Twenty-one unmissable exhibitions and installations at Milan design week 2026
In the run-up to Milan design week, we've compiled a list of must-see happenings around the city, including a mindfulness space by Zaha Hadid Architects and interior designer Kelly Wearstler's first furniture collection for H&M.
Centred as always around the Salone del Mobile furniture fair, this year's Milan design week (MDW) takes place from 20 to 26 April and is set to host hundreds of designers, architects and brands.
To help you prioritise your time, we've rounded up some key highlights to look out for, both at Salone and in town.
For our full list of highlights – plus in-depth features on the evolution of Milan design week and the state of the local design scene – look out for the second edition of our Dezeen Dispatch magazine in design week locations across the city.
Zaha Hadid Architects x Audi
Zaha Hadid Architects is using spatial compression and expansion to encourage design week visitors to slow down and unplug in its installation The Origin.
Designed for German carmaker Audi, it consists of a titanium-coloured fibreglass portal set on top of a reflecting pool in the courtyard of Portrait Hotel Milano.
Portrait Hotel Milano, Corso Venezia 11
Triennale Milano
As always, there is plenty to see at Milan's Triennale museum during design week.
Visitors can attend The Eames Houses, a show anchored by an architectural installation based on the 1949 modernist home of seminal American designers Ray and Charles Eames (above). The installation is a collaboration between the Eames Office and Spanish manufacturer Kettal.
Also at Triennale, Danish heritage brand Frederica is presenting A Chronicle of Danish Design. Charting a century of Danish furniture, the show combines pieces from pioneers such as Hans J Wegner and Nanna Ditzel with the work of contemporary designers, including Cecile Manz.
Alphabet is another exhibition, which explores the 30-year career of British design duo Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby.
And if that isn't enough, visitors can also head to Continuous Present, a show by Japanese Pritzker Prize-winning architect Toyo Ito dedicated to the work of Italian architect and designer Andrea Branzi.
Triennale Milano, Viale Emilio Alemagna 6
Each year, design platform Alcova spotlights the work of international creatives within Milanese architectural gems off the beaten track.
This year, the exhibition returns to Baggio Military Hospital, one of its former locations, and also takes place across architect Franco Albini's rationalist Villa Pestarini, which is open to the public for the first time.
Among the many established and emerging exhibitors are leading British designer Faye Toogood and Spanish creative Patricia Urquiola, Greek architect Kiki Goti and as well as the second edition of India's Shakti Design Residency.
Interdisciplinary student projects are also out in full force, with presentations from design schools including Design Academy Eindhoven and a debut from London's AA School of Architecture.
Baggio Military Hospital, Via Giovanni Labus 15 and Villa Pestarini, Via Mogadiscio 2/4
Metamorphosis in Motion by Lina Ghotmeh
Making her Milan design week debut, Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh presents a pink-hued labyrinth set within Palazzo Litta's courtyard.
Formed from curved geometric modules, the installation creates shifting perspectives and a sequential path that subtly guides visitors' movements, with each pocket of space offering a different spatial experience.
The installation forms part of the annual MoscaPartners Variations exhibition, which showcases a wider programme of global exhibitors.
Palazzo Litta, Corso Magenta 24
The Romance of Fragility
Glass takes centre stage in Italian design gallery Delvis (Un)Limited's exhibition exploring the creative potential of fragility.
Works by international designers, including Inderjeet Sandhu (top image), Maria Tyakina and Tino Seubert (above), challenge conventional perceptions of the material. From pieces sculpted to echo stone to others melted into liquid-like casts, each one pushes the material's limits and stereotypes.
Delvis (Un)Limited Gallery, Via Fatebenefratelli 9
About Silk by Ai Weiwei
Using silk as a medium for the first time, multidisciplinary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei envelops the Rubelli showroom in lampas fabric woven with intricate motifs illustrating his evolution as an artist.
The choice of silk underscores the material's origins in China while echoing Rubelli's centuries-old craftsmanship in Venice. The installation also includes an accompanying documentary offering an exclusive look into the collaboration.
Rubelli Showroom, Via Fatebenefratelli 9
Disco Aperitivo by Sophie Lou Jacobsen
Glassware designer Sophie Lou Jacobsen is turning an apartment in Loreto into an ode to 1970s and 80s-era Italian glamour.
The takeover marks the launch of her Disco Aperitivo collection, with party-worthy pieces including serving trays, an ashtray and a cigarette box. In the spirit of aperitivo, Milanese institution Palinurobar will be serving drinks and small bites throughout.
By appointment only via disco@thelast.agency
Convey
Design platform Convey is occupying an entire five-storey building near Torre Velasca with a showcase bringing together work from 20 emerging brands with buzzy international designers.
Among them are East London studio Six Dots Design, Georgian practice Rooms Studio and Marco Campardo, who was recently named one of Apple's Designers of Tomorrow.
Convey Building, Via San Senatore 10
The White House at Dropcity
While Donald Trump spends the larger part of his presidency tearing down parts of the White House, students at the Politecnico di Milano have turned the building into a case study on domestic propaganda.
Exploring the White House as both residence and media symbol, the exhibition at Dropcity unpacks how its design and interiors – from fences and tablecloths to service corridors and ceremonial spaces – have been used to project power and public image across decades of presidencies.
Seven installations dissect the house's spatial and decorative choices, revealing its role as an icon of political performance. While you're at Dropcity, don't miss the exhibition by graduates of Central Saint Martins' MA Material Futures programme, who present transdisciplinary projects ranging from ultra-stretch textiles to lab-grown gemstones made from paint waste.
Dropcity, Via Sammartini 56
Osteria Fiori di Marimekko
Beloved Finnish brand Marimekko blends design and gastronomy with Osteria Fiori di Marimekko, inviting visitors to step into a playful, multisensory celebration of its floral prints.
Alongside textile installations and a shoppable selection of ceramics, highlights include flower-infused drinks and aperitivo bites inspired by the shapes and colours of the brand's floral prints.
Osteria Grand Hotel, Via Ascanio Sforza 75
Over and Over and Over and Over by 6AM
In the vaults of Piscina Romano, Milanese design studio 6AM explores repetition as a creative engine through an exhibition focused on contemporary glass sculptures.
New pieces – including a limited-edition colour of the Paysage lamp and the Float furniture collection in a new finish – sit alongside blown glass cubes first developed for Bottega Veneta's Summer 2026 runway show (above).
Piscina Romano, Via Ampère 24
When Apricots Blossom by Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation
The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation debuts at Milan design week with When Apricots Blossom, an exhibition celebrating Uzbek craft through a contemporary lens.
Twelve designers, including Bethan Laura Wood, Marcin Rusak, Fernando Laposse and Nifemi Marcus-Bello, present new work created in collaboration with Uzbek artisans to reframe the material traditions of the Aral Sea region and Karakalpakstan.
Highlights include a colourful tapestry draped across the palazzo's facade (above), orchard-inspired floral installations and interpretations of bread trays and stamps to honour the sacred role of bread in Uzbek culture.
Palazzo Citterio, Via Brera 12
Kelly Wearstler for H&M Home
For her Milan design week debut, American interior designer Kelly Wearstler partners with H&M Home to unveil a first look at their upcoming collaboration, marking the brand's first designer partnership to feature large-scale furniture.
Set within the Baroque grandeur of Palazzo Acerbi, the installation unfolds as a playful sequence of rooms inspired by the collection's themes of daily rituals and modularity, where Wearstler's bold forms flirt with soaring columns and opulent frescoed interiors to create a dialogue between past and present.
Palazzo Acerbi, Corso di Porta Romana 3
Deoron
Digital design platform Deoron returns to Milan design week with an exhibition inside a former ball bearings factory. Opening the industrial site to the public for the first time, the showcase brings together over 50 international designers and brands across furniture, homeware, lighting and technology.
Among the highlights: a tactile pink DJ booth by Berlin-based creative studio Yont, stem and twig-inspired vases born from Amsterdam-based design studio Gast's exploration of CGI materiality (above), and a series of translucent soap spheres by Danish designer Matias Møllenbach, each delicately perched on a matching resin dish.
A bar and a programme of listening sessions and daily events round out the event.
Via Padova 11
Shared Matter
Switzerland's Shared Matter sets out to explore what defines modern Swiss design today.
Co-curated by Dezeen's editorial director Max Fraser and Milan-based architect Maddalena Casadei, the exhibition presents six emerging Swiss designers whose works sit at the intersection of research and cross-cultural collaborations.
Standout projects include a sleek aluminium floor lamp by Panter & Tourron (above) and an intuitive musical instrument that translates abstract music theory by Akuto Studio.
Spaziovento, Via Pinamonte da Vimercate 4
Grand Hotel and La Casa Magica by Nilufar
Nilufar Depot sets the stage for a reimagined luxury hotel, unfolding through a series of curated rooms, a penthouse suite and an outdoor area.
The installation, called Grand Hotel Nilufar (above), brings together imagined interiors and standout pieces by various designers, including Bethan Laura Wood and David/Nicolas.
Across the city, Italian studio Studio Caviar has designed the setting for La Casa Magica at Nilufar Gallery, an exhibition that explores the home as a ritual space through objects drawn from diverse geographical and cultural contexts that engage with belief and symbolism.
Nilufar Depot, Viale Lancetti 34. Nilufar Gallery, Via della Spiga 32
Base Milano
Base Milano, Milan design week's home for emerging and experimental design, is back with an exhibition of works by more than 80 emerging designers from 23 countries.
The programme includes the return of the venue's urban camping project on its terrace. Twenty students from London's Royal College of Art have taken over the terrace for the week, where they are also camping out for the duration of the design festival.
The project explores modes of collective cohabitation and spatial design practice. And be sure to check out the much-hyped installation FOMO by Alessandro Ramundo.
Base Milano, Via Bergognone 34
Food for Thought by IKEA
IKEA is taking over design gallery Spazio Maiocchi with a reimagined Swedish saluhall, a traditional indoor food market hall including a large working kitchen that will host live cooking demonstrations from international chefs.
Over a series of immersive room sets, the furniture maker will present three new launches.
Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi 7
L'Appartmento by Artemest
Back for its fourth edition, commerce platform Artemest's much-loved showcase L'Appartmento returns to Palazzo Donizetti to pay homage to Italian grandeur.
Set against frescoed ceilings and the palazzo's sweeping elliptical staircase, the exhibition invites five interior design studios, including the Rockwell Group and Charlap Hyman & Herrero, to each reimagine an Italian cultural capital – Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples and Palermo – as a room. The exhibition extends outdoors for the first time, bringing the curated selection of Italian furniture and decor to the courtyard.
Palazzo Donizetti, Via Gaetano Donizetti 48
Superstudio Design
Mega design project Superstudio returns to Milan for its 26th edition. Spread over three permanent locations, the event features the work of participants from 16 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Among this year's highlights is an exhibition curated by Marcel Wanders celebrating 25 years of Dutch design brand Moooi, which takes place at Superstudio Più.
There is also a photography project on display at Superstudio Maxi. Called Portraits, the project was created to showcase dialogues between Italian brands, including B&B Italia and Kartell, and products by seminal creatives from Gaetano Pesce to Gio Ponti.
Superstudio Piú, Via Tortona 27. Superstudio Maxi, Via Moncucco 35. Superstudio Village, Via Pericle Negrotto 59
Salone del Mobile
The big news at this year's Salone del Mobile is the launch of Salone Raritas, the fair's first dedicated exhibition for collectible design, with a set created by Formafantasma.
Visitors should look out for a special project from Sabine Marcelis, impossibly delicate glass lamps by Draga & Aurel for Salviati (above) and new work from Lewis Kemmenoe for London's Max Radford Gallery.
More than 700 designers under the age of 35 also feature in this year's edition of Salone Satellite, the fair's platform for emerging talent. Among them is a delegation of seven young stars from Design Week Lagos's annual Design and Innovation exhibition.
Looking ahead to 2027, architecture firm OMA is developing an exhibition for contract furniture at the fair. In preparation, this year's edition is hosting a day of talks dedicated to the topic, with a keynote lecture by studio founder Rem Koolhaas and a programme curated by Koolhaas and OMA partner David Gianotten taking place throughout the day on Wednesday 22 April.
Milan design week 2026 takes place from 20 to 26 April 2026 at various locations across Milan, Italy. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.
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