Our highlights of Milan Design Week 2026

For the 64th time, Milan Design Week 2026 transformed the city into the center of the international design world. Moments was on site – presenting the most compelling impressions from the Salone del Mobile, Fuorisalone, and installations by major design and fashion brands.

From April 20 to 26, 2026, Milan once again became the global meeting point for the design scene. With the Salone del Mobile as its international anchor and the Fuorisalone as an ever-expanding urban experience, Milan Design Week demonstrated how strongly design today operates between furniture, art, fashion, craftsmanship, and brand staging.

Milan Design Week is a must-attend event every April. In 2026, however, it felt even more present, denser, and more charged with energy. In Brera, the city’s most important design district, one inspiring event followed the next. Yet beyond the well-known hotspots, Milan offered an almost endless selection of installations, presentations, and exhibitions. In front of historic palazzi, modern galleries, and trendsetting boutiques, art connoisseurs, design experts, and members of the press queued to see which ideas, materials, and forms might shape the coming design year.

At the Salone del Mobile in Rho, too, there was a clear ambition not merely to display design but to stage it spatially. Many exhibitors relied on conceptual pavilions, strong scenographies, and curated product worlds that went far beyond classic trade fair presentations. The four of us were on site, on the move from early morning until late at night, capturing as much as possible of this extraordinary week. We returned with full notebooks, fresh perspectives, and abundant material for upcoming art and design issues. As a preview, Brigitte Cocyan and Philipp Josef Rossmann reflect on Milan Design Week 2026 – with their personal highlights from the city.

After a few days at Watches & Wonders in Geneva, Milan feels like a counterpoint. Less controlled, less formal – and above all more accessible. The Salone is not a closed world; it spreads across the entire city. You move between the fairgrounds, courtyards, palazzi, and improvised installations.

One place that stayed particularly with me was Palazzo Crespi. Under the title ​“Bubbles of Time,” Kaldewei presented an installation centered around the bathroom as a place of retreat. More decisive than the concept itself was the space: architecture by Piero Portaluppi, opened to the public for the first time, with exactly the right patina.

The automotive brands were present as well, though with very different approaches. Audi opted for a clear, architectural staging in collaboration with Zaha Hadid Studio. Fiat took another route: less spectacle, instead launching a young talent award – though one might ask what Fiat still needs to prove in Milan with its ​“King of the City.”

Installations were particularly prominent. Ai Weiwei for Rubelli was predictably strong, but there were also exciting works in the stores – for instance at Grand Seiko.

At Poliform, the focus was less on individual pieces of furniture and more on staging. With Multitude, Palazzo Clerici was transformed into an abstract, almost otherworldly landscape – a kind of urban garden in which furniture was deliberately set at a distance.

Finally, a conversation that stood out: Stephen Burks on his work for Roche Bobois. Open, entertaining, without attitude – yet rich in stories. 

Milan remains Milan. Difficult to compare – and precisely for that reason a fixture every year.

Milan has long been my favorite city during the fashion months, but the energy this week was on another level entirely. It felt as though everyone even remotely connected to the design industry was there. The city center pulsed in a way I had never experienced in Milan before, and the program was simply overwhelming.

As a fashion enthusiast, the installations by major brands naturally ranked high on my list. Leading the way was the exhibition ​“Gucci Memoria” at the Chiostri di San Simpliciano, which retold the house’s 105-year history through twelve tapestries. Kwangho Lee’s installation for Bottega Veneta was equally compelling: woven leather forms created a precise bridge between art, craftsmanship, and the brand’s design language. As always, a visit to 10 Corso Como was essential – this time not only for the Gentle Monster boutique but also to admire the gigantic octopus by Moncler, firmly gripping the façade of the iconic concept store with its tentacles.

My passion for interiors was equally well served. Particularly impressive was the staging by Carl Hansen & Søn, which showed how a Milanese apartment by design legend Hans J. Wegner might look today. Several of his iconic pieces were placed in a contemporary context and combined with unusually vibrant fabrics for the brand.

As a contrast to the bustling, well-attended apartment, the Daikan showroom then offered a sensory 360-degree experience that deliberately played with expectations. The Japanese design studio invited visitors to rediscover scents, flavors, sounds, and textures. At the center stood the ​“Flux Tabl,” a prototype table with a surface made of moving, almost liquid metal. A material innovation that could well bring movement into the furniture world in the years to come.

At the Salone itself, I sprinted from one interview appointment to the next, letting myself drift through the halls and their many novelties along the way. The most impressive pavilion for me was undoubtedly Kartell’s. Upon entering, it initially appeared as a large, empty, white space. Behind cleverly positioned walls, the new products – including designs by Patricia Urquiola, Erwan Bouroullec, and Barber Osgerby – were presented alongside corresponding artworks. Thanks to the refined spatial concept, each object was able to stand on its own – calm, precise, and far more impactful than in a conventional trade fair setting.

Ci vediamo, Milano! Next year, however, I will definitely rent a Vespa.

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