Lebanese-born, Paris-based architect Lina Ghotmeh has built a reputation for immersive, site-responsive work, most recently with her winning AlUla Immersive Living residency, conceived for the Saudi desert landscape, and an installation for Hermès at the Venice Architecture Biennale exploring craft and time. Now she has created one of the most anticipated installations of Milan Design Week at Palazzo Litta, transforming the historic building's courtyard into different pockets of calm, culture and conversation during a frenetic week.
Milan Design Week 2026: Lina Ghotmeh at Palazzo Litta
The location holds centuries of stories, having hosted parties for European royalty and Napoleon himself. Ghotmeh builds on this heritage, drawing on the courtyard's historic role as a space of welcome and reception. This week new conversations and stories will be told in an installation that’s actively encouraging participation. ‘At a time when the world is bombarded from several standpoints, I wanted a place that cherishes joy and human connection. It is a setting that gently slows people down and allows them to engage with one another and with the place around them,’ she explains.
‘At a time when the world is bombarded from several standpoints, I wanted a place that cherishes joy and human connection’
Lina Ghotmeh
The first thing that draws you in is the vibrant hue, which contrasts sharply with the baroque architecture of the 17th-century palazzo. ‘I have chosen these colours for their emotional and perceptual qualities,' Ghotmeh explains. ‘Culturally, pinks may echo love, compassion, femininity, as well as playfulness and youth. Colour is also a way to guide perception and shape how people move through space,’ Ghotmeh says. ‘The palette is meant to create an atmosphere that feels soft, gentle, immersive, and slightly unexpected within the historical context of the courtyard.’
Measuring 17m per side and composed of 18 modules, ‘Metamorphosis in Motion’ follows the existing geometry and lines of the palazzo’s courtyard. The installation is built from MDF planks and finished with Milesi’s colour coatings in varying shades of pink and using textured surfaces. The modular set-up has been deliberately chosen to help create this pink maze, with different sections designed to accommodate multiple occupants simultaneously and comfortably.
Pathways guide you around the sections and informal soft seating by Avalon Italia is set alongside a dedicated talk space. There’s a meditative zone, and an immersive sound area, all combined with an olfactory experience curated by Scent Company. Notes of cypress, olibanum, and cedar diffuse around the space, evoking memories of Lebanon – Ghotmeh's homeland.
‘It was important for us that the space is experienced and lived, rather than just seen’
Lina Ghotmeh
Community is at the heart of this work with zones dedicated to movement and rest, too. Together they create a rhythm that encourages visitors to linger rather than simply pass through. A food tasting area features products from Italian companies Tre Marie and Vitavigor, a pop-up bookshop by Frab's Magazine invites people to sit a while. ‘Rather than imposing a rigid structure, the sections create rhythm, symmetry, and visual views towards the façades. It was important for us that the space is experienced and lived, rather than just seen.’ In a week that’s full of spectacle, Ghotmeh invites visitors to participate in the show.
Mosca Partners present ‘Metamorphosis in Motion’, 21 - 26 April, Palazzo Litta, 24 Corso Magenta, Milan
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