Designs presented at SaloneSatellite 2026, which honors talent aged 35 and under, highlight pathways between digital fabrication and artisanal know-how
Submitted at Apr 25, 2026, 8:00 AM
SaloneSatellite Award 2026 (Salone del Mobile/Divulgação)
Reaching its 27th edition, the SaloneSatellite Award brought together designers up to 35 years old during the Milan Design Week to reveal the leading names in emerging design. The challenge proposed to the participants was to chart a meeting point between technological innovation and material culture in their projects, a concept framed by the theme "Specialized Craftsmanship + Innovation".
SaloneSatellite Award 2026 (Salone del Mobile/Divulgação)
The 2026 award winners were: Russo Betak (Denmark), Ious Studio (Netherlands) and Jüngerkühn (Germany). Their creations were recognized for opening up new production possibilities that rediscovered the tactile and symbolic qualities of objects.
SaloneSatellite Award 2026 (Salone del Mobile/Divulgação)
In addition, Aiko Design (Chile) and Yixian Wang (China) received honorable mentions for their work. Among the award’s jurors were prominent architects, designers, and specialized journalists.
The first prize was awarded to the Danish studio Russo Betak for the Nippon lamp, recognized for its material investigation and for the way this research translates into an object with a light, essential presence. The piece is part of the Ark collection (a term that means “sheet” in Danish), also launched during Salone del Mobile 2026.
Russo Betak (Salone del Mobile/Divulgação)
Made through 3D printing with seashells and finished by hand, the lamp undergoes a process that allows the material to be shaped while still fresh and warm. The result is delicate, almost paper-like layers with self-supporting strength that filter light with depth and create a visual effect that oscillates between rigidity and fluidity.
The second prize went to IOUS Studio, from Rotterdam, for the 3DP Ceramic Tiles project, which brings new possibilities for clay molded as a cladding material. The proposal is based on an experimental manufacturing system that aims to redefine the behavior of “traditional” materials and expand their aesthetic and functional possibilities.
Ious Studio (Salone del Mobile/Divulgação)
Developed with 3D printing and computational control, the pieces reveal an approach in which digital fabrication comes closer to craft. Machine precision guides the form, while the materiality of clay preserves texture and subtle variations. In this way, the construction process also points to more sustainable paths, by optimizing resources and exploring the material’s potential more consciously.
The third prize of the SaloneSatellite Award 2026 went to the German studio Jüngerkühn for the Soft Touch project, which addresses the relationship between technology and material sensitivity. The proposal starts from digital fabrication as a tool to reinterpret craft practices, exploring how automated processes can dialogue with the tactile dimension of manual making.
Jüngerkühn (Salone del Mobile/Divulgação)
In the development of the pieces, a system with a two-axis robotic arm and a turntable records and responds to surfaces, emulating gestures characteristic of craft work. The result is porcelain vases built in layers, each with unique patterns. In this case, technological precision does not seek to nullify the material’s expressiveness, but to highlight its nuances.
For seven years now, the Róng Design Library, based in China, has collaborated with SaloneSatellite by proposing, in addition to the main awards, an honorable mention aimed at designers with signature approaches. In 2026, the initiative honored the Chilean studio Aiko Design for the Númina lamp — which brings together symbolic references and craft techniques in a contemporary language.
Nicolas Romero Design (Salone del Mobile/Divulgação)
The piece draws on ancestral inspirations, especially weaving processes with wicker and horsehair, reinterpreted through digital fabrication. Made in PLA with details in chrome-plated metal, the lamp features a stepped form and a braided texture that suggest depth and balance.
Additionally, the Chinese designer Yixian Wang received an honorable mention for Foggy, a line of pieces that investigates new possibilities for glass through an experimental process. The project stands out for its unconventional approach, transforming a soft fiberglass fabric into a glassy material without the use of resin.
Yixian Wang (Salone del Mobile/Divulgação)
The result is objects with an ethereal appearance, in which delicate, intricate threads remain visible, capturing light diffusely, almost like a mist. This subtle transparency, combined with the structure’s unexpected lightness, reveals a "controlled fragility" that repositions glass as a surface in constant transformation.
