1. THE FASHION PACK
Louis Vuitton wasn't the only fashion brand to showcase its interior-design nous at Salone del Mobile.
Bottega Veneta showed spectacular sofas and chairs in bright white and dusky-rose fringed suede. Hermès offered new textiles, trays and tableware by the artist Nigel Peake.
Versace reintroduced the archive prints that were a feature of its fashion collections this season.
Marni teamed up with Colombian weavers on colourful chairs, hammocks and baskets.Jonathan Anderson at Loewe launched a collection of blankets emblazoned with abstract pattern and black-and-white photographs, and in one of the most unexpected fashion collaborations of recent years, Dolce & Gabbana added to its kitchen collection for Smeg, with range cookers, extractor hoods and fridges in bright patterns.
Maximalism was also the order of the day at Kartell, which joined forces with JJ Martin of fashion brand LaDoubleJ to update its designs with a dose of vintage print.
Fashion brand Cos, meanwhile, teamed up with American artist Phillip K Smith III on an installation of giant mirrored panels arranged in a circular formation that reflected the neoclassical architecture of the Palazzo Isimbardi and the sky above - not ostensibly related to interiors, but one of the most instagrammed installations of the week.2. THE NEW PALETTE
Colours remained, for the most part, soft and muted. But the sugary pastel pinks and blues of recent years are giving way to a palette of peachy terracotta, sage, olive green and faded mustard, with the odd shot of pale cobalt or petrol blue. The effect was a warm, slightly vintage look, recalling Mediterranean interiors bathed in sunlight.
Scandi brands such as Muuto and Bla Station kept it contemporary with curvy chairs and sofas teamed with blonde wood tables.
The Italians also got in on the act, with brands such as Moroso, Zanotta, Tacchini and Calligaris showing curvaceous pieces in soft but sugar-free tones.3. TASTEFUL TECH
The question of how to integrate technology into the home without compromising aesthetics is occupying homeware designers and tech brands alike.
Google staged an installation, titled Softwear, that placed its Google Home products and smartphones amid hand-crafted homewares in wood and ceramic, and woven textile wall hangings by Dutch designer Kiki van Eijk.
Similarly, the Danish brand Hay chose a neoclassical palazzo in central Milan to demonstrate that the speakers it has designed for Sonos can fit seamlessly into all manner of interior schemes. In a palette of pastels and rich tones, the speakers looked perfectly at home among the brand's velvet and linen sofas, contemporary chairs and coloured tableware.
Bang & Olufsen introduced its chic new Beoplay P6 speaker by Danish designer Cecilie Manz; Natuzzi and LG showed their new "smart sofa", from which you can control the lighting, TV and sound in a room; and Kartell launched a "smart table", which turns from a dining table or desk into an induction hob at the flick of a switch.4. CRAFTSMANSHIP
The association between luxury and craft has gathered pace in recent years, and it was evident in Milan.
British designer Bethan Gray continued her collaboration with Italian company Editions Milano with a collection of ethereal lights hand-carved in arabescato marble, plus a table lamp and tableware in graphic black and white marble stripes.
British company Established & Sons drew on Italian woodworking and glass-blowing traditions to produce the chair and light that formed part of its new collection.
Another Brit brand Pinch, showed its new armoire, Elan, which employs marquetry on the outside and traditional woodworking techniques (in place of metal shelf supports) on the inside.
Teaming up with Fornasetti and French super-designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, the Venice-based company WonderGlass experimented with faceted mirrors by Marcel Wanders, all utilising the brand's hand-tooled leather.5. COSMIC CREATIONS
The heavens were the inspiration behind British designer Lee Broom's new lighting collection, which aims to capture "the mesmerising quality of the night sky" in table lamps, wall lights and pendants. These were comprised of spheres and tubes in polished metal and opaque acrylic - plus a showstopping modular chandelier incorporating hundreds of custom-made LED bulbs.
London-based brand Sé collaborated with Californian designer Ini Archibong on a new collection of furniture and lighting titled Below the Heavens, referencing "the threshold between heaven and earth" and comprising tactile, celestially inspired forms in marble, glass and brass.
Interior designer Juan Montoya was inspired by the "asymmetrical form and scintillating expression" of the moon to create four new carpet designs for Stepevi.6. WOVEN WONDERS
The trend for rattan and cane showed no sign of slowing down, with brands such as Yamakawa and the Lebanese designer Nada Debs showing intricate woven pieces, the latter using striking ombré effects to add bright colour.
For Editions Milano, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola showed how to give cane a modern twist, applying it to tables and bookshelves and teaming it with brushed metal and iridescent lacquer.7. WELLNESS
Mindfulness and the healthy home was the key theme of the Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition, where a basin was not a basin but a "cleansing plinth" and a sort of upholstered cupboard was dubbed a "hugging column. Other exhibits included a therapeutic squeezing lamp and a reflexology wall.
In the courtyard of the Pinacoteca de Brera art gallery, Panasonic marked its 100th anniversary by staging an immersive installation in the form of a giant water drop, inside which it employed its air-purification technology to supply what, it claimed, was the cleanest air in Milan. - The Telegraph..