Milan Design Week

I recently took a holiday to Milan during their annual design week. This is a huge event so I was only able to see a very small amount of it – but it was inspiring to be there. Design shows are an important part of how we keep ourselves inspired and educated as designers, so I wanted to share more about what goes on!

What is a Design show?

As a team we visit several events throughout the year, including Clerkenwell and Decorex in London – and previously ‘Maison Objet’ in Paris. Design shows usually consist of at least one ‘expo’ in an exhibition hall venue, with lots of exhibitor stands as well as expert talks and panels. These are sometimes focussed on a particular aspect of design (e.g. Surface, which has a particular emphasis on worktops and tiles, or) or more wide ranging. The larger shows are often combined with a larger ‘fringe’ – with local showrooms running events and launching new products

What are they useful for?

Attending an event usually takes a lot of time and energy – so we aim to research the most useful and inspiring aspects of the show before going to get the most out of them. They can be useful for;

• Discovering new technology; This doesn’t happen every year, but sometimes there will be an improvement in how building materials are produced, or an advance in smart home technology – and attending events helps us to keep on top of that.

• Education & talks; Design events offer a great opportunity to hear thought provoking ideas, analysis and education from great designers across our industry. See our blog on ‘Wood is Good’ from Clerkenwell 2024

• Trends and inspiration; While we are wary of the idea of ‘trends’ in interiors (as ideally we want to design renovations that clients are happy with for a long time!) it is of course useful as designers to see what trends are out there, to work out how we feel about them, and to get excited about materials, colours and products.

• Sourcing; If we are at the stage of sourcing specific furniture or finishes for a project when a show is on, it can be a great way to see lots of options in person. This is particularly good for lighting! It can also be a great way to notice new products and file them away for future projects.

• Making connections; Problem-solving is a large part of our job, and good relationships with suppliers and specialists really helps with that. Shows are a great way to make new connections and to meet face-to-face with the people we’ve been emailing all year.

What about Milan?

The main event is an enormous expo at the Rho Fieri exhibition centre, which is 1km long by 0.5hm wide and has 8 huge halls. I made it round 2 of them! It is a high-end event; the stalls are very large and elaborately fitted out - it’s a priority event for those brands that attend and they must spend a significant amount of money on it!

The focus is on Furniture and Lighting. There are brands there from all over the world but of course a lot of Italian brands including Porada, Saba, and B&B Italia. Central Milan is then abuzz with events and exhibitions. From what I saw, the furniture on display was mostly classic design; lots of walnut, marble, neutral fabrics and leather – i.e. nothing to note in terms of new trends (a good thing – see above!).

For me, lighting is usually a highlight of design shows and Milan was no exception. This is partly because lighting just looks so good in big installation spaces, and partly because there are usually more new and exciting products to see in lighting than with the slower-moving furniture market. See the gallery for my favourites;