As Yellowtrace’s Dana Tomić Hughes wrote in her introductory piece ‘Between Utopia and Reality’ that launched our Milan Unpacked series, ‘Milan's evolution brings both excitement and challenges. The fashion world has naturally gravitated toward Milan's concentration of educated, design-savvy visitors, with technology and automotive brands following suit. This year, the crossover reached new heights, transforming the very essence of Design Week,' adding. 'Finding independent designers and emerging talents – those who represent design's future – requires more dedication than ever.’
In our final instalment of Milan Unpacked, we look beyond the Instagram-ready moments that grab attention and explore the evergreen brands whose histories are richly embedded in the layers of the city itself. Those who remain true to their design roots. From B&B Italia, Giorgetti, Foscarini and Baxter, to Edra and Bocci, they brought together new and seasoned talent in a series of creatively generous, engaging and thought-provoking shows hosted inside majestic spaces from La Scala in Milan to Casa Sul Lago on Lake Como, and provided a barometer of design right now.
It’s that detail that shapes the renaissance city of Milan, its industrial edges and modernist gems, and each April draws us in. As Léo Terrando, Designer and Creative Director of Léo Terrando Studio remarked, ’I was also deeply inspired by simply observing how the locals live, the way they go about daily life with ease and elegance; unforced, intuitive. These moments and experiences reaffirmed that great design isn’t always loud. It is the quiet gestures, the considered details that stay with you long after you’ve left.’
Looking beyond the noise at Milan Design Week, you see how powerful those intertwined relationships are in enriching our understanding of design. As leading furniture, lighting and artisanal brands openly welcome us behind the veil and into their worlds, it highlights that creative openness almost unheard of in any other sector – and that’s the magic that makes Milan so special.
Milan Unpacked
Vol 03
Edra’s Palazzo Durini and Teatro alla Scala with Jacopo Foggini
Edra's Palazzo Durini courtyard comes alive during Milan Design Week. Photo c/o Space.
Michelle McEwen, Dana Tomić Hughes and Gavin Williams. Photo c/o Space.
Inside Palazzo Durini with its mosaic floors and crafted details. Photos c/o Space.
Edra's new Gems collection of textiles is inspired by nature, here and next. Photos c/o Space.
‘Edra’s Palazzo Durini showroom is always a must-see, and this year it served as the perfect setting for the unveiling of their new outdoor collection,’ remarked Adrian Preman of Paul Conrad Architects. ‘Displayed in the palazzo’s internal courtyard, the pieces were beautifully framed by Jacopo Foggini’s luminous suspended light sculptures,' adding. 'The real impact comes from the opportunity to engage firsthand, to touch and feel the materials, have meaningful conversations with makers and craftspeople, building relationships that open the door to collaboration.’
Every year Edra celebrates their collection at Palazzo Durini in the heart of Milan, it’s their permanent space where contemporary design beautifully juxtaposes with the historical beauty of the architecture. This year the palazzo’s frescoed halls, courtyard and cloister presented a selection of materials from the Gems collection, along with their outdoor collection – On the Rocks, Standard and Sherazade, featuring the new Every Stone materials, combined with A’Mare, Veronica and the Flowers’ Collection.
For Edra the highlight of Milan Design Week is their annual black tie event in one of the most prestigious theatres in the world. Hosting designers, artists and collaborators at the Teatro alla Scala, is their opportunity to celebrate the link between the arts, languages and expressive forms ‘to ignite the enchantment of beauty’. This year designer Jacopo Foggini, a longtime collaborator of Edra, was their guest of honour, with musical performances by the Children's Choir and the Orchestra of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala under the direction of Giuseppe Grazioli.
As Jacopo Foggini remarked in his speech, ‘Encountering Edra was one of the most important moments of my career. I immediately identified with the principles of people like Valerio, Massimo and Leonardo: with them I understood how gesture is more important than form, how instinct can be your guide,’ adding. ‘I have always looked for the depths, for profundity: to immerse oneself, to hold one’s breath, not be content with what is immediate. It takes practise, concentration and courage, to arrive at the lightness of the spontaneous gesture.’
Edra at the Teatro alla Scala. Photos c/o Space.
Baxter at Casa Sul Lago on Lake Como, the Baxter Cinema in Milan, and Ristorante Alto with Paola Navone
One of Milan Design Week’s biggest brand celebrations, Lombardy-based Luigi and Paolo Bestetti, founders of Baxter and the creative force behind the brand, hosted shows inside the 20th-century villa Casa Sul Lago on Lake Como, the Baxter Cinema in Milan, as well as the Baxter Bar at Largo Augusto, and a takeover of Ristorante Alto, one of Milan’s favourite dining spots, with designer Paola Navone, one of Milan’s favourite designers.
‘Dining with design legend Paola Navone, courtesy of Baxter and Space Furniture was a personal highlight,’ enthused Tomić Hughes. ‘Paola’s commitment to colour, pattern, and a singular design language across products and interiors is legendary. Her brutal honesty is particularly refreshing in an era when many feel muzzled by political correctness. I love her!’
Ten years after Baxter first created the Baxter Cinema, now light, materials, and transparencies redefine the interior. The new interior’s chromatic accents, described by Baxter as ‘delicate yet determined’, paid homage to the material and poetic vision of Carlo Scarpa, whose every joint and every cut was a ‘declaration of intent'. Spaces accentuated the brand’s focus on mid-century elegance and the balance between tradition and the avant-garde, while sculpted bases, finely crafted leather and brushed chrome finishes evoked the relaxed feel of modernist interiors of the 1960s and 70s. It’s these moments that take you inside private spaces where the connection with design is deeper.
On Lake Como, the 20th-century villa Casa Sul Lago was decorated with an elegantly daring 1970s aesthetic, and new and iconic pieces from the Baxter collection re-imagined the villa, with tables, lounges, chairs, lamps, complements and an expanded outdoor collection, highlighting the craftsmanship of the villa’s 50 year history. Large french windows overlook the patio and take in the lake, the breezes, the mountain peaks and blue sky that’s reflected in the waters below. Characterised by a rich, soft-toned palette paired with refined materials like hand-worked marble, fine woods, brushed metal finishes and carefully selected leathers, Baxter’s iconic pieces and latest editions were seamlessly integrated into an evocative and elegant setting surrounded by prickly pears, olive trees and lush vegetation.
Designer Paola Navone with Dana Tomić Hughes. Photo c/o Space.
Dana Tomić Hughes, Michelle McEwen and Fiona Lynch. Photo c/o Space.
Baxter hosted dinner at Ristorante Alto with guest of honour Paola Navone. Photos c/o Space.
The 20th-century Casa Sul Lago on Lake Como hosts the annual Baxter installation during Milan Design Week . Photos c/o Space.
Bocci’s 20th anniversary show, ‘The numbers between the numbers’ with The Future Perfect’s David Alhadeff
Celebrating two decades, Canadian brand Bocci and its founder and polymath, artist Omer Arbel, hosted ‘The Numbers Between The Numbers’ exhibition that delved into the guiding philosophy of the studio in collaboration with The Future Perfect’s David Alhadeff.
Inside Bocci’s Milanese apartment, and permanent showroom since 2024, archival concepts included fragments and completed works highlighting Arbel’s process-driven approach with glass. ‘For two decades, Bocci has been guided by a pursuit of material exploration and the discovery of new processes,’ remarked Omer Arbel at the opening. ‘Collaborating with our longtime partner and friend, David Alhadeff, marks a natural and pivotal moment in our journey… Additionally, our collaboration with David in expanding the possibilities of the 14 through these new compositions has opened exciting new avenues for our work.’
Room after room revealed beautiful vignettes within an immersive space where soft light mingled with conversation. On the apartment’s lower level, Alhadeff (who is also behind the Bocci rebrand), re-imagined a residential setting that offered a fresh perspective on both the way we live and Bocci’s designs. Sharing the story of the practice while unveiling elements and processes previously seen only within the studio was fascinating, and as Adrian Preman at Paul Conrad Architects remarked, ‘The basement transformed into an exhibition space, displaying early prototypes and material sampling that stood as works of art in their own right.’ Filling the space with a swathe of previously unseen prototypes revealed Arbel’s evolving creative language. An approach that as the designer remarked, ‘laid bare the creative force, artistic approach and Bocci’s path forward'.
Inside the Bocci apartment in Milan where The Numbers Between The Numbers exhibition celebrated 20 years for the lighting brand. Photos c/o Space.
Designer Lee Broom and Adrian Preman from Paul Conrad Architects. Photos c/o Space
‘Caos Perfetto – Scratched stories of light’ curated by artist Bennet Pimpinella for Foscarini
The Caos Perfetto – Scratched stories of light exhibition curated by Bennet Pimpinella and hosted by Foscarini. Photos c/o Space.
At Foscarini’s Spazio Monforte the installation ‘Caos Perfetto – Scratched stories of light’, curated by Bennet Pimpinella, transformed Foscarini’s digital publishing project ‘What’s in a Lamp?’ into a physical experience. Accompanying visitors through the work of eighteen emerging artists framed a journey behind the scenes of creativity, with novel materials and a kaleidoscope of creative interpretations of Foscarini’s lamps.
Training in film at L’Aquila Academy in Italy the artist Bennet Pimpinella, who has now worked with Foscarini across numerous art projects, has spent his career merging analog and digital, redefining the relationship between light and image in a blend of experimentation and craftsmanship. Using his signature technique, scratching directly onto film, the installation captured the creative process through the evocative medium of light.
‘This changing landscape makes initiatives like those from Foscarini particularly valuable,’ remarked Tomić Hughs. ‘Their ongoing commitment to supporting emerging talent stands out amid the noise. During Milan Design Week, they offer a platform for young designers and artists to reinterpret their lighting collections and contribute fresh creative perspectives. Their exhibitions explore the intersections of art, lighting design and technology, without sacrificing substance for spectacle.’
Maserati Giorgetti Edition celebrates Italian artistry with winemaker Antinori and Michelin chef Massimo Bottura
Launched at the Maserati headquarters in Modena, Giorgetti unveiled their first collaboration with the prestigious car company, featuring an interior collection of armchairs, sofas and tables, and the bespoke Grecale, a car tailored to complement their collection’s lines and details, elegance and technological innovation. ‘We went to the Maserati factory before the fair and they used that as their launch pad,’ remarked Leighton Clarke, Group CEO of Space. ‘It’s a really nice collaboration, the detail and precision in their vehicles is completely aligned with Giorgetti.’
A project that shows Giorgetti’s masterful craftsmanship and the automotive excellence of Maserati, the collaboration was inspired by Giorgetti’s collections, with details for Maserati’s new Grecale tailored in-sync. Bringing the two celebrated brands together, the launch became an immersive series of events that highlighted Italian artistry, from design to food and wine. Guests were invited to the Modena Racetrack for a Maserati Master Class, aperitivo at Acetaia Maria Luigia, an old vinegar cellar founded in 1969, and dinner at Al Gatto Verde, Michelin chef Massimo Battura’s newest trattoria in Bologna. Finished with a visit to Antinori Winery at Bargino in the Chianti Classico region that dates back to 1385, where contemporary architecture designed by Archea Associates now shapes the winery recognised as one of the top ten in the world.
The Antinori Winery at Bargino in the Chianti Classico region that dates back to 1385 and is recognised as one of the top ten wineries in the world. Photos c/o Space.
