Highlights from Milan Design Week
From April 15th to 21st, Milan is buzzing with energy as it hosts the world’s largest design event. The prestigious Salone del Mobile program, along with numerous exhibitions and events across the city, ensures an engaging and exciting experience.
Explore our guide to the highlights of captivating installations, temporary events and exhibitions happening throughout the event, as well as our favorite places to eat and drink in the vibrant city of Milan.
photo credit: Forma Fantasma
PRADA FRAMES BY FORMA FANTASMA
An innovative and immersive exhibition in collaboration with Prada. The installation explores the relationship between nature and design, featuring thought-provoking displays and experiences that blend aesthetics with ecological awareness. Forma Fantasma's approach to sustainable design and Prada's luxury aesthetic comes together to create a dialogue around the impact of human activity on the environment. Through carefully curated spaces, the exhibition challenges visitors to rethink their relationship with the natural world and how design can play a role in shaping a more sustainable future.
PHOTOS CREDIT: DAVid lynch
THINKING ROOM BY DAVID LYNCH
A conceptual installation that invites visitors into a meditative space inspired by his distinctive artistic vision. The installation blends Lynch's signature style of surrealism and introspection, offering a sanctuary for reflection and contemplation. Through carefully curated lighting, soundscapes, and visual elements, The Thinking Room creates an immersive atmosphere that encourages visitors to explore the depths of their thoughts and emotions. This innovative experience highlights Lynch's prowess in bridging art, design, and the human psyche.
PHOTO CREDIT: GOHAR.WORLD, ALCOVA MILANO
ALCOVA
Founded in 2018 by Valentina Ciuffi (Studio Vedèt) and Joseph Grima (Space Caviar), Alcova has become one of the most widely followed projects in the Fuorisalone, regularly attracting over 90.000 visitors.
Alcova will showcase a range of contemporary design works, installations, and projects from emerging and established designers, architects, and brands. The event is known for its unique approach to design exhibitions, often taking place in unconventional venues such as abandoned buildings or historic sites around Milan.
The seventh edition of Alcova will be set in two of the most extraordinary villas of the Milan metropolitan area: Villa Borsani and Villa Bagatti Valsecchi. Villa Borsani, completed in 1945, is a Modernist architectural masterpiece by Osvaldo Borsani, noted for its lush gardens and distinctive elements like a Lucio Fontana fireplace, and serves as a center for the Archivio Osvaldo Borsani. Built for a noble Milanese family, who used it as a summer retreat to escape the heat of the city and to entertain guests and friends, Villa Bagatti Valsecchi is one the most significant examples of 19th-century villa architecture in the Lombardy region.
PHOTO CREDIT: GAETANO PESCE
NICE TO SEE YOU AND L’UOMO STANCO BY GAETANO PESCE
We bid farewell to Gaetano Pesce, a groundbreaking artist and designer who passed away at 84. His visionary work, a hallmark of Italian art and design, will continue to inspire us during Milan Design Week.
We will pay tribute to him in Milan during Design Week at the "Nice To See You" exhibition at the historic Ambrosiana Library and the “L’Uomo Stanco” installation in collaboration with the city of Milan in Piazza San Pio XI. "Nice To See You" is a free public exhibit showcasing around thirty of Pesce’s latest creations from 2023 and 2024. These works, chosen for both their functionality and the messages they convey, encourage us to reflect on their deeper meanings.
PHOTO CREDIT: JACOPO FOGGINI
RIVERS COLLECTION BY JACOPO FOGGINI
An innovative and artistic series of works that reflect Foggini's signature style of using colorful polycarbonate and resin materials to create sculptural lighting and furniture pieces. The collection draws inspiration from the natural beauty and flow of rivers, as well as the interplay of light and color in these settings. Each piece in the Rivers collection features fluid, organic shapes and vibrant colors that evoke the dynamic movement of water.
Through his unique technique of manipulating translucent and vibrant materials, Foggini creates captivating designs that play with light and form. These works not only serve as functional art pieces but also as conversation starters and design statements in any space. The Rivers collection continues to demonstrate Foggini's talent for pushing the boundaries of design and material experimentation.
FOOD & DRINK
PHOTO CREDIT: MARIMEKKO
BAR UNIKKO BY MARIMEKKO
Marimekko, the Finnish design brand, has joined forces with the interiors magazine Apartamento to present Bar Unikko, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of its iconic Unikko print. This week-long event transforms Milanese cafe Bar Stoppani, displaying unique items featuring the Unikko print, which reflects the brand's "joyful and optimistic" design philosophy.
PHOTO CREDIT: RALPH LAUREN
THE BAR AT RALPH LAUREN
The Ralph Lauren store is embracing Milan Design Week with a stunning transformation, featuring an immersive showcase of the brand’s timeless elegance and sophisticated style. The façade of The Bar at Ralph Lauren will boast a striking installation of white tulips and blue and white striped fabrics from the Ralph Lauren Home collection, offering a warm welcome to Design Week attendees. This picturesque entrance leads guests into a breezy courtyard providing a serene escape in the heart of the city
PHOTO CREDIT: trattoria del ciumbia with jessica serfaty michel
TRATTORIA DEL CIUMBIA
Just in time for Milan Design Week 2024, Dimorestudio is reimagining the traditional trattoria experience with Trattoria del Ciumbia, a Brera neighborhood hotspot inspired by the city's avant-garde art movement of the '60s. The trattoria is awash in a rich raisin red color palette, setting the scene for a memorable dining experience. Guests can savor fresh Milanese-style pastas and other culinary delights from the menu. After dinner, the experience extends downstairs to the steel-clad Disco club, exclusively available to restaurant guests for a late-night revelry in a vibrant, modern setting. This fusion of design, art, and cuisine makes Trattoria del Ciumbia a must-visit destination during Milan Design Week.
PHOTO CREDIT: WE ARE ONA