Leading designers have supported the decision to move Salone del Mobile from April to June due to the coronavirus outbreak, although some say the event should be cancelled for environmental reasons and others feel the Milan experience needs an overhaul.
Ross Lovegrove, Lara Bohinc, Luca Nichetto and Note Design Studio all voiced their support for the postponement of the world's biggest furniture fair to 16 to 21 June, as Italy battles to prevent further spread of the virus.
"I think it is the right thing to do, to show that the country is still alive and wants to move on," said Nichetto, an Italian designer based in Sweden.
"It was a very complicated decision to take for sure, but I have the feeling that to postpone and not cancel the Salone is more important as a message for the city of Milan than for the exhibitors." Lovegrove added: "The Salone remember is primarily about global trade and distribution of new design, so it's better to postpone and guarantee its cultural and commercial success later."
Other designers and studios, including Tom Dixon and Lee Broom, have said they are optimistic about their ability to reschedule their exhibitions, due to take place in the city as part of the unofficial programme of events known as the fuorisalone.
"We are already planning and plotting to get on the road physically and digitally right now to take our newness straight to customers in April and May, and end up in Milan in June with an even ...