Just two days since we touched back down in London and this year’s Salone already feels like a distant, albeit well-designed, memory. And, as our post mortems gradually get condensed, the verdict is wholly positive, we’re pleased to report.

Unlike previous years where heavy eyes and feet rolled into work the Monday after the Salone, everyone’s distinctly upbeat and, though it might be premature to talk of a new direction for design just yet, there’s certainly plenty to be excited about. Young guns, big names, old and new got us talking, from the smaller backstreets of the city to the sprawling tents of Fuksas’ endless fairground.

Accusations have been wielded in the past of stale, static design in the big companies, but a quick scan of the design tents in the Feria laid waste to any such grumblings this year. New designs by the likes of Poltrona Frau, Moroso, Flos, Kartell, Cappellini and Edra showed a collective sense of innovative development on the design front. Sure, as in previous years, new works were padded-out by staples from older collections, but this year the focus was very much on the new work, and the new work was what stood-out.

Away from the fairgrounds, the chattering continued. B&B Italia’s latest collaborations added an interesting futuristic dimension to their existing catalogue. Established & Sons’ designs matched the hype of their party for the first time. Tom Dixon at the helm of Artek, showed pioneering developments in the Eco arena whilst Royal Tichelaar Makkum’s ‘Work’ range proved that nothing beats simplicity of concept, design and material. In technology, big noise was made by Ross Lovegrove with KEF and Yves Behar’s mind-boggling [url=http://www.laptop.org/]$100 dollar laptop[/url] got our fingers tapping in wild admiration.

Down in Zona Tortona, Bisazza, VIA and Moooi set our tongues wagging, whilst the Turkish collective Ilk nudged their way into our favourites. The Bombay Sapphire competition under the theatrical direction of Karim Rashid quenched our thirst for good-looking drinking vessels and all the while the dandy Wallpaper* cyclists pedalled the city, spreading the good news of our very own groundbreaking exhibition, the Wallpaper* EcoEdit.

Of course the daytime only makes-up for part of our Salone critique and the event is as much about what takes place after dark as during daylight hours. This year the parties packed a punch too. Kicking-off the celebration was our very own ‘Meet Tony Chambers’ at the Bulgari Hotel, the chicest venue in the city, to which the crowds turned out in force. From the grand setting of the chandelier-lit Swarovski party to the humble Bar Basso, if there wasn’t a glass in our hand at all times, it was because our hands were in the air hailing a taxi to the next venue.

Was this year’s Salone a success? Indeed it was.