More than any other furniture fair, the Salone del Mobile is the place for furniture manufacturers and product designers to introduce their latest creations.

The 53rd edition of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile (International Furniture Fair) officially gets underway tomorrow, but Monday in Milan is an opportunity to preview events and product introductions throughout the city center, before the trek to the Massimiliano Fuksas-designed fairgrounds in the Eastern suburb of Rho.

On a cool April night in 2007, I found myself in a dangerous crush of bodies trying to cross a narrow pedestrian bridge near Via Tortona in Milan.

Walking the rows of this renowned furniture fair, held this year during an uncomfortably warm week in mid-April, it’s easy to spot the latest work by the industry’s top product designers, many of whom are also architects.