Guide to Milan 2024
Design evolution and innovation are at the forefront of this year’s Salone del Mobile.Milano held from April 16th to 21st during Milan Design Week 2024. With a revamp of the pavilions and spaces, this year will see a fresh take on the furniture fair exhibition bringing together 600 young talents under 35, 22 design schools and more than 1,900 exhibitors including .
The 62nd edition of Milan’s Annual Trade Fair ‘Where Design Evolves’, encapsulates the evolutionary essence of the fair is a stage on which design happens, evolves and defines the future. The fair explores a powerful relationship between design and those who live, think, and create it.
Whether you are returning, or this is your first time, Milan Design Week has many design offerings with, endless charm as one of the world’s foremost design events. To assist we have selected key exhibitors and events to visit within Salone del Mobile and Milan Design Week from April 15 to 21.
Design Events To Catch
A little Italian design
L’Appartamento by Artemest
15-21 April
Artemest presents the second edition of L’Appartamento, held at Residenza Vignale – via Enrico Toti, 2 Milano. The showhouse will be a celebration of the beauty and uniqueness of Italian craftsmanship and design in a new stunning location.
Interiors by David Lynch.
A Thinking Room @Salone del Mobile.Milano
A Thinking Room project was carried out in collaboration with the Piccolo Teatro di Milano, which translated David Lynch’s fascinating imagery and artistic thinking into a material reality.
Emotions of the Sun
15-21 April
Veuve Clicquot celebrates its Solaire Culture with an exclusive exhibition of photographs in partnership with Magnum Photos, held at Garden Senato Milano – via Senato 14 Milano
Meet Nomia with David Design
15-21 April
David Design will be showcasing the Nomia chair in the Austrian Design Show at Palazzo Confalonieri in Milano. Located at Centro Congressi Fondazione Cariplo - Via Romagnosi, 8, Milano
Salone del Mobile.Milano Key Exhibitors
Segis
Pavilion 14, E32
Segis embodies a philosophy that transcends the creation of furniture, it's a mood, an experience crafted with love, that goes beyond functionality. Established in 1983 in the town of Poggibonsi, Italy, Segis has evolved into a symbol of cultural elegance, tracing its genesis from the Renaissance period through the creation of handmade decorative objects.
Showcased this year will be Twirl, the new stool designed by UTS, alongside many loved products.
EcoBirdy
Pavilion 18 A01-B02
Based in Antwerp, Belgium, ecoBirdy was born in 2016 as a research project into upcycling plastic consumer goods, and how to reuse plastic toys sustainably, supported by the European Union Commission.
ecoBirdy redesigns discarded plastic into sustainable and ergonomic furniture. The brand offers aesthetic and functional designs for all ages and is acknowledged for its social and environmental responsibility by B Corporation.
Montbel
Abstracta
Pavilion 18, B05
This year, together with award-winning designers Maja Ganszyniec and Khodi Feiz, Abstracta has focused on boosting the feel-good factor at work. As always, their overall aim is to create better soundscapes. This year, we include lighting and informal, comfortable seating, as well as clever floor screens that create secluded spaces where people can retreat to chat or focus on their work in peace and quiet.
Pioneers in acoustics since 1972, abstracta offers a variety of solutions for different environments and requirements. Sound-absorbent screens and surfaces to innovative furniture with integrated acoustic characters.
Pavilion 18, C16
‘For some, sitting is a destination; for others, it’s the beginning of a story yet to be written’.
This year includes the release of Jump, a new armchair that stands out for its refined details that elegantly punctuate its silhouette.
For Montbel it is a continual evolution, rooted in the past, affirming itself in the present and projected into the future. A true Italian soul, Montbel is made exclusively in Italy, exported successfully all over the world.
Visit the showroom: Brera Design District, Showroom Metroquality, Via Solferino, 24 – Milano
Nikari
Pavilion 22, E16 - E18
Award-winning design with deep respect for nature, Nikari is carrying on the traditions of finest Nordic craftsmanship to bring out the best of wood in contemporary design. This year’s exhibition explores colour with the release of Kumu, a natural birch chair with the possibility to be painted in any colour, alongside a series of new products.
Nikari is a wood design studio and furniture manufacturer with award-winning design. Established in 1967, already our first years were marked by close collaboration with masters of Finnish architecture and design.
Hear from one of Nikari’s furniture designers – John Pawson Nikari, Driven by the pursuit of simplicity: John Pawson tells his story.
KARL ANDERSSON & SÖNER
Pavilion 22, M18
With 4 new products released in Stockholm, Karl Andersson & Söner will be bring these to the Italian stage this fair.
Karl Andersson & Söner produce durabale and sustainable furniture in the best Scandinavian design for personal homes and public spaces. Everything is manufactured in Huskvarna since four generations.
Handmade in Huskvarna. Since 1898.
Zanat
Pavilion 24, L02 - L04
This year the Zanat stand, designed by Emir Salkic of Normal Arhitektura, will reflect both the character of Zanat and its unique manufacturing capabilities. Zanat will be presenting a collection of 12 new products, prepared in collaboration with our design partners. In addition, Zanat will also announce a new design collaboration with the great Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa.
Milan will be a testimony to the woodcarving heritage instigated by Zanat ten years ago alongside design partnerships built with some of the most renowned designers of our time.
Design Discussions to Catch
There are three amazing talks on at the Salon including John Pawson covering modern design, Francis Kere on sustainable and socially inclusive design and Jeanne Gang on architecture that connects with people and nature.
Francis Kéré in conversation with Giulia Ricci
April 17, 11am
The event will focus on the work of Francis Kéré, the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize winner. The first African to receive this honor is acclaimed for his unwavering commitment to sustainable and socially inclusive design. With such priorities, architecture can be a powerful force for tackling global problems, such as access to safe drinking water and education. Giulia Ricci, “Domus” journalist and editor, will moderate.
Jeanne Gang in conversation with Johanna Agerman Ross
April 19, 11am
One of the leading voices in architecture, Jeanne Gang is renowned for projects that connect people, their communities, and the natural world. She will be joined by Johanna Agerman Ross, Chief Curator of the Design Museum in London, for a discussion about how we can better recognize the cultural and environmental value of our existing building stock and expand on it in ways that bring new beauty and opportunity to our communities.
John Pawson in conversation with Deyan Sudjic
Aprli 18, 11am
Two experts, each with respected points of view, discuss the role of architecture and the significance of modern design: architect John Pawson, Commander of the British Empire for his design and architectural excellence, and author, curator and critic Deyan Sudjic, director emeritus of the Design Museum in London and Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Designer Restaurants To Socialise, Peruse And Eat At
A few steps from the waters of the Navigli and Porta Ticinese, Officina Milano welcomes its patrons in an evocative time capsule, a Milanese cocktail bar where the author’s mixology is intertwined with a refined vintage soul and cosmopolitan inspirations.
Soulgreen
Piazzale Principessa Clotilde Ang. Via Verspucci, 20124, Milan
Vegan cuisine is the order of the day at restaurant Soulgreen. Design firm Creneau International honed its pared-back interiors, which feature r‘délabré’ plaster walls and concrete floors. The 19th-century building’s original wooden ceilings have been rediscovered and are crossed with industrial pipes, which double as a framework for hanging plants.
Here you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the city skyline from the top floor of the Fondazione Prada building, and taste an excellent dinner inspired by the Italian traditional dishes, especially of Milan.
LuBar Café at the GAM Museum
Via Palestro, 16, 20121 Milano
This winter-garden bistro takes over the 18th-century former orangerie and carriage portico of the Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Via Palestro. LùBar’s simple space is light-filled thanks to oversized arched windows, and decked in pot plants and palms that add burst of colour to the otherwise understated interiors.
Carlo e Camilla in Segheria
Segheria, Via G.Meda 24, Milano
A defunct 1930s sawmill has been transformed into an industrial-style restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Carlo Cracco and art director Tanja Solci, who crafted its pared-back interiors. Carlo e Camilla’s exposed pillars, raw ceilings and brick walls contrast with pieces by Ron Arad and Ross Lovegrove, vintage chandeliers and a cross-shaped table designed for communal dining.
Bar Bulgari, Bulgari Hotel Milano
Cocktails anyone? Sit outside in the Bar Bulgari’s stunning outdoor gardens, or in the bar’s elegant interior, with the finest of details executed with absolute precision. This is a spectacular place to spend an evening, knocking back some of Milan’s most incredible cocktails.