The reputation of Milan's Salone del Mobile rests on its ability to attract designers from every sphere, all eager to experience the latest trends in product design. This is a relatively fast-moving industry, one that apes fashion to the extent that dominant themes, colours, materials and innovations tend to be imitated and disseminated, translated from high-end products to mass-market ones in short market cycles.
See more of the car brands' offerings at the 'Auto Milano' show
Car designers look with envy at the speed of the process. With car making locked into a 10-15 year cycle, governed by the enormous complexity of manufacturing and technological development, one would imagine that the worlds of furniture design and automotive design would be content to eye each other with aloof suspicion. In fact, the past few years has seen several major manufacturers muscle in on Milan.
Last year the effect was pronounced, and the motoring sideshow persisted in 2014, with new installations, design competitions and the appearance of the odd concept car all conspiring to share the limelight with the big furniture brands. Jaguar's participation at Wallpaper* Handmade showed one approach, while other companies blew their budgets on massive interactive installations. Above, we take you on a tour of the action at the fast-growing Auto Milano show.
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Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designCreativity leaps the screen at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s record-flying roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
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The modernist home of musician Imogen Holst gets Grade II listingThe daughter of the composer Gustav Holst lived here from 1964 until her death, during which time the home served a locus for her own composition work, which included assisting Benjamin Britten
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This fun and free-spirited photography exhibition offers a chromatic view on the world‘Chromotherapia’ at Villa Medici in Rome, explores how we view colour as a way of therapy, and how it has shaped photography over the last century (until 9 June 2025)
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Salone Del Mobile 2025: Paolo Sorrentino, Robert Wilson, Sou Fujimoto and Pierre-Yves Rochon amongst this year's contributorsThe countdown to Salone Del Mobile 2025 has begun. President, Maria Porro, announced first plans for the fair including some key names
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Faye Toogood brings new life to Matisse’s legacyMilan Design Week 2023: tapped by Maison Matisse, the London-based designer has taken inspiration from the French master’s forms to create a collection of heirloom-worthy objects
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Prada Frames 2023: Milan programme announcedProgramme announced for Prada Frames 2023 at Milan Design Week, the annual symposium curated by Formafantasma at Luigi Caccia Dominioni's Teatro Filodrammatici from 17 to 19 April
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Alessi Occasional Objects: Virgil Abloh’s take on cutleryBest Cross Pollination: Alessi's cutlery by the late designer Virgil Abloh, in collaboration with his London studio Alaska Alaska, is awarded at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023
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Salone del Mobile 2023: highlights from Milan Design WeekIn pictures: our highlights from Milan Design Week, held during the 61st Salone del Mobile 2023 (18-23 April)
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USM launches blushing pink limited edition of its modular furnitureFollowing an installation during Milan Design Week 2022, USM launches a new pink limited edition of its Haller range
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‘You don't want space; you want to fill it’: Milan exhibitionMaking its debut during Milan Design Week 2022 at Marsèll Paradise, a new exhibition by Matylda Krzykowski, explores how we approach the space we live in (until 15 July 2022)
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Kohler and Daniel Arsham brought experiential art to Milan Design WeekLooking back on Daniel Arsham and Kohler’s Divided Layers installation, and the brand’s latest bathroom collection
