Comfort, Craftsmanship, Color, and Light

The Event: Milan Design Week 2022
When: 6 – 12 June
Where: Milan, Italy
Why: 2,000 global exhibitors of residential and commercial furniture, a SoloneSatellite filled with cutting-edge and idealistic creations from young designers, and the latest exhibit from Markus Benesch.

Milan Design Week is a never-ending mind party, for designers, design enthusiasts, and anyone that loves creators and their creations. The sensory overload of energy and inspiration is nothing short of addictive, whether you’re at the Salone Del Mobile fair, held just outside of the city, or wandering Fuorisalone, the official name for the several Design Districts that pop up throughout Milan…more casually known simply as Design Week.

The last full-caliber Design Week happened in 2019. To celebrate the return of the pre-pandemic crowds, this year exhibitors and venues gleefully exploited Milan’s greatest recent export: Aperitivo happy hours, with variations on the Prosecco-fueled Aperol spritz and endless plates of savory nibbles. Companies like Alessi hired rock-star-famous mixologists to ensure their Aperitivo events set a high bar. The idea was so popular it caused a serious shortage of ice in the city.

The fair is huge: 200,000 square meters, with 2,000 global exhibitors showing residential and commercial furniture, and this year kitchens as well, in two dedicated EuroCucina halls. The exhibits are duly impressive, and it’s easy to find incredible furniture to break just about any budget.

With 20-plus exhibit halls, it helps to narrow your focus. Browse the gallery for ours: comfort—a recurring post-pandemic theme displayed in “The Hugging Chair,” designed by Alexia Audrain, an award-winning designer and cabinet maker from Nantes, France; craftsmanship—see Anna Arpa’s table made entirely from wood with no glues and no screws, an incredible study of wooden joinery; color—the playful and multitalented Markus Benesch featured in our 2019 Design Week coverage and you can watch him speak about his “Show Your Colors” exhibit in this Material Minute; and light—in the Hermés “Looking for Lightness” and Lexus “Sparks of Tomorrow” exhibits.

The energy has returned to the design industry’s favorite rave. We look forward to cooler temps when Design Week returns to its usual spring timeslot, 17 – 23 April, 2023. Hope to see you there!