MILAN — Design trade show Salone del Mobile.Milano, the anchor event of Milan Design Week, will unfold under the aegis of the theme “Matter: material, human well-being, and spatial intelligence.” The season, which kicks off Monday and closes Sunday, is brimming with events that explore the theme of the physical origins of design and the role of materials in its evolution.
As hundreds of thousands of international tastemakers from around the world descend on Milan, WWD has put together an insiders’ guide for tackling the world’s biggest design event of the year, with more to come.
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‘Light as Medium’
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Untethered to codes or trends of the past, Vancouver-based lighting firm Bocci and its founder Omer Arbel are known for sculptural lighting. Its 93 model, for example, was created by pouring molten aluminum into a hand-blown glass vessel. As the metal moves and cools, its flow creates its own unique design.
At the firm’s Milan apartment on Via Rovani 20, the 93 will take center stage. Marking their second collaboration, Bocci and David Alhadeff, founder of Los Angeles design gallery The Future Perfect, are gearing up to present “Light as Medium” during Milan Design Week 2026, a research-driven exhibition curated by Alhadeff and staged within Bocci’s historic Milan apartment.
Alhadeff used animation, cable suspension and sculptural assembly to convey the poetry behind Bocci’s pieces. Together Arbel and Alhadeff created a universe of dramatic clusters accompanied by ambient, meditative and electronic sound that showcases the possibilities of Bocci’s experimental illumination.
“It’s a celebration of beauty in an age of uncertainty,” Alhadeff reflected. “We want to shine a light on the process, on the artistry that underlies Bocci as a brand, and to remind people what creative and technical brilliance lies behind the product.”
Alcova
Alcova returns to Milan with its 11th edition, unfolding across two distinct locations: the vast complex of the Baggio Military Hospital and Villa Pestarini, a private residence designed in Milan by rationalist architect Franco Albini and never seen before by the public.
Through Sunday, the venues will welcome 131 exhibitors showcasing a wide range of international talent, from established brands and independent designers to prestigious design schools.
At Villa Pestarini, Haworth, in collaboration with Cassina, will present an installation by Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola that reinterprets the entrance and living areas, transforming them into a fluid and welcoming environment.
New York- and Athens-based studio Objects of Common Interest alongside textile door firm Dooor will present “Threshold.” Designers Eleni Petaloti and Léonidas Trampoukis will showcase spaces defined by subtle thresholds that suggest boundaries without fully enclosing them.
Muller Van Severen Fetes 15 Years
Belgian husband-and-wife duo Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen have injected their playful, color burst of hues and eclectic design spirit into most aspects of everyday life since joining forces in 2011. This year they are celebrating their firm’s 15th anniversary in Milan with the exhibition “Silhouettes: Celebrating 15 Years,” in collaboration with interior design publisher Apartamento and Belgian-gallery Tim Van Laere Gallery. The exhibition features 15 life-sized, abstract aluminum candle holders. Each form is an abstract reinterpretation of recurring motifs from Muller Van Severen’s oeuvre, alongside pieces that previously emerged in the earlier individual practices of Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen: chairs, cabinets, lamps, vases and sculptural structures.
Baccarat’s ‘Crystal Crypt’
French design brand and historic crystal maker Baccarat has been on a roll lately, merging the worlds of its fine crystal with visionary artists and designers of a contemporary age. In January, they showcased Harry Nuriev’s reinterpretation of their centuries-old glassmaking mastery with notes of Bic pen, bottle caps, plastic animal figures and keychains. This season they return with “Crystal Crypt,” a bold departure from Baccarat’s traditionally classical aesthetic. Conceived by artist and curator Emmanuelle Luciani, it proposes a futuristic narrative, inspired by Philip K. Dick’s science fiction short story “The Crystal Crypt.” The space will be imagined as a kind of galactic cathedral, bringing together revisited icons and Haute Cristallerie pieces alongside new creations, including a reinterpretation of the historic Zénith chandelier designed with Bethan Laura Wood.
The Eames Office and Nanimarquina
Nanimarquina and the Eames Office, in collaboration with Denmark-based Form Portfolios, will introduce a collection of rugs based on original artworks by American artist Lucia Eames, who died in 2014. She was the sole child of designer Charles Eames and step-daughter to his partner in life and work, Ray Eames. The collection translates Lucia’s distinctive visual language into woven form, highlighting her fascination with weaving which began at an early age.
L’Appartamento by Artemest
Sasha Adler Design, Rockwell Group; March and White Designs, Charlap Hyman & Herrero and Urjowan Alsharif Interiors are among those who will showcase at Milan’s Palazzo Donizetti within the fourth edition of L’Appartamento by Artemest. The architectural landmark is located in Via Gaetano Donizetti 48, which is also the headquarters of fashion label Alberta Ferretti. Inspired by the theme of the Grand Tour, the showcase will mark the first time L’Appartamento lends the experience to the outdoors with furnishings in the courtyard of the 19th century palazzo.
Nilufar’s Grand Hotel
Nilufar founder Nina Yashar launched design line Nilufar Editions, of which she is creative director, in 2023. During Design Week, she’ll cut the ribbon on Nilufar Grand Hotel, an exhibit that will transform Nilufar Depot into a hotel space where collectible design redefines the art of hospitality. Nilufar Edition, which features in-house furnishings and accessories, will be interwoven with collectible vintage and contemporary designs.
”Each environment is conceived as a story, composed of encounters, sensibilities, and visions that interact with one another. For me, this project represents a natural step in Nilufar’s journey, a way to continue evolving, questioning ourselves, and opening new possibilities without losing the experimental energy that has defined us from the start,” she said.
Lalanne at Salone Raritas
Following their passing, Claude Lalanne and François-Xavier Lalanne’s works were in high demand. Known for their fascination with nature and the organic, they rose to the fore for working in counter-current to the contemporary design culture of the ’60s and ’70s. Claude Lalanne worked with Yves Saint Laurent and was commissioned by Hubert de Givenchy, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, John Galliano and Reed Krakoff, among others. The Williamsburg Gilded Bronze ensemble by Claude Lalanne, created in 1984 for the Lila Acheson Wallace Garden at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Williamsburg, Va., will be featured within Salone Raritas, a pavilion within the Salone del Mobile.Milano trade show, dedicated to rare objects of design. The section was envisaged as a place for galleries of excellence and the international design supply chain — architects, interior designers, developers, hospitality and contract professionals.
The space will be curated by the fair’s cultural events adviser Annalisa Rosso and designed by Milan and Rotterdam, Netherlands-based design studio Formafantasma and will include limited editions of design antiques and fine craftsmanship.
Dozie Kanu x Knoll
With their tassels and leather fringe, artist and sculptor Dozie Kanu’s tables will change the way people think about cowboys. “Texas cowboy culture is actually a derogatory term used to refer to Black cowboys,” he claimed in an interview with WWD. Kanu was born to Nigerian parents and was raised in Texas. The Dozie Kanu table collection will be in focus at Knoll’s presentation at Salone del Mobile 2026 and will also be displayed at Milan’s Bar Nico.
At first blush, the leather accents might conjure visions of the Wild West, but they are actually a salute to an African drum Kanu collected, while the fringe skirt speaks to African ceremonial dress and Texas cowboy culture. The collection blurs boundaries while breathing new life into its entire surroundings.
6:AM
6:AM is a design firm aiming to redefine Venetian glass. Most recently the firm’s glass stools were featured at the Bottega Veneta Summer 2026 show. Inside the city’s Piscina Romano, the firm will present “Over and Over.” Featured collections include the Lina by Milan-based architect Hannes Peer.
Highlights include the limited-edition textured black cast glass finish applied to the Paysage chandelier, Lina and Linetta lamps, and Paysage Walls — a new system featuring glass panels in black and crystal. The panels create striking architectural installations.
Sophie Lou Jacobsen’s ‘Disco Aperitivo‘
French-American designer Sophie Lou Jacobsen’s Continental Collection — a series of glass and silver-plated breakfast tableware that conjured the spirit of a quaint European breakfast, marked a new chapter in tableware. At Milan Design Week, she will unveil “Disco Aperitivo,” a new collection of homewares that celebrates the culture of aperitivo through the energy of 1970s and ’80s Italian disco glamour. Some of the pieces are embellished with Swarovski crystals. Conceived during a year spent frequently in Milan, Disco Aperitivo emerges from Jacobsen’s growing fascination with the Italian aperitivo — a daily cultural passage from day to night that is at once casual and essential.
Rick Tegelaar’s ‘Oasis’
Known for his fascination with machinery and material experimentation, Rotterdam designer and maker Rick Tegelaar will present “Oasis,” his first solo show in Milan.
Based in Arnhem, Tegelaar’s work has been commissioned by leading international brands across fashion, retail and interiors. His Meshmatics chandelier, adopted by Moooi, transformed industrial chicken wire into a refined lighting structure through a radically new technical approach.
During Milan Design Week, he will debut a new lighting collection and pieces created specifically for the event at Milan’s Studio Adatto.