‘Girls run the world’, the poet Beyoncé once said. In the design world, though, female creatives are still sadly underrepresented and under-recognised. Progress is being made, but the design and architecture professions are historically male-dominated – and great work created by women often doesn’t make it to highlight-level at major design events.

Wallpaper* aims to redress that imbalance. In Milan, where our editors are currently on the ground reviewing all that's noteworthy during Design Week 2026, we keep track of the achievements of incredible female creatives in the city – from Salone del Mobile president Maria Porro, injecting new ideas into one of the oldest design institutions in Italy, to trend-setting curator Valentina Ciuffi, whose Alcova has become an example of championing creativity from all corners of the profession, and doyenne of collectible design Nina Yashar (watch our Ground Report interview), whose galleries Nilufar and Nilufar Depot are among the most important places to discover design.

We also have a careful lens on the work that Patricia Urquiola is doing at Cassina, in terms of both innovation and championing an emerging generation of creatives; and the electric energy with which Visionnaire art director Eleonore Cavalli finds the most exciting ways to shake up her company's strong heritage (through unexpected collaborations with the likes of metal stalwart NM3, for example).

Here, we gather a small directory, spotlighting just some of the women whose work has defined this year's Milan Design Week. For many more, follow our coverage on Wallpaper.com, where you’ll find the likes of Federica Biasi and her respectful interpretation of Maddalena De Padova's legacy; the inimitable Bethan Laura Wood, reinterpreting Baccarat's baroque and subverting its rules; and Nao Tamura and her sculptural origami furniture for Porro that leave us marvelling at her creative gestures every time we encounter them.

Nine female creatives to know at Milan Design Week 2026

Faye Toogood

Faye Toogood is the queen of prototyping, and this Milan Design Week has made it even clearer that the British designer is the best when it comes to visualising ideas in compact ways. We are particularly fond of her mini carved butter sofas, a prelude to her collection of seating for Tacchini (aptly called ‘Butter' and comprising different modular elements, or ‘slabs of butter’: a three-seater sofa, an armchair and a storage unit). But her miniature-making prowess was also evident in the perfectly compact ‘Lie Low’ bed, for Poltrona Frau, and the folded paper experiments that represent her ‘Crease’ collection for Meritalia, inspired by flat-pack constructions.

And while the life-size versions of these furniture design concepts are magnificent in their own right, seeing the ideas unfold in small scale (and in such imaginative, expressive ways) always puts a smile on our face.

Linde Freya Tangelder

The work of Belgian designer Linde Freya Tangelder (also known as Destroyers Builders) is a powerful whisper. Over the years, the designer has built an aesthetic identity that is unmistakably hers, based on a version of minimalism that is multi-material and takes modularity to unexpected horizons. At Milan Design Week 2026, Tangelder and Cassina staged a display at 10 Corso Como titled 'Fluid Re-Collection', an immersion into her creative world that includes her furniture, objects and study models placed in conversation with the lighting design she has been creating with the Italian company since 2022.

Ambra Medda with Amy Tai

'I love being part of a city that is changing and evolving at such speed,' said design curator Ambra Medda, who recently moved back to Milan from her longtime base in London. Her new creative space in the city hosts its inaugural exhibition, co-curated with design historian Amy Tai, bringing together the ceramic work of Greek designer Leda Athanasopoulou and textiles by the Chinese artist Yumo Yuan.

Read our interview with Ambra Medda

Elisa Ossino

Elisa Ossino's secret garden with Molteni & C is a much-needed oasis of peace in the middle of Milan ('What a beautiful gift to the city', we overheard someone say on our visit at the beginning of Milan Design Week). Titled 'Responsive Nature', the verdant installation takes over Garden Senato in a way that is both poetic and also a stage to showcase the company's new outdoor collections (including new pieces by Ossino herself). Through five environments, Molteni & C's furniture is set amid tropical plants, architectural ruins overgrown with foliage and water features that make you feel like you have left the city and have stepped into an otherworldly natural paradise.

Kelly Wearstler

Kelly Wearstler, queen of the maximalist interior, made her Milan Design Week debut to launch a new furniture collection designed in tandem with H&M Home. ‘We still had a lot of boundaries,' she told us. ‘Every piece had to be modular, but it pushed us to be more creative.' While all the objects in the collection feel unique, Wearstler was also keen that they work with any environment. ‘I wanted to operate under the ethos of just offering great accessible design.' Launching in 28 markets, the collection includes chairs, tables and lamps, as well as a series of tabletop items, ranging from wooden vases to drinking glasses. Anyone who has visited one of Wearstler's luxury lifestyle-forward Proper hotels will immediately recognise her distinctive aesthetic.

Read our interview with Kelly Wearstler

Marta Sala

Milanese gallerist Marta Sala founded her namesake company, Marta Sala Éditions, in 2015, with the aim of building a platform dedicated to limited-run design collections rooted in architectural rigour and material precision. Eleven years on, that vision has been entirely realised – in no small part thanks to her longstanding collaborations with some of the most exacting figures in design. At Milan Design Week 2026, she launched a new collection with Herzog & de Meuron, making its debut at the inaugural edition of Salone Raritas.

Read our interview with Marta Sala

Natalia Criado

Since founding her eponymous brand in 2018, the Milan-based, Colombia-born designer Natalia Criado has been developing a body of work that reads as both functional object and sculpture. This year at Milan Design Week, Criado worked with Laboratorio Paravicini – the Milanese ceramics brand run by Costanza Paravicini and her three daughters, Benedetta, Margherita and Bona, known for their deftly hand-illustrated ceramics. 'I had been aware of their work for some time, and what drew me in was not only the craftsmanship, but the structure behind it, a family-run studio largely composed of women,' Criado says.

Read our interview with Natalia Criado

Sophie Lou Jacobsen

For the past several months, New York glassware designer Sophie Lou Jacobsen has been spending more and more time in Milan, developing her latest collection inspired by the famed local aperitivo culture. 'In New York, we have happy hour, and in France, there is apéro, but aperitivo is a ritual really ingrained into daily life in Milan,' says the designer, who aptly titled the collection 'Disco Aperitivo', a nod to the 1980s style that still defines many of the city’s historic bars.

Read our interview with Sophie Lou Jacobsen

Lina Ghotmeh

Lebanese-born, Paris-based architect Lina Ghotmehhas built a reputation for immersive, site-responsive work, and was also behind 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. ‘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.

Read our interview with Lina Ghotmeh

See our guide to what’s on at Milan Design Week 2026 (until 26 April), and follow the adventures of our editors on the ground in our live Milan blog.

Nomad, the travelling showcase dedicated to collectible design and contemporary art, presented a special project titled Giorgio Armani / Unveiled as part of its winter edition in St. Moritz (12-15 February 2026).

At the heart of the project was the exhibition Through the Looking Glass: Jane Crisp and Yuta Segawa. Conceived as a focused curatorial moment within this year’s programme, the presentation staged a dialogue between contemporary craft and the domestic language of Armani/Casa – Giorgio Armani’s interior and lifestyle design universe.

Curated by Abby Bangser, founder of Object & Thing, Through the Looking Glass brought together London-based artists Jane Crisp and Yuta Segawa. The exhibition centred on craft, materiality and form, explored in relation to Armani/Casa. Highlighting practices that reinterpret traditional techniques through a contemporary lens, it created an encounter between collectible design, artisanal process and the aesthetics of modern living.

Nomad’s St. Moritz programme placed particular emphasis on the relationship between space and experience. The edition unfolded at Villa Beaulieu, the renovated villa of Klinik Gut, transformed into a temporary home for art, design and exchange. Reimagined as an intimate yet expansive exhibition space, the historic residence hosted leading galleries in art and design within a lived-in, domestic framework. The architecture acted not merely as a backdrop, but as a participant – shaping how works were encountered and relationships formed.

Custom walnut furnishings, tactile textiles and layered materials lent warmth and depth to Villa Beaulieu’s interiors, grounding them in their Alpine context while maintaining a distinctly global outlook. This year, FNA Concept conceived the restaurant, VIP room and welcome area as an immersive landscape shaped by colour, texture and curated design. A palette of deep chocolate tones and soft mint hues established a refined, nostalgic atmosphere, enriched by works developed in collaboration with Nina Yashar of Nilufar, one of the exhibitors. The edition also welcomed first-time participant Nikos Koulis, expanding Nomad’s international community.

Through its integration of design, craftsmanship and setting, this edition of Nomad reaffirmed the fair’s distinctive vision to dissolve boundaries between makers and collectors, tradition and innovation, and spaces and the objects that populate them.

For its tenth anniversary, Nilufar Depot is exploring the allure of live-action making with an in-situ intervention by Martino Gamper.

It is part of a wider trend that has seen the nature of the design exhibition evolve in recent years. No longer are brands and galleries satisfied with staid presentations of furniture and objects, no matter how artfully they’ve been set-designed or styled. Instead, these institutions are turning to performance to inject energy and draw crowds.

There was Formafantasma’s ‘Staging Modernity’ for Cassina, among a number of performance-focused shows during 2025’s Milan Design Week, in which actors sang and danced an original musical around a reissued set of Charlotte Perriand pieces. Just last week, Delvis presented its latest exhibition with a meditative performance by the artist Jirah.

Martino Gamper for Nilufar Depot's tenth anniversary

For the presentation, Gamper set up shop in the central atrium of Nilufar Depot – a three-storey former silverware factory on Milan’s Via Lancetti –with his workshop tools in tow. Similar to his Gamper-Ponti project from 2007 – in which he deconstructed and remixed a bedroom set from the Hotel Parco dei Principi in Sorrento by Gio Ponti into a new collection of collaged tables, lights, mirrors and chairs – visitors watched as Gamper broke down and rebuilt a wooden bed by Franco Albini and a carved wooden chair with a bright purple velvet seat by Ico Parisi.

Throughout the day, the typically hushed gallery atmosphere was disrupted with the sounds of whirring saws and the occasional burst of sawdust in the light-filled air. Working with offcut plywood veneers from Alpi, Gamper added small platforms on each side of the chair 'to rest a drink on', he says. On the bed, he created a mosaic-like effect by inserting a colourful veneered plywood board within the solid wooden frame. 'I’m cutting things away and revealing details,' he says.

This year marks over 18 years of collaboration between Gamper and Nilufar; a rare feat in designer-gallerist partnerships. 'I remember 12 years ago telling Nina she should open up one of her warehouses,' Gamper recalled during a pause between cuts. 'Fast-forward over a decade, and Nina called me and said she had a few pieces in storage that needed some love – pieces that are not masterpieces but have some heritage.' Beyond the impromptu stage, a procession of Gamper’s ‘Off Cut Tables’ snaked around the atrium’s perimeter and between its industrial columns.

Book: celebrating ten years of Nilufar Depot

To coincide with the anniversary, Nilufar is publishing Nilufar Depot: The First Decade, a retrospective volume featuring previously unseen installation images and essays by journalist Annamaria Sbisà – a keepsake substitute for those who missed the sawdust and spectacle in person.

With Milan Design Week 2025 in full flow, inboxes of the global design community are groaning under the weight of news, and that’s where we come in. We sifted and sorted and pulled out the best shows, projects and product launches ahead of time and are now on the ground checking out these and more.

What follows is by no means exhaustive, of course – see our ongoing Milan Design Week coverage for daily news – but hopefully helps you cut to the highlights, whether back home from your armchair or in person at the fair. HM

Wallpaper's picks for Milan Design Week 2025

'Beatha' drinks cabinet by Orior

Each year, we come away with minds filled with ideas, conversations and ‘novelties’ of course, but there’s always one or two furniture pieces that stand out in our memory as representative of the week, the year and the times we live in. Call us brazen for calling it early, but Irish-American brand Orior’s ‘Beatha’ drinks cabinet is staking a claim to be just such a touchstone for Milan 2025. ‘Beatha’ means ‘water of life’ in Irish Gaelic, and the cabinet in question is a staggering, ethereal monolith. Taking three artisans five months, it is certainly an ode to skill and patience, carved from walnut with hair-on-hide doors and cast bronze hardware. The cabinet has a powerful presence, looming gently. In our current era of permacrisis, a piece of furniture that hosts the means for a martini is more welcome in our home than ever. HM

Bocci Milan, Via Giuseppe Rovani, 20, 20123 Milan, Italy oriorfurniture.com

'Unscaffolded' by Peter Marino x Rubelli

The power of textiles in dialogue with architecture is a joy to behold, and the Venetian maestri at Rubelli are well-versed in turning their textiles into environments of wonder. At their showroom for Milan Design Week they have enlisted Studio P7 to design a brutalist installation showcasing Peter Marino’s new collection. We continue to delight in the ongoing collaboration between the elegance of Rubelli and the visceral refinement of Marino. Their Milan installation is called ‘Un-Scaffolded’ and it promises to bring Marino’s transcendental, mercurial textiles to life and beyond.

Rubelli, Via Fatebenefratelli, 9, 20121 Milano, Italy

rubelli.com
petermarinoarchitect.com

'Playing with Tradition' by Richard Hutten for Jaipur Rugs

Dutch designer Richard Hutten has collaborated with Jaipur Rugs to create a collection of nine large-scale carpets, combining the intricacies of the atelier’s heritage craft skills with his own whimsicality. What first appear to be traditional carpets, on closer inspection contain vivid colour inclusions, inspired by the technicolour paint powder frenzy of the Hindu festival of Holi. On another rug, amongst the elegant foliage one expects on such heirloom carpets, Hutten has introduced yellow banana skins – one of the oldest slapstick jokes in the book. Beyond mere gimmickry, the result is cheeky and charming, and utterly beautiful, inviting us to question whether reverence for tradition sometimes eclipses the potential for joy of a more modern, pop-cultural note. HM

Jaipur Rugs, Via Marco Minghetti, 20121 Milan

jaipurrugs.com

'Fragmenti' by Daniele Papuli at Dilmos

Always a favourite destination in Brera, Dilmos Gallery is showing ‘Fragmenti’ a series of works by self-described sculptographer Daniele Papuli for design week. Papuli has collaborated with Hermes and Missoni previously in the realm of sculpture, and this year his beguiling sculpted and carved paper creations for the first time take the form of furniture and objects for the home. As Papuli says: ‘Paper is also a material for design. Ancient, remote, with a long memory. Here, the paper invites us to be touched, caressed, or cherished, engaging with the imagination and the illusion.’ HM

Via San Marco, 1, 20121 Milan, Italy

dilmos.it

'Naturalia' by Buccellati

The silver masters at Buccellati are bringing their much-loved ‘Furry Animals’ collection to the fore for design week in ‘Naturalia’, an immersive installation that celebrates the meticulous craftsmanship in their feathered and furry creations. With creative direction by Balich Wonder Studio and botanical scenography by Mary Lennox, Buccellati’s silver works of wonder will be presented in three natural environments: mountain, forest and sea. It promises to be a poetic, enchanting and utterly transporting experience, in the midst of the urban jungle. HM

Piazza Tomasi di Lampedusa, 20121 Milan, Italy

buccellati.com

'Prison Times' at Dropcity

Dropcity - the new multiplatform venue and urban program – is housed in 1000 square metres of cavern tunnels below ground. The project’s inaugural exhibition sets the bar high. ‘Prison Times - Spatial Dynamics of Penal Environments’ takes us below ground and behind bars to look at the role of design in penal colonies and prison environments. A series of objects from prisons around the world are displayed taxonomically, to ’draw attention to the socio-economic machinery of incarceration without romanticizing pain or suffering’. The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of talks by artists, designers and thinkers, around the present and potential future for design to shape rehabilitation. HM

Prison Times runs from 3 April to 31 May

Via Sammartini 38-60, 20125 Milan, Italy

dropcity.org

Giobagnara x Nick Vinson

Our own design savant, Nick Vinson, has turned his attention to the personal collection of Giorgio Bagnara, bringing a series of works together in dialogue with the brand’s furniture. Nick’s eye for detail, combined with Giorgio’s cultural flair, are sure to result in a show of meticulous refinement and elegance. As Nick explains: 'When I saw Giorgio's collection of 20th century design pieces collected over many years it underlined the culture of quality and passion for excellence in design that's the foundation of Giobagnara, which to me is the essence of ‘made in Italy’. It was also thrilling to have the opportunity to place Giobagnara furniture with artworks by many of my favourite Italian artists, many of whose works I have been lucky enough to loan from their estates and galleries for my Wallpaper* shoots as well as most recently for the furnishing of the Italian Embassy in London that I just completed'. HM

Via della Spiga 33, 20121 Milan, Italy

nickvinson.com

'R100' by Hydro

Following last year’s '100R' debut, Norwegian aluminium and energy company Hydro returns to Capsule Plaza with R100 – a bold experiment in radically localised, low-carbon aluminium production. Five designers – Sabine Marcelis, Keiji Takeuchi, Cecilie Manz, Daniel Rybakken, and Stefan Diez – were tasked with creating mono-material designs using Hydro CIRCAL 100R aluminium, sourced, processed and produced entirely within a 100 km radius. The result? A 90% reduction in transport emissions and a compelling case for circular, urban-sourced manufacturing. Directed by Lars Beller Fjetland, R100 proves that good design can be climate-conscious from the ground up. AM

Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi 7, 20129 Milan, Italy

hydro.com

'Muji Muji 5∙5' by Muji x Studio 5∙5

Tucked into a quiet garden in the bustling Brera design district, this joyful gem of a project is one you’ll be glad to stumble upon. A thoughtful collaboration between Muji and Paris-based Studio 5∙5, Muji Muji 5∙5 revolves around Manifesto House – a compact, modular dwelling designed for simplicity, longevity and low impact. Inside, visitors will find a collection of 12 objects created using Muji products already available in store. In a clever open-source gesture, visitors are invited to make the pieces themselves using detailed instructions online. No new production, just careful rethinking of what we already have – a quietly radical approach that invites reflection on how – and why – we make, consume, and live. AM

Corso Garibaldi 89A, Giardino Pippa Bacca, 20121 Milan, Italy

muji.eu
5-5.paris

'The Beauty of Circularity' by Tarkett and Franklin Till

You can count on FranklinTill to look beneath the surface of design – and this year’s collaboration with flooring brand Tarkett does just that. The Beauty of Circularity, held at Masterly – The Dutch in Milano, is a tactile and immersive installation that explores waste not as an end point, but a beginning. Through discarded flooring, shredded backing, linseed oil and cork powder, visitors are invited to touch, feel and rethink material cycles. The result promises to be a joyful, hands-on reminder that circularity isn’t a trend – it’s tangible, beautiful, and necessary for the future of design. AM

Room 4, Masterly The Dutch in Milano, Piazza dei Mercanti, 2, 20123 Milan, Italy

franklintill.com
tarkett.co.uk

'The Theater of Things: 7 Nights and 7 Days Living with Collectible Design' at Delvis (Un)Limited

In a characteristically offbeat move, Alcova co-founders Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima team up with Delvis (Un)Limited to turn a Milanese storefront into a live-in design stage. Over seven days, seven designers – including Objects of Common Interest, Linde Freya Tangelder, and Laurids Gallée – will inhabit the space by night and discuss the experience over public ‘breakfast conversations’ each morning. Inspired by radical living-art formats, The Theater of Things blurs the line between exhibition, home, and performance. AM

Via Fatebenefratelli 9, Milan 20121, Italy

delvisunlimited.it

'All the Things We Do in Bed' by Marimekko × Laila Gohar

For weary-footed design disciples, a giant bed in the foyer of Teatro Litta may prove irresistible. Conceived by chef, artist, and former Wallpaper* guest editor Laila Gohar in collaboration with Marimekko, the playful installation explores everything we do in bed – from dreaming to dressing. The setting debuts a capsule collection of bedroom-themed pieces featuring archival stripes by Maija Isola, reimagined in pyjamas, bedding, ceramics and more. With its bold patterns, nostalgic backstory, and invitation to lounge, the installation is a joyful, deeply personal celebration of Marimekko’s spirit of everyday creativity. AM

Teatro Litta, Corso Magenta, 24, 20123 Milan, Italy

marimekko.com

'Jasper Morrison. The Lightness of Things' at ICA Milano

The idea that good design should quietly improve everyday life without shouting for attention is one we can fully get on board with. Jasper Morrison has rooted his career in this philosophy, and at Milan’s ICA he brings it to life with twelve floating chairs and twelve photographic compositions of archetypal objects – each a quiet meditation on form, function, and familiarity. A minimalist soundtrack by composer Anthony Moore, built from fragments of Morrison’s own writing and delivered in non-human voices, adds an otherworldly layer to the showcase, which opened on 27 March and runs until 11 July 2025. A contemplative counterpoint to the city’s visual noise. AM

Fondazione ICA Milano, Via Orobia 26, 20139 Milan, Italy

icamilano.it
jaspermorrison.com

'Library of Light' by Es Devlin

Few artists stage an experience quite like Es Devlin. Announced just two weeks before its opening, the British set designer’s Library of Light is a monumental circular sculpture set to transform the Cortile d’Onore. Eighteen metres in diameter, it’s composed of illuminated shelves holding over 2,000 books.

Visitors can listen to readings “recited” by the library itself – including The Order of Time by theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli, read by Benedict Cumberbatch, alongside phrases from the writings of Maria Gaetana Agnesi, voiced by Devlin herself. The text runs across an LED display as beams of light gently illuminate the pages. Guests are also invited to browse – and donate – books, expanding a living archive that will later become part of the Milan Library System. AM

Cortile d’Onore, Palazzo di Brera, Via Brera 28, 20121 Milan, Italy

salonemilano.it
esdevlin.com

'Particulaire' by Calico

Souvenirs get a bad rap, but for Stephen Burks Man Made, they’re vessels of culture, memory, and identity. In Particulaire, a new wallpaper collection and installation by the New York design studio for Calico Wallpaper, personal objects collected during travels – from a towering Hand of Fatima to a chubby Lucky Cat – are scaled up and reimagined as larger-than-life silhouettes. Set to be installed in the courtyard of the Istituto dei Ciechi, the project blends craft, community, and storytelling, embodying Burks’ pluralistic approach to design. AM

Istituto dei Ciechi, Via Vivaio, 7, 20122 Milan, Italy

stephenburksmanmade.com
calicowallpaper.com

'Radical Hope' by AMO

Following its acclaimed Teatro Albers show in 2023, Ambra Medda’s AMO returns to Milan Design Week with Radical Hope – a multi-sensory exhibition hosted by Galleria Blanchaert exploring ceremony, craft, and collective energy. Highlights include 1950s Senegalese portraits by Robert DaSilva, quiet photographs by Josef Albers, and Simon Bayliss’ namesake ‘Radical Hope’ teapot. New works by Salem Charabi, Emile Drescher, and Sione Monū reflect on ritual and materiality, while contributions from Annabell Häfner and John Maclean evoke memory and landscape. With sound, scent, and taste woven throughout, this is an exhibition designed to be felt as much as seen. AM

Galleria Blanchaert, Via Calatafimi 8, 20122 Milan, Italy

amo.shop

'L’Appartamento' by Artemest

One of the great joys of visiting Milan is the chance to peek inside the city’s hidden palazzos, villas, and courtyards – and as a Milanese brand with an enviable inside track, Artemest consistently secures some of the most spectacular. This year, it returns with the third edition of L’Appartamento, inviting six acclaimed interior design studios – Brigette Romanek, Meyer Davis, Champalimaud Design, Simone Haag, Nebras Aljoaib, and 1508 London – to transform rooms within Palazzo Donizetti, a 19th-century residence blending Baroque and Renaissance influences, reportedly gifted as a love token. AM

Palazzo Donizetti, Via Donizetti 48, Milan, Italy

artemest.com

Michael Anastassiades

Michael Anastassiades is set to unveil a new collection of modular lights for his eponymous brand, designed for adaptability and transformation. The presentation also includes a new portable lamp designed and produced in collaboration with Alessi. Notably, Anastassiades’ showcase will be hosted at the Jacqueline Vodoz and Bruno Danese Foundation, which is reopening after 20 years. Founded to preserve the legacy of its namesakes – renowned for their pioneering work at the intersection of art and industrial design – the foundation houses an extensive archive of objects, photographs, and documents that chronicle a key chapter in Italian design history. For Anastassiades, who has always looked to Bruno Danese's work as a source of inspiration throughout his career, this exhibition feels particularly poignant. AM

Danese Foundation, Via Santa Maria Fulcorina, 17, 20123 Milan

fondazionevodozdanese.org
michaelanastassiades.com

Alcova

Since its debut as an off-the-beaten-track exhibition in 2018, Alcova – founded by Valentina Ciuffi of Studio Vedèt and Joseph Grima of Space Caviar – has become the jewel of Fuorisalone. Renowned for its bold curatorial approach and the access it provides to Milan's hidden architectural gems, Alcova continues to define the design zeitgeist.

This year, it returns to the town of Varedo and the historic Villa Borsani and Villa Bagatti Valsecchi – both introduced as venues in 2024 – while expanding into two exciting new locations: the former SNIA factory and the Pasino Glasshouses, where remnants of industry are slowly being reclaimed by nature. Across the four sites, Alcova will once again bring together emerging and established designers, staging site-specific installations and exhibitions that engage with their surroundings. AM

Villa Borsani, Via Umberto I, 148, 20814 Varedo MB, Italy

Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 48, 20814 Varedo MB, Italy

Pasino Glasshouses (Serre di Pasino), Space P1 51-49 Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 20814 Varedo MB, Italy

Ex SNIA Factory, 20814 Varedo MB, Italy

alcova.xyz

Capsule Plaza

Launched three years ago, Capsule Plaza has distinguished itself amid the ever-growing noise of design week as a hybrid between a fair and a collective exhibition, bridging industry and culture through unexpected juxtapositions, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and immersive experiences that push the boundaries of design.

For its third edition in 2025, it expands across four venues. Its main hub, Spazio Maiocchi – an industrial cathedral turned cultural destination – now extends to a newly renovated former gym and pool across the street, designed by ASA studio. Two additional satellite spaces – a former garage on Via Maiocchi 23 and a high-end retail space on Piazza Risorgimento 8 – will host an immersive and cross-disciplinary showcase.

Co-curated by Capsule founder Alessio Ascari and architect Paul Cournet, this year's lineup includes design favourites such as Faye Toogood, Philippe Malouin, FormaFantasma, Max Lamb and Sabine Marcelis, alongside talks, workshops, and pop-ups. The event coincides with Capsule magazine’s fourth issue. AM

Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi 7, 20129 Milano, Italy

capsule.global

Material Alchemists: Wallpaper’s Class of 25

Our very own showcase of emerging talents takes up residence once again in the sweeping Curva space at the Triennale. We have gathered a global group of 20 individuals and studios whose knack for material transformation has caught our collective eyes over the past 12 months. Glass, metals, woods, stone, textile, ceramic - each is a story of tenacity and imagination, told with care and flair in furniture, lighting and objects that are extraordinary material expressions. We are biased, of course, but we are proud and excited too. HM

Triennale Milano, Viale Emilio Alemagna, 6, 20121 Milano MI, Italy

triennale.org

'Mother' by Robert Wilson

Continuing its cultural commitment, which it embraced in 2024, the Salone del Mobile has unveiled a packed programme of masterclasses, workshops, talks, round tables, and site-specific installations, including a new work by renowned American artist Robert Wilson. Blending art, light, and sound, Wilson has created a ‘total work’ in response to Michelangelo’s 'Pietà Rondanini'. 'Mother', set to music by Arvo Pärt, will be unveiled on 6 April at the Museo della Pietà Rondanini – Castello Sforzesco in collaboration with Comune di Milano | Cultura. Bridging Milan Design Week and Milano Art Week, the installation will remain open until 18 May, allowing visitors to experience it long after the Salone crowds have dispersed. AM

Museo della Pietà Rondanini, Piazza Castello, 20121 Milano

salonemilano.it

Nilufar

At Nina Yashar’s original location, the Milanese scion of collectible design is showing an exhibition exploring ‘the spirituality of wood’ through the works of George Nakashima, everyone’s favourite Japanese-American midcentury woodworker. Elsewhere in her multiverse, Yashar has curated ‘Ex Terrā’, a collective exhibition of new works by Andrea Mancuso, Maximilian Marchesani, and Etienne Marc, examining the dichotomy of humanity and nature. HM

Via della Spiga, 3220121 Milano MI, Italy

nilufar.com

Nilufar Depot

Over at Nilufar’s younger outpost, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary, Nina Yashar has commissioned the Fosbury Architecture collective to conceive a striking installation in the atrium of the industrial complex. ‘Silver Lining’ is a celebration of 1970s glamour through the lens of metallics, resulting in ‘a monochromatic pool of leisure and pleasure’. Elsewhere in the depot, ‘Amber Echoes’ is an installation of works by artists Christian Pellizzari, Shlomo Harush, amongst Nilufar’s collection of vintage masterpieces. British lighting designer Joe Armitage will also be unveiling his Cycad collection, designed exclusively for Nilufar. HM

Nilufar Depot, Viale Vincenzo Lancetti, 3420158 Milano MI, Italy

nilufar.com

'Welcome to the Blackout' by Interni Venosta

Recent recipients of a Wallpaper* Design Award for the launch of Interni Venosta at Milan Design Week 2024, Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran (with Fabbri Services) continue to add to their rarefied, elegant collection with a third drop at Phillips. Taking the range to a total of 22 pieces, Interni Venosta is now an established portfolio of furniture, lighting and accessories that we would happily surround ourselves with in its entirety. 'Welcome to the Blackout' is a transporting installation by the visionary duo, bringing Interni Venosta together with artworks from Philips in: ‘an arena of aesthetic rebellion and reflection’. In the mouths of most we’d suspect this was poetic hyperbole but from Salci and Moran we say: bring it on. HM

Philips House Milano, Via Lanzone, 2, 20123 Milano MI, Italy

internivenosta.com

'The Last Pot' by Il Tornitore Matto

Proving that the topic of death doesn’t have to be sombre or spoken of in hushed tones, Alessi presents 'The Last Pot' – a collection of thoughtfully designed funerary urns. Created under 'Il Tornitore Matto', Alessi’s experimental platform for exploring new creative expressions, the project features a stellar lineup of designers personally selected by Alberto Alessi.

Michael Anastassiades, Audrey Large, David Chipperfield, Daniel Libeskind, Naoto Fukasawa, Philippe Starck, Mario Tsai, Michele De Lucchi, EOOS, and Giulio Iacchetti each reimagine the urn as an object of memory, care, and continuity. From Anastassiades’ myth-inspired 'Swan Song' to Tsai’s discreet book-like urn and Large’s sculptural A 'Silver Cord', the collection challenges perceptions of mourning with beauty and meaning. The installation, designed by Giulio Iacchetti Studio, is accompanied by a book that contextualises the project within a broader cultural and emotional landscape. AM

Biblioteca Ostinata, via Osti 6, 20122 Milano

alessi.com

Romantic Brutalism: A journey into Polish craft and design

We welcome the growing presence during design week of rigorously curated shows that address the cultural and historical contexts of specific regions and periods. 'Romantic Brutalism' by the new Visteria Foundation and curated by Federica Sala, has piqued our interest with its premise of examining Polish cultural identity through design. Taking Poland’s involvement in the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris as a springboard, 'Romantic Brutalism' explores the enduring legacy of Art Deco, brutalism, romance and folk culture on Polish craft and design. HM

Viale di Porta Vercellina, 1120123 Milano MI, Italy

visteria.pl

'Intersection' by Studio KO x Beni Rugs

Beni is showing its most ambitious collection to date, having collaborated with Studio KO on a collection of ten rugs called Intersection. The range features five weaving methods including Rabat, a reinterpretation of the intricate R’bati carpet, while the title of the project refers to the confluence of industry and craft. Fittingly, the collection is on show in a former textile shop, in an installation designed by Studio KO together with Colin King, Beni’s artistic director. HM

Via Cesare Correnti, 1420123 Milano MI, Italy

benirugs.com

'24 Hours' by Jamie Wolfond x Simple Flair

Group shows that consist of a single object study explored by different designers are always fascinating. Canadian designer Jamie Wolfond, together with Simple Flair and with support from Lapalma, has corralled 24 designers and studios to each create a wall-mounted clock that fits into a 50x50x50 cms box (tidily designing the exhibition and its contents, simultaneously). The international participants include: Jon Tree, Jun Yasumoto, Maddalena Casadei, Marco Campardo and Sina Sohrab. HM

Riviera, Via Gorani, 4, 20123 Milano MI, Italy

'10 10 10' by Layer

One can’t help but be staggered by the sheer output of London-based design studio LAYER and its prolific founder, Benjamin Hubert. What makes it even more impressive is that LAYER is only ten years old. To mark this milestone, the studio has pulled out all the stops with a blockbuster retrospective exhibition at Milanese gallery 10 Corso Como, bringing its diverse body of work together under one roof.

Titled '10 10 10', the 'immersive' showcase reflects on the past decade while looking ahead to the next, presenting a curated selection of LAYER’s most celebrated projects alongside a new collection of six forward-thinking prototypes. Created in collaboration with long-standing creative partners – including Andreu World, Bitossi Ceramiche, Kvadrat, MDF Italia, Muuto, RÆBURN, and Orrefors – these pieces explore themes of sustainability, resilience, and resource-conscious design. AM

10 Corso Como in Milan, Italy is Corso Como 10, 20154 Milan, Italy

layerdesign.com

Audacious Modernism: from Oscar Niemeyer and Claudia Moreira Salles

A double serving of Brazilian bounty here with Italian works, built and unbuilt, from Oscar Niemeyer, together with a selection of his furniture (reissued by ETEL) and a retrospective of the furniture design by Claudia Moreira Salles. The joint show traces a line of modernity through the work of both figures, in a rigorous and poetic exhibition curated by Lissa Carmona. Audacious, elegant and unmissable. HM

Via Maroncelli, 12 and 13, 20154 Milano MI, Italy

Bocci

The glass mavericks at Bocci are celebrating 20 years since launch with the introduction of a new pendant. The 141 invokes the courageous spirit of experimentation that we heartily admire in the Vancouver brand. Made in a single-action process, two ladles of molten glass are poured over a curved rod creating overlapping puddles. The rod is replaced with an LED light source. Each 141 is different; each one an individual celebration of material knowledge. Continuing their celebrations, Bocci has invited David Alhadeff of The Future Perfect to curate a special exhibition, exploring the brand's guiding philosophies, showcasing archival concepts and a reimagined residential showroom. HM

Bocci Milan, Via Giuseppe Rovani, 20, 20123 Milano MI, Italy

bocci.com

Lara Bohinc

It's going to be a busy year in Milan for Slovenian designer Lara Bohinc as she presents three new collections across two locations. At Alcova’s Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, she transforms her allocated space into a landscape of rolling hills with the sculptural Anima collection, which includes seating upholstered in alpaca wool, the 'Dark Woods' table, and hand-blown glass sculptures called 'Wild Lands'. Also at Villa Bagatti, Bohinc will conjure feathers from leather with Betsy, a collection of bird-inspired saddlery leather furniture made in collaboration with Uniqka.

Meanwhile, over at Serafini Gallery, she presents Fallen Empire, a marble furniture collection that draws from the grandeur of ancient ruins, featuring a round coffee table, side table, console, and dining table crafted by Italian marble masters Serafini. AM

Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 48, 20814 Varedo MB, Italy

Serafini Gallery, Corso di Porta Romana, 7, 20122 Milano MI, Italy

bohincstudio.com

'Staging Modernity' by Cassina x Formafantasma

For the 60^th anniversary of the Collection Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand, Cassina is reissuing limited editions of their first four furniture designs put into production by the brand. Celebrations continue with ‘Staging Modernity’ - an exhibition and performance curated by Formafantasma at the recently restored Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber. ‘Staging Modernity’ brings to life contributions by the philosopher Emanuele Coccia, architect, writer and curator Andrés Jaque and architect and artist Feifei Zhou thanks to the direction of Fabio Cherstich. HM

Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber, Via Larga 14, 20122, Milan

cassina.com

formafantasma.com

Hosoo in collaboration with Dimorestudio at Osanna Visconti

What happens when you blend Japanese craftsmanship with Italian design sensibility? Look no further than Hemispheres, a new textile collection by Hosoo, a 337-year-old Kyoto-based textile maker, in collaboration with Milan's Dimore Studio. The 33 designs draw from Hosoo's archive of over 20,000 traditional obi patterns, passed down through 12 generations, now represented by Masataka Hosoo.

Originally preserved as uncoloured sketches, these motifs – ranging from delicate floral and bamboo-inspired designs to dynamic abstract compositions – are reimagined in a refined palette of muted greys, sepia tones, smoky blues, and desaturated greens.

Presented at the Osanna Visconti Atelier, the textiles will be showcased within an immersive setting designed by Dimore Studio, alongside Visconti’s Magnolia Collection – a sculptural series of bronze furniture pieces inspired by the life cycle of the magnolia flower. AM

Atelier Osanna Visconti, Via Santa Marta 13, 20124, Milano

hosoo-kyoto.com
dimorestudio.eu
osannavisconti.com

Tactile Baltics

Bringing together design talents from the Baltic region, the group show 'Tactile Baltics' offers a fresh perspective on the region's evolving creative identity. Hosted at MoscaPartners Variations at Palazzo Litta, the exhibition brings together 21 designers from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, working across furniture, lighting, textiles, tableware, craft, and collectible design. With a focus on tactility, sustainability, and circular design, the showcase highlights how a new generation of designers are blending heritage techniques with modern design sensibilities. AM

Palazzo Litta, Corso Magenta, 24, 20121 Milano MI, Italy

tactilebaltics.com

Brera Design Apartment by Zanellato/Bortotto Studio

Following in the footsteps of Cristina Celestino, Elisa Ossino, and Studiopepe, Zanellato/Bortotto Studio is the designer of this year’s Brera Design Apartment, a showcase space in the heart of Milan’s Brera district.

Guided by Fuorisalone’s 2025 theme, 'Connected Worlds', their installation, 'Orizzonti' (Horizons), will highlight the studio’s signature approach to storytelling through surfaces, textures, and craftsmanship. Extending beyond Milan Design Week, the space will continue to host a curated programme of talks, dinners, and encounters, keeping the dialogue alive. AM

Brera Design Apartment, Via Palermo, 1, 20121 Milano MI, Italy

zanellatobortotto.com

'A Room with a View' by Lemon

South African furniture maker Lemon has secured not one but two coveted spots at Alcova – one within the historic Villa Bagatti Valsecchi and the other in Villa Borsani, where it will present its first outdoor furniture and lighting collections in a showcase called 'A Room with a View'. The brand's creative director Kevin Frankental says the setting serves as the perfect backdrop for the launch: 'Context is everything when it comes to design, so placing our pieces in spaces that are historical speaks directly to our inspirations.'

Made from perforated steel that allows light to pass through, the Conservatory Collection by Turin-based designer Yaniv Chen pays homage to the dappled light found in orangeries and conservatories. Meanwhile, the Suspiria Collection, also by Chen, reflects the mysticism of Turin, with triangular onyx-anchored lighting pieces suspended in luminous dupion silk. At Villa Bagatti, Kevin Frankental’s Keys Collection reinterprets Vienna Secession aesthetics across lounge chairs, tables, and daybeds. AM

Villa Borsani, Via Umberto I, 148, 20814 Varedo MB, Italy

Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 48, 20814 Varedo MB, Italy

lemonfurniture.co

IKEA

A stalwart of Milan Design Week, this year marks IKEA's 30th at the fair with a sprawling, immersive exhibition at Tenoha, a concept space housed in a renovated 1930s industrial building in Milan’s Navigli district. Here, visitors will discover the 2025 edition of the Swedish behemoth's ever-evolving Stockholm collection, first introduced in 1984, alongside ‘Do Something. Change Everything.’, an interactive space exploring sustainability. As at every IKEA event in Milan, it's not just about the furniture; visitors can expect to enjoy workshops, talks, nightly parties, and live music, while the on-site restaurant will be serving the intriguingly titled 'Smörgås Sensation', a Swedish-inspired culinary experience. AM

Tenoha, Via Vigevano 18, 20144 Milano

Ikea.com

Stay tuned for more from Milan Design Week 2025.

Nilufar takes over the home of Pedro Ramírez Vàzquez, in Mexico City, for a design showcase in collaboration with rug company cc-tapis and Mexican design retailer Studio 84, which makes its debut with this project. Staged during Mexico City’s Art Week 2024, the exhibition is a display of gallery founder Nina Yashar's Open Edition project, a curated selection of contemporary furniture, objects and artworks that the gallery introduced in 2023. 

Nilufar Open Editions and cc-tapis at Casa Pedro Ramírez Vàzquez

A key figure of Mexican architecture and culture, Ramírez Vásquez (1919-2013) was a modernist architect whose impact on Mexico City and beyond included iconic commercial, residential and public buildings. He was also committed to help preserve Mexico's cultural heritage through projects that would encourage social change and improve life in rural communities. 

'I am honoured to have been welcomed into someone's home, invited to linger and be heard,' says Yashar. 'Javier [Ramírez Vásquez] recalls his father as a captivating conversationalist, and I see this showcase as a tribute to that legacy.'

The displays take over the house's wood-panelled rooms, in conversation with the unique architectural features, furniture and artwork. Among Nilufar's selections is the ‘Necklace’ ceiling glass lamp by Analogia Project, ‘Piero’ wall lamps by Vibeke Fonnesberg Schmidt, 3D-printed objects by Dutch artist Audrey Large, vases by Sophie Dries and a selection of modular pieces by Lebanese studio David/Nicolas. 

Throughout the house, the design collections are accompanied by a series of unique rug designs created for cc-tapis by Bethan Laura Wood and David/Nicolas. A company known for its wide creative sensibilities, and collaborations with some of today's most exciting names in design, cc-tapis is a fitting companion for Nilufar's Mexican showcase. 'To be able to combine cc-tapis rugs, which are made in Nepal and designed by Lebanese and English designers, in the home of one of the most iconic Mexican architects, together with Nilufar is what makes this exhibition so unique,' says Daniele Lora, cc-tapis art director and partner. 'It’s an incredible combination of nationalities, cultures, aesthetics and history.'

'Design, at its core, is a dialogue – about society, the convergence of eras, routines and aspirations,' adds Yashar. 'It is a conversation that must unfold among its creators. This collaboration provides exactly that opportunity, affirming that the timeline of design is endlessly unfolding, navigating an imprecise and concurrently precise path through time. This scenario offered the ideal opportunity to announce our collaboration with Studio 84, whose work I've always admired and consider to be representative of our values.'

Until 11 February 2024

Casa Pedro Ramírez Vàzquez
Granizo 145 Colonia Jardines del Pedrega
Mexico City, Mexico

nilufar.com
cc-tapis.com
studio84.mx

Milanese gallery Nilufar presents an exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Italian design luminary Gabriella Crespi (until 25 January 2024). This immersive exhibition celebrates Crespi's enduring legacy in the design world and her town's role in nurturing her creativity. 

Gabriella Crespi: grand dame of design

Born in 1922, Gabriella Crespi was known for her unique design philosophy characterised by understated elegance and futuristic elements. In the 1970s and '80s, she followed a unique creative path, steering clear of prevailing artistic trends and creating a novel aesthetic.

Her iconic 'Rising Sun' collection is a testament to her ability to transform simplicity into functional art. Crespi's creations were defined by a fusion of artistic vision and meticulous craftsmanship, with natural materials like bamboo, rattan, and bronze imbued with symbolism. 

The exhibition at Nilufar showcases her masterful 'Fungo,' 'Obelisco,' 'Caleidoscopio,' and 'Scudo' lamps, along with the intricate 'Plurimi' collection, highlighting her innovative and versatile spirit. Additionally, the exhibition features contemporary luminous creations by Maximilian Marchesani, creating a dynamic dialogue between past and present.

The enduring appeal of Crespi’s work emphasises even more the timeless nature of her production. Nina Yashar, Nilufar’s owner, has been collecting her works over the years, and this exhibition underscores the convergence of artistic expression and design appreciation. 

'Gabriella Crespi continues to occupy a somewhat enigmatic place in the realm of mid-century Italian design,' says Yashar. 'Her sculptural furniture, lighting, and ornamental pieces exude an unmistakable air of sophistication, handcrafted in exquisite materials, and designed without mass appeal in mind. This exhibition celebrates her unique vision, casting a spotlight on the artisanal elegance that characterizes her work.'

'Gabriella Crespi' is on view until 25 January 2024

Nilufar
via della Spiga, 32
20121, Milan 

nilufar.com

Gabriella Crespi: furniture and lighting

PAD London 2023 (10 – 15 October) marks the French fair's 15th edition in the city, as it returns once again to Berkeley Square with its distinctive mix of contemporary design, collectible design classics, art and jewellery (the last including Maria-Sole Ferragamo’s designs at Elisabetta Cipriani Gallery). 'The 15th-anniversary edition of PAD London marks a significant milestone in the fair’s history,' says the fair's founder and CEO, Patrick Perrin. 'Over the course of 15 years, our dedicated efforts have transformed PAD London into the popular and vibrant platform it is today: a place of boundless inspiration, dedicated to creativity, quality, learning and discovery for all.'

The fair's kick-off was a sure success, with over 6,000 people gathering at the landmark Mayfair location on the first day alone, to discover the unique curation by international design galleries, both established and newcomers. 

PAD London 2023: PAD Prize winners

Supported by Ruinart, the PAD London Prizes recognise the fair's most distinguished spaces and pieces, looking at contemporary as well as historical design. The accolades are selected by a jury led by Design Museum director Tim Marlow with honorary presidents, Jasper Conran OBE, Yana Peel and Francis Sultana in collaboration with leading figures from the fields of design, art and fashion. 

At PAD London 2023, the jury selected PAD newcomer, Belgian gallery Objects with Narratives as the winner of the Booth Prize, for its display titled (Un-)Controlled by Objects with Narratives, featuring a curated juxtaposition of works by Mircea Anghel and Vladimir Slavov.

Meanwhile, for the Contemporary Design Prize the jury selected the Khaya Cabinet by Gareth Neal presented by Sarah Myerscough. Made of asymmetrical stacked blocks of expressive mahogany wood, the cabinet 'examines the dialogue between historical and contemporary design – an ongoing keystone of our practice', says the designer, who specialises in traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary aesthetic. 

The impressive cabinet is made from mahogany offcuts, using a by-product of the musical instrument industry generally deemed unsuitable and impractical for other uses. Neal's design celebrates the wood's irregularities through skilled use of discreet inlaid ties punctuating the large panels of the material. 'Standing at nearly 8ft in height, it is an homage to the grandiose fine furniture of eras gone by,' continues Myerscough. 'Gareth employs his deep knowledge of historical techniques to produce this exquisitely made cabinet, while commenting on the throw-away culture of the contemporary timber industry.'

Modernity was awarded the Historical Design Prize for a 1935 cabinet attributed to Otto Schulz for Boet Sweden, the furniture company he had founded. The intricate cabinet is not just an impressive piece of design, but it also demonstrates Schulz's creative vision between functionality and decoration. An intricately inlaid mahogany exterior opens up to reveal a delicate brass and mirror interior with parchment paper decoration. 

PAD 2023: highlights

This year's fair features 62 galleries from 16 countries from across Europe, Asia and North America, with 12 newcomers contributing to PAD's customary eclecticism. Here are some of our highlights from the fair's 2023 edition. 

As the doors of the 18th International Architecture Biennale opened to the public last week (20 May 2023), so too did the halls of the Giovanni Nicelli Private Airport. For the second year, renowned tastemaker Nina Yashar is curating an exhibition of scenographies via her gallery, Nilufar, at the elegant 1920s building situated on the Lido, a barrier island a short water taxi from Venice. 

‘The ever-present future of design’: Nilufar at Giovanni Nicelli airport

The goal for Yashar’s exhibition, named 'The Ever-Present Future of Design', is to highlight the connections and exchanges between notable historic and contemporary pieces from different countries and disciplines, in the context of collectible design today.

'The important thing for me was to push the boundaries on a meaningful dialogue between design with disparate provenance, bridging cultures and overcoming borders,' explains Yashar. 'And what better place to do this if not an airport?'

Set across the arrivals and departures hall, the journey begins with a varied showcase of pieces from design luminaries, including several editions by Italian sculptor Pietro Consagra, a pair of armchairs designed by Paolo Buffa (1950), Carlo Scarpa’s ‘Cornaro’ sofa and armchair models (1973), alongside wall lamps from Gio Ponti. Other highlights include a Brazilian rosewood cabinet with woven straw door fronts by Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner (1960), sofas from Joaquim Tenreiro (1958) and Edward J Wormley (1950), and an ‘LB10’ modular bookcase by Franco Albini (1958).

The strength of the exhibit is not just in Yashar’s control of form and material to create a coherent yet impactful setting, but in her mixing of unexpected combinations, which work well in the unique context of the airport.

Alongside vintage Gio Ponti sit upholstered pieces by Lebanese multidisciplinary designer Khaled El Mays, atop rugs designed by Martino Gamper. With organic forms and narrative flourishes, three pieces from El Mays’ ‘Flora’ seating series (2019) take a central position in the hall, together with his ‘Nomad’ bench and a brass and wicker low table from the designer’s ‘Palmea’ collection (2018).

Closest to the hall’s light-filled entrance, Yashar has included two sets of ‘Libra’ tables and benches by Atelier Lavit (2023). Originally conceived as outdoor furniture pieces, their profiled steel tops are reminiscent of wings, balancing on sculptural hoop bases.

The jewel-toned colour palette is continued with clusters of Draga & Aurel’s ‘Jade’ coffee tables (2022) in brass and resin, together with hand-blown glass vases by Domitilla Harding (2018). A curious and sculptural ‘Guise’ table lamp (2020) by Dutch studio Odd Matter, is placed on a structuralist table (2020) by Berlin-based designer Lukas Wegwerth.

The new exhibition reinforces the airport’s role as a hub in promoting culture and arts on the Lido of Venice. Nilufar collaborated closely with the venue’s director and its head of cultural and artistic direction, Laura Alfieri on the project.

‘Giovanni Nicelli Private Airport is permeated by magic: it reminds us of all the richness travelling offers and of the beauty that crossing borders can bring,' explains Yashar. 'You almost lose the dimension of time when entering the space. My desire was to showcase pieces that have and still define today the future of collectible design.'

'The ever-present future of design' by Nilufar at Giovanni Nicelli airport is on view until late 2023

Giovanni Nicelli Private Airport
Via R. Morandi, 9
30126 Venice 

nilufar.com

It has been an exceptionally busy month for Nilufar Gallery. While the rest of Italy absconds to the seaside during the holiday-packed last weeks of April, Nina Yashar has been working double-time. Earlier this month at the Salone del Mobile, the Milan-based gallerist launched multiple projects including the seemingly space-age ‘FAR’, a group show of young, experimental designers; ‘Piano Nobile’, a new collaborative installation; as well as ‘New Sculptural Presence’ by Studio Urquiola and Libby Sellers. But that, apparently, wasn’t enough.

During New York’s TEFAF, The European Fine Art Fair (3-7 May), Nilufar opens ‘Studio d'Arte Palma’ at Manhattan’s Gladstone 64 gallery, a continuation of Yashar’s research into the work of Italian-Brazilian designer/architects Lina Bo Bardi and Giancarlo Palanti. A version of the exhibition was initially shown during 2018’s Salone del Mobile, but this latest iteration will delve deeper into the legacy of 20th century Brazilian art and design with the inclusion of artists Hercules Barsotti, Sergio Camargo, Aluísio Carvão, Lygia Clark, and Alfredo Volpi, who worked contemporaneously to the pair.

‘I am truly honoured to present with Barbara Gladstone this iteration of the exhibition “Lina Bo Bardi Giancarlo Palanti – Studio d’Arte Palma 1948-1951”,’ says Yashar of the collaboration with Gladstone Gallery. ‘The show results from a long and thorough work I conducted with the Instituto Bardi and Casa de Vidro and, according to the Institute, represents a focal and an unprecedented point in the research of Lina Bo Bardi’s work as designer from the collectors’ point of view.’

The exhibition centres on the output of Bo Bardi and Palanti’s design firm, Studio de Arte Arquitetura Palma, which was founded in 1948 following their emigration from Italy to Sao Paulo after the Second World War. Detailing the duo’s innovative approach — a blend of Italy-educated design sense and Brazil’s boundary-pushing modernism of the time — a collection of rare design pieces in Brazilian wood and leather will be shown alongside the selection of paintings: Bo Bardi’s calfskin Tripé armchair; the Pompéia stool, designed for her 1977 SESC Pompeia Factory in Sao Paulo; and block-like pews created for the Espírito Santo do Cerrado Church in Uberlândia will be amongst the exceptional edit.

‘New York, where many admirers and collectors of Lina’s work live, and the Gladstone Gallery, whose fine selection of artworks make the exhibition unique, are the perfect location to celebrate and pay homage to Lina’s precious legacy,’ Yashar says of the project.

Installation view of ‘Lina Bo Bardi Giancarlo Palanti – Studio d’Arte Palma 1948-1951’ at Gladstone 64 in New York.

Rare desk, by Estúdio de Arte Palma: LBB And Palanti, São Paulo. Designed by Lina Bo Bardi, 1949-1950.

Zig Zag armchair, by Estúdio de Arte Palma: LBB And Palanti, São Paulo. Designed by Giancarlo Palanti for the foyer of the Teatro Cultura Artística, São Paulo 1949-1950.

INFORMATION

‘Lina Bo Bardi Giancarlo Palanti – Studio d’Arte Palma 1948-1951’ is on view until 15 June. For more information, visit the Gladstone 64 website

ADDRESS

130 East 64th Street
New York
NY 10065

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Ask anyone in town for Salone del Mobile, and they will tell you that Nina Yashar’s Nilufar Gallery is a must-see stop on the design week trail. Whether your visit provides much-needed respite from the constant slew of furniture launches, or a conceptual moment in the midst of a product-heavy week, the gallery’s shows always stand out from the rest of the week’s events.

Not to be confused with the Nilufar Depot, which houses Yashar’s extensive collection and was made open to the public in 2015, Nilufar Gallery is located in the Quadrilatero della Moda – an area of Milan mostly populated by luxury fashion boutiques and upmarket restaurants. The success of both Nilufar outposts lies within the difference between them. While the Nilufar Depot staged an ambitious exhibition of emerging designers, curated Valentina Ciuffi/Studio Vedèt, the inner-city gallery has an undeniable air of refinement.

On the occasion of this year’s Milan Design Week, the gallery played host works by Bethan Laura Wood and Osvaldo Borsani, and provided a late-night spot by India Mahdavi, Chez Nina II (following the success of its first edition last year). But most impressive was its windowed facades, filled with a collaborative installation by designers Michael Anastassiades and Martino Gamper, and artist Brigitte Niedermair, titled ‘Piano Nobile’.

Technically, the project is a continuation of Gamper and Niedermair’s Screenshot piece – originally completed in 2017 as a contemplation on ‘art through the medium of digital technologies’. But having caught Yashar’s eye back then, she proposed to the pair that they create a ‘total Screenshot’ for this year’s Salone, whereby the artwork becomes design and presents itself as a full interior, rather than a wall-mounted work.

To enhance the multilayered experience, Anastassiades was brought on board as the third puzzle piece – crafting five lamps to illuminate the sets. As with the original Screenshot piece, the Piano Nobile installation made use of Dedar fabric. Works by the likes of Sol LeWitt, Otto Dix and Paul Klee were reinterpreted through abstract patterns crafted from panels of the cotton satin. The result looked similar to a colour chart, with key tones and shades represented through the reams of cloth.

‘I thought about historic Venetian buildings and how in the past artists were the absolute protagonists of the space for living in,’ said Niedermair. ‘Today, we can recreate that same vision brimming with cultural references, in a contemporary way.’ These colour charts were complimented by new furniture designed by Gamper, and lighting fixtures by Anasstassiades. Gamper’s ‘Post Re’ collection saw the London-based designer repurpose consumer waste in order to profess the ‘beauty in scrap’.

Elsewhere in the gallery, a room was dedicated to the work of Bethan Laura Wood, including a new Bauhaus-inspired tea set for Rosenthal, among other new designs; India Madhavi’s Chez Nina space from last year was refreshed with new lighting projects by Vibeke Fonnesberg Schmidt, and tribute was paid to Osvaldo Borsani. An eclectic, yet epic, curatorial feat made possible by Ms Yashar’s unwavering eye.

INFORMATION

For more information visit the Nilufar website

ADDRESS

Nilufar Gallery
Via della Spiga, 32
Milan
20121

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Nina Yashar, the founder of Milan’s Nilufar Gallery, first fell for Lina Bo Bardi five years ago. She was visiting São Paulo and the photographer Ruy Teixeira took her on a tour of several of the architect’s seminal projects, including the Museo di Arte de São Paulo (MASP), Casa de Vidro (the architect’s home), SESC Pompeia, and the Espírito Santo do Cerrado church in Uberlândia.

It was the beginning of an obsession with the Rome-born Bo Bardi, who, after studying architecture at the University of Rome, opened a studio in Milan’s via Gesù in 1940 and collaborated with Gio Ponti on Stile magazine before moving to Brazil with her husband Pietro Maria Bardi in 1946.

In São Paulo, Bo Bardi worked alongside her husband, as well as fellow Italians Valeria Piacentini Cirell and Giancarlo Palanti at the newly established Studio d’Arte Palma. It was with the lesser known Palanti that Bo Bardi took up furniture design. Unable to find the kind of manufacturing facilities available in Italy, they opened a small furniture factory named Pau Brà, where their pieces were produced in local wood.

Yashar acquired her first Bo Bardi piece three years ago. Since then, she has amassed another 21 pieces by Bo Bardi, 13 by Palanti, three by Bo Bardi and Palanti, and four other designs produced by Pau Brà. Yashar will put the haul on show at her Nilufar Depot space during this year’s Salone, alongside four key pieces on loan from Casa de Vidro, today the base of the Instituto Bardi which has worked with Yashar in putting the show together. The exhibition includes two versions of a chair designed for MASP, a desk and rocking chair from Casa de Vidro, and three stools from the Espírito Santo do Cerrado church.

According to Yashar, the work of Bo Bardi and Palanti laid the foundations for modern Brazilian design. ‘They brought a different point of view, but at the same time, they let themselves be infected by what they found in Brazil, especially Bo Bardi, who was fascinated by the local vernacular culture.’ Palanti was older than Bo Bardi and ‘you can see in his pieces that he grew up in a rationalist Milan culture’, she argues. Bo Bardi, she says, ‘had a freer approach, and together they produced truly unique work’.

This is the first show dedicated to the furniture of Bo Bardi and Palanti. Yashar has managed to acquire an example of almost all of Bo Bardi’s furniture designs, and she considers this the most important show of her four-decade career as a gallerist. ‘This represents the peak of collecting,’ she argues, ‘the cutting edge.’

As originally featured in the May 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*230)

INFORMATION

‘Lina Bo Bardi e Giancarlo Palanti Studio d’Arte Palma 1948-1951’ is on view from 17 April – 9 March 2019. For more information, visit the Nilufar Gallery website

ADDRESS

Nilufar Depot
via Lancetti 34
Milan

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Everyone loves to party at Salone del Mobile, there’s no doubt about it. But over the last couple of years, we have noticed that the party has definitely started to feed into the exhibitions themselves. New launches are getting paired with a negroni, brands are popping up with culinary installations, and furniture is getting a disco makeover. We invite you to party on with us via our top dinner, drink and disco exhibitions at Milan Design Week...

elit Proun bar, by Carmody Groarke and elit vodka at Wallpaper* Handmade

Inspired by Russian Constructivism and the work of artist El Lissitzky – both references for the vodka brand elit – the Proun bar offered a retox opportunity amid all our Wellness + Wonder. Named after a series of paintings by El Lissitzky – Proun being a Russian acronym for ‘project for the affirmation of the new’ – Carmody Groarke’s totemic composition of aluminium modules is a spatial experiment as much as a fully functional bar space. Its modular composition nods to El Lissitzky’s work and will allow the bar to be disassembled and reinstalled at future art events.

17-22 April; Via della Moscova 28

Make A D(w)ish at 28 Posti

During Milan Design Week at Navigli-side restaurant 28 Posti Chef Marco Ambrosini and industrial designer Odo Fioravanti ask: what makes a dish a dish? The duo has created a six-course tasting menu conceived as a tongue-in-cheek meeting of food and design that pits Fioravanti’s obstacle course-like tableware against Ambrosini’s inventive Campanian-style fare. The menu included patisserie-style macarons flavoured with anchovy, a Duchamp inspired ‘ready-made’ Pasta al Pomodoro, and a course simply titled ‘empty dish’ — a nod to the dwindling portion sizes in upscale restaurants. The outcome is a cleverly thought out concept menu that, thankfully, doesn’t take itself too seriously. Writer: Laura Todd

17-22 April; Via Corsico 1; www.28posti.org

Disco Gufram at Mediateca

We partied with the likes of ‘Charly’, ‘Betsy’, ‘Stanley’ and ‘Tony’ in Milan this year with Gufram’s soul-powered furniture collection at the Wallpaper* Handmade Mediateca space this year. These Disco-going characters hark back to the Italian brand’s disco design past for a playful new collection that is imbued with typical Gufram exuberance. Each collaboration is developed organically: beginning with Dutch artist duo Rotganzen, whose signature disco balls (originally created for site-specific installations) feature on a series of lacquered cabinets (pictured). Read about the rest of the collection here

17-22 April; Via della Moscova 28; www.gufram.it

Chez Nina by India Mahdavi at Nilufar

Puppeteer of immersive wonderlands India Mahdavi masterminded a refined exclusive club environment inside the coveted gallery. Taking its name from Nina Yashar (founder of Nilufar Gallery), the space is all wrapped up in textured De Gournay wallpaper, complete with Mahdavi-drawn geometric patterns on a sweeping silk mural. Opulent furnishings by Gio Ponti, Martino Gamper and more from Yashar’s collections pepper the space, alongside bespoke acid candy table tops. This spot was a place for after dark tipples, rumour swapping and relaxation.

17-22 April; Via Della Spiga 32; www.nilufar.com

Gabriel Scott at Bar Basso

Montreal-based design studio Gabriel Scott was inspired by Bar Basso’s fierce Negroni Sbagliato for his exhibition at the iconic haunt. Working together with its prolific owner, Maurizio Stocchetto, the pair realised a lighting installation in blown-glass and new custom satin copper, alongside copper hardware and alabaster glass to compliment the original 1960s decor. Courtesy: Gabriel Scott

17-22 April; Via Plinio, 39; www.gabriel-scott.com

Daniel's Café at Swarovski Palazzo

The crystal giants bought a hint of its hometown to Milan this year with a pop-up Daniel’s Café. The Wattens-based eatery served up Viennese patisserie to go alongside its glittering new collections. Menu highlights included a twist on Daniel Swarovski’s personal favourite, a cake with almonds, chocolate and blackberry jam, and flavoured macarons and praline chocolates.

17- 22 April; The Courtyard at Palazzo Serbelloni, Corso Venezia 16; www.atelierswarovski.com

Bar Anne by Space Encounters

Part exhibition, part bar, and (say its creators) part ‘fun happening’, Bar Anne was a space ‘by designers, for designers’. Amsterdam’s Space Encounters presented interactive work from the likes of Mae Engelgeer and Sabine Marcelis, alongside an immersive installation from Children of the Light. This was a place to be at home: guests were free to try and test each design as desired. ‘Sit on them, jump on them and even sleep on them’. As the week drews to a close, the latter was necessary.

17-21 April, Corso di Porta Ticinese, 95,; www.klaaskuiken.nl
 
The Diner by David Rockwell

Over in the vaults of Ventura Centrale, the New York-based architect channeled his skills in hospitality and set design for an all-American diner concept. The Rockwell Group teamed up with studio 2x4 and Surface magazine for the venture that recreated four different environments, within one space. The culinary pop-up took guests on an American road trip that travelled from an Airstream-inspired coffee and pie bar to West Coast lounge via an East Coast-style classic diner.

17-22 April; Via Ferrante Aporti 15; www.rockwellgroup.com

Club Unseen by Studiopepe

Arianna Lelli Mami and Chiara Di Pinto of Studiopepe realised a conceptual ‘members only’ space at a concealed Brera location. Club Unseen bought together historical and contemporary design with products from global brands including Tacchini, Dedar, Atelier de Troupe and Pulpo. The club continued the Milan-based creatives’ exploration of hospitality which last year saw them create The Visit, a sophisticated styled apartment. Read more about Club Unseen here.

By appointment only; www.clubunseen.com

Vino & Design’s EustachiORA

Tree-lined Via Eustachi was transformed into a district of wine and design during Salone del Mobile – all in the spirit of sharing. With the aim of overturning natural compeition between traders, EustachiORA united a selection of designers and wine makers in a week-long knees up. Guests were invited to taste, for example, a red ‘Natissa’ DOC at Polpetta D.O.C, together with the works of artist Paolo Anselmo, all the while learning the insider tricks and traits of Italian wine culture.

17-22 April, via Eustachi

Seletti’s Design Pride

Parading around the 5VIE district for the 3rd year on the trot was Seletti’s political party of music, dancing and design. Joining forces with Paridevitale agency, Toiletpaper, Gufram, Heineken, Saviola, Hospitality Truck and a whole host of designers, the trail included special rap performances and fabulous floats for individuals to let loose with their creative flair.

6PM on 18 April; Piazza Castello (corner with via Minghetti); www.seletti.it

Lavazza x Toiletpaper bar

Italian coffee experts Lavazza joined forces with Toiletpaper magazine for a graphic pop art-inspired bar inside the Wallpaper* Handmade space this year. The immersive space served Aperitivo treats and reworking’s of traditional Italian dishes, while giving guests a taster of its new vibrant coffee machine collection

17-22 April; Via della Moscova 28

Nonostante Marras

Building on the success of last year’s pop-up restaurant Italian fashion designer Antonio Marras hosted up to 60 diners again in the events space neighbouring his atelier. This time his Nonostante Marras bistro was created in collaboration with the restaurateurs behind Domus Rana. Dining chairs were upholstered in Saba ecru linen hand-painted like canvases with faces and figures by Marras. Meanwhile vases, tiles and tableware was co-designed specifically for the project by Marras and Vincenzo D’Alba, and made by Kiasmo. Above diners heads a canopy of floral motifs by Wall & Deco added to the decorative, flamboyant feel. Canadian lighting designer Matthew McCormick hosted a dinner at the restaurant, among others.

INFORMATION
Salone del Mobile runs from 17-22 April

Take one spectacular cliffside villa with panoramic ocean views, add 13 of the world’s most exciting design galleries and combine with a dash of sunshine – Giorgio Pace and Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte think they may have stumbled upon a foolproof formula for a new breed of collectable design fair. 

‘With our combined experience in curating art and design projects, we felt there could be another way to experience collectable design,’ says Pace of the new venture, which is his first joint venture with  Bellavance-Lecompte. ‘Revisiting the format of traditional fairs, we wanted to create an event that would offer an intimate and engaging environment for visitors and collectors each year. The result is Nomad.’

Taking place at La Vigie, the oldest villa in Monaco, Nomad is an exclusive design event for collectors, interior designers, architects and art professionals that made its debut last weekend. Its inaugural edition saw 13 galleries and four special projects each take a room in the 1902 villa, which they used to display their latest pieces – Louise Alexander Gallery placed a series of Arik Levy sculptures across the terrace; Christophe Graber’s ornate Cuff bracelet occupied a bathroom; while Pia Maria Raeder’s intriguing ‘Sea Anemones’ family lurked in a top floor bedroom curated by Paris’ Galerie BSL.

Open to the public for the first time in 100 years, the fair’s spectacular setting is certainly a draw in its own terms.

‘It’s a completely different environment, which makes for a different energy – for us and the visitors,’ enthused Nina Yashar of Gallery Nilufar, whose blue-hued showcase, inspired by the Mediterranean sea, was displayed across La Vigie’s Salons. ‘It’s much more relaxed than a booth at a fair. It’s like being in a home. I think this is the next direction in terms of showing pieces. I love this formula, for me it’s the best.'

As well as established names such as Beirut’s Carwan Gallery, and London-based David Gill Gallery, Pace and Bellavance-Lecompte also took care to include up and coming depots such as London newcomers SEEDS, and three-year-old Brussels gallery Maniera. ‘Nomad provides a way to see interesting architecture like this at the same time as the art,’ said Maniera co-founder Kwinten Lavigne. ‘It’s very connected to what we have been doing, as we’ve not only showcased products in our own living room before but also in interesting buildings in and around Brussels.’

During the four-day event, a VIP programme of talks, performances and events ran alongside the showcase, including an installation of Rick Owen’s furniture at Monte Carlo Beach Club, and a tour of the nearby Cap Moderne & Cabanon Le Corbusier and Villa E-1027.

Timed to coincide with a number of art events including Art Monte Carlo Fair and new exhibitions opening at the Nouveau Museé National de Monaco, Nomad will be back next year, say its organisers, and will also travel to another location.

‘The feedback we received from day one exceeded our expectations, with significant sales within hours after the opening last Thursday,’ says Pace. ‘Many of the participating galleries have already asked us if they can sign up for the next edition. We’re incredibly proud the works were presented in a context that allowed them to shine and everyone had a wonderful time thanks to the dreamy, calm environment of La Vigie – it was more like a four-day tea party in a house.’

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Nomad Monaco website

Celebrated Milan gallery Nilufar comes to London for the first time this week, taking up residence in a £10 million apartment in Mayfair.

The 2,355 sq m space on South Audley Street, which goes on sale imminently, was curated by Nilufar’s founder Nina Yashar and renovated by London-based interior architect Shalini Misra.

The two women have known each other for years, so a collaboration in London made perfect sense. Misra has been creating high-end homes around the world for 18 years and is well versed in the requisites of the super rich. Acres of Armani marble, seamless technology and shiny tactile finishes make up the three bedroomed space. Nilufar staples – Italian midcentury classics, limited edition pieces from young designers and hand-knotted rugs, all of which can be purchased separately – make up the rest. Cabinetry is largely handmade in the UK, marbles and veneers come from Italy and artworks (among them a £1.5m Warhol) are supplied by Italian galleries Giò Marconi and Robilant + Voena.

‘I have always been keen on creating new and unexpected associations between furniture and space,’ says Yashar, who formed her furniture-in-situ concept, entitled Squat, in 2012. London is its fifth edition, after Milan, Paris and Beirut.

Misra also runs real estate company Genessia with her old Delhi friend Ekta Varma. Together, the pair purchased the apartment, that had been in a state of neglect for 30 years. It’s one of many they have renovated for potential overseas buyers. Judging by the string of well-heeled visitors swishing down its marble hallway, it won’t be theirs for long.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Nilufar website, or Shalini Misra’s website

'Last year it was all about the space, but this week it is much more about pieces,' says the Milanese design doyen Nina Yashar.

The inimitable art dealer opened her sprawling 1,500 sq m design 'warehouse', Nilufar Depot, during last year's Salone del Mobile and is again likely to steal the show with a stunning hybrid of antique, vintage and contemporary works which Yashar meticulously arranges in 'cinematic scenes'. Think retro-futuristic 'Chaise Maurice' armchairs by the Beirut-based david/nicolas design studio paired with the perfectly proportioned, limited edition brass and marble 'Blossom' floor lamp by Analogia Project, atop a vintage rug.

The words 'treasure trove' are often bandied about but the Depot offers a true master class in design. Much on show this week has been specially commissioned, from a trio of Massimiliano Locatelli's fluid 'Urmia' tables and abstract benches by Martino Gamper, to Italian architect Roberto Baciocchi's extraordinary 'Mirror Room', featuring Milanese artist Roberto Giulio Rida's extravagant indigo blue 'Mediterraneo' cabinets. It's not all Italian: we also spotted ethereal pendant lights by American designer Lindsey Adelman, Belgian designer Maarten De Ceulaer's elegant pile of leather briefcases, and the British creative Laura Bethan Wood's 'Ring' chandelier.

The highlight, however, is the intriguing collection of custom furniture and lighting by the young up-and-coming Italian designer Federico Peri, whose integrated 'Biblioteca Itinerante' seat with built-in shelves introduces a fresh take on industrial form. 

'I am obsessed by his idea of building a house with all the same design pieces like Jean Prouvé. The unity of it is very beautiful,' says Yashar.

The gallerist admits she is equally obsessed with Loctatelli's new 3D printed table, created using a machine designed by a NASA engineer to build houses on the moon. 

'This is what Salone should be. Not things you've already seen or that remind you of something from last year. It is about surprising people,' she says. Mission accomplished.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Nilufar’s website

ADDRESS

Nilufar Depot
Viale V. Lancetti 34
20158 Milan

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Nina Yashar is without question Milan's top design dealer and her Nilufar Gallery in Via della Spiga has pulsed as the epicentre of achingly expensive mid-century gems and the hottest contemporary designs for the last 15 years.

But what goes on behind the elegant windows in the small, well-curated rooms of her famous gallery is only a tiny sliver of Yashar's full design stash. The real booty has been stockpiled over the last 30 years in a 1,500 sq m warehouse north of the Garibaldi train station. Up until now, the ex-industrial space was closed to the public and used just for Yashar's own sourcing purposes. But now she is flinging open the doors for the first time to Nilufar Depot: a three-storey treasure trove featuring 3,000 pieces of historic and contemporary design, conceived by many of the young designers that Yashar has championed over the years.

Designed by Milan-based architect Massimiliano Locatelli (whose furniture she has frequently shown in her Via della Spiga gallery), the interior configuration was inspired by Milan's famous Teatro alla Scala. A central cement floored atrium is surrounded by three storeys of black metal balconies in which small furniture scenes are illuminated by neon lights designed by Marco Rizzuto.

The space is imposing, dramatic and yet practical. The configuration permits an easy scan-viewing of the massive stock from below, while curtains made from a techno-plastic material swathe each stall, just like the booths at the famous ballet theatre. 'I don't like décor as an end in itself,' says Yashar. 'Function is what interests me.' The location, which features a stage with a 6m-tall brass curtain designed by artist Leonor Antunes, has been conceived to host exhibitions, art and artists going forward.

The launch event, a dinner which took place last night at the beginning of Salone del Mobile, featured table scenes designed by Martino Gamper, another Nilufar gallery protégé. Each table was adorned with enormous 19th-century napkins, avant-garde glasses and menus signed by the designer.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Nilufar website

ADDRESS

Nilufar Depot
Via Lancetti 34
20158 Milan

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Fiac, the annual international art fair in Paris, doesn't officially get underway until Thursday. But already, SPOT 2013 has managed to distinguish itself as an exciting nexus of design and art.

A collaboration between design powerhouse Nina Yashar of Milan's Nilufar Gallery, Paris-based art influencer Daniele Balice of the Balice Hertling Gallery and Giò Marconi (also from Milan), the project occupies a 1,500 sq m hôtel particulier that was formerly a museum dedicated to the city's hospitals.

It only takes a glimpse of Shigeru Ban's cardboard Paper Tea House – a piece Yashar has never before exhibited – to realise that her showcase of rare design art in a residential setting blurs all sorts of curatorial and commercial lines.

Part of the challenge at art fairs or even just in galleries is that you can never visualise how something will look outside the white-walled vacuum. The three minds behind SPOT aren't simply staging their work in an environment in order to encourage sales; they are encouraging visitors to consider a new eclecticism.

'It's a pop-up but the real reason to show pieces in a place like this is to give context to the pieces,' explains Yashar, who oversaw a much smaller version, SQUAT, last year. 'And to make people have dreams that they could see a space like this exist.'

In a sense, SPOT represents a self-contained microcosm within the Fiac hustle and bustle. Its strength is that the three minds appear fully in sync, drawing from their own collections, requesting loans, commissioning unique works (Patricia Urquiola constructed a geometric 'boiserie' in a high gloss material called Alicrite) and calling in some very special favours (Yashar's pal, Miuccia Prada offered a few bolts of printed fabric that hang as draped panels throughout the space).

The team has sparked conversations between their collections. In a violet room conceived for relaxation, the grid framework of a bookshelf by Ignazio Gardella speaks the same language as a site-specific light installation of intersecting brass bars by Isabelle Stanislas. To this, Balice has added works by artist Alexander May who deconstructs words into graphic patterns.

Yashar named a large space on the upper floor the 'Gamper Ponti' room because it combines London-based Martino Gamper's appropriated salvaged Ponti furniture from the Parco dei Principe hotel in Sorrento with Ponti originals – and all of them have been positioned around Gamper's carpet depicting the floor plan of a 30 sq m apartment. Gino Sarfatti lamps and assorted pieces from Gio Ponti's prime period punctuate several rooms. 'She's not trying to show design as if it's in an art gallery, which is what you see often today,' says Balice. 'The pieces here all feel respected.'

Still, Yashar insists she doesn't belabour her decisions. 'I am not able to overthink,' she says. 'It makes me confused.' The irony, of course, is that the entire project could have ended up confused - the BBPR-designed enormous drum lights from the 1950s, the Japanese Edo period screens and the Pietro Chiesa cabinet with glass drawers have nothing in common. And yet staggered throughout the space, every item belongs.

Arguably the most inspired new works to emerge from this massive project are the eight tables designed by Giancarlo Montebello. Underneath their glass tops are high-resolution scans from artist Isabelle Cornaro that show clusters of chains, ribbons and other miscellaneous gewgaws all organised neatly.

Asked why she returned to Paris to mount this enormous undertaking, she quipped, 'I feel like a queen in Paris!' Then, more seriously, she added, 'People are very open to the [design] profession here and I appreciate that.' In a perfect world, she says someone would come in and buy everything in one fell swoop.

But for the time being, SPOT serves as an inspirational folly for all to see – that is, when it is not playing backdrop for various private events. Which pleases Balice just fine. 'We want to keep it alive, not just leave it as a showroom,' he says. 'It already feels very cozy, so we have to use it.'

ADDRESS

Hôtel de Miramion, 47 Quai de la Tournelle, 75005 Paris

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Architecture, design and art have a natural inclination to live together. With this in mind, three European studios involved with each of these disciplines are bunking down together in Paris throughout the four weeks of Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain (FIAC).

The flat - 350sq m above Avenue Victor Hugo - showcases furnishings from Nilufar Gallery's distinguished stable of designers, in close quarters with artwork from Paris's Balice Hertling and architectural design from Milan's Dimore Studio. What the hosts call an 'artistic occupation' seeks to challenge boundaries - not unlike your average flatmate. In this way the name of the exhibit, 'Squat #1' is apropos.

Far from being a sterile set of untouchable, museum-quality work, the exhibition will be an open platform, as social and hands on as cocktails in the parlour. If it's a success, Nina Yashar of Milan's Nilufar Gallery plans to take the concept on the road, hiring similar flats in cities across Europe in the mould of fashion brands that stage their runway shows in obscure venues to cast a new light on the product.

To drive home the idea in Paris, she's brought in conversation pieces by Gaetano Pesce, Gio Ponti and Martino Gamper that cross eras and styles. They're overlooked by contemporary and historical works by artists including Kerstin Braetsch, Oscar Tuazon and Samuel Richardot. The domestic environment by the team at Dimore itself embraces art and design in its execution.

ADDRESS

186, Avenue Victor Hugo
75016
Paris

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS