Salone del Mobile 2024: highlights from the fair and Milan Design Week

Salone del Mobile 2024 opens on 16 April, kickstarting a series of events, installations and presentations of everything that's new and exciting in design right now. With the fair taking over the ample spaces of Rho Fiera, and the city brimming with news for Fuorisalone, we bring you the best things to see at Milan Design Week 2024.

Browse our guide below, and check back for updates once more programmes are announced. Looking to grab a bite while at the fair? We've mapped Milan's best pizza.

Salone del Mobile 2024 explores a new experimental approach

This year, Salone del Mobile 2024 will include a new cultural programme as well as the biannual Eurocucina, and International Bathroom Exhibition. The Salone del Mobile 2024 programme was announced in February, and among the fair's most exciting moments will be the involvement of film director David Lynch, who paid homage to Salone and to the design of interior spaces 'Interiors by David Lynch. A Thinking Room‘, imagined as the threshold to an immersive, meditative realm.

Also part of the fair is a project that reflects on the role of water in bathroom design, with an installation titled 'Under the Surface' and created by Accurat, Design Group Italia and design studio Salotto NY. Staged as a submerged island, the installation ponders on the impact of our daily water consumption and how contemporary bathroom design can transform our habits.

In town, Salone del Mobile leaves its mark with the Design Kiosk, designed by DWA Design Studio and led by publishing house Corraini, offering art and design publications and a week-long platform for creative conversations.

Check back to see the best stands and exhibition at Salone del Mobile 2024 as they are unveiled from 16 April

More on $ Salone del Mobile tickets, timings and locations

FUORISALONE 2024: WHAT TO SEE AT MILAN DESIGN WEEK

We bring you the latest Fuorisalone 2024 locations and installations, as well as news from brands and designers. Discover the places to see at Milan Design Week 2024, from Triennale and Alcova 2024 to Capsule Plaza, as well as design guides to Brera, 5Vie, Tortona and the best furniture showrooms and galleries in town.

Key locations for Milan Design Week 2024 

Triennale Milano

At Milan Design Week 2024, Triennale (Viale Emilio Alemagna 6) once again transforms into a veritable design hub, with exhibitions and presentations that more than ever cement it as a must-visit destination. For Fuorisalone 2024, Triennale is also home to the Wallpaper* Class of '24, our celebration of emerging global talent in design.

Inga Sempé's 'La casa imperfetta' ('The imperfect home', on view until 15 September) is a display of the French designer's work. The exhibition offers an overview of Sempé's recent work set within a domestic scenario conceived by Studio A/C together with Sempé.

Also at Triennale is 'Emeco to Emeco', an exhibition designed by by Jasper Morrison toasting to 80 years of the American brand, and a display by gallerist Rossana Orlandi titled 'Design Walk in Budapest`, a showcase of work by Hungarian designers. Japanese, Milan-based designer Keiji Takeuchi gathered a diverse group of designers to interpret the walking stick: 'Walking Sticks & Canes'

'Universo satellite' (open until 28 April) marks a quarter of a century of Salone Satellite, Salone del Mobile's programme to support emerging designers, led by Marva Griffin Wilshire.

Finally, the Triennale's design programming includes 'Io sono un drago - The true story of Alessandro Mendini' (13 April - 13 October 2024), an exhibition in collaboration with Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, honouring the legacy of Alessandro Mendini and his multi-faceted world.

Capsule Plaza at Spazio Maiocchi and Corso Como 10

Capsule Plaza returns this year at Spazio Maiocchi (via Achille Maiocchi 3-5-7), also taking over the iconic spaces of 10 Corso Como. 

Curated by Capsule’s founder and creative director Alessio Ascari with architect Paul Cournet, the lineup includes an array of contemporary brands and creatives working across multiple disciplines and pushing the boundaries of furniture and product design. 

These include Ecco Leather with At.Kollektive, Harry Nuryev with Poltronova, Alaska Alaska with Nike, a showcase of recycled aluminium pieces by Hydro curated by Lars Beller Fjetland, Muller Van Severen with BD Barcelona and more. 

At the 10 Corso Como location, the immersive Panton lounge celebrates Verner Panton's work in collaboration with the brands carrying on his legacy, including Vitra, Verpan, &Tradition, and Montana. The installation is also an opportunity to unveil newly-reissued pieces, including the Domino and Romantica rug by Amini, and the Spiegel acoustic panel by Offecct.

Rimowa partnered with La Marzocco for a grooved aluminium-clad coffee machine, presented through an immersive installation recreating a traditional Milanese cafe by Nuova (next door to Spazio Maiocchi).

Steps away from Spazio Maiocchi, don't miss Unikko, Marimekko's pop up cafe by Apartamento (Via Antonio Stoppani, 15), bringing to life the Finnish brand's iconic print in an immersive cafe open from breakfast to aperitivo with special gastronomic collaborations and limited editions objects. 

Alcova 2024

Independent design showcase Alcova 2024 takes over with two historical villas that have contributed to the history of Metropolitan Milan.

A Modernist masterpiece located in Varedo, Villa Borsani (Via Umberto I, 148, 20814 Varedo MB) was completed in 1945 and was designed by architect Osvaldo Borsani for his family. Within walking distance is Villa Bagatti Valsecchi (Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 48, 20814 Varedo MB), a 19-century mansion that was originally built as a summer retreat for the Milanese family.

Alcova's multilayered presentation this year includes Maniera's showcase of Junya Ishigami furniture, plus new collaborations by Objects of Common Interest, Kiki Goti, cc-tapis, Calico Wallpaper with Colin King among many more.

Located a 5-minute walk from each other, the two venues are in Varedo, a 25-minute train ride from Milan stations including Cadorna, Garibaldi, Porta Venezia and Repubblica with lines S2 and S4.

Read Wallpaper's highlights from Alcova 2024

Dropcity 

Located in the arches around Stazione Centrale, Drop City made its debut in 2022 and quickly became a must-visit destination at Fuorisalone. Located at the former Magazzini Raccordati (Via Sammartini), in autumn 2024 the space will become a new cultural centre, designed by architect Andrea Caputo and including exhibition spaces, workshops and more.

For Milan Design Week 2024, the area's arches host 'We Mediterranean' (Tunnel 50), an itinerant project led by Paola Carimati in collaboration with We Design Beirut with the aim of developing a new, collaborative idea of home. The Milanese stop at Drop City includes contributions by Francesca Lanzavecchia, Studio Ossidiana and Studio PioveneFabi among others.

'Elements: Unique Details of 20th Century Architecture and Interior' (Tunnel 56) by Okolo, curated by Adam Štěch, is a photographic exhibition of the mid-century architecture hunter's global travels in search of the world's most unique structures.

The location also hosts 'Tent Typologies: A Working Study' (Tunnel 142) by Sam Chermayeff and Maharam, and Wasp’s 3D printing site (Tunnel 54), where a 3D crane printer will be used to manufacture multifunctional wall modules for Drop City's imminent opening.

North of Centrale is Caffè Populaire, the third iteration of the immersive pop-up café by Canadian lighting studio Lambert and Fils and DWA. This year, collaborators to the space include Sophie Lou Jacobsen and food-art studio Ananas Ananas, while the latest lighting collections by Zoe Mowat for Lambert and Fils illuminate the space. The space also serves as a display for Unico, a collection of vessels by DWA created with furniture brand Pedrali made by manipulating the company's material waste. 

Bagni Misteriosi

Among Milan's most enchanting venues is Bagni Misteriosi (Via Carlo Botta, 18), a Rationalist public pool that made its Milan Design Week debut in 2023, with an installation by Danish brand Gubi. This year, yacht brand Azimut takes over the space with an installation by Michele de Lucchi and AMDL Circle, offering a multisensory experience culminating in the unveiling of the new Seadeck 6, with interiors by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez, anchored in the middle of the pool. 

All the Milanese Palazzos to visit at Fuorisalone 2024

Among the most special features of Fuorisalone is the fact that the Milanese Palazzos open to the public for the week, and become the set for exciting installations and product displays. Attending Milan Design Week would be worth for the Palazzo experience alone, with their charmingly-decorated interiors and arched, wisteria-clad courtyards. 

Palazzo Visconti (Via Cino del Duca, 8): this 18th century marvel is the backdrop to Flos' new projects by Michael Anastassiades, Formafantasma and Barber Osgerby, with an installation by Arquitectura G staged as a series of tromp d’oeils based on a play of reflections. 

Palazzo del Senato (Via Senato, 10): at Milan Design Week 2024, Kohler unveils Its latest collaboration with Samuel Ross, namely the ‘Formation 02’ toilet design. 

Palazzo Isimbardi (Corso Monforte, 35): Lasvit's installation 'Porta', by brand creative director Maxim Velčovský, comprises 10 large-scale panels of fused glass in Corten steel frames within the palazzo's courtyard. 

Palazzo Cusani (Via Brera 13–15): the 17th-century palace is the stage for Atelier Biagetti's collaboration with leather goods brand MCM, curated by Maria Cristina Didero and based on a current yet futuristic idea for the nomadic home. 

Palazzo Litta (Corso Magenta, 24): as part of the 5Vie circuit, Palazzo Litta features a series of displays based on materials with works by Jay Sae Jung Oh, Sara Ricciardi and Eliurpi, a project by Elisabet Urpì and Nacho Umpiérrez focusing on objects created with traditional weaving techniques. In the Aquarium Room, 'Trattoria Altra Vista' is a recreation of a traditional Italian Trattoria, with elements by Analogia Project, Benedetta Mori Ubaldini, and Simone Fanciullacci among others. 

Within the palazzo's Sala Degli Specchi (hall of mirrors), radical design legend Gufram brings to life its iconic Bocca sofa, with a moving installation created in collaboration with Motionitalia that offers a new interpretation to a Radical Design classic.

At Palazzo Litta, don't miss Nifemi Marcus Bello's Omi Iyọ,curated by Anna Carnick, a poignant work (originally debuted at Design Miami 2023) that 'calls attention to the dangerous journeys of undocumented migrants from Africa to Europe, and serves as a poetic marker honoring the very real human toll of this crisis.'

Palazzo Citterio (Via Brera, 12): the 18th century Barocco residence becomes the stage for Loewe Lamps, the Spanish fashion brand's celebration of design and craft through light. 

Palazzo Borromeo D’Adda (Via Alessandro Manzoni 41): Alessi presents 'Myth Makes Belief', a display of new works including a coffee maker by Michael Anastassiades, glassware by Naoto Fukasawa and an electric kettle by Nendo, presented through an installation blending myth and reality. 

More Fuorisalone 2024: Discover Milan through design 

Brera

Possibly the most picturesque neighbourhood of Milan, Brera’s cobbled streets play host to an array of showrooms, galleries and exhibition spaces.

Start at the top with Design Space AlUlA at Mediateca Santa Teresa (Via della Moscova 28) presents works by Saudi and international designers including Leen Ajlan, Cristian Mohaded, Hall Haus, Leo Orta and more, with a scenography by Sabine Marcelis and Paul Cournet.

Nearby, ‘A Tribute to Cini Boeri’ is an exhibition by Loro Piana (Via della Moscova 33) featuring a showcase of furniture pieces designed by the Italian architect and upholstered in Loro Piana Interiors fabrics. 

On Moscova is also Lodes' showroom (Via della Moscova 33), who this year present a new collaboration with Paola Navone / Otto Studio, and Flexform (via della Moscova 33), whose new collections include a chair by Antonio Citterio that merges traditional and contemporary codes.

Via Solferino is a key design avenue for the area, and must-visit locations include Boffi and Salvatori (Via Solferino 11), accessed through a charming courtyard. The same address hosts Dimoregallery, Dimorestudio’s intimate apartment-gallery, and Muuto's Milan Apartment, where the Danish brand will show new furniture by John Tree and Jamie Wolfond. Nearby, Ceramica Flaminia's space (Via solferino 18) hosts the innovative bathroom brand's new launches, with collaborators including Nendo.

Next door at no 9 is Missoni Home, a vibrant, light-filled showroom that's always worth a visit, this year debuting an outdoor collection with specialist Roda.  

From Via Solferino, if you turn into Via Palermo you’ll find La Pelota (Via Palermo 10), a traditional Fuorisalone venue where Hermès has traditionally staged a world of exquisite objects and furniture to discover.

Read more about Hermès at Milan Design Week 2024

On the same street, Blond Laboratory (Via Palermo 11) is a new collective exhibition featuring a host of international designers such as Hirotaka Tako, John Tree, Form Us With Love, Julie Richoz and more. The exhibition includes new designs that respond to a concept of living offline, inspired by old-school objects - such as John Tree and Neal Feay's Light Touch turntable.

While you're on via Palermo, don't miss Unno Gallery's display (Via Palermo 8): titled 'The Origen', the exhibition features new works by Mark Grattan, Estudio Persona, Andrea Vargas Dieppa and Habitacion 116. 

Also in the area is Spazio Orso (Via dell’Orso 16), where ECAL traditionally presents its students’ and graduates’ work, as well as the Swiss school's ongoing design research projects. Led by ECAL's Head of Master Product Design Camille Blin, this year's project is titled Under Pressure Solutions - inspired by the original concept for Gaetano Pesce's Up chair for B&B Italia, the two-year investigation resulted in the development of a sponge-like 100% cellulose fibre that can be used to design compact objects, and immersed in water to reach the full size. On view are experiments ranging from seating to storage, as well as toys and tabletop designs. 

German lighting company Grau staged an installation (Via Meravigli), that included a large-scale bonfire light sculpture as part of the launch of Fire, the world’s first light player

Moroso (Via Pontaccio 8) presents new designs by Patricia Urquiola, Stefan Scholten, Zanellato/Bortotto and Wieki Somers. Nearby is also Dedar (via Fiorichiari 18), showing its new textile offerings.

Casa Mutina (Via Cernaia 1/A) is the ceramic tiles specialist's home in the heart of Brera, its latest presentation dedicated to a special release by Ronan Bouroullec.

A few steps north of Brera, in the Herzog & de Meuron Feltrinelli building (Viale Pasubio 15), UniFor unveils Andromeda, a new collection of furniture by LSM.

On the northern edge of Brera, within a plaster workshop, is the debut of Interni Venosta, a new furniture brand launched by Dimorestudio founders Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci, paying homage to Italian 1970s design and the American avantgarde (Gipsoteca Fumagalli e Dossi, Viale Montello 4)

Furniture showrooms and Quadrilatero della Moda 

Fuorisalone offers visitors an opportunity for a full immersion into the best Italian furniture showrooms (many of which are practically located in a well-contained area within the city centre), and for the occasion, these spaces become immersive displays of each brand’s latest launches.

First stop is Via Durini with B&B Italia, Edra, Natuzzi, Dolce & Gabbana Home and Gallotti & Radice, the latter unveiling their newly-renovated showroom by Studiopepe. Also on Via Durini, this year Cassina reissues Eames lighting for the first time as part of its iMaestri programme. 

At the Technogym showroom (Via Durini 1), the brand celebrates its 40 years with an exhibition conceived by Giulio Cappellini, presenting the brand's home gym bench through the eyes of 40 eclectic creatives. On via Durini is also bathroom brand Kaldewei (Casa Flash Art, Via Durini 24), previewing a new collaboration with German furniture brand E15.

Hop along to nearby Corso Monforte, home to lighting brands including Artemide, Danese, Flos (whose Monforte presentation focuses on Workmates, the brand's innovative workspace lighting), Nemo, Occhio, as well as DePadova. 

Tucked in a courtyard behind the Flos showroom is Danish textile authority Kvadrat, whose #coloureffect installation by Margrethe Odgaard presents new textiles by the Danish designer and Giulio Ridolfo, as well as rugs by Ronan Bouroullec and Jos Klarenbeek. 

Also on Corso Monforte is Living Divani Gallery, part showroom and part exhibition space, designed by Piero Lissoni, and the new showroom of outdoor furniture brand Emu.

At the top of Corso Monforte is Porro, hidden behind a brutalist façade and showcasing new pieces including an origami-inspired bench by Nao Tamura. In the area, don’t miss Armani Casa (with a showroom on Corso Venezia 14, and their HQ at Palazzo Orsini, Via Borgonuovo 11), Meridiani (Corso Venezia 29), Visionnaire (Piazza Cavour 3, also featuring a bistro for a culinary pit-stop among design viewings), Poliform (Piazza Cavour 2) and Baxter (Largo Augusto 1).

Nearby, the Portaluppi-designed Villa Necchi Campiglio offers a taste of old Milan, and this year its garden pavilion forms the backdrop to German kitchen brand Gaggenau's latest launches.

Quadrilatero della Moda (the city’s fashion district), is home to Molteni & C (Corso Europa 2) and Henge (Via della Spiga 34). On Via della Spiga 31, Giorgetti opens the doors to its 4-floor palazzo, a showroom concept titled The Place and demonstrating the company’s collections in a sophisticated setting. 

Cappellini's showroom (via Borgogna 8) opened in 2023, becoming the inventive brand's new home in Milan and showcase its latest collections as well as contemporary classics. 

Don't miss Poltrona Frau’s showroom in a frescoed building (Via Manzoni 30), forming the backdrop for the Italian company’s 'Imagine Collection’, featuring new pieces by Faye Toogood among others. 

In its showroom (Piazza della Scala), Fendi Casa presents new collections including a new sofa playing with the fashion maison's visual codes. 

Among the fashion brands at Salone is also Bottega Veneta, who this year partner with Cassina and Fondation Le Corbusier for an installation titled 'On the Rocks' (Palazzo San Fedele, Piazza San Fedele), featuring a display of the bespoke LC14 Tabouret Cabanon stools from the brand's A/W24 show, as well as a new limited-edition stool with signature Bottega Veneta leather.

At the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi (Via Gesù, 5), the Prada Frames symposium led by Formafantasma returns for a third edition, with the theme of 'Being Home'.

Making his Milan Design Week debut is JW Anderson, with an exhibition during created in collaboration with artist Patrick Carroll at his boutique (Via Sant'Andrea 16)

Gucci steps into Fuorisalone with Gucci Design Ancora, shown at their Milan flagship store (Via Montenapoleone 7A) and comprising a special edition of five design icons (from Mario Bellini's Le Mura Sofa by Tacchini to Nanda Vigo's Storet chest of drawers for Acerbis), presented with a Gucci touch. 

This year, Herno joins the fashion brands showing at Milan Design Week 2024, with a special installation at its store (Via Montenapoleone 3), titled 'With Love, Herno Blooms'

A 10-minute walk from Montenapoleone is Piazza Santo Stefano, where British designer Faye Toogood stages her Rude Arts Club (Piazza Santo Stefano 10), a private members club setting where her new collections for cc-tapis and Tacchini are displayed in an immersive environment. 

A bit further, on Piazza Cordusio, Aesop prepares to open its new Milan store and celebrates with a special installation in collaboration with Nicolas Schuybroek, inspired by Arte Povera and featuring Body Cleansing Slabs as the space's building blocks. 

5Vie

One the most charming areas of Milan is 5Vie, is a historical district west of Duomo hosting an array of installations and exhibitions within galleries, apartments, courtyards and palazzos. The district’s 2024 theme is 'Unlimited Design Orchestra', offering an idea of design that is collaborative and based on humanistic principles.

Among the district's highlights this year is Gunjan Gupta's Indian Tiny Megastore (Via Cesare Correnti 14), curated by Maria Cristina Didero and offering a collection of everyday objects shown to reflect a traditional Indian supermarket. 

In the area is also Georgian design studio Rooms' display, titled 'Bedrooms' and based on 6 beds designs (SIAM, Via Santa Marta 18). The collection originated from the studio's need for the designs within their interiors projects, and in the installation each bed becomes the centrepiece of distinct interiors, imagined for both private and hospitality spaces. 

At Pinacoteca Ambrosiana (Piazza Pio XI), the late Gaetano Pesce was invited to stage an exhibition of previously unseen works, gathered under the title 'Nice to See You', opening on 19 April, while the designer's 'L'Uomo Stanco' (a large-scale installation outside the location whose theme is the 'ethic tiredness of the so called Stronger Sex'), will be on view all week. 

South Milan: Navigli and Zona Tortona

South of Milan is Zona Tortona, one of the original Fuorisalone locations: gravitating around main avenues Via Tortona, Via Savona and Via Bergognone are a series of large-scale installations, exhibitions and design hubs. The area erupts onto the Navigli, the city’s picturesque canal area.

This year, the area’s highlights include 1st: an exhibition ‘to ignite dreams and inspire’ by Ikea (Visconti Pavilion, Via Tortona 58), while nearby, Zaha Hadid Design worked with Karimoku to present 'Hybridisation' (Garden House, Via Tortona 12). 

Moored on the Navigli for the week is Atelier Biagetti’s Love Boat (Navigli / Ripa di Porta Ticinese, 61), the Milanese studio’s latest creative extravaganza showcasing their Pet Therapy project in one of Milan’s most inspiring settings.

A bit further south, don't miss Formafantasma's exhibition at ICA (Via Orobia, 26), titled 'La Casa Dentro' and on view until 19 July, it offers a novel approach to modernism and an intimate insight into the designers’ own perception of home. 

Milan Design galleries to visit during Fuorisalone 2024

The design galleries in Milan, old and new, come alive during Fuorisalone with specially commissioned projects, objects and installations not to be missed.

Start with design destination Nilufar (Via della Spiga 32), Nina Yashar’s gallery presenting the most exciting names in collectible design. The gallery’s second outpost, Nilufar Depot, used to hold Yashar’s archives and has now been transformed into an exciting exhibition space, whose spaces this year feature

Rossana Orlandi’s gallery (Via Matteo Bandello 14) is a life-sized cabinet of curiosities that will offer a sense of discovery to any design journey, with a mix of emerging talent and independent brands showcased across its spaces. This year, the location also hosts The Moroso Gallery of Wonders, a new project by Ron Arad.

The new location of Dimoregallery is near Stazione Centrale (Via GB Sammartini 63): aptly named Dimorecentrale, the space acts as a multifunctional hub, with this year's exhibition centred around the theme of 'Occupazione'. As part of the installation is also Aesop's 'Aromatorium', adding a multisensory dimension to the installation. 

Also in the area is newcomer Oxilia Gallery (via Nino Oxilia 9), founded in 2022 by Alessandro Mensi and long-term Wallpaper* collaborator Frederik De Wachter, now presenting an exhibition titled 'Tandem', showing minimalist furniture by Danish designer Frederik Fialin in dialogue with ceramics and textile works by French-Swiss artist Réjeany Frederik.