Love it or loath it Milan Design Week remains the biggest event in the global furniture industry's calendar.
We loath it. Our colleagues at smow love it. And we're delighted they do: not only because it means we don't have to go, but because we know they take a lot of pleasure from the experience. And we also know from decades of trips to Salone how indescribably agreeable the weather in Milan in early April is.
Our colleagues are now back from Milan, back from cacophony of Milan to the daily routine in Lower East Plagwitz Village, and have brought back with them a myriad shapes, colours, encounters, ideas, and inspiration, some of which they share below. Whereby, we suspect there is still a lot more to come. Suspect his is but the antipasti...
Cassina surprised us this year – and delighted us. Beyond the famous classics their multi-story showroom, with terrace and its own café, revealed an impressive variety of new products that were not only stylistically in tune with the times, but also deeply touched us emotionally.
Particularly impressive: ME FROM OUTSIDE – a mirror-covered room created by Italian artist Pietro Terzini where, amidst silver curtains, large-format, limited-edition mirrors reflected not only your exterior, but also your inner self. "We see what we want to see," "I love you," and "Sometimes I lie" – these statements are more than design. They are questions we pose to ourselves. Personal, direct, provocative.
The anniversary of the iconic Le Corbusier, Jeanneret & Perriand Collection was also celebrated – with limited editions in striking colours: red, blue, and green, combined with tone-on-tone mohair velvet. The frames shone, perhaps a little too much, but they offered a fresh perspective on the familiar. Sustainably produced and designed in close collaboration with the estates heirs, they symbolised Cassina's balancing act between past and present.
A further smow highlight was the immersive theatre performance Staging Modernity in the venerable Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber. Furniture as performers, a stage space without boundaries, a production that questions modernity and outlines new visions of the future. Unfortunately, we didn't have time for the entire performance – but the atmosphere was unforgettable. Whether you wanted to or not, as soon as you sat in the darkened hall, you were inevitably drawn into the theatrical maelstrom of the Cassina world. It seemed as if the hustle and bustle of the trade fair outside had melted away. The here and now was what mattered.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of Brera the Muuto Apartment was a vibrant oasis full of colour, emotion, and atmosphere. As is tradition the apartment was specially clothed for the occasion, with each room telling its own unique story. From soft blue to earthy brown to fresh green: furniture, wall colours, and accessories blended into a monochrome overall experience that felt like different chapters of a poetic design book
The attention to detail was particularly impressive: every vase, every lamp, every textile was harmoniously placed. And, of course, the iconic Kink Vase was present, omnipresent, accompanying the visitor like a common thread through the rooms.
The idea behind this year's design – Transitions and Intentional Spaces – was inspired by the rhythm of the seasons, which we could literally feel: some rooms felt like a clear spring day, others like a warm, introspective autumn. Sometimes charged with energy, sometimes gentle and calm – always inviting.
Muuto also presented exciting new products such as the Looped Lamp by Dimitri Bähler, the Beam Table Lamp by Tom Chung, and the Gaze Mirror by Phil Procter – all available at smow from autumn.
Our conclusion: Every room was a favourite room.
Amongst all the impressions from the expansive exhibition grounds one booth in particular stood out in our memories: Tecta. Celebrating 100 years of Bauhaus Dessau Tecta created a powerful, poetic homage to the Bauhaus aesthetic—with a blue-and-white checkered room, iconic lettering on the wall, and plenty of design history that came across as fresh and contemporary.
The focus was the B15 cantilever chair, designed by Wolfgang Hartauer, an object that reinterprets Tecta's woven cantilever chair heritage, combining clean lines with exciting colour combinations: blue, brown, a touch of pink – all finely coordinated, with a keen sense of materiality and proportion.
And via which Tecta once again demonstrated that they not only preserve the Bauhaus, but also think further – quietly, cleverly and very stylishly.
How can function, emotion, and imagination be combined? USM Haller provided a striking answer at the Fuorisalone exhibition during Milan Design Week. Under the title "Connected by Our Dreams" the Swiss brand presented its latest add-on – the USM Haller Soft Panel: a textile extension that can be magnetically attached to the tubular structure of the modular system – without tools, without fuss, with style.
The entrance to the installation was a feast for the senses: floral sculptures crafted from the panel fabric, a cloud pattern on USM elements – and in the middle, a small tunnel leading into a dream world of colour, texture, and sound. Experimental above, homely below – the exhibition stretched across several levels and playfully demonstrated how much more a USM system can offer when you bring your imagination to bear.
Developed in collaboration with Marc Venot and the US design studio JOBA, the presentation was not only a visual highlight, but also an invitation to rethink modularity – as a vibrant, transformable system full of possibilities.
While delighting in the new, we were particularly pleased to see a familiar face: the Eiermann table – this time in the E-version with height adjustment. The timeless design classic by Egon Eiermann, produced by Richard Lampert and now further developed by Tim Schütze, is given a contemporary touch with its electric height adjustment, without losing its character. Whether as a desk, work table, or creative center , the height-adjustable version combines clear lines with maximum flexibility, remaining as minimalist as it is iconic. A table that thinks for itself, grows with its users, and, with its understated, functional design, shines in almost any room – a true smow highlight.
To round things off, Design Week took us to an almost meditative space: Thonet's presentation of its new collaboration with the renowned designer Jil Sander.
The presentation was restrained, almost austere: a small, minimalist space in which the furniture – raised on pedestals – appeared like silent sculptures. Simple forms, fine materials, and above all, colour schemes that immediately captivated us. Elegant, calm, confident – an aesthetic that doesn't have to be loud to be effective.
For all those who have fallen in love as much as we have: The Jil Sander x Thonet collection is already available in our shop.
