15/11/2013 - SICAM 2013 - Pordenone Fair

The fifth edition of Pordenone's SICAM - International Exhibition of Components and Accessories for the Furniture Industry, one of the most relevant events for wooden frontdoors manufacturers - has closed its doors on October, Friday the 18th. As ExpoSicam released, the affluence data are positive: 16000 registered visitors, with a 5% foreign presence increase relative to the 2012 edition.

Here are some impressions born from our visit on Wednesday the 16th.

The overall atmosphere was definitely lively and the presence at the stands good. Many foreign visitors, maybe registering a lower number of asians compared to the last years. For sure, the fact that several leading frontdoors producer firms have not exhibited has left us worried, but the ones who did it have expressed their strong conviction in high-quality products reflecting the typical Made-In-Italy craftmanship skill and professionality.

Amongst an evergrowing use of polymerics, laminate and decorative melaminics, some interesting uses of real wood have distinguished. To us, these ones represent the worthy news.

First: full solid wood (oak, walnut) frontdoors, deeply brushed and sandblasted, with a oil-and-wax treated nature-like finish. The application of this technology to a kitchen frontdoor is really interesting.

Second: stratified panels or other wooden supports veneered with different essences presenting a "wild wood" effect, where nodes and splits - commercially considered defects - become the main points of strenght for the aesthetic profile. The finishes suggested for this "wild wood" were also interesting: natural, waxed, white-patinated, colour-veiled.

Both of them are likely to be provocations, reactions to a market where the use of fake-wood is always more diffused, or maybe a bold proposal for a market niche. Expensive products, but definitely masterpieces to who loves real wood.

We think that for a timeless material like solid wood requiring an adequate investment is absolutely needed.