Design Decoded at Salone Del Mobile
If spring were a baby, it would be a very happy one; beaming and laughing till its heart's content. It's a time of year full of promise, blossoms and singing birds but more importantly, spring marks new beginnings - creative ones.
Nothing serves as more proof of this statement than an enlivening weekend spent in Milan from 8 until 13 April for the furniture trade fairs Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone as part of Milan Design Week - both of which will see the city transform into a spectacular maze-like creative hub for a wide array of designers, luxury houses and tech creators to set up camp, all blurring the lines between fashion and interiors. In short, the entire city is enveloped into one significant concept store which stands up to the city's history, especially when you consider Milan started it all, home to the first ever concept store some 35 years ago.
If Paris is considered the 'Olympics of fashion' then Milan Design Week is the Commonwealth Games. But don't sweat it, from exhibitions to installations and talks, we have you covered. Read on for our bumper guide to end all guides.
Saint Laurent's Charlotte Perriand
Always thought of Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello as a fashion designer? Think again. This Salone Del Mobile, Vaccarello has stepped up to the role of furniture designer, working hard to bring some of Charlotte Perriand’s never-before-seen designs to life. Previously existing as only prototypes or sketches, most of which date from 1943 to 1967, the designs in question include the Rio de Janeiro bookshelf, (which Perriand designed for her husband in 1962), the Mille-feuilles table, (which has only ever existed as a reduced-scale model until now) and a sofa - originally made for the Japanese ambassador’s residence in Paris in 1967.
Each piece will be reproduced on a made-to-order basis so that Perriand's legacy can be continued well into the 21st century, something Saint Laurent are also keen to celebrate, telling press in a statement that this collaboration, 'also honours Yves Saint Laurent’s admiration for Perriand’s work, whose pure modernity echoed his own creations. He collected her designs throughout his life, while Pierre Bergé supported important global retrospectives of her work.' During Milan Design Week, a kiosk outside the French fashion house’s store on Piazza San Babila will carry a book of Perriand’s photographs alongside a catalogue of the new furniture collection.
The Art of Living! Done the Versace Way
‘Is it really possible to live in a world entirely of one’s own making – in a concrete manifesto of one’s most authentic, deeply-felt desires?’ Versace Home posed this question in 1992 upon its founding. And in 2025, they’re answering it with one emphatic ‘yes’, celebrating three miraculous decades of neoclassical-inspired design in a Salone Del Mobile exhibition titled The Versace Art of Living. Honouring the brand’s furniture pieces, decorative furnishings and homeware, the exhibition will pay special attention to pieces that have become somewhat infamous since their creation. Which ones, you ask? We don’t kiss and tell. But we can tell you that the Harem chair, a stacked cushion lounge seat originally issued in 2010 will be revived, and reimagined to fit the 2025 Versace customer. That's only the beginning. This is about the art of living, done the Versace way.
The Story of Italy (and Tod's), Retold Through the Hands of Its Artisans
Think what you want about Italian fashion but what is it about the 'Italian way' that has us all shouting from the rooftops about the importance of ‘craft, craft, craft’? How every time, when we find ourselves researching a product and come across that ‘Made in Italy’ stamp, we feel an overriding sense of relief? "This is luxury," we say to ourselves. We may not have the exact answer, but Tod’s does - and they’re far from gatekeeping it thanks to the release of their new book Italian Hands - Artisanal Stories From Italy. Paying respect to Italy’s beautifully enmeshed relationship with artisanal craft as well as those who collaborate with the artisans themselves to keep the tradition alive, the book is not just a tribute to the past, but also a bridge between generations, highlighting how craft doesn’t just have a history to be proud about but a future, too, one that's burning bright.
Gucci and Bamboo: An Eighty-Year Love Affair
Last week, SHOWstudio published a news piece centring on the fashion illustrator behind Gucci's illustrious floral pattern. 'We certainly all know a Gucci Flora silk scarf print when we see one; it's as Gucci as Gucci gets' we said - and we stand by it. But there's more to the Italian house than flora, fauna and Grace Kelly. Yes, Gucci may be different without its trademarked florals but the brand would also be something else entirely if it wasn't for the enduring legacy of bamboo in the Italian house's design history and identity. Recognising this, Gucci have teamed up with the multidisciplinary design studio 2050+ and its founder Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli for an exhibition titled Gucci | Bamboo Encounters, the result of an invitation sent out to contemporary designers and artists from around the world to reimagine bamboo in new ways.
More than just a design detail or footnote in Gucci's storied history, bamboo as a material has become somewhat of a key 'style code' for the house. What better than an exhibition showcasing interpretations of this material by some of the industry's top names in art and design. Get ready to be inspired, the Gucci way.
Seven Days of Art and Music With Opposites United
So, if you haven't already realised, Milan Design Week isn't one space nor an individual exhibition; it's a cluster of events, all armed with their own philosophy, design language and modus operandi. Consider it a sort of village fête only within this fête, there are other fêtes - one of which is Opposites United; a seven-day festival by Kia centring on an 'interdisciplinary community of thinkers, scholars, artists, designers and musicians to propose a new approach to developing design philosophy', with this year's theme titled the Eclipse. Taking place at the Museo della Permanente, the week-long celebrations will see two site specific exhibitions unfold by French artist Philippe Parreno and London/Tokyo based artist-duo A.A.Murakami as well as a series of talks with the likes of Martino designer Gamper, curator Andrea Lissoni and philosopher Reza Negarestan and a music programme that merges electronica with classical.
Kaikado Turns 150
Nothing screams ‘chic’ like housing your tea bags in a tea caddy. Chicer, still, if such caddies are passed down from generation to generation. Enter Kaikado into the chat room; a Kyoto-based family brand who has been manufacturing and selling handmade metal canisters - and tea caddies - for the last 150 years. The best part of it all? Their sleek brass, copper and tin cylinders of various sizes have remained unchanged throughout that time, the product of the same 130-step process since 1875. You read that right: this future-forward design hasn’t changed. Not once.
Celebrating the brand, the Yagi family behind the brand and the longevity of their famed design, ERG Media are publishing Kaikado 150, exploring the historic atelier and unparalleled craftsmanship. To coincide with the launch, ERG’s courtyard will host a one-off installation for Milan Design Week, unveiling 150 Kaikado’s tea caddies specially created for the event. Not just that, there will also be a series of live demos of how the famous tea caddies are created, with five of Kaikado’s artisans travelling from Japan for a first-ever public display of their craft. If you find yourself in Milan for Salone Del Mobile, this is your chance to be a part of history and watch it be created before your very eyes.
When Teapots Become Art With Loewe
Have you ever stopped to think about the sculptural form of a singular teapot? How Its snout is always so perfectly elongated, its handle round and neat? The teapot is a functional object but it can be a thing of beauty, too - just ask Loewe, whose unmissable 2025 Salone del Mobile collection sees 25 artists, designers and architects come together to reinterpret the globally recognised object, uniquely challenging its distinct design. As for this project, Loewe has decidedly drawn on the varied and rich traditions of tea making and culture found in many pockets of the world all over, the brand's selection of artists is also as diverse as you might expect, with many of the artisans having chosen to take a wholly different approach to the teapot, neglecting traditional materials such as porcelain and ceramic to experiment and seek anew.
Iridescent Ponds and Sculptural Lilies
When in Paris, there are a few things that make it onto everyone's to-do list. Eiffel Tower? Check. Croissant crawling? (You know, like a pub crawl but for artisanal bakeries.) Check. Dinner at Boullion Chartier? Not before you've gone to the Musée de l'Orangerie to stand in front of Monet's lilies, surely. You must do. Why is this relevant? Well it's not really, but if you happen to be in Milan this week, you'll have the chance to stumble across some lilies of your own - not real but definitely sculptural - thanks to a new exhibition at the Vincenzo de Cotiis Gallery by de Cotiis himself, titled Je Marchais Pieds Nus Dans L’Étang.
‘The water lily, a motif both serene and restless, returns in elongated, distorted forms - floating, stretching, dissolving into their surroundings', the artist noted in a statement to press. Wanting to emulate this beauty, the artist has organised a collection of individual unique works of art to create a cohesive installation that reimagines the pond entirely, all while maintaining that familiar sensation of wading through water, bare foot and alive. Nothing serves as a better representation of this than the cast white bronze and hand-painted sculpted Murano glass sculptures at the heart of the installation, capturing the density, fluidity, and fleeting reflections of water when highlighted by light. These may not be Monet's lilies but rest assured, they're no less enchanting.
The exhibition is a prelude to de Cotiis' upcoming solo exhibition in New York this November at Carpenters Workshop Gallery. Want a taste of what's to come? You know what to do.
Swinging Cocktails!
Picture this. You've been swanning around different activations in Milan all day and now need some downtime. A drink. A cocktail, perhaps? Taller Marmo Boutique has you covered thanks to its new Celebration Kit which will be debuting at Salone del Mobile in the brand's new home, Casa Taller Marmo this week. Created in collaboration with designer Natalia Criado, the kit includes two Margarita glasses and an ice bucket, each inspired by the brand's notorious evening dresses. Wanting to retain the elegance and movement of flowing gowns while incorporating Criado’s geometric shapes and her distinct Perline Lapis Lazuli style, these cocktail glasses aren't just classy, they're fun - very fun. Take a sip and watch your glass sashay away.
5 THREADS, 40 YEARS
The Arnica motif is the only pattern in the Etro repertoire that has never changed meaning its five vibrant threads - yellow, green, red, turquoise, and white - have been worn by generations for four decades. What's better is despite this continuity, the design is also the ultimate symbol of cultural connection due to its roots in the illustrious patterns of Indian Paisleys. Celebrating this distinctly Etro design, the brand have taken to Milan Design Week with an exhibition titled 5 THREADS, 40 YEARS, curated by Studio Balich to reveal the origins of the Arnica pattern as well as the timeless objects it has helped create. Arnica may not be a pattern worn by everybody, but those who do inhabit its world of luxury never forget it. This exhibition 5 THREADS, 40 YEARS shows you why.
A Woman's Education With Miu Miu
If Miu Miu were a person they would probably be the best dressed in the room. They're aware of trends and they follow them but not religiously - they also have books to read and papers to write (they're intelligent too, you know). How is this relevant, you ask? Well, Milan Design Week may house plenty of luxury brands but it also focuses on initiatives, such as the Miu Miu Literary Club, and for Salone Del Mobile 2025, the club's event titled A Woman's Education will explore themes associated with a woman’s childhood, love and sex education through the works of two international literary masters: the French existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir and Japanese writer Fumiko Enchi. For two full days, conversations will inspire just as much as live performances will mesmerise, bringing together a community of like-minded yet interdisciplinary talents while signalling Miu Miu's commitment to the next generation's education.