Milan Design Week 2026 Preview: Part II

Hermès once again takes over the prime spot of Brera’s La Pelota for its presentation in Milan. The large open space of this former sports court allows for some sublime scenography, and the previous two years have seen the brand present its home collections in illuminated water-tower-like structures, and inside suspended white boxes that cast luminous colour onto the floor. Everything is under wraps, but Hermès’ work always has a strong focus on craftsmanship and the reinvention of traditional techniques: key pieces for 2026 include this hand-hammered palladium vase encased in fringed horsehair.

This French collective is taking over 11 Via Statuto, with scenography by Parisian architecture and design practice Jakob+MacFarlane that mimics a precisely lit catwalk that, made from timber, can be taken down and recycled after the event. The show is set over two spaces, with some familiar names – including Fermob, Ligne Roset, Franck Genser and Philippe Hurel – sharing the limelight with lesser-known ateliers that put French craftsmanship to the fore.

An apparition-like Sanlorenzo yacht – ‘moored’ in the historic Cortile del ‘700 courtyard at the University of Milan – will be one of the centrepieces of Interni Materiae, a new show that explores the technical, experimental and creative value of materials. For UN_Material, Sanlorenzo’s art director Piero Lissoni took inspiration from the SHE yacht project, which merges heritage and technology: the full-sized vessel will be reinterpreted as ‘slices’ of semi-transparent fabric that will appear even more ghostly when lit up at night. The installation expresses Sanlorenzo’s commitment to innovation and the unique, signature dialogue it has created between design, architecture and yachting.

Taking place in a 19th-century building that is not normally open to the public, this show sees five interior design studios create a room each, using products sourced from Artemest, an online platform for Italian craftsmanship and design. This year’s line-up features Sasha Adler Design, March and White Design, Rockwell Group, Charlap Hyman & Herrero and Urijowan Interiors, with each invited to channel the unique spirit of one of Italy’s cultural capitals: Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples and Palermo. With no restrictions other than to showcase the incredible making skills native to Italy, the designers can go wild. Pictured is Rockwell Group’s Dining Room, arranged in the Pompeiian triclinium dining style of three couches arranged in a U-shape around low tables – a vision of post-feasting repose.

After you’ve toured the apartment, head upstairs to see a presentation of Artemest’s first-ever own line of furniture, designed by New York-based studio Gachot and made in Italy.

Milan’s institution of the decorative arts and architecture acts as a major hub during the city’s design week, with several contemporaneous shows on during the week and beyond. The offering is anchored by Andrea Branzi by Toyo Ito: Continuous Present (until 4 October) a survey of 400 works by Italian designer Andrea Branzi, co-curated by Japanese architect Toyo Ito. A highlight is a recreation of the influential 1966 Superarchitettura show, where colourful, organically shaped furniture expounded the idea of ‘anti-tradition’ in design and architecture.

Stay on to see Fredericia: A Chronicle of Danish Design, an exploration of one of Denmark’s best-known brands and an important name in the foundation of Danish modernism; and Lella and Massimo Vignelli. A Language of Clarity (until 6 September), a chronicle of the Italian couple who bought rationalist graphic and product design to New York, responsible for everything from the city’s subway map to the iconic Bloomingdale’s shopping bag. In the Triennale’s new Design Platform space, Barber | Osgerby. Alphabet (until 6 September) is dedicated to the work of the UK’s most successful design duos, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby.

Born in Venice but based in Stockholm, Luca Nichetto always brings a distinctive perspective to product design. In Milan, visit the launch of a new bag by XL Extralight, a lightweight foam that’s better known as a material used in premium trainers. Airstone (both the name of the bag, and the installation that accompanies the launch) is inspired by a carved block of stone, so expect a contradictory mix of a solid sculptural form and a featherlight weight; the limited-edition bag will be available for purchase on site. As with every year, Nichetto’s prolific output will be all over Milan, from new marble basins for Kreoo at Salone to outdoor side tables at Cassina’s city-centre showroom.

Spazio Viruly, a Rotterdam gallery for experimental and emerging art and design, presents this show bringing together the work of Matthijs Koerts and Merijn Haenen. The compact double-height space of Superattico will be filled with an immersive installation of light and sound: Koerts’ deconstructed speakers, their inner workings of membranes, coils, and magnets left exposed; and Haenen’s lighting made from neon tubes and connectors. There is a specially designed soundscape, and the exhibition will be activated with two performances by dancer Eleonora Cattaneo.

Faye Toogood is a designer for whom the journey is just as important as the finished product, and she often lays her process bare. For Tacchini, she has devised Material Anthology, a show that digs around in the Italian brand’s archive to find offcuts, samples and raw materials which will be made into site-specific sculptures. The expansion of Toogood’s Butter collection is another narrative strand, with an armchair and storage added to the existing sofa, which started life as a moulded pat of Cornish butter. Other new Tacchini launches include reissued furniture by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, and a new coffee table by Milan-based designer Roberto Sironi.

Milanese ceramic atelier Laboratorio Paravicini has collaborated with Natalia Criado, know for her sculptural metal homeware, for a new collection that makes the most of their respective material knowledge. The Metalia collection features tableware with abstract compositions of metallic blades and suspended spheres; these are complemented by metal charger plates. The collaboration will be celebrated at a special installation, The Invisible Table, where the objects (including other objects from Criado’s collection) will appear to poetically float in space.

Inspired by the Socratic appreciation of pure geometry, Moroso’s Geometriæ takes over a contemporary art gallery in Brera to stage work by designers Anna Lindgren and Sofia Lagerkvist, founders of Stockholm-based design studio Front. Spheres, cylinders and slanted box shapes are arranged as seating, upholstered in woven jacquard textiles that feature the duo’s drawings and paintings. They will be shown alongside original artworks and research into the history of geometry and light: an exploration of visual simplicity and clarity that is sure to please.