Milan Design Week exists on its own timeline. Days start late, exhibitions flow into cocktails, which flow into dinners and parties. You often leave for the day and come back quite close to the following morning, after a dozen or more hours looking at engaging installations, new furniture and objects, and immersed in conversation with people you often only see on this occasion.
For years, the after-dark events have been as important as a day at the fair, for the encounters with other creatives, conversations peppered with laughter, banter and cocktails (so many red drinks - from Aperol spritzes by the pint, to negronis as strong as they get).
And despite a week of late nights, we board our flight still annoyed that we actually have to leave Milan and miss the dinners and lunches that continue well into the weekend.
And for those who went to all the events and still have energy left to party? Well, there is Bar Basso of course, which never fails to gather and serve people well into the night. Cheers to that!
Here we bring you the best of some of our favourite parties from Milan Design Week 2026.
Milan Design Week 2026: the parties
Late Night Dance Party by Volker Haug Studio and The Future Perfect
Honey Dijon was on the decks at the Late Night Dance Party by Volker Haug Studio and The Future Perfect, hosted at Detune in Milano. With Aperol Spritzes by the pint, the party was both a wild dancing gathering and the debut of the studio's first portable lamp launching later in 2026.
Salone del Mobile dinner at Teatro La Scala
Salone del Mobile treated us to a dinner on the Stage at Teatro La Scala. We dined and chatted among sets and lighting equipment, and the atmosphere was magical. In her welcome speech, Salone del Mobile President Maria Porro (who had a theatre background before moving to furniture) invited us to look up, to the rigging loft: ‘it’s a fantastic work of architecture, design, craftsmanship and respect for tradition.'
H&M x Kelly Wearstler
The tiramisu at Kelly Wearstler and H&M Home's cocktail dînatoire matched the collection, featuring the silhouettes of the collection's vases
Knoll and Dozie Kanu at Bar Nico
Knoll and Dozie Kanu (pictured) took over Bar Nico for a night to celebrate the launch of their collaboration, a party which went from aperitivo to late night drinks and dancing with absolute ease
Wallpaper* x Rosewood
Wallpaper* and Rosewood invited guests to relaxed aperitivo illuminated by Andrea Branzi's handcrafted lamps in Japanese rice paper, casting a warm, diffused glow over guests.
Guests (including long-term Wallpaper* friend Ron Arad, pictured above) moved through the installation 'Objects That Speak, a conversation continued with Andrea Branzi'
P:S x Apartamento x Uniqlo
Creative agency P:S, in collaboration with Apartamento and Uniqlo, hosted an intimate dinner party at Michela Pelizzari’s home to celebrate the end of Salone. The informal gathering combined Italian food with Spanish drinks, reflecting the collaboration between P:S (Italy) and Apartamento (Spain).
The central element of the party was the 'closet Karaoke' (a nod to Uniqlo's Japanese origins), set up in Pelizzari’s own closet. Guests, including Matter and Shape artistic director Dan Thawley, Alcova co-founder Valentina Ciuffi and Eleni Petaloti, one half of design studio Objects of Common Interest.
RH
RH's grand opening in Milan was a star-studded soirée with celebrity guests including Margot Robbie and Zoe Saldana (pictured) and music by French DJ Huel
Marni X Wallpapaper* at Pasticceria Cucchi
A cocktail with a serious design pedigree, the Marni x Wallpaper* party at Pasticceria Cucchi celebrated the fashion brand's takeover of the popular Milanese cafe. It was the perfect spring night topped with Negronis and colourful pastries.
Molteni
Molteni & C's annual Salone del Mobile dinner took place in the immersive botanical installation Elisa Ossino had created to showcase the company's new outdoor collections. The evening also doubled as Vincent Van Duysen's birthday, and a celebration of a decade as creative director
Camron dinner
Global communications agency Camron's annual Milan Dinner took place at Dimorestudio-designed Trattoria del Ciumbia in collaboration with Lumens. The evening kicked-off the design week with dinner, dancing and disco, with guests including Faye Toogood, Charlene Prempeh (pictured above alongside Camron's Sujata Burman), Marc Benda, Lee Broom and Aric Chen.
