From larger than life installations and showroom presentations to the Salone del Mobile fair itself, Milan Design Week 2026 has reset contemporary design thinking. This year’s edition also saw a notable presence of designers from the Middle East, who brought forward intelligent, narrative-led works inspired by heritage, migration and shifting urban identities, adding a distinct regional perspective to Milan. Here are the takeaways and top trends from Milan Design Week 2026 that caught the eye of the editors from AD’s global editions.
Back to Basics: The Art of Making
At Milan Design Week 2026, a quiet but resolute shift emerged: a return to fundamentals. In contrast to the relentless acceleration of AI-assisted creation, designers and heritage houses alike embraced a slower, more deliberate rhythm that is grounded in the intelligence of the hand.
Materiality and processes took centre stage. Missoni’s presentation, for example, was built around a giant, industrial-scale knitting machine, transforming the mechanics of textile production into a live, immersive installation. Rather than concealing the act of making, as is typical in luxury contexts, the brand foregrounded it. The machine itself became both the object and the performer, continuously producing fabric in real time, emphasising rhythm, repetition and the choreography of craft.
Loro Piana also opted on a quietly rigorous exploration of textile craft through a series of case studies centred on plaid, which was treated less as a decorative motif and more as a technical and cultural construct. Around two dozen plaid pieces were displayed, each functioning as an individual investigation into material, structure and process.
Prada Home similarly embraced the ritualistic art of making, with a deeply material and contemplative exhibition curated by Theaster Gates, bringing together handcrafted ceramics; tea bowls, sake sets and platters created by a group of Japanese potters alongside works from his own studio. The focus wasn’t on polished luxury objects, but rather on the tactile and cultural significance of ceramics and their ability to carry memory, gesture and time.
All in all, what surfaced across the week was a collective desire to reconnect with making, positioning design as an act of contemplation.
Canary Yellow
_1.JPG)
Despite weather reports calling for rain, the sun was out for the duration of Milan Design Week and, as if to coordinate, a happy hue that I'm calling canary yellow found its way into installations and new collections all around town. At Fendi Casa, the colour showed up in a sunny bar as well as the brand new Naki Sumo side table, with a matching juicy Murano glass top. At Cassina, I clocked canary in the cushions of the newly-reissued 1960 Panton Peacock chair. (A slightly greener variant of the colour was used on pillowy walls and upholstery in their presentation of Patricia Urquiola's new Ardys sofa system.) At B&B Italia's Fiera showcase, it was used for a reissued 1984 Nena folding chair by Richard Sapper. And out at Nilufar Depot, the egg yolk hue sheathed a bed in David/Nicolas' room in the Grand Hotel show. The happy colour, which you can see year in year out around Milan on the walls of an interior courtyard or the handrails of the metro channelled the fun and flair of the city into this year's introductions.
Written in Stone
B&B Italia unveiled its new collection within a modernist setting inspired by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Villa Tugendhat, where partitions made of coloured marble redefined the space with precision, playing with perspectives and materials.
At Hermès, the renowned duo Barber & Osgerby explored the same material, crafted in marquetry and subtle curves, to create a dining table with equestrian accents, blending artisanal craftsmanship with contemporary precision.
Studioutte, meanwhile, covered walls in full-height alabaster, creating large backlit panels that diffuse a soft light, which is also adapted into smaller formats as table lamps and wall sconces.
Finally, architect Hannes Peer collaborated with Margraf to envision a home entirely built around stone elements, clad in marble with touches of onyx. Here, the material transcends its smooth, colourful finish: it becomes matte, porous and dominates every space—as a platform and on the floors and walls, transforming stone into a true architectural language, a total and immersive presence.
Weaving as Structure
Weaving is no longer only part of a decorative language used with materials like rattan, grass and textiles; it has gradually evolved into a more structural design approach. It intertwines softness with support and openness with boundaries while establishing connections that are both visual and tactile between materials. The logic of weaving is continuously expanded, becoming a means of constructing spaces and furniture.
Loro Piana’s “Studies, Chapter I: On the Plaid” explores materials and weaving techniques from a traditional perspective. Meanwhile, the Dilly lamp created by designer Jacopo Foggini for Edra presents another kind of weaving with materials, with hand-crafted polycarbonate shapes passing through layers and interlacing forms. At Alcova, ropes, textiles and lightweight structures are incorporated into furniture, with a similar logic unfolding in a more experimental manner.
The different materials and approaches to weaving also reflect a renewed focus on “making.” As a craft with a strong handmade quality, it is being reactivated within an industrial context: on one hand, as a contemporary expression of traditional techniques; on the other, through integration with new materials and processes. In this process, that act of making is no longer concealed but instead becomes part of the design narrative, the structure itself is the expression.
From decoration to structure, from materials to methods, weaving at this year’s Milan Design Week takes on a more open stance. It is no longer merely about a return to a “natural” aesthetic, but a reconsideration of connections, relationships and modes of creation.
Soft Industrialism
You won’t find many other materials that have managed to stay on trend as long as metal has. Chrome, stainless steel and aluminium surfaces have even taken star turns of late, and when not holding centre stage in a monochromatic look, they often get paired with marble, wood, glass or even velvet in a supporting role. You might expect that metal should have reached its peak long ago. But at Salone del Mobile 2026, it’s just the opposite as metal is drawing ever further attention through designs and installations.
Yet, a decided shift is taking place. Gone are rough edges and industrial rigidity in favour of largely soft, sculptural and at times playful works that express new verve. It can be achieved through organic forms but also using surprising material combinations. In its Lien sofa design, furniture maker Enne went for bold contrasts in pairing cool metal with soft shapes and even softer bouclé. In Arflex’s Botolo chairs, the combination of chrome and curly sheepskin made for a rather charming look. A visually striking wall lamp stood out at the Nilufar Depot gallery within the Salone Raritas exhibition space: Metal and ivory-coloured fibreglass came together in the playful Lantern Stack lighting fixture in which industrial design intersects with sculptural expression, demonstrating once again how the raw and the refined can coexist. The same is true of the Glimpse Floor Lamp in which Ukrainian furniture maker Furn Object softened metal’s usual sharpness and hardness, and made it appear to almost melt. Has metal already had its day? Not in the least.
Botanical Touches
At this year’s edition of Milan Design Week, nature took centre stage as both inspiration and as an opportunity for reflection. You were invited to slow down, step away from the turmoil, and appreciate the beauty all around us. To that end, Elisa Ossino’s installation Responsive Nature showcased the Molteni&C furniture maker’s Outdoor Collection. Six distinct botanical landscapes were enclosed within one structure and collectively created an immersive walkable journey. Meanwhile, as part of the Alcova exhibitions, Caecilia Rebbe’s installation, Natura Obscura, was made up of wearable floral sculptural forms that shrink the boundaries between the natural landscape and the built environment. This same concept emerges in furniture maker Saba’s Botanical Frequencies, where the dialogue between art and design renders botanical language into forms, materials and chromatic vibrations, as seen in the Oasi modular seating system designed by Robin Rizzini. This theme was also reflected in other pieces: the wool and silk Códice VIII rug by Mexican studio Balmaceda reinterpreted botanical motifs to evoke the shape of a ceiba tree. Similarly, Lebanese architect Georges Mohasseb of Studio Manda presented the Cactus Collection for Nilufar, inspired by that plants’ ability to adapt to extreme environments. Finally, light became landscape with Cassina’s Samambu lamp, designed by Neri & Hu, evoking the tranquil atmosphere of a bamboo forest.
Touch Wood
Wood remains one of the favourite materials of designers and brands, transcending categories and contexts. I saw it both in reissues of historic pieces, such as the Pigreco chair, designed by Tobias Scarpa and reimagined by Tacchini in natural and lacquered wood, as well as in new designer furniture, like Isamu Kenmochi’s models brought to the fair by Side Gallery in the Raritas exhibition. It was also featured in the La Boisserie installation by the duo David/Nicolas, where the designers embraced this decorative yet practical material, or the installation at Palazzo Acerbi by interior designer Kelly Wearstler to mark her upcoming collection with H&M Home, which includes wood pieces like the Noxen chairs and stools.
At Zaza Gallery, BD presented Rasters, a collection of modular furniture developed by Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen together with Muller Van Severen and originally intended for Bottega Veneta’s headquarters in Milan. It translates the grid systems used by architects and engineers into a family of cabinets and screens (another piece we’ve been seeing everywhere) all in solid beech.
Chairs, armchairs, tables, stools and outdoor pieces: Wood takes on any form while making it clear that we long for the tactile in an increasingly digital world. It introduces an analog element into objects, inviting us to rediscover the value of touch, everyday use and the origin of materials. More than a formal device, it becomes a vehicle for emotional connection, slowing down and advocating for a more mindful relationship with design.
Outdoor Aesthetics Move Indoors
While design has long negotiated the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, this year recalibrated the relationship by drawing outdoor aesthetics into the home. Associated with terraces, verandas and the informality of 1970s furniture, rattan and cane were rendered in polished, sophisticated forms.
Minotti introduced the Elas family, defined by a wicker shell across bergère, armchair and footstool versions. At Gervasoni, the reissued R 513 armchair by Vico Magistretti used the rhythm of vertical elements to integrate a backrest and armrest into a single gesture. Santé by Concetta Giannangeli drew on the bistro archetype, updated through the fluid geometry of rattan. Poliform showcases Auguste by Jean-Marie Massaud, a reimagining of the director’s chair in metal and straw rope, while B&B Italia’s Alvar by Antonio Citterio used woven cork to rework the classic garden cane chair.
Bamboo also gained prominence in lighting. Gupica’s Bambù collection for Besana Carpet Lab aligned identity with structure, balancing raw materiality with refinement. By slicing bamboo into thin strips, Massimo Rigaglia’s Lights in Tension created soft, arched lamps.
Porro revisited the HT System by Piero Lissoni + CRS Porro, introducing a new backdrop in Bruno-stained midollino, or rattan, its carved wood recalling rattan’s material memory within an architectural system. And extending this language, Neri&Hu reinterpreted bamboo weaving as a ceramic motif for Mutina.
Beyond products and surfaces, the idea also expanded to installations. Thai artists Korakot Aromdee and Vasana Saima evoked the gardens of Monsieur Dior’s childhood home in a whimsical scenography crafted entirely from rattan and bamboo. This Design Week revealed a shift in register across fields, what was once informal is now refined, and what belonged outdoors is fully claimed within.
The Language of Glass
Glass emerged as one of the most fascinating languages of contemporary design: an exploration of light through matter. Far from being a static material, it appeared as a living entity that interacted with light, preserved the artisan’s touch, and retained the memory of the fire that formed it in every imperfection. Light, rather than simply falling upon the pieces, seemed to emanate from within each one.
Blown glass, an icon of Italian craftsmanship, especially in Murano, was boldly reinterpreted. Studio 6:AM presented cubes that were originally conceived for Bottega Veneta’s acclaimed runway design and have now been transformed into architectural elements that revealed how repetition can generate a language without sacrificing the unique elements of each piece.
In Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance’s Corolle lamps for Dior Maison, glass traced choreographies of light and shadow, while Barovier&Toso, under the direction of Luca Nicetto, balanced rhythm and silence in forms that honour tradition without abandoning contemporary style.
From Salviati’s radical experimentation with Draga & Aurel, to Christian Pellizzari’s almost wild creature-like light fixtures at Nilufar, or Gallotti&Radice’s recycled glass chairs, glass unfolded on multiple scales. More than a trend, it asserted itself as a realm where technique, imperfection and poetry converge.
