louis vuitton translates bookbinding patterns into walkable courtyard installation in milan

louis vuitton stages objets nomades inside palazzo serbelloni 

At Milan Design Week 2026, Louis Vuitton transforms Palazzo Serbelloni into a layered exhibition that bridges decorative arts history with contemporary design. The presentation introduces the latest Objets Nomades collection alongside a curated selection of the House’s historic trunks, unfolding as a sequence of immersive interiors defined by saturated color palettes and scenographic staging. Moving through the palace, visitors encounter a narrative that traces Louis Vuitton’s evolution from Art Deco craftsmanship to present-day collectible design.

The exhibition extends into the courtyard with a monumental rug installation inspired by bookbinder Pierre Legrain, developed in collaboration with the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. Produced in situ by students, the work translates bookbinding motifs into an architectural surface, connecting historical craft with contemporary educational practice.

a monumental rug installation inspired by bookbinder Pierre Legrain | image ©designboom

pierre legrain sets the tone in a time-traveling introduction

The journey opens in the Giangaleazzo room with a tribute to Pierre Legrain, whose radical approach to bookbinding and interior design shaped the Art Deco movement. Louis Vuitton reinterprets his graphic language across furniture, textiles, and Art de la Table pieces, presented alongside archival trunks, illustrations, and travel objects from the House’s Heritage collection. The scenography evokes a 1920s train carriage, reinforcing the origins of the brand in travel while situating Legrain’s work within a broader narrative of movement and modernity.

Across the Gabrio, Napoleonica, Beauharnais, and Parini rooms, the exhibition expands into a sequence of domestic worlds unified by color and material. A deep midnight blue Tikal rug anchors the Gabrio room, around which living, dining, and library settings coexist in a vibrant interplay of textures and forms, including pieces from the Fortunato Depero homage collection.

In the Napoleonica room, large-scale textiles derived from Legrain’s compositions are displayed as wall-mounted artworks, framing iconic furniture such as the Riviera chaise longue and the Omega-shaped Celeste dressing table, originally designed in 1921 and now reissued. The Beauharnais room shifts to a cooler palette, drawing on early textile work by Charlotte Perriand, while the Parini room immerses visitors in deep reds through graphic table settings and geometric rugs that echo Legrain’s visual language.

developed in collaboration with the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera | image courtesy of Louis Vuitton

collectible design meets scenographic storytelling

The Boudoir introduces a more experimental dimension, featuring collectible pieces by Estudio Campana, including the Cabinet Kaléidoscope in exotic leather marquetry and a surreal baby-foot populated by mermaids. Their Cocoon Dichroic, developed with Géraldine Gonzalez, forms a luminous envelope of iridescent, hand-cut leaves that shifts with light and movement.

In the Grand Foyer, Raw Edges presents the Stella armchair, a textile-driven object that uses optical illusion to destabilize perception and redefine comfort as an immersive, almost cosmic experience.

At the same time, the Louis Vuitton store on Via Montenapoleone presents a series of experimental trunks, including the stained-glass Malle Courrier Lozine Maison de Famille, developed under Pharrell Williams. Alongside it, the Malle Paravent and the reimagined Malle Lit revisit the typology of travel furniture, merging technical precision with evolving notions of mobility and domesticity.

The exhibition ultimately positions Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades as an ongoing dialogue between archive and experimentation. By staging contemporary design within the framework of Art Deco references and historic craftsmanship, the House constructs a narrative that is less retrospective than cyclical, where past forms are continuously reinterpreted through new materials, collaborators, and spatial experiences.

the work translates bookbinding motifs into an architectural surface | image ©designboom

connecting historical craft with contemporary educational practice | image ©designboom

Pierre Legrain Homage Collection | image courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Archive Collection, Art Deco | image courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Beauharnais Room | image courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Parini Room | image courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Dichroic Cocoon by Estudio Campana | image courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Boudoir Room | image courtesy of Louis Vuitton

project info:

name: Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades Exhibition

brand: Louis Vuitton | @louisvuitton 

location: Palazzo Serbelloni

event: Milan Design Week 2026

dates: April 21st–26th, 2026

collaborators: Pierre Legrain, Charlotte Perriand, Estudio Campana, Raw Edges, Géraldine Gonzalez, Pharrell Williams, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera

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