Ciao Milano: A Deep Dive Into the Magic of Milan Design Week 2025
Es Devlin, Library of Light, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan. 2025 Es Devlin Studio.
Milan Design Week 2025 unfolded like a perfectly choreographed opera — dramatic, surprising, and absolutely unforgettable. From April 7 to 13, the city pulsed with creative electricity as global design giants and indie artisans alike showcased their latest visions. The week wasn’t just about objects or spaces. It was about ideas — where craft met culture, and where fashion, food, and form collided in beautiful, unpredictable ways.
One of the week’s undeniable standouts was Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades collection, which took over the opulent halls of Palazzo Serbelloni. The French house embraced playfulness this year: a leather-crafted record player shaped like a blooming flower, a whimsical pinball machine designed with Pharrell Williams, and a sculptural espresso set tucked inside a classic LV trunk. Designers like India Mahdavi and Patricia Urquiola brought their signature vision to the capsule, merging old-world glamour with future-forward aesthetics.
Another moment that had visitors buzzing came courtesy of Loewe, which turned the humble teapot into a design hero. Twenty-five global artists and craftspeople reinterpreted the vessel with poetic flair. It wasn’t just an exercise in form; it was a statement on how design can elevate the most everyday rituals into meditative acts of beauty.
But perhaps the most hauntingly beautiful moment of the week took place underground. Beneath the Piscina Cozzi, in the eerie, abandoned public shower stalls, 6:AM Glassworks staged “Two-Fold Silence.” Think Murano glass chandeliers casting moody reflections against chipped tiles and crumbling architecture. The juxtaposition of delicate craftsmanship and urban decay was a masterclass in atmosphere — a moment that felt less like an exhibition and more like a lucid dream.
Fashion, of course, was never far behind. Gucci invited artists to reinterpret its iconic bamboo designs in a series of immersive installations. Meanwhile, Prada transformed the majestic Milano Centrale train station with its “Frames” program, which explored global infrastructure through an artful lens. Even The Row dipped a toe into the scene, unveiling its first-ever home collection — a poetic blend of raw linens and artisan-crafted blankets. Saint Laurent honored the late Charlotte Perriand by finally realizing her unreleased furniture sketches, producing pieces that felt just as vital today as when they were imagined decades ago.
Beyond the galleries and installations, Milan Design Week 2025 was also a feast — quite literally. Designers and visitors congregated at neighborhood favorites like Mag Café, where the espresso is strong and the canal-side energy is electric. Dinner reservations were snapped up at I Capatosta, known for its gnocchi alla Sorrentina, and the city’s cool kids were seen sipping spritzes at Rita’s Tiki Room in Navigli. The design crowd’s secret? Osteria Grand Hotel, a traditional trattoria tucked away behind greenery, offering fresh pasta under a dreamy pergola.
Design Week in Milan always defies expectations. This year, it wasn't about trends — it was about the intimate relationship between object and soul, the blur between art and function, and the stories that can be told through shape, space, and silence. If you missed it, don’t worry — Milan’s magic lingers long after the exhibitions close. But next April? Book your flight early.
Additional exhibitions to see:
Es Devlin’s “Library of Light”
British artist Es Devlin transformed the 17th-century Cortile d’Onore into a luminous, slowly revolving theater of reflection. The installation housed over 3,000 glowing books, inviting visitors to pause, read, and contribute titles, extending the archive into the city's public library system.
Studio Drift x Audi: “Drift Us”
Dutch artist duo Studio Drift turned the courtyard of Portrait Milano Hotel into a kinetic, immersive field. The installation featured luminous, seed-like bulbs that swayed as visitors moved through the space, simulating a breeze passing through tall grass.
Marimekko x Laila Gohar: “All the Things We Do in Bed”
Marimekko teamed up with artist and designer Laila Gohar to transform Teatro Litta into a candy-colored dreamscape. A giant bed became the stage for life’s softest, messiest, and most surreal moments, draped in Marimekko’s bold prints. Designboom
Hermès: Suspended White Boxes
Hermès transformed La Pelota into an ethereal landscape of suspended white boxes and soft, glowing halos, showcasing their latest home creations in a strikingly minimal yet immersive setting. Designboom
Tokujin Yoshioka’s “Frozen” Installation
Renowned Japanese artist Tokujin Yoshioka unveiled “Frozen,” an immersive installation displayed at the historic Palazzo Landriani. A series of chairs sculpted from frozen water composed the exhibit, transforming under the influence of light, wind, and temperature. Designboom
