After a number of Belgian companies dropped out of the fair last year, this year too we will see some loyal participants forfeit. In addition, a number of new names are making their debut at the Salone del Mobile and Belgian Furniture is doubling its surface area. In the city, we see more Belgians joining forces. Belgium is Design says goodbye to the Salone Satellite after years and joins Baranzate Ateliers on an industrial estate near Linate Airport. Lots of new things to see, and no doubt we will discover more on the spot.

The Belgian Design Map lists more than a hundred presentations by Belgian designers and companies.

Belgium is Design appointed Baroness O. as curator. Anne Van Assche and Kim Vandeloo wanted to offer a broad view of Belgian design based on a coherent concept that brings together established values and young talents. The selection of 30 designers for Bold Dualities mainly emphasises collectible design and less on industrial design. The BOLD selection shows Belgian modesty in design and use of materials. The objects within this selection look sober, clean and minimal. The COLOURFUL selection, on the other hand, is small but brave, just like our country. Here, the objects are bold, extrovert, striking and smaller in size. The scenography is by Karel Burssens. The presentation is located in an industrial area near Linate Airport. A shuttle will be provided from Rogoredo and Repetti metro stations.

1. Oskar De Roover is a furniture designer and interior architect known for his playful and simple designs inspired by sustainable principles. His project Table 154 is crafted from salvaged blue quartzite, emphasising circular principles and easy disassembly for part replacement, making the table 100% recyclable with a design that plays with the contrast between lightness and heaviness.

2. Lisa Berden is a Brussels-based designer with a background in interior and jewellery design. Her project merges these disciplines to create visually impactful objects that move away from adorning the body to instead enhance spaces. Through the exploration of reflections, angles, materials, and light, she creates mesmerising auras that transform their surroundings.

3. Lou van ‘t Riet  is a designer and architect based in Brussels. She’s known for her mirrors that invite viewers to become active participants in the creation of different visual compositions by manipulating them. May the mirrors be closed, completely or partially opened; they are an invitation to contemplation.

4. Maud Brunstein is a textile designer specialising in knits and experimental materials, employing an ethical and circular approach. Her project Aura explores perceptions through a range of artisanal and industrial techniques, creating knitted materials designed for different uses with dynamic colours and vibrational effects.

Two years ago, Zaventem Ateliers changed its name and moved to Baranzate Ateliers for one week. The location is no longer Baranzate, but the name remains. Lionel Jadot and the Zaventem designers invited a number of friends — Belgian and international — designers and galleries to an immense industrial building.

5. After a short career as an actor and dancer with Jan Fabre, Dirk Meylaerts learned to make furniture. For 25 years, he was a furniture maker and designer. In 2006, he founded D&A Lab, a company that produced limited series of functional design objects conceived by contemporary artists. In 2012, he became director of production at the Fondation des Galeries Lafayette in Paris. Now Dirk takes up the thread and makes honest and stylish furniture, magisterially executed.

6. Boquita de Cielo is a London-based studio run by Belgians Koen Meersman and Kris Scheerlinck. The studio creates artistic interventions in the form of handmade ceramic tiles, murals and sculptural pieces. The hand-carved ceramic artworks are rich in texture and evoke an almost visceral and emotional response. They enter into a dialogue at Baranzate with Monument, a New Zealand duo, also from London.

The Brussels House in Isola, located in the shadow of the Bosco Verticale, opened its doors last year. HUB Brussels, in collaboration with MAD Brussels, is giving thirteen young designers the chance to exhibit there.

7. With her alter ego FOLD UN FOLD, architect Kana Arioka explores the tentative gestures of folding and unfolding as an open process when designing spaces without contours. She (dis)folds paper and textile models for furniture, objects, clothes and graphic designs. Furniture transforms and dialogues in an evolving user experience of the simple ritual gestures that make a space a home. Also at Isola, Kana participates in an expo of the European WORTH Partnership Project.

8. Guillaume Slizewicz can also be found at Brussels House, but also participates in the exhibition F / A FakeAuthentic (EXTRA)ORDINARY at Dropcity, near Central Station. Guillaume Slizewicz speaks in the language of technology but tells an emotional story. He translates complex social issues, from local air quality to online surveillance, into objects and installations that combine digital and physical (im)materials. One example is the Close Combat Data Storage.

Last year there was the Belgian Design Pavilion in Isola. Initiator Joris Verstrepen is now pulling the international project 'We Were Here'. Among the participants we find Timon Mattelaer and Nicolas Erauw.

10. DAMN° magazine celebrates its 20th anniversary with Topsoil Stools: a series of small seating objects made mostly from materials found in and on topsoil. It is an investigation into what crafts still exist and what natural resources are available in remote or forgotten areas. The selection previously on show at Collectible has been changed somewhat and supplemented by work by Sep Verboom, among others. DAMN° returns to Palazzo Litta in 5VIE, where it was a partner in the organisation for many years.

11. Also in 5VIE, Serax and N. Vrouyr present their collections in the mystical venue of the Teatro Arsenale. Bob Verhelst creates the Black Box there. For Serax, Bob designed furniture, lighting and objects, for N. Vrouyr carpets. Iconic furniture pieces by Vincent Van Duysen and Ann Demeulemeester of Serax will be integrated into the presentation along with pieces by Maarten Baas and Muller Van Severen for valerie_objects.

12. Alcova, one of Milan's draws for several years, has now gone really far. In Varedo, they palmed two villas: Villa Borsani and Villa Bagatti Valsecchi. Maniera is guest there with an expo by Japanese architect Junya Ishigami. Linde Freya Tangelder of Destroyers/Builders brings a selection of new and older work there. Many chairs, stools and side tables come together for the first time in Milan, including the new Sculpting Archetype chairs and small glass works.

13. Leo Aerts of Alinea Design Objects is present in Brera for several years. Now he is bringing both an outdoor and indoor presentation. With this, Alinea aims to meet the growing demand for high-quality garden furniture. Besides the Angelo M collection for outdoors, Leo will show a number of new designs for indoors: a glass display cabinet, a rug, a sideboard and a marble stool.

14. Two years ago, Bieke Casteleyn was already at Brera, along with When Objects Work and some other brands. Now she herself has gathered a number of companies around her under the banner Belgian Collective: Bemelmans Design, Jeroen De Ruddere, Designs of the Time. Biekes Out of Line collection includes dining tables, coffee tables, desks, consoles, sofas and more.

15. Masterly, the Dutch in Milano. This Dutch initiative by Nicole Uniquole moved into an immense Palazzo near the Duomo last year. Among the participants we find two Belgians. Casalis brings there a collection designed by Aleksandra Gaca, who lives and works in the Netherlands. Luc Druez (LCD Textiles) brings his own designs, composed exclusively of technical fibres given a new jacquard 'twist': fishing line, raffia, rubber, copper and horsehair.

16. Belgian Furniture, powered by Fedustria is attending the fair for the third time. With success, as they are doubling the number of participants and their surface area. Besides some regular participants, they now also bring some well-known names from the design world such as Serax, ecoBirdy and XLBoom with Frederik Delbart's Diablo wine coolers.

17. Renson, winner of the Henry van de Velde Company Award in 2022, is participating in the Salone del Mobile for the first time. They are joining forces with Coco Wolf (outdoor furniture), Cosapots (handmade flower pots and planters) and Cubic (high-quality outdoor kitchens). The brand new 'outdoor living space' Amani stands for pure comfort. Amani pushes the boundaries of customisation and offers endless possibilities for furnishing an outdoor space.

18. Under the motto 'go big, or go home', Dôme Deco immediately bets on two horses. Besides winning a place at the Salone del Mobile, during Milan Design Week they will be settling down with Swiss luxury watch brand Breitling, with whom they have been collaborating for years to furnish their boutiques worldwide. Dôme Deco will present the Awaken collection and the Charm capsule.

19. PR Living launched Muundo last year. This year, it gets a little brother with Paul Rogers, named after Paul Rogiers, founder of the parent company. Paul Rogers targets the better residential retailer, "the perfect alternative for what the mid-end and high-end market demands in both the short and longer term". Paul Rogers has its own brand identity, it is not a hotchpotch of all kinds of existing furniture but a completely new concept worked out by Cas Moor, creative director of Paul Rogers and designer for Muundo.

20. Sander Nevejans, a Belgian designer living in London, we have known for several years from at Isola. Now he is making the move to the Salone Satellite. There he is launching Seastex, recycled from mussel waste, which is transformed into a soft, cloud-like raw material made entirely from pure byssus threads. It can be used in the construction, furniture and textile industries.