Milan Design Week 2022. Masterly courtyard installation – Image by Studio ZAZI.

Design – Finally, Milan shines again! From majestic downtown palaces to forgotten military barracks. The world’s design capital is set to strive for creativity. Out of over 1.500 events and exhibitions, we selected 25 must-visit exhibitions and destinations. Check them all if you have the energy.

• RELATED STORIES: Discover more about Milan Design Week 2022 on Archipanic…

Salone del Mobile

Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022. DESIGN WITH NATURE exhibition by Mario Cucinella – ©MCA Mario Cucinella Architects.

With over 2.000 exhibitors, Salone del Mobile.Milano is back to celebrate its 60th anniversary and with a focus on sustainability. Italian architect Mario Cucinella presents the Design with Nature exhibition, narrating a virtuous ecosystem that will ideally represent the future of home living. The Salone Satellite showcases the work of 600 under-35 designers from 58 countries. High-end and luxury design goes on show at the XLUX section, S.Project is dedicated to large-scale project solutions. The June event will also feature the biennial exhibitions EuroCucina, and its collateral event FTK – Technology For the Kitchen – and the International Bathroom Exhibition. [Read more…]

INTERNI @ Statale University

Labyrinth Garden by Raffaello Gallotto x Interni Design Re-Generation.

Influential architecture and design magazine INTERNI has invited international architects to create installations and exhibitions in the historic courtyards and halls of Statale University. Design Re-Generation, the show’s main theme, invites us to think about the role of design in creating sustainable solutions for the future. Get lost in a verdant labyrinth designed by Raffaello Galliotto for furniture brand Nardi, interact with the voice-responsive Hydra-fountain by Elena Salmistraro and keep fit at the Techno pavilion by Zaha Hadid Architects [Via Festa del Perdono 7, Map].

La Triennale di Milano

Memphis Again exhibition @ La Triennale di Milano 2022 – Photo by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Alessandro Saletta – DSL Studio.

La Triennale di Milano design museum hosts an array of exhibitions open to the public from June 3. Curated by Christophe Raidl, Memphis Again explores the radical design movement founded by Ettore Sottsass in the 1980s. Mathieu Lehanneur presents The inventory of life, four installations harnessing and translating environmental and socio-demographic data into unexcited sculptures. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its iconic Cactus, GUFRAM presents a limited edition collection developed with the Andy Warhol Foundation. 

Rossana Orlandi

Draga & Auriel’s GOLIA dining table + coffee tables – Courtesy of Draga & Auriel

Milan Design Week godmother Rossana Orlandi opens her gallery’s doors to present some of the most promising upcoming talents from around the world. At the RO Gallery [Via Matteo Bandello 14, Map], Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek celebrates 15 years of collaboration with the gallery by presenting a new collection of sustainable and upcycled furniture in metal and wood. Studio Bycolor from Japan creates a forest of trees and leaves made from an innovative polycarbonate resin that doesn’t require the use of polluting varnishing.

Draga & Auriel‘s ultimate collection pays tribute to the artistic and cultural buzz of the Seventies and to the greatest masters of that time. The Golia benches and tables unexpectedly juxtapose concrete and resin to create sculptural and almost monumental forms. The base is made entirely of concrete, and its surface features a particular effect obtained through corrosion with sea salt, which brings the material to life. The thick resin top, with its brightness and depth, reflects the outside world, changing, in turn, depending on the lights surrounding it.

Nilufar Gallery + Nilufar Depot

Nilufar Depot installation – Courtesy of Nilufar Gallery.

Nina Yashar, the founder of the iconic Nilufar Gallery, is an eminent style arbiter of Milan Design Week. At her gallery in the fashion district [via della Spiga 32, Map], she presents the Reborn Project in collaboration with Richard Ginori 1735, conceived and curated by Frédéric Chambre. On show also works by Andrea Zucchi, Martino Gamper, Federica Perazzoli e Flavie Audie. Her serendipitous design depot in a former silverware factory [Viale Vincenzo Lancetti, 34, Map ] showcases works by Analogia Project, Laura Bethan Wood and Vibeke Fonnesberg-Schmidt.

Alcova

David Pompa @ Alcova 2022 – Courtesy of David Pompa.

From Sunday 5, Alcova returns to the spectacular urban park of the Centro Ospedaliero Militare di Milano, an extraordinary site of great historical importance for the city of Milan, activating a new section of the complex never before accessible to the public [Via Simone Saint Bon 1, Map]. SolidNature presents designs in precious stones by Sabine Marcelis and OMA, while Mexican designer David Pompa unveils new light sculptures that create a displacement of volcanic rock suspended in space. Discover installation by Snøhetta, StudioMakkink & Bey’s Water School, FormaFantasma, Lambert & Fils, Gio Tirotto and more. 

By The Fire by Studio Luca Guadagnino

Luca Guadagnino in Milan – Photo by Mikael Olsson.

“My secret desire is to be an interior designer,” confessed once Academy Award-nominated film director Luca Guadagnino. His dreams came true in 2017 when he founded Studio Luca Guadagnino (SLG). This year SLG debuts at Milan Design Week with the By The Fire exhibition at Spazio RT [Via Fatebenefratelli, 34, Map]. Across a series of rooms, each one with a specially designed fireplace, Guadagnino presents coffee tables, wood paneling produced by Spazio RT, carpets produced by La Manufacture Cogolin, glass sconces by FontanaArte, technical lights by DeltaLight and ceramics by Italian American artist Francesco Simeti, as well as a selection of vintage furniture. 

Hermès @ La Pelota

Hermès at Milan Design Week 2022 – Photo courtesy of Hermès.

Every year Hermès presents its new home collections during Milan Design Week inside La Pelota Jai Alai and indoor sports center in the heart of Brera [via Palermo 10, Map]. Inspired by brutalist water towers, Hervé Sauvage and Charlotte Macaux Perelman created four glowing structures covered in translucent coloured paper. Inside them, visitors can discover the French fashion house’s latest creations, with a special focus on textiles, oscillating between tradition and innovation.

Divine inspiration by Lee Broom

Divine inspirations collection by Lee Broom – Courtesy of Lee Broom.

British designer Lee Broom returns to Milan to present his first series of lamps in four years and celebrate the 15th anniversary of his eponymous studio. The Divine inspiration collection and exhibition in Brera [via Palermo 11, Map] takes inspiration from brutalist places of worship and that sense of awe and mysticism those buildings and their interiors convey.

Masterly

The 21st Century Heraldry of Italy by 75B – Courtesy of Masterly.

Dutch design platforms Masterly is back to Milano with quirky iron animals peeping out from a field of orchids, ballerina lamps and textile tiles. The historic headquarters of Palazzo Francesco Turati in the heart of Milan again welcome Dutch designers, artists, artisans, and companies. Atelier Robotiq presents its ethereal lamps in synthetic fibre. Marco Lopulalan created exquisite glass vases made with a rediscovered Dutch artisan technique dating back to the 1920s. Company Sodalime unveils the glass objects of its “Dichroic Collection” [Via Meravigli, 7, Map].

Doppia Firma

Elena Salmistraro with Carraro Chabarik x Doppia Firma 2021 – Photo by Laila Pozzo.

In the charming setting of Palazzo Litta, The Michelangelo Foundation presents Doppia Firma. Through dialogues between design and high craftsmanship, this project from Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte displays a unique collection, the fruit of a creative exchange between a designer/artist and an artisan or a manufacturer of excellence. Discover works that stem from cross-fertilization between the design culture and a know-how that is an authentic expression of its region of origin. Corso Magenta 24, Map.

Woven Whispers by Richard Jasmine

Woven Whispers by Richard Jasmine at 5vie – Photo by bizarrebeirut.

Lebanese designer Richard Yasmine presents an installation commissioned by 5Vie design district that represents our social system on a small scale, highlighting the physical and, at the same time, psychological roots of a society and its infrastructures. A monumental monolithic pillar that imitates Ancient History buildings, and precisely the tower of Babel. At the same time, the pillar is also a symbol of communication, solidarity, union and harmony among human beings. 5VIE Headquarters – via Cesare Correnti 14, Map.

Design Variations

Palazzo Visconti – Courtesy of Design Variations.

Design Variations 2022, curated by MoscaPartners, takes life with the talent of the artist Olimpia Zagnoli, author of the site-specific installation Cariatidi Contemporanee, which will interpret the facade of the Circolo Filologico Milanese with the collaboration of 3M for the films of the surfaces. On-show design projects by AltreForme, PdiPigna, Thonet, Scapin, Orografie and more. Palazzo visconti Via Clerici 10, Map.

Superbloom by RIOS

Superbloom by RIOS – Courtesy of RIOS.

With the Superbloom immersive and joyful exhibition, Los Angeles-based design collective RIOS brings the breath-taking bloom of Souther California to Milan. Visitors are guided through a sensory-filled journey creating simulations of biological processes such as rain falling, sprouts springing, and the spectacular blooming of wild fields.

TWENTY by Tom Dixon

Melt Dichroic Filter Chandelier by Tom Dixon – Courtesy of Tom Dixon.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Tom Dixon unveils his brand’s new and iconic collections in two different locations: The Manzoni, the brand’s hub and restaurant in Milan [Via A. Manzoni 5, Map], and Palazzo Serbelloni [Corso Venezia 16, Map]. Here, visitors can explore a thoughtfully curated selection of the brand’s iconic designs such as MIRROR BALL, MELT and FAT, some upgraded and some in embryonic experiment mode.

Pet Therapy by Atelier Biagetti

Pet Therapy by Atelier Biagetti – Courtesy of Atelier Biagetti.

Alberto Biagetti and Laura Baldassari of renowned Atelier Biagetti turn the clocks back to make us kids again with a project dedicated to our childhood companions and real “friends for life” – Pets! The collection explores the idea of a home without boundaries, where interior blurs into exterior and playfulness is a serious business that we just can’t do without.

Prada [Frames] symposium by Formafantasma

PRADA [Frames] by FormaFantasma – Courtesy of FormaFantasma.

Leading Italian fashion brand Prada invited  Formafantasma to organise a multidisciplinary symposium on the complex relationship between the natural environment and design. Titled Prada Frames, the program brings together the contributions of scientists, architects, designers, artists, activists, anthropologists and law experts. [June 6-8 at Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense  – Via Brera 28, Map]

Isola Design District

Robot Shit exhibition by DesignWanted, _sucks and Caracol – Courtesy of Isola Design District.

Archipanic is a media partner of the Isola Design Festival. Under the theme Together as one, the file rouge is sustainability, innovation and togetherness. An ode to circular design and creativity goes on show at the NO SPACE FOR WASTE group exhibition [Via Stecca 3, Map]. of Here, DesignWanted, _sucks and Caracol presents the Robot Shit Exhibit, the first exhibition focusing on 3D printing waste. Spazio Gamma welcomes Materialize, a group exhibition exploring new valid alternatives to plastic and other polluting materials [Via Pastrengo 7, Map]. Every night under the tree-filled ‘Bosco Verticale’ skyscrapers, a design gin-garden powered by the Black Forest premium gin Monkey 47 invites you to relax and cheer on sustainable outdoor furniture, play with oversized table games and breath healthily by an antipollution murales [Via Gaetano de Castilla 21, Map].

Tortona Rocks

iQOS @ Tortona Rocks – Courtesy of Tortona Rocks.

Archipanic is also proud to media partner with Tortona Rocks, the cutting-edge design destination in the post-industrial cradle of Milan Design Week. The platform focuses on the materials instead of the object, on the process instead of the form. At Opificio 31 [Via Tortona 31, Map], discover the anamorphic street art installation combining art, design and innovation by Truly Design Crew, commissioned by the beyond-smoking company IQOS.

Design Academy Eindhoven

Design Academy Eindhoven @ Milan Design Week 2021 – Photo by Archipanic.

Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE) celebrates its 75th anniversary with an extraordinary edition of its annual graduation show [Via Vincenzo Monti, 59, Map]. Bringing together original graduation works from 7.5 decades of DAE’s existence, the exhibition highlights the excellence and creativity that students and alumni have brought to the field and how design itself has transformed and adapted across the decades.

See the stars again by FLOS

See the stars again by FLOS – Courtesy of FLOS.

To mark its 60th anniversary, leading Italian lighting design company FLOS presents See the stars again, a festival with a rich cultural program of events and an exhibition designed by Studio Calvi Brambilla. The company’s most successful designs parade along with the new collection and a special limited edition of the iconic Arco lamp [Via Orobia 14, Map].

Certosa District

© Certosa Initiative, Milano 2022, Statue Right Night.

Founded by architects Beyond Space and design platform Organisation in Design – former organizers of Ventura Projects -, the Certosa Initiative is set to unlock a brand-new design district and a new exhibition in Milan that will showcase the freshest emerging talents and the most respected brands. Set in a 10,000-square-metre industrial building, the Certosa Initiative will display designs including a puffer coat stuffed with single-use face masks and a kinetic-light artwork.

Repubblica del Design

DesignDifferente – Courtesy of Repubblica del Design.

Repubblica del Design is the only district active 365 days a year in the Bovisa – Dergano – Lancetti area that promotes a strategic action aimed at building a “poetic” infrastructure that rethinks the neighborhoods together with the citizens. The district motto is ‘nothing gets wasted’ promoting a #DesignDifferente.  “In 2022, we will resume our activities both in the new headquarters in Via Grazioli 73 [Map] and our district in collaboration with companies, creatives, and artisans.”

Super Design Show

Habits Design Studio @ Super Studio Show.

“Nothing will be like before,” says Gisella Borioli and Giulio Cappellini, who curated the Superstudio Design Show must-visit exhibition in Via Tortona 27 [Register HERE to avoid queues – Map]. Wander through the “petrified forest” by Maria Cristina Carlini and explore the immersive sound and lighting installation by Habits Design Studio. Toilet Paper hosts a terrace exhibition and party looking over the post-industrial cityscape of the Tortona design district. Here, Sara Ricciardi creates an installation for gloTM in which nature and technology, uniqueness and diversity coexist. Rossinawi presents the new generation of electric catamarans while

Tortona and around

BASE Milano 2019 – Courtesy of BASE Milano.

The Tortona district is where it all began over 20 years ago. Here you can find the Super Design Show at Superstudio and Tortona Rocks [see above]. BASE invites us to reflect on the circular economy, biodiversity and co-design processes. Here, five international design residents present their experimental work. Global furniture brand IKEA proposes a full festival with gigs and events and unveils upcoming collections and designs that it is working on with a number of designers, including Ilse Crawford and Sabine Marcelis. Under the theme Fluidity and Design the Tortona Design Week program includes several exhibitions including a floating forest by Stefano Boeri Studio for Timberland on the Darsena by Navigli.