Between installations in historic palazzos and the spotlight on Brazilian modernism, check out the highlights of Milan Design Week 2026 traduzido por: OPENROUTER
Submitted at May 11, 2026, 12:35 PM
When Apricots Blosoom - MDW 2026 (Divulgação/CASACOR)
In 2026, Milan Design Week showed that contemporary design gains strength by revisiting the past. More than launches, the edition was marked by a look of rescue and reinterpretation, with palazzos and historic villas opened to the public for the first time, serving as settings for encounters between different eras and languages. Between the rediscovery of post-war masters and the appreciation of Brazilian modernism in the European circuit, Milan established itself not only as a showcase, but as a space of memory and cultural preservation.
Below, we have selected 10 exhibitions that define the spirit of this season.
For the first time, Villa Borsani opened its doors to the public during Milan Design Week, serving as the setting for the interventions of the Alcova platform. Designed by Franco Albini in the 1940s, the residence remained private and preserved for decades as a jewel of Italian rationalism.
The occupation respected the original architecture, but introduced contemporary layers that dialogued with the materiality of the house. The highlight of the visit took place on the ground floor, where natural light embraced the space through the iconic translucent glass walls. It was there that the exhibition "Albini in Present Tense" took center stage: a collaboration between Patricia Urquiola, Haworth and Cassina, which rescued the legacy of Franco Albini through exclusive reissues, including an unprecedented 1947 armchair.
Villa Pestarin. ( Luigi Fiano e Ardesia Cocca/CASACOR)
For MDW 2026, ETEL presented the legacy of Jorge Zalszupin, tracing his trajectory from his Polish roots to his consecration in Brazil. The exhibition displayed iconic pieces in jacaranda, such as the Onda bench and the Dinamarquesa armchair, reaffirming the relevance of Brazilian modernism in the international market.
The show occupied a strategic location: the top of Torre Velasca. Built in the 1950s, the building is one of the main landmarks of Milanese brutalism, known for its silhouette that evokes medieval watchtowers, but executed in reinforced concrete. Recently restored, the tower served as a frame for Zalszupin's furniture, connecting two historical post-war expressions.
In parallel, at its gallery on Via Maroncelli, 13, the brand launched the Entropia collection, by Argentine designer Cristián Mohaded. In the project, Cristián used wood fragments accumulated in ETEL's atelier in São Paulo, transforming residues of different species into new pieces. Instead of standardizing the raw material, the designer valued contrasts and irregularities, creating compositions that move between the functional object and sculpture.
Cristián Mohaded - Etel (Marina Pires/CASACOR)
At the top of Torre Velasca, in dialogue with the Zalszupin exhibition, the Visteria Foundation presented the show "Polish Modernism: A Struggle for Beauty". Far from being just an aesthetic display, the project proposed an immersion in design as an act of cultural preservation, revealing how Polish modernism shaped the identity of a nation and served as a tool of resistance throughout its history.
By connecting the past to the present, the foundation not only rescued fundamental names of the period, but also shed light on the new generation of designers who currently reinterpret this legacy.
The Nilufar Depot was transformed into the Grand Hotel Nilufar, an installation that recreated the atmosphere of a luxury hotel through carefully curated projects, including a suite and an outdoor area. The show presented fictional interiors that integrated pieces by contemporary designers, such as Bethan Laura Wood and the duo David/Nicolas, with historical furniture. But Nilufar's great hallmark was, once again, the appreciation of vintage, elevating pieces from the 1950s and 1960s to the status of current icons.
This refined curation was highlighted by Pedro Ariel, director of relationships and content at CASACOR, who highlighted the gallery's role in rediscovering forgotten talents and styles. According to Ariel, "the brand has a great appreciation for Brazilian design; this year, for example, there was a lot of Scapinelli. I really like that she brought in Gabriella Crespi, who is an Italian designer who works with rattan, pieces that were considered tacky until recently... that's Nilufar's great merit: doing an archaeology of world design, bringing to light pieces that had been forgotten".
Grand Hotel Nilufar - MDW 2026 (Marina Pires/CASACOR)
The Piscina Romano served as the setting for the Milanese studio 6AM to investigate glass through repetition and sculpture. The choice of location created a direct contrast between the historic architecture and the transparency of the pieces, transforming the projects into an immersive gallery.
The exhibition presented releases such as the Paysage lamp in a new tone and the Float furniture collection. The highlight, however, were the blown glass cubes originally created for Bottega Veneta's 2026 summer fashion show. Displayed as protagonists, the cubes reinforced glass as a fundamental sculptural structure in contemporary design.
Over and Over- 6AM - MDW 2026 (Marina Pires/CASACOR)
At the Triennale di Milano, the exhibition "The Eames Houses" revisited the iconic 1949 residence designed by Ray and Charles Eames. The show explored the couple's philosophy and how the house, part of the Case Study Houses program, became a landmark of functionality for modern design.
Through documents and photographs, the exhibition highlighted the steel and glass structure, in addition to Ray Eames's fundamental role in interior aesthetics. The curation showed how they humanized the industrial structure with personal objects and collections. For those passing through Los Angeles, it is worth visiting the original house in Pacific Palisades, which remains preserved and open to the public.
The Eames House - MDW 2026 (Marina Pires/CASACOR)
Interni Venosta, a luxury furniture brand led by the founders of the prestigious Dimore Studio, inaugurated the "Interno Italiano" installation during the Milan season. The chosen setting was Palazzo Olivazzi, a historic residence that, until then, had never been open to the public.
The project promoted a direct dialogue between the villa's original architecture, signed by the master Osvaldo Borsani, and the brand's contemporary furniture, celebrating the peak of post-war design from a current perspective.
According to the analysis of Ana Clara Schick, assistant curator at CASACOR, the distinguishing feature of Borsani's work lay in the total integration of the projects through built-in furniture. "The architect worked with a lot of custom-made woodwork, so you didn't see loose pieces; he solved everything with built-in furniture", she explained. Schick also pointed out that Borsani used strategic interventions, such as tall openings to mark the transition between spaces, creating a setting where the architecture itself guided the perception of those walking through the house.
The unprecedented opening of Palazzo Olivazzi proved to be one of the highlights of Design Week, allowing the architecture to serve as a living setting for the pieces from Interni Venosta. By positioning the design within such an emblematic structure, the installation provided the public with a new way of perceiving furniture, highlighting how history and contemporary sophistication can coexist in harmony.
In Brera, Aesop presented the "The Factory of Light" installation in the cloister of Santa Maria del Carmine. Created with architect Rodney Eggleston, the project used repurposed materials to explore light emotionally in a scenography that evoked an imagined Milan.
The major highlight was the launch of the brand's first lamp, reinforcing its strong connection with design. It is worth remembering that Aesop once had a remarkable presence in Brazil with a store in São Paulo designed by Paulo Mendes da Rocha and the Metro Arquitetos office, although the brand no longer operates in the country at present.
Aesop- MDW 2026 (Marina Pires/CASACOR)
At MDW 2026, Louis Vuitton took over Palazzo Serbelloni with an exhibition that connected historical furniture to the Objets Nomades collection. The journey highlighted the legacy of Pierre Legrain, with reissues of pieces from the 1920s, alongside contemporary creations by Estúdio Campana and Raw Edges.
A standout moment was the tribute to designer Charlotte Perriand, consolidating a relevant movement in the sector. After Saint Laurent revisited her work last year, Louis Vuitton followed the same path, reinforcing fashion brands' commitment to giving due credit to a designer whose work was overshadowed for decades.
The exhibition also celebrated the long-standing partnership with the Brazilian Estúdio Campana, who presented the futuristic Cocoon Dichroic chair. Their presence reaffirmed the importance of Brazilian design on the global luxury scene. The journey concluded with Pharrell Williams' stained-glass trunk, uniting historical revival with the brand's current vision.
Louis Vuitton - MDW 2026 (Marina Pires/CASACOR)
Finally, Uzbekistan made its official debut with the exhibition "When Apricots Blossom", at Palazzo Citterio. Curated by architect Kulapat Yantrasast, the show used design to respond to the ecological crisis of the Aral Sea region, uniting cultural memory and environmental resistance.
The journey focused on pillars of Uzbek life: textiles, food, and shelter. The highlight was the collaboration between local artisans and 12 international designers such as Bethan Laura Wood, Fernando Laposse, and Raw Edges. They reinterpreted ancestral objects and traditional bread stamps using native materials, such as silk and ceramics.
When Apricots Blosoom - MDW 2026 (Marina Pires/CASACOR)
traduzido por: OPENROUTER
