Six Moments from Salone Del Mobile That May Shape The Future Of Design

When Milan is taken over by a giant inflatable octopus and Gucci soda vending machines, it can only mean one thing: Milan Design Week. Salone del Mobile – the world’s biggest design festival – takes place every April, with more than 300,000 visitors descending on the city. What began more than 60 years ago as a furniture fairl has since become a city-wide barometer for the cultural, social and aesthetic trends shaping the way we live.

From fashion houses to beauty and lifestyle brands – as well as the traditional manufacturers who show annually – it’s increasingly about who can create the most memorable experience. Across six days, hundreds of exhibitions, installations and launches take over Milan’s palazzi, showrooms and public spaces, including disused railway tunnels and even an abandoned hospital.

This year was defined by multisensory installations, hands-on workshops and a notable push towards sustainability and upcycling. Design was used as a vehicle for cultural storytelling and collectible design made a significant shift towards the mainstream. For better or worse, Salone also turned up the spectacle, with brands seemingly competing for the week’s most Instagrammable moment.  

Here are six takeaways to note from Milan Design Week 2026.

Salone’s most memorable experiences this year were about more than just looking: they invited visitors to smell, touch, listen and taste, signalling the growing value of sensorial design in an increasingly digital world. There were listening sessions at Renaissance of the Real by Snøhetta and USM, and floral-scented aperitivo at Osteria Fiori di Marimekko. At Fondazione Luigi Rovati, USM’s iconic steel modular system became a framework for a textile cocoon designed by Swiss artist Annabelle Schneider that immersed visitors through scent, subtle sound frequencies and diffuse light.  

The use of waste materials was a pointed decision during a design week whose environmental impact can often be hard to ignore. At Issey Miyake’s Via Bagutta store, The Paper Log: Shell and Core showcased furniture crafted from the waste paper rolls used to protect garments during the brand’s signature pleating process. Beauty brand Aesop took a similar approach for its Factory of Light installation in the Chiesa del Carmine, where an undulating landscape made from 10,826 upcycled fragrance bottles formed a backdrop for the brand’s first collection of lighting.

Collectible design has always had a home in Milan’s galleries and palazzi, but this year it moved to the centre of Salone with the inaugural Salone Raritas, curated by Annalisa Rosso. Bridging the gap between design and art, this space brought together nearly 30 galleries showing limited editions and high-end craft. The mix ranged from 16-century objects to contemporary pieces by the likes of Dutch artist Sabine Marcelis and seminal Italian architect and designer Andrea Branzi (whose legacy you can also explore at an exhibition at the Triennale curated by architect Toyo Ito, on until autumn). “Everyone is looking for something unique and rare to add value to their interior design,” says Rosso. “It’s no longer only collectors, but also architects, buyers and developers.”

Brands pulled back the curtain on how things are made, using transparency around process to prove value in crowded markets. Nike took over five disused railway tunnels at Dropcity with Nike Air Lab, an expansive exhibition with more than 100 prototypes. The space hosted hands-on workshops by Nike designers, giving visitors access to robotic arms and thermoforming machines – Golnaz Armin, Chief Design Officer at Nike, described it as “a laboratory rather than an exhibition”. At Palazzo Citterio, the Uzbekistan Arts and Culture Development Foundation hosted When Apricots Blossom, an exhibition of contemporary interpretations of chekich, the traditional stamps used to imprint patterns into bread dough. Rather than just presenting the finished products, Uzbek artisans also led daily workshops on bread stamp and tassel making.

Milan has always had a flair for the dramatic during design week, but it dialled up for 2026. Moncler wrapped 10 Corso Como in a giant inflatable octopus by set designer Andy Hillman, its tentacles snaking through windows, past 24 mannequins dressed in the Summer 2026 collection. At the Triennale, Eames Office and Kettal proved that spectacle can also have substance with the Eames Houses exhibition. At its heart were two life-size pavilions built using the new Eames Pavilion System, a modular construction kit that picks up where designers Charles and Ray Eames’ pre-fabricated experiments of the 1940s left off. “There’s no question that walking into the Triennale and seeing a two-storey building will be eye-catching,” says chairman of the Eames Foundation, Eames Demetrios. “When you compare it to other custom architecture, this is much less expensive.” In a world where housing affordability is a global crisis, this idea of customisable, low-cost, architect-designed housing is a powerful proposition.

Fashion houses increasingly see Salone as the place to make a cultural mark. While some might see their big-budget installations as detracting from the “real” purpose of the week, it goes to show the value of design as a powerful branding tool and opens up new opportunities for cross-industry collaboration. This year the likes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Dior, Bottega Veneta and Marni, took over some of the city’s most prestigious palazzi, drawing enormous crowds. A highlight was Gucci Memoria at the Chiostri di San Simpliciano, where creative director Demna told the house’s 105-year story through 12 contemporary tapestries, a garden inspired by the brand’s Flora pattern, and Gucci-branded soda vending machines.