ETEL presents Entropia at MDW 2026 with a sculptural approach to wood

ETEL chose Milan Design Week 2026 as the stage to debut Entropia, a collection that synthesizes an encounter between material memory and contemporary experimentation. Designed by the Argentine designer Cristián Mohaded — recently named Designer of the Year by EDIDA —, the line is curated by Annalisa Rosso and marks the creator’s first collaboration with the Brazilian brand.

(Ruy Teixeira/CASACOR)

The starting point for the project was not a drawing, but ETEL’s own joinery archive: woods accumulated over decades, with different species, densities, and grain patterns. Instead of seeking uniformity, Mohaded chose to highlight these differences. Through carvings and reassemblies, the fragments gain new life, transforming natural contrasts into visual and structural rhythm.

(Ruy Teixeira/CASACOR)

The result materializes into a series of pieces that move between art and design — totems, sideboard, console, tables, mirrors, and a lamp — all marked by a strong sculptural character. Even so, functionality remains central, reinforcing the proposal of furniture that does not compromise on everyday use, even as it explores a more experimental language.

(Ruy Teixeira/CASACOR)

The formal construction of the pieces reveals a non-prescriptive process. Rather than starting from a pre-defined idea, the collection is born of the direct dialogue between the designer and ETEL’s artisans, whose sensitive reading of the wood grain guides decisions and directions. This constant exchange led to a shared authorship, in which technique and intuition are kept in balance.

(Ruy Teixeira/CASACOR)

The name Entropia, borrowed from physics, reinforces this reasoning. The concept describes how systems reorganize themselves through internal transformations — a logic that, applied to design, suggests that form is not imposed, but emerges from relationships already present in the matter. In this context, the project proposes a reversal: instead of controlling the material, the designer listens to it.

(Ruy Teixeira/CASACOR)

In parallel with the launch of the collection, ETEL is also taking part in the week with the exhibition Warsaw – São Paulo – Milano: Jorge Zalszupin's Brazilian Modernism, dedicated to the legacy of Jorge Zalszupin. Held in the iconic Torre Velasca, the show — curated by Federica Sala and Anna Maga — traces a path between Europe and Brazil, expanding the brand’s presence in the city and connecting different generations of design in the same moment.