I would like to share my impressions about attending the famous Milano Design Week event in 2024. This event literally attracts designers of all kinds from all over the world. And if you are related to art, design, or just love beautiful things, your life will be in vain if you do not visit this event at least once.
From 15 to 21 April the whole city of Milan turned into a huge exhibition pavilion. Within the framework of the exhibition, everyone could find something to enjoy. There was a lot of people there! Artists, interior designers, negociants, boutique owners from all over the world came for new trends. Of particular interest to them were not even the pavilions, but the offices of iconic companies themselves. Yes, the offices where employees work were also turned into expositions. Everyone could go inside to the holy of holies, and look, I would say, at the altar of any trendsetter. Literally all the big names – Zegna, Porsche, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Loewe – were eager to showcase the very best of what their designers had created during the week.
Incredible leather goods, including lamps, by Loewe.
In addition to the loud, well-known names, there were many lesser known, but very interesting companies present at the exhibition. In many ways, their exposition is always more interesting than that of the big well-known companies – the lesser-known players have to make much more effort to be noticed. And it is noticeable.
An exposition of exclusive Dorn Bracht sanitary ware at the Milano Verticale Hotel
Amazing bathroom solutions by Antoniolupi reminded us of the Memphis design trend we have already written about. This studio deserves a separate article, which I will write about.
Long before the exhibition literally all hotels were sold out, and the remaining offers were sold out at the price from 500 euros per night, but during the exhibition there was no upper limit of prices for accommodation.
Moreover, the hotels themselves in the city centre, even outside Brera, also became a design exposition. Every educational institution, every boutique was turned into a small showroom.
Handmade wallpaper from the Altissimomare workshop makes you want to touch it with your hands, but you can’t. 🙂
For those who don’t know, Brera is a sophisticated quarter in the historic centre of Milan. The neighbourhood was named after the world famous Pinacoteca di Brera. In this gallery there is a rich collection of works by Italian masters of different centuries. On the streets of the quarter there are premium gastronomes and fashion boutiques. And literally every shop, every boutique during the design week turns into an art object.
The weather was favourable for us, but we quickly realised that we would never be able to see the whole exposition even in a week. In front of each improvised pavilion in the Brera district there was a decent queue for 30 minutes, or even an hour.
It is impossible to see the whole quarter because of the huge interest and the same huge queues. In total, we visited about 15 pavilions over three days, and got a really bright impression of a bright festival of design, colours and light.
