MILAN - The 51st Salone del Mobile business and residential furnishings and home show, which ends a five-day run in Milan, Italy today, featured gray and black kitchen cabinets spotted with color, and furniture designs from around the world.

  Showcasing thousands products aimed at global markets for home furnishing sectors, this year's event also featured kitchen cabinetry, equipment and accessories; and was opened to the general public this weekend after its strictly business attendance prior.

It is a big show: 2,700 Italian and foreign exhibitors at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, the SaloneSatellite and the biennial EuroCucina,International Kitchen Furniture Exhibition and the International Bathroom Exhibition.

In figures: 331,649 visitors overall. 292, 370 in the furnishings industries, up 3.5 percent from 2011. 188,579 foreign operators making up 64.5 percent of the total ( up 5.9 percent), plus 103,791 Italian operators, flat with last year’s results.

Some U.S. manufacturers say their wood furniture offerings have regained appeal in global markets, integrating the cache of "Made in America" with the traditional North American designs.