern, together with Salone Satellite designs that have “come true” by going into production.

During the six days of the Saloni, the Ambrosiana, a historic library and custodian of the classical world of books, will host Attilio Stocchi’s “skybook” installation – a multimedia homage to the Roman heart of the city and a reflection on living and inhabiting space as related in various ancient works.