Milan Design Week (MDW) spread across Milan, has two components — the Salone del Mobile and the Fuorisalone. The Salone del Mo bile (Milan Furniture Fair) has its venue at Fiera Milano exhibition district in Rho, a suburb of Milan. It’s the largest furniture fair in the world, this time with 2100 exhibitors from 37 countries. Fuorisalone began spontaneously since the 1980s, when exhibitors extended events ‘outside the Salone’. The fair, which ran from April 8 to 13 this year, dazzled both visitors and participants with its scale and focus on craftsmanship.

The Fiera Milano, a leading trade fair and exhibition organiser has been operating since 1920.

In a world increasingly empowered by AI, designers and artists are becoming tangibly aware of the sentient qualities of being human — passion, pride, love, anguish and sorrow — and it’s this sentiment that prevailed in the 63th edition of Milan Design Week and its theme, ‘Thought for Humans’.

India in action

“Milan completely transformed into a city of design. It felt like every street corner was telling a story. The whole city came together beautifully, and it was inspiring to see art and design take over in such a powerful way,” says Prateek Jain. Jain and Gautam Seth, his co-founder at Klove Studio, are participating for the first time as Klove. The duo was taken aback by the response for VISTA, a collection of sculptural lights created by NYC designer Kickie Chudikova with Klove Studio for the Shakti Design Residency.

Klove for the Shakti Design Residency

Multiple concentric glass shades in scalloped forms derived from shapes of Mughal arches, create gradients within a chosen hue from glazed caramel and sensuous reds to sapphire blue. There’s a sense of containment, mimicking dwellings for light from bygone eras.

“For me the most impressive and outstanding show was the installation by Loro Piana and Dimoremilano. ‘La Prima Notte di Quiete’ showcased the boundaries between reality and cinematic fiction.”Vikram GoyalDesigner

Meanwhile, designer Vikram Goyal, who is passionate about interpreting artisanal craftsmanship, presented a selection of pieces for Nilufar Depot made of brass and hollowed joinery. Goyal brings his architectural forms to life with the metalworking craft of repousse, hammering and welding sheets to create textures and patterns in his stunning Shaded Graphite collection.

Vikram Goyal’s Shaded Graphite Cabinet

“The show-stopper was the three-part Mesa console,” he says, commenting on this revived take of his console piece at PAD London. Nilufar is showing Goyal’s work for the third consecutive year at MDW.

Phantom Hands’ Geoffrey Bawa furniture

Another brand, Phantom Hands from Bengaluru, brought their meticulous revival of Geoffrey Bawa’s furniture, a tribute to the late Sri Lankan-based architect’s humanistic approach. The licensed re-editions, which comprise of lighting, objects and furniture made by Bawa between the mid 1960s and 1990s, were often for buildings he designed.

Richard Hutten’s Holi-inspired collection for Jaipur Rugs.
| Photo Credit:
Neville Sukhia

Meanwhile, Jaipur Rugs also showcased their collections at MDW. Working with 40,000 rural artisans, they have been pushing boundaries to innovate with tradition. They had a few collabs on show, starting with Richard Hutten. One of the most collected living designers with works in 40 museums worldwide, Hutten got the epithet ‘Playing Man’ by Dutch historian Johann Huizinga for channeling play into culture. In his collection Playing with Tradition for Jaipur Rugs, inspired by India’s Holi festival, Hutten splashes vivid dots, squares and even banana motifs across traditional patterns. The bold and unexpected twist infuses a lively contemporary aesthetic into the rich heritage of hand-knotted wool rugs.

Jaipur Rugs’ ‘Jardins du Monde’, in collaboration with Paris-based Tatiana de Nicolay. 

Jaipur Rugs also unveiled Jardins du Monde, a collaboration with Paris-based Tatiana de Nicolay, which won an EDIDA ( Elle Déco International Design Award). This serene and classical collection of seven rugs is an ode to gardens across the world from the Parisian Albert Kahn gardens to quintessential English meadows. Every rug tells a story, from The Tea Pavilion, a harmony of palms leaves and architectural elements, The River of Roses patterned with verdant trellises, to The Mysterious Labyrinth with its maze of climbing vines.

Other collections at the Salone by Jaipur Rugs were The Gilded Age with Peter D’Ascoli, echoing Parisian and Hollywood opulence; and the Atelier Collection with Chanel-owned VIMAR 1991, blending haute couture techniques with rug artistry.

Installations

The special exhibit for 2025 was a spectacular showcase by Euroluce, the biennial International Lighting Exhibition, with emphasis on innovative materials and technologies. Encouraging touch, these tactile installations made participation key to the experience at the Salone. Italian lighting brand FLOS’ video installation titled The Light of the Mind, made by FormaFantasma was one such.

Linked Lights by FLOS

The Library of Light

Ever since Orhan Pamuk adapted his novel The Museum of Innocence as a literal museum in Istanbul in 2012, the book has leapt out of its pages. Italy’s history of centerstage spectacles in amphitheatres like The Colosseum continues in today’s theatrical space. British artist Es Devlin’s mesmerising installation, The Library of Light, in the Cortile d’Onore (Courtyard of Honour) at the Pinacoteca di Brera (est. 1809) reckons the library as the illuminating center of shared experiences and knowledge. A rotating library of 18m diameter, half empty — even after being stocked with 3,500 books donated by Italian publishing house Feltrinelli — invited visitors to add their beloved titles.

The Cloister of Frogs

In a hidden corner of Milan was The Cloister of Frogs. Luca Trazzi in collaboration with FAN EUROPE Lighting created an ethereal garden of splendor. Radial floral elements illuminated the pathways, appearing between the foliage and intertwining with columns. The dazzling works are a tribute to Bramante, the architect of the Basilica’s tribune, as Trazzi drew inspiration from a decorative flower element in the cloister.

La dolce attesta

The Italian love for theater extends to film spaces, which in turn is closely relatable to spatial design. For Salone 2025, Oscar-winning Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino was commissioned, as an auteur who enjoys creating film sets. Sorrentino devised an installation “La dolce attesta” or ‘The sweet waiting’. The longish room of red hues with two armchairs, a glass sculpture at the center and a soundscape by sound artist Max Casacci immersed visitors with the feeling of indefinite anticipation.

Tufts, knots and weaves

Visionnaire

Shibari armchair

Shibari in Japanese refers to a form of bondage and the chair by Studio Pepe for Visionnaire, plays on the varied means of a love knot, joining and connecting two strands with harmony and unity. Shibari Easy Chair comes with a polyurethane seat, with its soft upholstery made of recycled wool. The powder-coated metal framework is concealed in a high-density polyurethane foam tube.

Moooi

Moooi

Slovenian designer Nika Zupanc, whose work has earned titles such as ‘punk elegance’ and ‘techno chic’ brings her ‘larger than life’ tag to the Knitty Lounge Chair. Designed for the brand Moooi, in 15 colour options, the chair uses an oversized yarn similar to giant-sized ship rope to create an unusual design with a basket weave. The yarn itself is upholstered with knitted fabric for a soft and indulgent sitting experience.

Sustainability focus

Earth, hemp, seashells and more

Living Divani

Technology has become key to sustainable approaches. Noai, a biocomposite material, made from raw earth and hemp, is used in the Etoile collection by Living Divani, a collaboration with designer Marco Carini.

Breathair

With their continued interest in materials with low impact on the environment, Arper is now the first company to shape a seat cushion made of Breathair, a breathable and fully water-resistant polymer, which they launched in their Catifa 46 chairs. 

Legacy and luxury

A Luxury Way designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon

Villa Heritage, a site-specific installation was a journey of wonder across Pavilions 13 and 14 at the Salone. On an overall square layout, Pierre-Yves Rochon, designer and master of luxury hospitality, created immersive evocative narratives starting from the Red Drawing Room. Standout features included a Napoleon Chandelier by iDOGI reputed for their artistic glass lighting sculptures and solid wood armchairs by ZANABONI.

On a tea note

The Milan fair showcases a deep respect for history and heritage. This was evident in the quixotic ‘Kaikado 150’, an installation of 150 Japanese tea caddies in a courtyard in Milan. The exhibition celebrated the Kaikado legacy, the oldest family business making tea caddies since 1875, with a book launch by ERG Media. Five Japanese artisans transparently shared their caddy-making craft for the first time.

The writer is a brand strategist with a background in design from SAIC and NID.