STRATA, a collaborative exhibition showcasing new and existing works from Belgian designers Tim Vranken, Middernacht & Alexander, and Linde Freya Tangelder (Destroyers/Builders) during Milan Design Week 2025. Photography by Tijs Vervecken.
We’ve curated a shortlist of the designers, spaces, and installations you should have on your radar at this year’s Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile.Milano.
Salone del Mobile.Milano
April 8 – 13 2025
This year, Salone del Mobile. Milano will host 2,000 exhibitors from 37 countries under the banner of ‘Thought for Humans’. French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, Italian film director Paolo Sorrentino, and American theatre director Robert Wilson have worked closely with president Maria Porro to shape this year’s visionary approach, centred around the biennale Euroluce International Lighting Forum.
Located in Pavilions 22-24, La dolce attesa (Sweet Waiting) is a project-installation by filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, exploring the invisible bridge between the present and future in a timeless space. In Pavilions 13-15, Pierre-Yves Rochon presents Villa Héritage, which fosters a dialogue between past and present as an ‘engine for innovative design culture’.
Among the noteworthy exhibitors, Italian glass furniture brand Glas Italia will showcase a new collection at the fair, featuring an all-star lineup of architects and designers: Michael Anastassiades, Ronan Bouroullec, Johanna Grawunder, Piero Lissoni, Philippe Starck, Patricia Urquiola, Tokujin Yoshioka, and Yabu Pushelberg.
Spanish rug brand nanimarquina will debut its Talk Talk collection, a collaboration between Jaime Hayon and Nani Marquina, alongside the Nuance collection by Stefan Scholten and Nani Marquina. Jaime Hayon will also present a new collection with Spanish furniture brand BD Barcelona Design called ECLIPSO, as well as the WORKPLACE B and WING BENCH by Konstantin Grcic, and STEDELIJK CHAIR COLOURS by Sabine Marcelis.
Italian design house Magis has an equally influential lineup of designers behind new pieces, including Ronan Bouroullec, BrogliatoTraverso, Paul Cocksedge, Konstantin Grcic, and Jasper Morrison. Dutch bespoke furniture brand Van Rossum returns to the fair with an exclusive new collection designed in collaboration with Paris architects Studio KO. Italian furniture brand Acerbis will launch an exclusive collaboration with London-based designer Philippe Malouin and Italian illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli.
Other stands not to be missed include Arflex, Poliform, Minotti, Porro, and Living Divani in Pavilions 9-11, as well as Kettal, Bitossi, Knoll International, Kartell, Atelier Vierkant, Moooi, Edra, Roda, Nikari, Karimoku Furniture, Gufram, and Memphis Milano in Pavilions 22-24.
Location:
Rho Fiera fairground
Talk Talk by Jaime Hayon for nanimarquina to be showcased at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2025. Photography courtesy of nanimarquina.
Big Glow by Studio Truly Truly for Rakumba will be on show at Salone del Mobile.Milano’s biennial event Euroluce. Photography courtesy of Rakumba.
Euroluce
April 8 – 13 2025
In 2025, Euroluce follows the theme of Light for Life across Pavilions 2-4 and 6-10. A forum of 20 international speakers will headline the event, including lighting designers, architects, artists, set designers, scientists, biologists, anthropologists, astronomers, and psychologists, all discussing the future of lighting. The forum will be hosted in ‘The Forest of Space Arena’, designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.
Australian lighting and furniture brand Articolo Studios will celebrate its 10th anniversary at Euroluce with a cave-like stand designed by Australian design practice Studio Goss. The brand will showcase three new furniture and lighting collections: Swivel, Cubo, and Saddle. Australian lighting brand Rakumba will also reveal its innovative new Big Glow lighting collection, designed in collaboration with Australian studio based in the Netherlands, Studio Truly Truly, at its Big Glow Espresso Lounge.
German lighting brand Ingo Maurer will present five new lighting designs, while Italian lighting brand David Groppi will explore a series of new lamps. Canadian lighting brand Lambert & Fils will unveil the Bolda collection in collaboration with Korean designer Kwangho Lee. Spanish lighting brand Vibia will exhibit both new and iconic collections by designers such as Alberto Lievore, Antoni Arola, Arik Levy, Cecilie Manz, Doshi Levien, Francisco Gómez Paz, Holscher, Ichiro Iwasaki, Martín Azúa, Meike Harde, Palomba Serafini, Sebastian Herkner, and Umut Yamac.
Head to Pavilions 2-4 to see the latest from Artemide, Marset, Oluce, Luceplan, and Led’s C4, and visit Pavilions 6-10 for Flos, Lasvit, Kreon, Lodes, Ambientec and Contardi Lighting.
Location:
Rho Fiera fairground
Articolo’s Swivel lighting and Saddle furniture collection will be on display at Euroluce 2025. Photography courtesy of Articolo.
EX TERRĀ, a collective exhibition by Andrea Mancuso, Maximilian Marchesani, and Etienne Marc will be presented at Nilufar Spiga for Milan Design Week 2025. Photography courtesy of Nilufar.
Nilufar Spiga will also host an exhibition by the late Japanese-American architect, woodworker and designer George Nakashima. Photography courtesy of Nilufar.
Galleries
For this year’s Milan Design Week, Nilufar founder Nina Yashar has curated Repertorio, a five-act journey exploring scenography and theatre through contrasts in craftsmanship and artistry, natural and artificial, and past and future.
Nilufar Depot celebrates 10 years with Silver Lining, a 70s-inspired installation by Fosbury Architecture set in the atrium of the industrial space, dedicated to the ‘multifaceted world of metal’. The second act of Repertorio is Amber Echoes, an installation featuring works by artists Christian Pellizzari and Shlomo Harus alongside vintage masterpieces, contemplating art, nature, and the human psyche. The third act showcases an installation curated by research-based design studio Andrea Mancuso.
At Nilufar Spiga, Yashar’s first location, the spirituality of wood is explored through the work of late Japanese-American architect, woodworker, and designer George Nakashima. The fifth and final act of the exhibition is a collective show by Andrea Mancuso, Maximilian Marchesani, and Etienne Marc, which dissects the dichotomy between humanity and nature.
This year, fellow design doyenne Rossana Orlandi has once again collaborated with Italian art and design studio Draga & Aurel on an installation titled Pensieri Riflessi (Reflected Thoughts) at her namesake gallery. Described as a ‘stage of overlapping perceptions,’ the installation immerses visitors in colour, light, transparency, and detail. Here, Draga & Aurel will also unveil a new family of pendant lamps called Phebe.
Locations:
Nilufar Depot: Viale Lancetti, 34
Nilufar Spiga: Via Della Spiga, 32
Rossana Orlandi Gallery: Via Matteo Bandello, 14
Silver Lining is an exhibition at Nilufar Depot by Fosbury Architecture to celebrate its 10th anniversary as part of Milan Design Week 2025. Photography courtesy of Nilufar.
For its 10-year anniversary, Artemest presents L’Appartamento at Milan Design Week 2025, with six design studios transforming a space inside Palazzo Donizetti. Photography courtesy of Artemest.
Pictured: Palazzo Donizetti. Photography courtesy of Artemest.
Group Exhibition Space
Taking crowds to Varedo, an area just north of Milan in 2024, Alcova’s ninth edition sees the group exhibition reinhabit the vast sites of Villa Borsani and Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, while adding two new venues: the former SNIA factory, and the Pasino Glasshouses.
The Pasino Glasshouses, once home to an orchid garden, will feature Soft Horizons, a repurposed marble fragment installation by New York and Athens-based Objects of Common Interest. They will also present a light-based project in Villa Borsani, alongside designs by British designer Faye Toogood for Japanese tableware brand Noritake. In the gardens, clay pot brand Monstruosus and British designer Michael Anastassiades will reinterpret Greek urns as ceramic planters.
At Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, Rive Roshan reinterprets the villa’s fountain with a light-sensitive installation, while Design Signals, curated by Martina Muzi, investigates the intersection of design, technology, and culture. The former SNIA factory hosts projects like Under the Volcano, a lava stone collection by Francesco Meda and David Lopez Quincoces.
For its 10-year anniversary, Artemest presents L’Appartamento at Milan Design Week, where six design studios will transform a space inside Palazzo Donizetti, open to the public for the first time. Participating studios include British studio 1508 London, New York-based multidisciplinary studio Champalimaud Design, New York architecture and interiors practice Meyer Davis, Saudi design studio Nebras Aljoaib, Los Angeles-based interiors studio Romanek Design Studio, and Australian design studio Simone Haag.
In its third edition, Capsule Plaza expands across four venues, curated by Capsule founder Alessio Ascari and architect Paul Cournet. The venues include the main space, Spazio Maiocchi, a newly acquired former gym and pool across the street by ASA studio, and two satellite spaces in a garage and retail space. This year, Capsule Plaza will showcase A-list international designers including Faye Toogood, Philippe Malouin, FormaFantasma, Max Lamb, and Sabine Marcelis.
Other notable group exhibitions include STRATA, a collaborative presentation by Belgian designers Tim Vranken, Middernacht & Alexander, and Linde Freya Tangelder (Destroyers/Builders), and Speak, Memory, an exhibition by Cabana’s Atlas of Craftsmanship, which invites seven creative minds—including American fashion designer Emily Bode and New York interior design studio Green River Project—to create new works using materials from LVMH’s Métiers d’Art.
Locations:
Alcova:
Villa Borsani, Via Umberto I, 148, Varedo
Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 48, Varedo
Pasino Glasshouses (Serre di Pasino), Space P1 51-49, Via Vittorio Emanuele II, Varedo
Ex SNIA Factory, Varedo
Artemest L’Appartamento: Palazzo Donizetti, Via Gaetano Donizetti 48
STRATA: Via Rutilia 10/9
Alcova will take place across four venues, including the former SNIA factory pictured. Photography by Piergiorgio Sorgetti.
Nemo Lighting’s flagship showroom. Photography by Giuliano Andrea Dell’Uva.
Flagship Showrooms
This year, Italian furniture brand Molteni&C unveils its reimagined Palazzo Molteni by creative director Vincent Van Duysen. Spanning seven storeys, the Belgian architect describes the late-19th-century building as “a palace, but at the same time a domestic universe.”
Recognising the 60th anniversary of its Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand collections, Cassina presents reissued limited edition pieces of their first four furniture designs. Cassina has also worked Milan and Rotterdam-based research studio Formafantasma on an installation and theatrical performance, Staging Modernity, directed by Fabio Cherstich.
Italian furniture brand Zanotta’s newly renovated flagship store invites visitors to explore new collections and designer collaborations, while nearby, Italian furniture brand Cappellini presents International Interiors—a journey through ‘the untold stories of everyday life’ in its latest designs. Contemporary Milan-based rug company cc-tapis‘ showroom will be transformed by WAYS OF SEEING, a collective exhibition featuring 11 designers and artists. Italian furniture brand Moroso‘s flagship will host an installation by Studio Urquiola, along with new collections by designers Patricia Urquiola, Garcia Cumini, and Zanellato/Bortotto.
In a 20th-century Milanese home, Italian furniture brand Tacchini opens its first showroom in partnership with Spotti, while Italian lighting brand Martinelli Luce launches a new showroom in collaboration with Italian architecture and design firm Dainelli Studio. The opening of Italian textile brand KOHRO’s first Brera showroom will also coincide with Milan Design Week, shining a light on the Italian cultural heritage of their fabrics and wallcoverings.
Canadian lighting studio Bocci celebrates its 20th anniversary with a year-long series of special projects and activations in its apartment. Meanwhile, Italian furniture brand Maxalto marks its 50th anniversary with special edition pieces. Italian furniture brand B&B Italia’s Tufty Time turns 20 this year, with a new curved shape by Patricia Urquiola, along with a new outdoor collection and sofas at its flagship store.
On Milan’s ‘lighting road’, Italian lighting brand Nemo Lighting invites visitors to explore its Masters collection alongside new products by emerging designers, while Italian lighting brand Foscarini presents a lighting installation with Bennet Pimpinella to showcase its latest designs.
Locations:
Zanotta’s flagship showroom. Photography courtesy of Zanotta.
La Banquette de la Résidence de l’Ambassadeur du Japon à Paris (1967) by Charlotte Perriand, to be presented by Saint Laurent at Milan Design Week 2025. Photography courtesy of Saint Laurent.
Fashion Houses
Saint Laurent will present a homage to French architect and designer Charlotte Perriand with an exclusive exhibition, Saint Laurent — Charlotte Perriand. For the first time, four rare, never-before-seen designs will be brought to life, dating from 1943 to 1967.
Gucci will reflect on the legacy of bamboo in its design history with the exhibition Gucci | Bamboo Encounters, curated and designed by Milan-based studio 2050+ founder Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli. Housed within the Cloisters of San Simpliciano, the exhibition will feature the work of seven contemporary designers from diverse backgrounds, each recontextualising bamboo in unexpected ways.
LOEWE has enlisted 25 architects and designers, including David Chipperfield, for its conceptual take on the everyday teapot in the exhibition Artful Teapots. Prada will host its fourth Prada Frames symposium, conceived with Formafantasma, titled In Transit. Located inside a Gio Ponti-designed train, the 2025 edition will explore mobility in design and its complex relationship with the natural environment. Hermès will present its Collection for the Home at its La Pelota address, while TOD’s will present Italian Hands, celebrating the brand’s artisanal Italian heritage.
Saint Laurent: Padiglione Visconti, Via Tortona, 58
Gucci: Chiostri di San Simpliciano, Piazza Paolo VI 6
Hermès: La Pelota, via Palermo 10
LOEWE: Palazzo Citterio, Via Brera, 12
Prada Frames: Padiglione Reale and Arlecchino Train at the Milan Central Station
TOD’s: Via Monte Napoleone, 13
Prada will host its fourth Prada Frames symposium inside a Gio Ponti-designed train. Photography courtesy of Prada.
Zanellato/Bortotto Studio has designed the 2025 Brera Design Apartment, named Orizzont (Horizons) in response to Fuorisalone’s 2025 theme, Connected Worlds.
British lighting brand Anglepoise will celebrate 90 years of its Original 1227 desk lamp with an installation that reflects the brand’s signature playfulness.
Brand and Designer Showcase
Following an esteemed line up of designers in previous years, Italian design studio Zanellato/Bortotto Studio is behind the design of this year’s Brera Design Apartment, titled Orizzont (Horizons) in response to Fuorisalone’s 2025 theme, Connected Worlds. British design studio LAYER’s 101010 exhibition, orchestrated within 10 Corso Como’s project room, is both a retrospective and look at six future-focused social design prototypes in partnership with leading design brands such as Kvadrat and Muuto.
Corresponding with the year’s lighting theme, Australian furniture and lighting brand Ross Gardam will be highlighting two new collections as part of his exhibition Luminescent Duality. British furniture and lighting brand Michael Anastassiades will also be exhibiting new collections in the city for the first time at the renowned Fondazione Danese. British lighting brand Anglepoise will trace the 90 year history of its Original 1227 desk lamp, with an installation that taps into the brand’s signature playfulness.
Georgian designers Rooms Studio will debut a new body of lighting and furniture on show at Studio Frey Barth. The second year of Interni Venosta, a furniture concept by Italian architecture and design practice Dimorestudio, will present a new collection in the company of fine art and objects as part of its Welcome to the Blackout installation. Murano glass design brand 6:AM Glassworks will turn the 1930s indoor swimming pool Piscina Cozzi into a destination for its Two-fold Silence installation, while the vacant Milan Stock Exchange will host an immersive installation by Canadian lighting brand A-N-D and design studio and gallery Boon_Editions.
French designer Christophe Delcourt will present Time Stretched—a series of pieces that nod to the artists, visual artists and architects who inspire him. As part of its exhibition 2093, French collectable design brand Monde Singulier will be presenting the first furniture collection by French artist-designer Garance Vallée. Contemporary Italian furniture brand Vero will also be welcoming visitors to a space at Via Felice Casati, designed as a meeting ground and for their new experimental collaboration with Italian designer Federica Elmo.
Locations:
Brera Design Apartment: Via Palermo, 1
101010 by LAYER: 10 Corso Como
Ross Gardam: Via Palermo, 11
Michael Anastassiades: Via Santa Maria Fulcorina, 17
Anglepoise: Via Statuto, 8
Rooms Studio: Studio Frey Barth, Via Kramer, 32
Interni Venosta: Phillips Auction, Via Lanzone 2
6:AM Glassworks: Piscina Cozzi, Via Tunisia 35
A-N-D and Boon_Editions: Via San Vittore al Teatro 1/3
Christophe Delcourt: Fondazione Mudima, Via Alessandro Tadino, 26
Monde Singulier: Via Montebello 30
Vero: Via Felice Casati 3
Australian lighting designer Ross Gardam will unveil two new collections in his exhibition Luminescent Duality for Milan Design Week 2025. Photography courtesy of Ross Gardam.