Milan Design Week: Philippe Malouin's ‘Great’ sofa for Hem more than lives up to its name
Three years in development, the Canadian designer’s new sofa for Hem is an elegantly modern, comfortable beast


The clue is in the name, of course, but Philippe Malouin’s new sofa for Swedish manufacturer Hem is indeed wonderful. Three years in development, the modular sofa is supremely comfortable (unlike many of its ilk), achieving just the right balance of squashy and firm to sink and support a weary body and soul, simultaneously.
Beyond the generosity of its proportions, which would sit well in big and small spaces, the ingenuity here lies in the padded Kvadrat upholstery, which the designer describes as a ‘hoodie feature’. This is a clever cover, essentially, with elasticated corners and button fastenings that secure both upholstery and modules together; there is room for a bit of give, but you won’t spend your life shifting the blocks back together and retucking the topper back in.
A relaxed aesthetic and a lived-in patina were important for the designer, and we’re calling it early: the ‘Great’ sofa will surely enter the canon of contemporary classics. Look out for it at Milan Design Week 2025 in April.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.

Hugo is a design critic, curator and the co-founder of Bard, a gallery in Edinburgh dedicated to Scottish design and craft. A long-serving member of the Wallpaper* family, he has also been the design editor at Monocle and the brand director at Studioilse, Ilse Crawford's multi-faceted design studio. Today, Hugo wields his pen and opinions for a broad swathe of publications and panels. He has twice curated both the Object section of MIART (the Milan Contemporary Art Fair) and the Harewood House Biennial. He consults as a strategist and writer for clients ranging from Airbnb to Vitra, Ikea to Instagram, Erdem to The Goldsmith's Company. Hugo has this year returned to the Wallpaper* fold to cover the parental leave of Rosa Bertoli as Global Design Director.
-
At Linden Los Angeles, classic New York comfort food gets its due
The restaurant, inspired by a stretch of boulevard bridging Brooklyn and Queens, honors legacy, community and pleasure
By Carole Dixon Published
-
Faye Toogood comes up roses at Milan Design Week 2025
Japanese ceramics specialist Noritake’s design collection blossoms with a bold floral series by Faye Toogood
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Tatar Bunar puts Ukrainian heritage front and centre
Family recipes and contemporary design merge at this new east London restaurant by Ukrainian restaurateurs Anna Andriienko and Alex Cooper
By Ben McCormack Published
-
Faye Toogood comes up roses at Milan Design Week 2025
Japanese ceramics specialist Noritake’s design collection blossoms with a bold floral series by Faye Toogood
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
6:AM create a spellbinding Murano glass showcase in Milan’s abandoned public shower stalls
With its first solo exhibition, ‘Two-Fold Silence’, 6:AM unveils an enchanting Murano glass installation beneath Piscina Cozzi
By Ali Morris Published
-
Dimoremilano and Loro Piana channel 1970s cinema in decadent Milan display
At Milan Design Week 2025, Dimorestudio has directed and staged an immersive, film-inspired installation to present new furniture and decor for Loro Piana
By Dan Howarth Published
-
In Milan, MoscaPartners presents a poetic exploration of ‘migration’
Alongside immersive work by Byoung Cho, MoscaPartners’ Milan Design Week 2025 display features an accessible exhibition path designed for visually impaired visitors
By Cristina Kiran Piotti Published
-
The making of PAN and Nike’s euphoric, club-inspired collaboration at Milan Design Week
Alongside a new Air Max 180 release, ‘The Suspended Hour’ display sees Berlin record label PAN imagine the unfolding of a club night, from dusk until dawn
By Craig McLean Published
-
Tokujin Yoshioka’s ephemeral ice furniture is made to melt in Milan
Transparent chairs of frozen water slowly disappear during Milan Design Week 2025, in an expression of light by Japanese artist Tokujin Yoshioka
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
In Milan, Rooms Studio examines Georgia’s shifting social landscape
Expandable tables that reference recent government protests and lamps held together with ‘chewing gum’ feature in the Tbilisi-based studio’s Milan Design Week 2025 installation
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Step inside ‘L’Appartamento’, a grand Milan apartment dedicated to Italian design
The Milan Design Week 2025 showcase of online platform Artemest enlists international designers to transform a 19th-century apartment in Palazzo Donizetti
By Ifeoluwa Adedeji Published