Gearing up FOR MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2026
Milan design week 2026 is just around the corner, and designboom returns with it to guide you through this year’s most exciting events, exhibitions, and must-see installations! From April 20th to 26th, 2026, the world’s biggest design event is set to transform the streets of Milan into a celebration of creativity and promises an electrifying mix of design, architecture, and innovation spread across the city.
To make sure you don’t miss a thing (and know where to go!), we have once again curated a selection of must-see events, talks, exhibitions, and experiences that will ensure you leave Milan full of powerful new insights and lasting impressions. Chief among them: designboom’s very own takeover of the iconic ME Milan Il Duca hotel with ROOM FOR DREAMS. This year we’re brining our Milan-born magazine to life through large-scale installations, a dedicated cinema space with daily film screenings, live talks, workshops and social encounters in partnership with SolidNature x AMO/OMA, Paf Atelier, Ressence, La Marzocco, OPPO and INDX|GLOBAL. Join us as we explore the state of dreaming as a rigorous tool for cultural and social transformation – RSVP here.
From immersive experiences and installations to exclusive talks and pop-ups, read through our ultimate guide to milan design week 2026 below. We’ll be updating this guide and our brand-new map in real time, so stay tuned for the latest news, and don’t forget to follow our LIVE coverage on @milan.design.week.
illustration by Haus of Grace
designboom checks into me milan il duca with ‘room for dreams’
What if our dreams weren’t just nocturnal illusions, but blueprints for a better world? During Milan Design Week 2026, designboom steps beyond the digital to create ROOM FOR DREAMS, a site-specific takeover of the ME Milan Il Duca.
More than a design exhibition, ROOM FOR DREAMS becomes a living manifesto for utopian optimism, creative courage and the power of imagination through a multilayered approach where large scale installations, cinematic storytelling, live conversations, and ritual-driven encounters converge. From an immersive installation by SolidNature and OMA/AMO’s Samir Bantal, to a dedicated Cinema of Dreams by Paf atelier and a LIVE talk with Philippe Starck, each intervention transforms the hotel’s public spaces through a unique interpretation of dreaming, imagination and future possibilities.
what: Room for Dreams
when: 21-25 April 2026 (11:00AM – 6:00PM)
where: ME Milan Il Duca, Piazza della Repubblica 13
JOIN US IN MILAN – RSVP HERE
‘Cinema for Dreams’ designed by Paf atelier
milan design week 2026
Explore the best events, showrooms, and installations across the city. Use the filters to find what you’re looking for.
FAIRS AND GROUP SHOWS
SALONE DEL MOBILE
The 64th edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano, taking place from April 21st to 26th, 2026, reinforces its role as a global platform for design through an expanded, interconnected format featuring over 1,900 exhibitors from 32 countries. This year’s fair introduces new curatorial directions, including the debut of Salone Raritas, a showcase of collectible and unique design pieces, and ‘Aurea, an Architectural Fiction,’ an immersive installation by Maison Numéro 20 exploring luxury through narrative interiors. Alongside the return of key biennials such as EuroCucina and the International Bathroom Exhibition, the event places strong emphasis on sustainability, innovation, and evolving design systems, while also launching the Salone Contract initiative with a masterplan by Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten of OMA ahead of its 2027 debut.
what: Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026
when: 21-25 April 2026
where: Fiera Milano Rho, 20017 Rho MI
image courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano
fuorisalone
Fuorisalone 2026 adopts the theme ‘Be the Project,’ framing design as both a transformative process and a personal, evolving state of being. The concept positions individuals as active agents of change while emphasizing design as an ongoing dialogue that reshapes relationships between people, objects, and environments. Embracing ideas of transformation, responsibility, and inclusivity, the theme also engages with emerging intelligences such as artificial intelligence, seen not as a replacement but as a collaborative presence that challenges and expands human thinking. In a rapidly shifting world, Fuorisalone calls for a renewed understanding of design as a form of knowledge and storytelling—one that connects cultures, materials, and ideas to imagine a more sustainable, conscious, and interconnected future.
what: Fuorisalone 2026 – Be the Project
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: Various locations across Milan
image by glo courtesy of Fuorisalone
BRERA DESIGN DISTRICT
Brera Design District presents the 17th edition of Brera Design Week, aligning with the Fuorisalone theme ‘Be the Project’. In this context, Brera functions as a widespread urban laboratory, where design, creativity, and enterprise engage in daily dialogue, shaping the district into an open space for experimentation and research. During Design Week, 217 permanent showrooms, companies, designers, and cultural institutions, as well as 9 new additions, will interpret the theme through installations, exhibitions, and events, creating an extensive programme that reinforces Brera’s role as one of the key references of Fuorisalone.
what: Brera Design Week 2026 – Be the Project
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: Brera Design District, Milan
image courtesy of Brera Design Week
moscapartnerS variations
For Milan Design Week 2026, MoscaPartners once again occupies the historic Palazzo Litta with Moscapartners Variations. For this year’s outdoor installation, Metamorphosis in Motion, architect Lina Ghotmeh welcomes visitors to her first site-specific outdoor work in Italy. The project transforms the Main Courtyard into a space of perception and experience, where the history of the palace meets a contemporary design language.
what: Moscapartners Variations 2026 featuring Metamorphosis in Motion by Lina Ghotmeh
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: Palazzo Litta, Corso Magenta
image courtesy of MoscaPartners
ISOLA DESIGN FESTIVAL
Isola Design Festival returns for a special 10th anniversary edition to Milan Design Week 2026. Over the past decade, what started as a local event has grown into a full-fledged festival and become one of the key districts of Milan Design Week. TEN: The Evolving Now marks this milestone by revisiting some of the most successful past showcase formats, while introducing new collaborations with key figures who have contributed to Isola’s history.
Some participants who first joined as emerging talents return as established voices, while others join for the first time, continuing to shape the independent ecosystem that defines Isola. Presented for the first time and co-curated by Isola and Pietro Petrillo, Archivi Futuri explores the future of objects beyond 2025, reflecting on how today’s creative output can remain sustainable and meaningful for generations to come. Isola Design Gallery returns for its 7th edition, investigating how knowledge, materials, and processes can be preserved through artificial intelligence, traditional craft, and careful documentation.
what: Isola Design Festival 2026
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: Isola District
Fabbrica Sassetti | image courtesy of Isola Design Festival
Masterly – The Dutch in Milano
Masterly – The Dutch in Milano celebrates its tenth edition at Palazzo Giureconsulti during Milan Design Week 2026. Spread across the four floors of the historic palace, over 100 independent Dutch designers, established companies, emerging entrepreneurial ventures, artisans, artists, and educational institutions will be featured. Alongside individual installations, this edition places particular emphasis on collective projects. The participants share one common goal: to create design that delivers real value, anchored in a strong vision and executed with a precise design attitude. Design is positioned as a strategic tool: inspiring, thought-provoking, and often impactful beyond the object itself
what: Masterly – The Dutch in Milano 2026
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, Piazza del Duomo, Milan
image courtesy of Masterly – The Dutch in Milano
ALCOVA
Alcova returns for its eleventh edition, unfolding across two extraordinary sites that each, in their own way, capture the essence of Milan’s urban identity. Alcova will be opening up new, unseen spaces within the Baggio Military Hospital, a vast, verdant complex in the Primaticcio district. The second site will be the legendary Villa Pestarini by Franco Albini: today a private residence, it has never before been accessible to the public. Together, these two locations form an architectural dialogue between preservation and reinvention.
what: Alcova 2026
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: Baggio Military Hospital, Villa Pestarini – Sella Nuova, Milan
Baggio military hospital | image by Piergiorgio Sorgetti
5vie
Now in its thirteenth edition and under the motto ‘QoT – Qualia of Things‘, 5VIE Design Week brings its exhibition back to the heart of the historic center of Milan. The beating heart of the exhibition will be at the Cavallerizze of the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology. In this liminal space between history and innovation, design becomes a language capable of uniting biology and technology.
In a world increasingly saturated with data, algorithms, and digital connections, 5VIE Design Week 2026 chooses to chart a reverse course, bringing attention back to the irreducibility of the human experience. This year’s theme stands as a philosophical and creative manifesto challenging the dominance of the IoT (Internet of Things). While technology aims for network efficiency, the 5VIE district shifts the focus to the ‘quality of experience.’
what: 5VIE Design Week 2026 – Qualia of Things
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: 5VIE District, Milan
image courtesy of 5VIE Design Week
DOPPIA FIRMA – ‘Grand tour in italy’
The 2026 edition of Doppia Firma, by Fondazione Cologni and Living – Corriere della Sera, with support from Michelangelo Foundation, is dedicated to the theme of the ‘Grand Tour in Italy’, interpreted through 12 collaborations between international designers and Italian master artisans.
what: Doppia Firma – ‘Grand Tour in Italy’
when: 21-26 April 2026
where: Casa degli Artisti, Corso Garibaldi, 89/A
Casa degli Artisti | image courtesy of Brera Design District
ARTEMEST – L’APPARTAMENTO AT PALAZZO DONIZETTI
what: L’Appartamento by Artemest
when: 21-26 April 2026
where: Palazzo Donizetti, Via Donizetti, 48
Palazzo Donizetti | image courtesy of Artemest
switzerland presents shared matter
Organised by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, the exhibition Shared Matter marks a new chapter following three successful editions of the House of Switzerland Milano (2023–2025), with a new location and a renewed format for presenting Swiss design. The project is realised in partnership with Presence Switzerland. Shared Matter is a collective exhibition presented at SPAZIOVENTO, in the Brera district, initiated by designers for designers.
what: Switzerland presents Shared Matter
when: 20-24 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
where: SPAZIOVENTO, Via Pinamonte da Vimercate, 4
image courtesy of Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia
house of creatures
Led by Centre for Creativity in Slovenia (the team behind Material Bar at Alcova last year), House of Creatures is an exhibition at Alcova presenting ten contemporary Slovenian design works as living beings rather than products, inviting audiences to encounter objects that resist fixed categories of function, discipline, or scale. Set within an intimate shared habitat, the exhibition explores design as a network of relationships between bodies, spaces, and imaginations, where objects stretch, sag, leak, and adapt beyond conventional expectations.
Featuring works by Soft Baroque, Lara Bohinc, Dan Adlešič, Juicy Marbles and other established and emerging designers working across product design, fashion, and food innovation, the show challenges definitions of use and authorship while positioning visitors as temporary inhabitants within an already occupied environment.
what: House of Creatures
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: Via Achille Maiocchi, 8
image courtesy of Center for Creativity Slovenia
Homo Faber Fellowship
Under the art direction of Giampiero Bodino, 22 duos composed of master artisans and emerging talents co-created, designed, and handcrafted objects over the course of six months for the Homo Faber Fellowship. This exhibition showcases the results of these unique collaborations, bridging the gap between established expertise and new creative visions. It emphasizes the transmission of knowledge and the continued relevance of artisanal craftsmanship in contemporary design, moving from traditional ‘Arts & Crafts’ to the very center of the modern design conversation.
what: Homo Faber Fellowship: Today’s Masters Meet Tomorrow’s Talents
when: 21-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
where: Casa degli Artisti, Via Tommaso da Cazzaniga – Corso Garibaldi 89A
image courtesy of Michelangelo Foundation
events, exhibitions and installations
Hermès
On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2026, Hermès presents a new furniture piece, objects and home textiles from its home universe in a scenography designed by Charlotte Macaux Perelman, architect and artistic director for Hermès Maison Universe along with Alexis Fabry.
what: Hermès
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: La Pelota Jai Alai, Via Palermo 10
image courtesy of Hermès
Marcin Rusak’s Forum Florum
Marcin Rusak Studio presents ‘Forum Florum: Herbarium of the Present’ at SIAM, an exhibition uniting botanical inquiry and material experimentation in a quest to formulate a new language of aesthetic expression. Debuting a new body of work through a considered presentation that challenges the urgency of the global design events calendar, the show is conceived as an artistic and educational platform, inviting visitors into a timely reflection on nature and culture, biodiversity and sustainability, and the materials that shape contemporary life.
what: Marcin Rusak Studio – ‘Forum Florum: Herbarium of the Present’
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
where: SIAM 1838, Via Santa Marta, 18
image courtesy of Marcin Rusak Studio
PRADA FRAMES – in sight
Now in its fifth edition, Prada Frames is back with its annual symposium, curated by design and research studio Formafantasma, that runs parallel to Milan’s Salone del Mobile. Following the belief that intellectual inquiry and cross-disciplinary dialogue can act as vessels of progress, and focusing on ideas rather than product, the initiative sits at the intersection of design, culture, and society. Under the title In Sight, the new Prada Frames installment focuses on image-making – a defining aspect of the immateriality of contemporary culture, and its preference for representation over facts – approaching the image as a cultural, political, and material force.
Prada Frames In Sight will be hosted within the complex of Santa Maria delle Grazie, an historical site located in the center of Milan. Lectures will take place in the Sacrestia, a Renaissance space traditionally attributed to Bramante, featuring inlaid cabinets with early sixteenth-century biblical scenes by Domenico and Francesco Morone.
what: Prada Frames 2026 – In Sight
when: 19-21 April 2026
where: Santa Maria delle Grazie, Via Giuseppe Antonio Sassi, 3
image courtesy of Prada
Superstudio design
For Milan Design Week 2026, Superstudio presents Superstudio Design, a new project that broadens perspectives and ambitions by tripling not only the exhibition space but also the areas of research that define the project’s identity and its vision for the future of the city.
The programme is divided into three venues with different visions: Superstudio Più SuperNova, a reference point for international design; at Superstudio Maxi SuperCity, a multidisciplinary space where design, art and architecture interact; at the new Superstudio Village in Bovisa, SuperPlayground, dedicated to young designers from around the world, emerging studios and experimental projects. A broad and international experience that redraws the map of MDW 2026 and encourages new encounters between creativity, experimentation and culture.
what: Superstudio Più – SuperNova
when: April 20-25 2026 (11:00AM – 9:00PM); April 26 (11:00AM – 6:00PM)
where: Via Tortona 27
what: Superstudio Village – SuperPlayground
when: April 20-25 2026 (11:00AM – 11:00PM); April 26 (11:00AM – 6:00PM)
where: Via Negrotto, 59
what: Superstudio Maxi – SuperCity
when: April 20-25 2026 (11:00AM – 9:00PM).; April 26 (11:00AM – 6:00PM)
where: Via Moncucco, 35
image courtesy of Superstudio.Design
Le design défilé by french living in motion
Curated by the French Living in Motion collective and designed by Jakob+MacFarlane, Le Design Défilé brings together 53 creations by 28 French houses, combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary standards, reflecting the diversity of design languages, uses, and savoir-faire. Conceived as a défilé, the exhibition unfolds as a spatial narrative: objects are staged in dialogue with movement, sound and atmosphere, structured as a choreographed parcours.
what: Le Design Défilé by French Living in Motion collective
when: 21-26 April 2026 (11:00AM – 6:00PM)
where: House of MINI, Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda, Via Alessandro Manzoni, 41
image courtesy of Le Design Défilé
JUSOOR DESIGN COLLECTIONS
The Architecture & Design Commission of Saudi Arabia presents Jusoor Design Collections at Milan Design Week 2026, a collaborative exhibition connecting five Saudi designers with international design brands from India, Nepal, and Spain. Curated by Samer Yamani, the project explores material, identity, and cross-cultural exchange through a series of collectible design works developed across Riyadh, New Delhi, Kathmandu, and Barcelona, highlighting a new generation of Saudi designers on the global stage.
Presented at the historic Pinacoteca di Brera, the exhibition showcases a collection of limited-edition objects – from sculptural lighting and textile-based seating to collectible furniture – developed through cross-cultural collaboration. The works emphasize process, material experimentation, and dialogue, offering insight into how contemporary Saudi design engages with both local narratives and global perspectives.
what: Jusoor Design Collections – collaborative exhibition of Saudi designers and global design brands
when: 20 April 2026 (press preview, by invitation); 21–25 April (10:00AM – 7:00PM); 26 April (10:00AM – 2:00PM)
where: Pinacoteca di Brera, Via Brera 28
image courtesy of AC Commission KSA
baccarat hosts ‘crystal crypt’
To mark its return to Milan Design Week, Baccarat will unveil new creations in the heart of the Brera district, within an immersive science fiction experience bringing together, across multiple timelines, the icons and savoir-faire of the house, celebrating boldness and creative freedom. Conceived by Emmanuelle Luciani, artist, art historian and curator, Crystal Crypt offers an unexpected interpretation of Baccarat’s identity, approaching crystal as a total art experience.
Envisioned as a galactic cathedral, the space pays tribute to the craftsmanship of Baccarat’s artisans, passed down and reinvented through generations. One highlight: Mille Fleurs, the result of a collaboration with British designer Bethan Laura Wood. Renowned for her passion for color, material and craftsmanship, she offers a contemporary reinterpretation of Baccarat’s Zénith chandelier, originally designed in the mid-19th century.
what: Baccarat – ‘Crystal Crypt’
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: Via Marco Formentini, 10
Illustration visual of the Mille Fleurs chandelier by Baccarat × Bethan Laura Wood | image courtesy of Baccarat
Range rover x storey studio
Following the success of its 2025 debut at Milan Design Week, Futurespective: Connected Worlds, Range Rover continues to deepen its presence within the international design community. For 2026, the brand has partnered with Storey Studio, the London and Paris-based spatial design practice led by Robert Storey, to conceive a new installation that will further explore the intersection of luxury, design and sensory experience.
The 2026 installation celebrates Range Rover Bespoke, the brand’s pinnacle personalisation service, which invites clients to commission truly individual vehicles shaped by expert craftsmanship and creative collaboration. With a design philosophy rooted in modernism, restraint and purposeful innovation, Range Rover continues to explore new ways of expressing its identity through cultural partnerships and immersive experiences that resonate with a global audience.
what: Range Rover x Storey Studio
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: tbc
image courtesy of Range Rover
gaggenau at villa necchi campiglio
Gaggenau — the luxury brand for professional-grade home appliances — celebrates ‘Presence’ during Milan Design Week 2026 at Villa Necchi Campiglio: a refined architectural installation that sharpens perception and quiets distraction, revealing what matters. Through a sequence of spaces shaped by architecture, light and material, visitors are invited to experience the brand without explanation.
what: Gaggenau at Villa Necchi Campiglio
when: 21-26 April 2026 (11:00AM – 5:00PM)
where: Villa Necchi Campiglio, Via Mozart, 14
image courtesy of Gaggenau
Palazzo Citterio – when apricots blossom
When Apricots Blossom, commissioned by Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, is an immersive exhibition presented at Palazzo Citterio. Inspired by a poem by renowned Uzbek writer Hamid Olimjon, the exhibition reflects on themes of hope, renewal and resilience. Through installations, newly commissioned design works and public programmes, visitors are invited to discover the cultural heritage of the Aral Sea region and Karakalpakstan. Curated by architect Kulapat Yantrasast, the exhibition unfolds as a journey through three essential elements of daily life in the region: textiles, food and shelter.
Twelve international designers have contributed new works for the exhibition, including Bethan Laura Wood, Bobir Klichev, Didi NG Wing Yin, Fernando Laposse, Marcin Rusak, Nifemi Marcus-Bello, Sanne Visser and Sevara Haydarova Donazzan, alongside design studios Glithero, Studio CoPain and Raw-Edges. Working closely with artisans in Uzbekistan, the designers explore traditional materials such as wood, silk, ceramic, felt and reed, creating contemporary interpretations rooted in local craft knowledge.
what: When Apricots Blossom
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 6:00PM)
where: Palazzo Citterio, Via Brera, 12
image courtesy of ACDF and Bethan Laura Wood Studio
‘A Garden of Curiosity’ by MINI x Paul Smith
An immersive installation created by MINI and Paul Smith, the Garden of Curiosity is a playful space of wooden walkways and tall grasses leading to open platforms or sensory rooms that explore experiences of sight, sound and colors. A blend of whimsical design, craft and curiosity.
what: Garden of Curiosity by Mini x Paul Smith
when: 21-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
where: House of MINI, Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda, Via Alessandro Manzoni, 41
image courtesy of Mini
MUTINA COLLABORATIONS: NERI&HU and THE ALBERS FOUNDATION
Mutina presents two new internationally significant collaborations with Neri&Hu and The Josef & Anni Albers Foundation. These encounters represent true moments of cultural convergence, expanding the brand’s language and reaffirming its role within the contemporary design landscape.
Form is the generative principle behind the collaboration with Neri&Hu, expressed through two complementary collections: Weaving features ceramic coverings inspired by the art of bamboo weaving, while Hé is a new Editions line consisting of tableware objects that reinterpret traditional Chinese ritual geometries. Colour, on the other hand, lies at the heart of the collaboration with The Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, which gives rise to Homage to the Square, a collection inspired by Josef Albers’ perceptual theories.
what: Mutina featuring Neri & Hu and the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
where: Spazio Mutina, Via del Crociale, 25
image by Gerhardt Kellerman | courtesy of Mutina
GROHE SPA Aqua Sanctuary
A historic first: For the first time, the legendary Italian institution Piccolo Teatro Studio Melato becomes the GROHE SPA Aqua Sanctuary – an evocative journey exploring ‘Wellbeing through Water’. Engage your senses and slow the perception of time to fully immerse in water as a transformative element that cleanses, rejuvenates and relaxes.
what: GROHE SPA Aqua Sanctuary
when: 21-26 April 2026 (11:00AM – 5:00PM)
where: Piccolo Teatro Studio Melato, Via Rivoli, 6
image courtesy of GROHE
Continental presents the Sound of Premium
As part of Milan Design Week 2026, Continental presents ‘THE SOUND OF PREMIUM’ at BASE Milano—an immersive listening experience that explores the theme of urban noise pollution, transforming it into a sensory journey. The installation is designed as an ‘urban synthesis’ a landscape where sound becomes material and defines the space itself. Through a path that evolves in three distinct phases—chaos, harmony, and silence—visitors traverse an environment where city noise is progressively transformed into balance, revealing how a silent city is not empty, but a condition resulting from research.
The installation, created by WOA Studio with strategic support from WPP Media’s Entertainment unit, translates this vision into an immersive experience where light, space and sound interact to create a contemplative and minimalist environment.
what: Continental presents ‘THE SOUND OF PREMIUM’
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: BASE Milano, Via Ambrogio Bergognone da Fossano, 34
image courtesy of Continental
Geely x dotdotdot: Anima mundi. a visionary impulse
Geely Auto hosts ‘Anima Mundi. A Visionary Impulse’, a site-specific interactive installation conceived by Dotdotdot, a multidisciplinary design studio specializing in the creation of narrative environments. Inspired by the unifying principle from which all life originates, ‘Anima Mundi. A Visionary Impulse’ is an interactive installation that immerses visitors in a new experiential cosmogony.
Upon entering the large hall with the organ of the neoclassical Instituto dei Ciechi, the public is confronted with an immersive microcosm composed of five monumental veils, which constantly change in response to the physical presence of visitors. Images and soundscapes are self-generated, giving life to an organism that evolves and transforms.
what: Geely and Dotdotdot host ‘Anima Mundi. A Visionary Impulse’
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: Instituto dei Chiechi, Via Vivaio, 7
image courtesy of Geely
Marea / tide by habits design
Part of Brera Design District 2026, MAREA / TIDE by Milan-based Habits Design is a robotic and interactive aerial structure. Suspended above visitors like a mobile, reflective vault, it is composed of lightweight helium-inflated modules connected by motorized nodes, forming an artificial, responsive sky in constant transformation. Air becomes a design material: a fluid atmosphere capable of slowly deforming in response to what unfolds in the space below.
Like the natural phenomenon from which it takes its name, MAREA / TIDE advances and recedes through almost imperceptible vertical movements, translating the presence, density, and flow of visitors into spatial variations. The project explores lightness as both a structural and conceptual condition: an unstable balance between buoyancy and control, between tension and adaptation.
what: MAREA / TIDE by Habits Design
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: Via Solferino, 24
image courtesy of Habits Design
glo for art
glo returns to Brera Design Week 2026 with an installation by Numero Cromatico at Palazzo Moscova. Inspired by the theme ‘Be the Project,’ the work explores the relationship between light, architecture and participation, creating a contemporary immersive experience. At the center, a large interactive portal – an orange circle, symbol of connection and belonging – welcomes visitors into a dynamic space where technology and creativity merge. The audience becomes an active part of the project, contributing to its evolution.
what: glo for art
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: Palazzo Moscova, Via Moscova, 18
image by glo courtesy of Fuorisalone
5VIE – JŌMON: A Mother’s Anthem
5VIE presents JŌMON: A Mother’s Anthem, a lyrical installation of new work by Japanese ceramic artist Noe Kuremoto and curated by Anna Carnick. The timely project is framed as a love letter to mothers everywhere, honoring the full complexity of motherhood: the beauty and the pain; the struggle and the devotion; and the ferocity, hope, and daily care.
The presentation features Kuremoto’s latest sculptural stoneware vessels, composed as contemporary reinterpretations of some of the world’s earliest known pottery, dating back to the Jōmon period (14,000–300 BCE). Traditionally, these vessels were used in both domestic and ritualistic contexts, and often embraced as protective objects. Kuremoto’s elegant pieces are recast as both talisman and tributes—homages to the daily moments of light and shadow that together make up a life.
what: 5Vie presents ‘JŌMON: A Mother’s Anthem’
when: 20-26 April 2026 (08:30AM – 8:00PM)
where: Cavallerizze, Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, Via Olona, 4
image by Kestutis Zilionis | courtesy of Noe Kuremoto
Buccellati presents aquae mirabiles
On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2026, Buccellati unveils Aquae Mirabiles. The installation, curated by Federica Sala, designed by Balich Wonder Studio, celebrates the Caviar silverware collection and its iconic microsphere motif and immerses visitors in the Maison’s universe. The exhibit is a visual experience that blends epic grandeur and the poetic sensitivity of the English artist Luke Edward Hall, creating a luminous and evocative narrative deeply rooted in Italian tradition.
what: Buccellati presents ‘Aquae Mirabiles’
when: 21-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 6:00PM)
where: Piazza Tomasi di Lampedusa
image courtesy of Buccellati
Totemic by Andrea Claire Studio
Andrea Claire Studio presents Totemic, a monumental sculptural lighting installation at Alcova during Milan Design Week 2026. The installation explores the ritual of adornment, where jewelry acts as a memento and container of meaning. Treating lighting as jewelry for space, Totemic stacks luminous forms into a vertical architectural composition. Three shade forms—Moon, August and Sage—are arranged as vertical elements supported by slender brass armatures finished in gold and silver leaf. The presentation marks the Los Angeles–based practice’s first international solo exhibition and its debut at Alcova.
what: Andrea Claire Studio presents Totemic
when: 20-26 April 2026 (11:00AM – 7:00PM)
where: Alcova, Ex Ospedale Militare di Baggio, Casa delle Suore, Room C9, Via Simone Saint Bon, 7
image courtesy of Andrea Claire Studio
IKEA – Food for thought
Hungry for more, IKEA returns to Milan with ‘Food for Thought’, a participatory exhibition that brings together Democratic Design with the sensory world of gastronomy. Co-created with five chefs and interior designers, it explores how design reflects the evolving rituals of cooking, eating, and connecting across cultures. Visitors have a unique chance to marvel at live cooking demos hosted by a different duo each day. Pairings include designer and architect Charlotte Taylor with chef Ben Lippett; interior designer Maye Ruiz with chef Rosio Sanchez; art director Mehek Malhotra with chef Maurizio Tentella; multidisciplinary artist Lydia Chan with chef Alessandra Lauria; and interior designer Oliver Lyttelton with recipe developer and content creator Tina Choi.
what: IKEA – Food for Thought
when: 21-25 April (10:00AM – 9:00PM), 26 April (10:00AM – 6:00PM)
where: Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi 7
IKEA’s culinary guests | image courtesy of IKEA
Artisia and studio yellowdot present edible reveries
ARTISIA, the world’s first and unique 3D-printed pasta, joins forces with Studio Yellowdot to present ‘EDIBLE
REVERIES’. The brand’s first solo exhibition in Milan at once honours Italy’s most beloved ingredient and dares
to reimagine it — unlocking its creative potential through the lens of design thinking. Nestled in the heart of the
Porta Venezia Design District, the showcase unfolds as a multisensorial experience designed around a
simple, universal gesture: enjoying pasta.
Guests are invited to wander through a serene, dreamlike environment where Studio Yellowdot has designed Tattile (tactile in Italian), a site-specific, conceptual, 3D-printed furniture collection resembling oversized pasta pieces, surrounded by sculptural lamps. The journey continues with a video projection narrating the design and technology from byte to bite behind the tech-crafted pasta. A delicate soundscape completes the sensory journey.
what: Artisia and Studio Yellowdot present ‘Edible Reveries’
when: 21-25 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:00PM), 26 April (10:00AM – 2:00PM)
where: Via Melzo 34
image courtesy of Artisia
byredo presents ‘in conversation with’
For Salone del Mobile 2026, Byredo unveils a collaborative project with designer Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut, an
encounter between scent and structure, memory and material. The collaboration, shaped through a close dialogue between brand and designer, unfolds as a limited edition of wooden sculptural seats conceived solely for Byredo.
Developed as exhibition pieces, these works are crafted entirely in wood and finished in black, painted with Japanese ink. Conceived as quiet moments for exchange and contemplation. The edition comprises six pieces in total: two principal works, Behind the Scenes and Millenium, accompanied by four additional works corresponding to the four cardinal points of the Convent.
image courtesy of Byredo
Google – a message from tomorrow
ECAL and Google present A Message From Tomorrow, featuring the projects of Master Product Design students. The Industrial Design team at Google (Google ID) initiated a collaboration with ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne to develop a concept for a mobile-focused product inspired by a daily ritual. ECAL’s Master Product Design students were invited to envision innovative hardware engaging with contemporary habits.
Through compelling storytelling, these conceptual projects consider the human dimension of mobile technology: how it shapes everyday gestures and how our relationships with devices might evolve in the future. This collaboration reflects ECAL’s forward-looking approach to design, combining experimentation, critical thinking, and a strong receptivity to emerging technologies.
what: A Message from Tomorrow by Google and ECAL
when: 21-25 April 2026 (10:00AM – 8:00PM)
where: Spazio Orso 16, Via dell’Orso 16
image courtesy of ECAL
konel pulse bag
Konel Inc., a creative studio active in Japan, New York, and Milan, presents Pulse Pack, a wearable bag that allows a physical connection with the user’s heartbeat. The bag senses the user’s heartbeat and pulses at half its frequency, creating an internal rhythm that encourages a moment of pause from external stimuli. In this way, the device helps users perceive their emotions more clearly, fostering a state of calm and awareness. In this vision, Konel interprets technology as a tool for bringing balance to daily life, shaping what it defines as Good Singularity – an approach that combines science, culture, and design to imagine new possibilities for the future.
what: Konel presents Pulse Bag
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
where: Via Palermo 11
image by Yusuke Maekawa
gllìa
For Salone del Mobile Milano 2026, Gllìa — a new brand founded by Eleonora Galli with creative direction by Næssi — makes its debut in Milan. The installation introduces ‘Archivio’ ,the brand’s first collection: an essential system of surfaces and components that defines a clear, rigorous, and evolving design language. A core set of elements conceived to shape enduring interiors, where material and function form the foundation of the project.
Gllìa takes shape within an increasingly complex and layered design landscape. Rather than adding more, the brand works to bring clarity and build a legible system of essential elements designed to support projects over time. Primary surfaces and fundamental components—from terracotta to parquet, from glazed ceramics to sanitary ware—are not driven by trends, but grounded in function and material, forming a quiet framework around which each space can develop its own identity.
what: Gllìa Debut show
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 8:00PM)
where: Convey, Via S.Senatore, 10, Floor 1 / Unit 1.2 / Room 1.2a
photo Luca Santini | image courtesy of Gllìa
Visteria Foundation: Polish Modernism
Curated by Federica Sala and Anna Maga, ‘Polish Modernism’ provides a multithreaded narrative about Polish Modernism, featuring contemporary objects alongside historical works. It explores how modernist ideas continue to influence contemporary Polish design culture as an act of cultural resistance. Set design by Zofia Wyganowska creates a dialogue between the historical architecture of Torre Velasca and the curated objects, showing how beauty was fiercely championed to maintain decorative arts at the center of Polish identity.
what: ‘Polish Modernism’, a Struggle for Beauty
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
where: Torre Velasca – 16th Floor, Piazza Velasca 3-5
image courtesy of Visteria Foundation
Visteria Foundation & ETEL: Jorge Zalszupin
Dedicated to the works of Jorge Zalszupin, a Warsaw-born artist who became an icon of Brazilian architecture and global modernism. The display features thirty designs, including the iconic Dinamarquesa armchair and organic Pétalas tables, alongside his masterpiece Tea Trolley. The showcase is further enriched by architectural projects, original sketches, photographs, and materials documenting the history of his company, L’Atelier. It celebrates the organic forms and material sensitivity that defined the fusion of Polish roots and Brazilian design.
what: Jorge Zalszupin’s Brazilian Modernism
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
where: Torre Velasca – 16th Floor, Piazza Velasca 3-5
image courtesy of Visteria Foundation / ETEL
ETEL: Entropia
Entropia proposes a constructive interpretation of entropy, reassembling discarded material into a new formal language. Based on a conceptual grid developed by Cristián Mohaded, artisans experiment with contrasts and spatial relationships, creating surfaces from wooden fragments. The collection includes sculptural totems, coffee tables, and a console. The resulting works synthesize aspects of brutalism and natural materiality, reflecting a dialogue between order and chance, structure and spontaneity through the innovative reuse of noble wood scraps.
what: Entropia by Cristián Mohaded
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
where: ETEL Milan, Via Maroncelli 13
image courtesy of ETEL
Interni Venosta
Emiliano Salci, Britt Moran, and Fabbri Services present the new collection of Interni Venosta. The exhibition is hosted within a private home designed by the legendary Osvaldo Borsani, providing an intimate and historically significant architectural context for the new pieces. No preview material is available before the Salone, making this a highly anticipated unveiling. The show blends contemporary furniture design with the refined atmosphere of a historic Milanese residence, offering a rare opportunity to view the brand’s latest creative evolution.
what: Interni Venosta New Collection Launch
when: 20-26 April 2026 (12:00PM – 6:00PM)
where: Via Bigli (Private Residence)
image courtesy of Interni Venosta
Massimo Rigaglia
‘Lights in Tension’ (L/T) showcases a series of bamboo arc lamps created by splitting poles into slender strips. This method utilizes the material’s natural flexibility efficiently without excessive mechanical intervention. The soft, lightweight lamps cast fluid light and are available in three sizes. They can stand alone or be repeated to create striking, scenographic light installations. The project highlights the intersection of traditional material knowledge and minimalist structural design, transforming light into a physical, tense element.
what: Lights in Tension
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:30AM – 7:30PM)
where: Via Cesare Correnti 14
image courtesy of Massimo Rigaglia
DEDON
Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby present TRICOT, a modular sofa collection hand-woven from round DEDON Fiber. The design pushes hand-weaving techniques toward complex, articulated three-dimensional curves, allowing the modules to be conceived almost as textile elements. Soft and enveloping, the collection represents a perfect symbiosis between vision, craftsmanship, and technically advanced industrial production. The continuous curves redefine outdoor seating, merging formal rigor with the warmth of handcrafted textures.
what: TRICOT by Barber Osgerby
when: 21-26 April 2026 (09:30AM – 6:30PM)
where: Salone del Mobile / Fiera Milano Rho
image courtesy of Lorenzo Cugini
GLOSTER
Gloster presents Ithaca, a new outdoor furniture collection designed by Michele De Lucchi. Celebrating the structural potential of wood, the design utilizes taut, tapered diagonals that transform furniture structure into sculpture. The essential, robust frames support table tops and seating elements with apparent lightness, creating a dynamic balance between tension and stability. Precision-shaped wooden frames are paired with soft cushions, merging formal rigor with architectural warmth to define a welcoming yet highly structured domestic landscape.
what: ITHACA by AMdL Circle
when: 21-26 April 2026 (09:30AM – 6:30PM)
where: Salone del Mobile / Fiera Milano Rho
image courtesy of Emanuele Zamponi
showrooms
Fornasetti
On the occasion of Milan Design Week, Fornasetti unveils the complete transformation of its Milan flagship on Corso Venezia. Designed in collaboration with international design studio Tutto Bene, the project marks a significant new chapter in the physical expression of the Fornasetti universe. The redesigned Fornasetti flagship unfolds across three distinct floors, each offering a different lens into the brand’s creative universe.
At street level, visitors enter through Fornasetti Space, a transitional, gallery-like environment that during Milan Design Week hosts Fornasetti Fiori by Fjura, where sculptural floral installations by Simone Gooch transform the act of buying flowers into an artistic experience. The first floor, conceived as The Living Archive, presents the Fornasetti catalogue through curated vitrines and cabinets, highlighting the repetition, variation, and coherence of its iconic objects. On the second floor, The Apartment offers a fully immersive setting of four themed interiors where pieces are experienced within lived environments, bringing the brand’s imaginative language into a contemporary domestic context.
what: Fornasetti showroom
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:30PM)
where: Fornasetti Store, Corso Venezia, Milan
image courtesy of Fornasetti
liberty and Lorenza bozzoli present soft architecture
Leading British luxury retailer and design house Liberty and Milan-based furniture designer Lorenza Bozzoli will present ‘Soft Architecture’, a bold exploration of how textiles can transcend surface decoration to become structural and experiential elements within design. Located in the Lorenza Bozzoli showroom apartment in Brera, the installation will centre on a sculptural circular sofa composed entirely of cushions – an architectural form that blurs the boundary between surface and space.
what: Liberty and Loranza Bozzoli present ‘Soft Architecture’
when: 22-24 April 2026 (11:00AM – 5:00PM) RSVP here
where: 20 Piazza Castello
image courtesy of Liberty
Seletti
Seletti in collaboration with Eternoo, Italy’s leading distributor of building materials and solutions, presents the new Tools collection. Common cleaning supplies, construction tools, and hardware items—inherent to the world of Eternoo—are reinterpreted through Seletti’s distinctive vision. No longer elements to be ‘hidden away,’ they become small domestic sculptures with a pop and ironic identity, playing with the memory of these objects only to subvert it.
what: Seletti and Eternoo present ‘Tools’
when: 21-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 7:00PM)
where: Fornasetti Store, Corso Venezia
image courtesy of Seletti
dornbracht
At Dornbracht, INSPIRING YOUR VISION is more than a claim – it is the way we work with designers, architects and visionaries. We see inspiration as the starting point of every creation, and design as the moment when vision takes shape. Engage a stimulating exchange with guest artists and immerse yourself in our fluid showroom journey. Discover how dialogue becomes inspiration with the new avant-garde series – shaping vision into a tangible presence. Let your own vision unfold, creating your own place of belonging.
what: Dornbracht Showroom
when: 21-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 8:00PM)
where: Via Palermo, 19A
image courtesy of Dornbracht
unopiù
Unopiù unveils the restyling of its historic showroom at Via Pontaccio 9, designed by Milan-based architect Diletta Stazzi, known for her strong focus on the emotional dimension of space. The bright, continuous environment, conceived to foster relationships between products, materials and atmospheres, hosts the new Diario di Viaggio collections. The project reinterprets, in a contemporary key, some characteristic elements of Milanese interiors, such as the sequence of arches, used to amplify spatial perception and create a more fluid experience. The new collections coexist with the brand’s heritage products within a chromatic and material palette coherent with the evolution of Unopiù’s identity.
what: Unopiù Showroom
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 8:00PM)
where: Via Pontaccio, 9
image courtesy of Unopiù
MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES
NILUFAR Depot – volumes of stillness & Nilufar grand hotel
Nilufar presents Volumes of Stillness, a new body of work developed in collaboration with the gallery, conceived as a continuous interior landscape of rounded volumes and saturated surfaces that balance softness and density, using light as a material to shape atmosphere and perception. The exhibition explores a series of objects conceived as part of a continuous interior landscape. Rounded volumes, low silhouettes, and saturated surfaces define an environment that feels both familiar and slightly displaced.
Conceived as a fictional luxury hotel beyond time and space, Nilufar Grand Hotel places objects at the center of a curated spatial narrative, featuring three signature bedrooms by david/nicolas, Filippo Carandini, Allegra Hicks. Within this context, emerging designers make their debut at Depot, such as Von Pelt Atelier and Derin Beren Yalcin. The project continues Nilufar’s exploration of design, where hospitality becomes a platform for dialogue.
what: Volumes of Stillness by Nilufar
when: 20-26 April 2026 (10:00AM – 5:00PM)
where: Nilufar Depot, Viale Lancetti 34
image by Stefanos Tsakiris, courtesy of Nilufar
FONDAZIONE PRADA – DASH
Fondazione Prada presents ‘Dash’, a new multimedia project devised by Chinese artist Cao Fei for its Milan venue combining multiple languages ranging from photography to video installation, from virtual reality to documentary footage, and archival material, to trace a complex portrait of a global agricultural technological revolution and its inherent contradictions. ‘Dash’ unfolds from Cao Fei’s long-term research. Over the past three years, Cao Fei has immersed herself in farmlands across southern and northwestern China, as well as Southeast Asia, observing and interpreting the emergence of smart agriculture.
what: Dash by Cao Fei
when: 9 April – 28 September 2026
where: Fondazione Prada, Largo Isarco 2
Cao Fei Dash (still), 2026. Courtesy the artist, Vitamin Creative Space, and Sprüth Magers
TRIENNALE – the EAMES HOUSES
La Triennale di Milano hosts an exhibition offering the first comprehensive overview of the residential architecture of the founders of Eames Office, the American architecture and design studio. The installation,The Eames Houses, explores the enduring relevance of Charles and Ray Eames’ ideas on prefabrication, modular construction, and a human-scale approach to living. At the center of the installation, a full-scale reconstruction of an Eames structure invites visitors to experience the spatial qualities and material clarity that define their architectural vision.
Together with Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, the Triennale also presents a monographic exhibition dedicated to Andrea Branzi, one of the central figures in Italian design culture and project thinking between the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Through the lens of Japanese architect and Pritzker Prize laureate Toyo Ito, the exhibition highlights the Italian designer’s most significant themes and projects.
what: The Eames Houses & Andrea Branzi by Toyo Ito
when: 20 April – 10 May 2026
where: Triennale Milano, Viale Alemagna, 6
Two-story Eames Pavilion, 2026 | Yosigo, Rocafort/Courtesy Kettal 2025/Eames Office, LLC
ADI DESIGN MUSEUM
ADI Design Museum will be buzzing with exhibitions, installations, and talks from April 20 to 26. Featured highlights include the 29th edition of the Compassod’Oro, Italy’s prestigious design award that has been shaping the world for over 70 years, a solo exhibition by Japanese designer Haruka Misawa, an installation by Mario Botta, inspired by the work of Le Corbusier, and innovative projects from emerging designers worldwide.
what: ADI Design Museum
when: 20-26 April 2026
where: ADI Design Museum, Milan
image courtesy of ADI Design Museum
As always, we’re teaming up with ArchDaily to bring you comprehensive coverage of Salone del Mobile 2026 and the many city-wide events of Milan Design Week. From key highlights at the fair to must-see exhibitions and installations, we’ll keep you updated with curated insights, interviews, and standout designs from this year’s edition.
The post designboom’s ultimate guide to milan design week 2026 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.