Milan Furniture Fair

By COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — Italy’s furniture and design industry sought to excite at the Milan Furniture Fair after a two-year pandemic delay. It offered unapologetic, over-the-top statement pieces and multi-purpose furnishings adapted to small spaces. There were also sustainable creations by young designers pushing the industry toward a greener path. After a pandemic redecorating boom, the industry is looking to an uncertain future with raw materials shortages, higher transport costs and general economic uncertainty. Yet the world’s premiere furniture and design fair kept the focus on innovation. It recorded a rebound in attendance during six days of previews that closed Sunday, even without visitors from Russia, discouraged by war, and China, blocked by COVID travel restrictions.