Sound stole the show at Milan Design Week 2026: what does it mean for the future of interiors?

Salone del Mobile and Milan Design Week 2026 were great opportunities to observe the ever-evolving priorities of living. In the past few years, how a space conveys feeling has infiltrated the way interiors are designed. First, the distinction between indoor and outdoor became ever-more blurred, as we started seeking a closer connection to nature in our domestic spaces. Then, living spaces increasingly turned into conversation pits – whether as structural interventions into the space, 1960s-style, or furniture built for conviviality and natural gathering.

At this year’s events in Milan, a new sense entered the conversation, as aural experiences drove the interior design agenda. Whether through conceptual spaces created as brand-building exercises, or products and interiors intended as inspiration for everyday life, sound seemed omnipresent and impossible to ignore.

Sound in interior design: a lesson from Milan Design Week 2026

For a long time, mainstream design seemed to reject the notion of sound inhabiting a space, as launches in that sphere were mostly geared towards cancelling noise, with acoustic materials promising silence and sound absorption. This has now changed radically, and sound seems to be embraced as something to promote and propagate, rather than muffle and reduce.

At Visionnaire, 'Déjà-Vu' featured a listening room created to celebrate the return of two 1970s armchairs from the company's archives. Curated by Marco Morandini, the space was designed as an intimate interior inspired by 1970s clubs, with speakers by Giorgio Di Salvo.

'We have always believed in sound as an integral part of a design quality, and that it also has a therapeutic value,' says Visionnaire art director Eleonore Cavalli, who has lived and breathed club culture throughout her life and whose collections have included aural elements such as embedded speakers for the past several years. 'I believe that sound design is destined to become increasingly integrated into our homes.'

'I think Milan Design Week audiences are a bit tired of looking at chairs and lights in silent rooms and that there is a need to stimulate people’s senses by creating more interactive or simply active spaces,' adds Vintage Audio Institute Italia founder Pontus Berghe, who brought his collection of 1960s and 1970s synthesisers to Alcova in collaboration with Slalom Acoustics. 'People were mesmerised when they saw an eight-track tape recorder spinning, musicians improvising and concentrating or simply manipulating an analogue synth or drum machine; you usually don't get to see much of the active creative process at Salone, rather just the sleek results.'

He also defends the tactility of the objects he brought to Alcova, representing a time in sound technology when tactility in the form of buttons and clear interfaces was still the norm. 'Generally, modern consumer objects lack the tactile finesse of 1960s and 1970s design, and I see that coming back as a trend with actual vintage, or vintage-looking, designer objects and tech featuring bigger controls like volume knobs and push buttons, on the opposite spectrum of i-Phones and induction burners.'

Sound spaces enhancing brand identity and elevating experiences

Sound also played a crucial role in shaping brand identities through space. At Asics, experiential design practice Nuova Studio created a listening room as part of the brand's immersive public installation created to introduce the new Gel-KineticM2.0 sneaker. With music curated by Mateo Garcia, the space helped immerse visitors in the company's key pillars of movement, energy, and emotional connection.

At Capsule Plaza, another example of aural design blending into branding came courtesy of Japanese brand Karimoku, whose research projects were presented as another intimate listening room at Capsule Plaza.

Nearby, Stone Island and NM3 also staged a much larger, sound-inspired installation that doubled as a lounging space. Including a sound system by Friendly Pressure Studio, the space took over a disused swimming pool and featured interiors by NM3.

At group show Deoron, an emerging generation of designers and brands made it very clear that sound is at the centre of the contemporary design agenda. Guests entering the airy, industrial space were greeted by a modular composition by Stack Furniture with speakers embedded into the aluminium shelving.

'Sound was definitely one of the hot themes at Milan Design Week 2026,' say Serdar Ayvaz and Coşan Karadeniz of Yont, whose sound bar created with New Fidelity and Varia Instruments acted as a centrepiece to the show. The space hosted listening sessions by international DJs during the week. 'It feels like electronic sound and listening spaces are gaining more weight in popular culture and the design scene these days.

'In interiors, sound systems are no longer secondary technical elements; they are becoming spatial anchors. They influence how a room is used, how people gather, and how long they stay. People engage well with spaces that are not only visually considered, but also immersive and atmospheric through sound.

'As Yont, this opens up an interesting territory for us. It is quite inspiring to think about how sound can shape spatial perception, almost like a material. In our exhibition at Deoron with the Brutalist DJ Booth, it felt like a gothic church altar; a ritualistic experience. It was magical.'

More sound and design from Milan Design Week 2026