"Repetition is a big part of my design language" says Kelly Wearstler

This Milan design week marks a series of firsts for Kelly Wearstler, who is making her Milan debut with an inaugural furniture collection for H&M Home, set to be shown in a baroque palazzo.

The Swedish brand hasn't previously exhibited in Milan and neither has Wearstler – though the designer, who is known for her warm, bohemian interiors and often works with natural materials, has been coming to the design week for years.

"The first time was probably 15 years ago, and it's so changed; from the global footprint and everything that goes on in terms of very established creatives and brands, to the emerging, and [Milan is] really supporting both," Wearstler told Dezeen.

"I think having that dichotomy is what makes it so interesting."

"A lot of guardrails in place" when working with H&M Home

Wearstler has created 13 pieces, including a set of modular furniture, for H&M Home that are being shown for the first time this week. It is part of a larger, 29-piece collaboration with Wearstler and is the first time the brand has worked with a designer to create large furniture pieces.

As well as designing the furniture, for the launch Wearstler will bring her signature interior design skill to create the palazzo where the pieces will be shown.

To Wearstler, who has previously designed marble furniture and even a wooden grand piano, collaborating with H&M Home came with new challenges.

"Partnering with H&M Home, there were a lot of guardrails in place, and size limitations; this is the first time they've done furniture, so it was all about modularity and thinking in a new way," she explained.

"The guardrails really made us be more creative and challenged us more, in a good way," Wearstler continued.

The furniture that Wearstler has designed includes chairs that can be transformed into sofas, with pieces informed by her love of repetition.

"Everything's based on modularity; it's a kind of modular synergy where you can take one of the chairs and it could turn into a sofa," she explained.

"[It's about] repetition and modularity, a word that is synonymous with what we do – I love repetition. Repetition is a big part of my design language here."

This was also due to the fact that the pieces all had to fit into a box that could be easily transported, which Wearstler said was what inspired the modular design of the seating.

"How could we create big furniture from something that has to come in a box in a certain size?" she said. "That really pushed us to be creative and our technical skills were challenged as well."

In addition, Wearstler wanted the collection to have a ritual feel.

"It was about things that had to do with ritual, things that you use every day," she said. "I think good design and things that look good and that you can use are things that you interact with every day. And that's what I wanted to do."

Wearstler worked with a wide range of materials for the H&M Home collection, including stone, ceramics, metal, wood and textiles.

"I wanted to tell different stories"

The designs, which also include smaller objects such as vases and lamps, will be shown in Palazzo Acerbi, a 17th-century baroque palace that isn't often open to the public. Here, Wearstler went all in, creating different feels for each of the rooms in the historic building.

"We really wanted a special place that felt residential and had a lot of rooms – I wanted to tell different stories around many of the different pieces that we created," she explained.

"So much of my philosophy is about the old and the new and creating that interesting tension. This is how these elements really will collide and tell something entirely fresh."

While Milan design week can feel overwhelming and homogenous in terms of the design on show, Wearstler argues that by showing here, a designer can really prove their mettle.

"That's where you really rise to the occasion by doing things that are unique and original, because you're more noticed," she said.

"You look at how you're presenting, you look at the actual works, the designs that you're presenting – there's a lot that goes into it, the storytelling, the photography," she continued.

"All of that really helps to make things feel more unique and less like what you've seen before."

Working with a brand that is as big and global as H&M Home – the Wearstler collaboration will be available in 40 countries from September – will likely make the designer more of a household name, which she is looking forward to.

"I love that I can reach that higher collectible audience, but also now having this partnership with H&M and doing something that's super accessible, I love that dichotomy," she said.

"I want to evolve my brand and grow," Wearstler continued, pointing to her studio's work with artificial intelligence (AI) as an example of how it is evolving.

"I was an early adopter of AI; we started using it maybe three and a half years ago now," she said. "We really are operating in a kind of native, AI-first studio, and I'm all about innovation, but also I want to grow my brand – there's so much I want to do, I feel like I'm just getting started."

"People think, oh, AI can design for you"

While Wearstler said that her studio uses AI across many different departments, mentioning operations, design, e-commerce business, sales, distribution and its finance department, she doesn't believe that it can replace human designers.

"[For] H&M, it was used in many different ways, but it didn't design the collection, because you have to have the human touch," the designer said.

"People think, oh, AI can design for you. If you use AI to design for you, and you're not super involved, you're going to end up having a product that looks like everything else out there."

H&M Home is one of many larger commercial brands that have taken spaces in Milan recently, a phenomenon that has been criticised by those who are wary of big brands swooping in with expensive installations that often have long queues.

To Wearstler, the mix of big brands and emerging designers, however, is a net positive.

"I think everyone has a creative voice, and if you want to flex your muscle in a different way, I think it's amazing," she concluded.

"I think that it pushes everyone forward. We all learn from one another; it's like a huge, interesting experimental laboratory."

All images are courtesy of H&M Home. This article was originally written for the Dezeen Dispatch magazine at Milan design week 2026.

Kelly Wearstler's H&M Home collection can be seen at Palazzo Acerbi, Corso di Porta Romana 3, between 9am and 6pm from 21 to 26 April. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.

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