Whether you made it to Salone del Mobile or just watched it unfold on social media, it was hard to deny that something big took place at Milan Design Week this year. Indeed, more than 300,000 buyers, designers, and other professionals made it to the Italian metropolis to browse, network, shop, and party—a 15% increase in attendance over 2022. (Unlike last year, China had a major presence, making up the second largest number of attendees after Italy.)
After doing our fair share of all of the above, here’s what’s sticking with us from Milan Design Week 2023—from products and exhibitions to plaza activations and much, much more.
The Products
Across the Salone and the Fuorisalone, there was one major product narrative: outdoor furniture. Since the pandemic, many brands told AD PRO, clients have been prioritizing outdoor space—whether it’s a petite apartment terrace or a full-fledged garden or backyard. In response to that feedback, several brands made their entree into the category this year. Molteni&C, helmed by AD100 talent Vincent Van Duysen, introduced its first collection built to withstand the elements, with highlights including a cement table by Foster + Partners, an iron-and-lava stone table by Ron Gilad, and Gio Ponti’s iconic D.154.2 armchair, rebuilt for the outdoors.
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Meanwhile, inside the usually private, extraordinarily dreamy rose garden of the Cloisters of San Simpliciano, Poliform unveiled its new line, which included timeless designs such as an iroko wood-framed seating by Jean-Marie Massaud, a series of stone-like Cementoskin tables by Emmanuel Gallina, and woven rope seating by Marcel Wanders. Over at Armani/Casa, visitors were treated to the house’s first-ever alfresco line, which included the Terence sofa, Timothy lounger, dining and side tables, and Thelma, a folding armchair. (A special weatherproof Armani/Casa jacquard—specifiable in solid colors or a palm motif—graced the furnishings.)
Other brands fleshed out existing collections—Roche Bobois reimagined its colorful and conceptual BomBom collection, a collaboration with artist Joana Vasconcelos—for the outdoors, Fendi Casa unveiled a superchic pool-ready sling chair and accompanying accessories, Missoni Home added poufs and doughnut-shaped lounges in a range of new patterns to its outdoor offerings, and B&B Italia debuted Flair O’ Couture by Monica Armani, a super-comfy outdoor seat with a back woven on a tombolo loom. Adding to the mix, Flexform introduced a range of stylish seats for lakeside lounging, like Antonio Citterio’s kidney-shaped Supermax sofa and a coordinating round two-seater. Finally, De Padova, which had already collaborated with fashion designer Paul Smith on a furniture collection called Everyday Life, asked the Brit to try his hand at terrace-ready seating. Smith was game, saying with a laugh “I’m English! I’m always thinking about furniture that can withstand the wind and rain!”
Veterans of outdoor design don’t seem phased by the swell of newcomers, however. Janus et Cie, for one, showed four new lines at the fair, including Mattone, a 10-piece composition of upholstered, modular seating with removable covers, while Tribù (which just moved into a new home on Via Felice Cavallotti) displayed Christophe Delcourt’s Suro collection, where braided-rope panels take on a petal-like quality. Perhaps it’s a case of the more the merrier?
Outdoor wasn’t the only category where brands were making big moves to round out their offerings at Milan Design Week this year. Ginori 1735, for instance, took a major step towards becoming a whole-home company with the reveal of Domus, its new line of furnishings and accessories. Poufs, clam and barrel chairs, and a totem-like lamp (produced with Barovier & Toso) all counted among the introductions; across the spread, designer Luca Nichetto leaned into color and pattern, aided by jacquard upholstery produced with Rubelli.
Officine Gullo, meanwhile, added a substantive suite to its range with its Bar & Lounge Collection, the Rolls-Royce of home bars. A completely customizable line, it offers any configuration of countertops, wine fridge units, ice makers and buckets, sinks, bottle shelves, and more—whatever a bartender could possibly need to shake up a perfect martini. Here and elsewhere, it’s clear manufacturers are looking for innovative ways to support the elevated levels of home entertaining that were born during lockdown but are still going strong.
Cassina, too, is branching out as it makes its lighting debut. Last year, the company scouted Antwerp-based designer Linde Freya Tangelder through a project devoted to cultivating young talent. The fruit of that collaboration was on display at the Cassina showroom, where the company presented Wax, Stone, Light, a group of stacked Murano glass blocks devised by Tangelder and produced using cast-iron molds. The collection offers five sizes and two finishes: off-white and smoky gray. Other Cassina lighting intros included the Valor.S table lamp by Philippe Starck, a reflective luminaire that, at least in its gold finish, evokes the slick organicism of a Brancusi sculpture. The brand also previewed a never-before-produced chandelier by Charles and Ray Eames that is set to go live next year.
