Design fairs like the famous Salone del Milano have long given industry professionals a special lens into the interiors world months before the rest of the world. We get to see what’s coming, and in many cases, what potentially could arrive in the years ahead.

What is the focus? What are the colors, patterns, materials, shapes, textures and other considerations being talked about the most? A fair gives you a chance to pull out your crystal ball. They serve as both a telescope and a microscope. These mega events are exhilarating, exhausting, exciting, fun, you barely sleep, yet absolutely essential for those responsible for bringing trends and ideas into the mainstream space.

However, during a global pandemic, it’s impossible to gather together hundreds of thousands of guests to mingle and share this design conversation together, at least in person. The major fairs in Europe this year have all been postponed until 2021. The industry weaps. This hurts the brands. We all hurt.

This is why my friends and I, who normally visit Milan together for the Salone del Milano each year, have partnered with DDN Milan to pull together an online viewing of what we all missed last month in Milan. They organize fantastic tours of the fair each year, in which I am a part of with my friends (listed below).

Today, I’ll share 8 important Italian brands with you and some of their new offerings, and my blogger friends will follow tomorrow, on their blogs. We will also share on our Instagram Stories all week too. So you can get a little taste of the fair virtually.

It’s hard to imagine something like this being the “new normal” for 2020, but I have embraced the concept of a virtual fair and feel like something with heart is better than nothing at all, and in these times, we must challenge ourselves to be more creative and to imagine new ways of sharing information that can ultimately help good brands to grow stronger.

Here are the 8 important Italian brands we are working with for this collaboration, so please visit them online to learn more and visit my Instagram Stories today to see what I love from each listed below.

1. Cantori / @cantori_spa

2. Casalgrande Padana / @casalgrandepadana

3. CRISTINA Rubinetterie / @CRISTINARubinetterie 

4. Doimo Cucine / @DoimoCucine 

5. Maistri / @Maistrilacucina

6. Minotticucine / @minotticucine 

7. Quadrodesign / @quadrodesign_official

8. Viva / @vivaporte

Again, today on my Instagram Stories: @decor8, you can follow me and my friends (below) all week to see what we love from the participating brands above. You can also follow these blogs all week, too. Here is the schedule below:

16th June  My Scandinavian Home

17th June Passion Shake

 18th June VosgesParis

 19th June Happy Interior Blog

 22nd June Interiors Design Blog

 23rd June DDN Blog 

 24th June That Scandinavian Feeling 

 25th June  Design Hunter 

 26th June  Italian Bark 

 29th June Creative Home X

I am so happy and honored to work with DDN again and to represent these brands along with my lovely colleagues and friends. A special thanks to Agata from Passion Shake for involving me in the DDN circle in the first place several years ago.

Love,

Holly