PREVIEW – SALONE DEL MOBILE & MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2026
Si parte!

As part of the Salone del Mobile Milano, Forgotten Architecture is collaborating with K‑Way to present a curated architectural tour of Milan. The guide, developed by Forgotten Architecture, takes visitors to five key buildings in the city: Biblioteca Sormani (Corso di Porta Vittoria 6), Collegio di Milano (Via Virgilio 10), Casa a Tre Cilindri (Via Gavirate 27), San Giovanni Bono (Via S. Paolino 20) and Corso Italia 13. The route is accompanied by a photographic series in which the architecture enters into a visual dialogue with K‑Way’s lightweight nylon structures, exploring themes such as mobility, protection and urban movement.

The free guide is available at the project kiosk in Piazza Sant’Eustorgio and at the K‑Way® stores at Corso Garibaldi 30 and Via Ugo Foscolo 8. The flagship store at Corso Garibaldi 30 will be transformed into an exhibition space during Design Week and invites visitors to a special opening event on 21 April from 6 pm to 9 pm.

The lecture programme for Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026, curated by Annalisa Rosso, brings architecture, design, craftsmanship and industry together in a shared dialogue to reflect on current social and design-related changes. Design culture serves as the unifying element around which different disciplines and perspectives converge. Part of the programme is a conversation with architect and curator Tosin Oshinowo. Drawing on her architectural practice in Africa and her curatorial work, she develops a global perspective on architecture and urban planning. Her contribution challenges established design paradigms and formulates approaches that take into account the cultural, social and climatic demands of the 21st century. The conversation will be moderated by Amanda Ferber, founder, CEO and editor of Architecture Hunter.

Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives
Drafting Futures Arena, Pavilion 14, Fiera Milano Rho
21 – 26 April 2026
9 am – 6.30 pm

With Prototype Island, the DesignSingapore Council is bringing an exhibition to Milan that presents Singapore as a dynamic innovation hub. The exhibition builds on the Future Impact series and develops a new concept that views design as an ongoing process of testing, adapting and implementing. It is curated by designer Hunn Wai (Lanzavecchia + Wai), supported by Eian Siew and Maria Cristina Didero. On display are works by both established and emerging talents from Singapore, exploring themes such as society, the relationship between people and technology, and contemporary forms of cultural heritage. The exhibition is complemented by talks and events that deepen the dialogue on design, visions of the future and curatorial perspectives.

Prototype Island
Foro Buonaparte 54, 20121 Milan
21 – 26 April 2026, daily 10 am to 7 pm
Singapore Night Party | 22 April, 7.30 pm – 11 pm
Talk Series led by Maria Cristina Didero: A New Singapore: Shared Futures (*A New Singapore: Shared Futures | 21 April, 6 pm *Who Speaks for Design? | 22 April, 4 pm *Prototype as a Method | 22 April, 5 pm)

HoperAperta presents the exhibition ‘Sigillo’ in the courtyard of the Museo Mangini Bonomi in Milan as part of Close up – The shapes of time. On display is a collection of unique art and design objects that explore time, memory and the transformation of forms. Close up examines a poetic visual language in which each work emerges through multi-layered, ‘literary’ processes. Places are understood as repositories of images and memories, forms as wandering elements, characterised by superimposition and blending in the sense of a creative métissage. The exhibition combines materiality, narration and processuality into a multi-layered spatial and object-based experience. The programme is complemented by the Hyundai Talk: Conversations with Visionaries on 23 April 2026 at 6 pm at Torneria Tortona.

“Sigillo” at Close up – The shapes of time by Hoper Aperta
Museo Mangini Bonomi, via dell’Ambrosiana 20, 20123 Milan
16 – 25 April 2026

To mark the centenary of Gianfranco Frattini’s birth (1926–2004), the exhibition ‘Gianfranco Frattini 1926–2026’ is being presented at the Castello Sforzesco. Initiated by the Gianfranco Frattini Studio/Archive, this exhibition showcases special editions of key designs, reissued by Artemide, Cassina, CB2, Gubi, Poltrona Frau, Tacchini and Torri Lana. These are complemented by glassworks from the museum’s collection and re-editions for CB2. Designed by Emanuela Frattini Magnusson and Pietro Todeschini, and curated in collaboration with Fiorella Mattio, the exhibition marks the start of a programme running until December 2026, which will include exhibitions, publications and events at various venues across Milan.

Gianfranco Frattini 1926–2026
Castello Sforzesco, Milan
Museo dei Mobili e delle Sculture Lignee and Sala Castellana
Until 28 June 2026, Tuesday to Sunday: 10 am – 5.30 pm

As usual, the Triennale offers a wide range of exhibitions on the theme of design that are well worth seeing: for example, in collaboration with the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, the monographic exhibition "Andrea Branzi by Toyo Ito. Continuous Present’. This exhibition is dedicated to the architect, designer and theorist Andrea Branzi and examines his work from the perspective of the Japanese architect Toyo Ito, his long-standing friend and project partner. Conceived by Toyo Ito, Lorenza Branzi and Nicoletta Morozzi, and curated by Nina Bassoli and Michela Alessandrini, the exhibition traces Branzi’s journey from Archizoom through Alchimia and Memphis to his anthropological approach to design. Over 400 works are displayed across 11 thematic sections within a fluid exhibition architecture designed by Ito. The exhibition is accompanied by a public programme starting in April 2026 and a bilingual publication.

Andrea Branzi by Toyo Ito. Continuous Present
Triennale Milano
Viale Alemagna 6
20121 Milan
Until 4 October 2026

As part of MoscaPartners Variations 2026, architect Lina Ghotmeh is creating the site-specific installation ‘Metamorphosis in Motion’ in the main courtyard of Palazzo Litta. The work forms the conceptual centrepiece of the exhibition curated by Caterina Mosca. Drawing on the annual theme of ‘Metamorphosis’, she has developed a walk-in pavilion that focuses on movement, perception and use. Curved geometries and a sequential parcours transform the historic courtyard from a representative thoroughfare into an activated space that can be experienced collectively, without altering its structural integrity. The installation engages in direct dialogue with the contributions of an international selection of designers, studios and brands in the Baroque halls of Palazzo Litta, framing a curatorial exploration of transformation, material research, technological development and the relationship between people, space and the environment.

‘Metamorphosis in Motion’
Palazzo Litta 
Corso Magenta 24, Milan
21 – 26 April 2026, 10 am – 8 pm (Last entry: 7 pm)

From 14 April 2026, Palazzo Molteni will host the exhibition ‘Il Conforto dell’architetto / The Architect’s Relief’, dedicated to the work of Michele De Lucchi. The exhibition has been organised in collaboration with the gallery Antonia Jannone Disegni di Architettura and Francesca Molteni. Drawing on De Lucchi’s book of the same name, the exhibition reflects on key questions regarding the role of architecture today: responsibility, land use and the tension between building and nature. Around 40 works – including sculptures, tempera drawings and pencil compositions, some of which are being shown in Milan for the first time – document an introspective creative process developed over more than five decades, beyond market logic and commissions. The works arise from a direct engagement with material and action, and combine art, architecture and thought to create a space for reflection.

‘Il conforto dell’architetto / The Architect’s Relief’
Works by Michele De Lucchi in collaboration with Antonia Jannone Architectural Drawings
Molteni Galleria, Palazzo Molteni, Molteni&C Flagship Store
Via Manzoni, 9, 20121 Milan
10 am – 7 pm, Visits by appointment: info@antoniajannone.it
 

During Milan Design Week 2026, Solidified will present a collective exhibition featuring 27 international creatives from the fields of design, art and craftsmanship at Viafarini in the Isola Design District. Curated by Sanne Kaal, the exhibition explores the interplay between material, form and composition. The participating artists include Vantot, Nicolette de Waart, Inge Simonis and Studio Beeks, who will present new works – ranging from modular lighting systems and sculptural objects to ceramic furniture and woodwork. The exhibition will be complemented by talks, guided tours and a public programme in collaboration with Glue Amsterdam. Solidified sees itself as a platform for exchange and collaboration and deliberately positions itself at the intersection of design, material experimentation and contemporary exhibition practice.

Solidified
Viafarini, Via Carlo Farini 35, Milan (Isola Design District)
21 – 26 April, 10 am – 7 pm, Tuesday and Sunday until 5 pm
Talks by Glue Amsterdam: 25 April, 4–5 pm, followed by an aperitivo. Moderator: Marsha Simon (Welcome to Mars). Speakers: Esther Jongsma (Vantot), Lucas Zito, Nicolette de Waart, Arjen Bangma (Transnatural), Sanne Kaal (Finished Forms).
RSVP (free of charge)

BASE Milano sees itself as an international platform for dialogue on the present and future of design, bringing together work by students from Domus Academy and 20 partner universities across 14 countries. Under the overarching theme ENGAGE FRICTION://designing through conflict, the selected projects explore how tensions, contrasts and conflicts in society, technology and the environment can be used as a starting point for design processes. Design is not understood here as a tool for resolving contradictions, but as a medium that makes differences visible and translates them into new narratives, perspectives and possible forms of change. To complement the exhibition, a Project Discussion Conference will take place on 23 April 2026 at the Domus Academy (Via Darwin 20), where students will discuss their work in dialogue with lecturers from international universities and representatives from the professional field. Unfold thus reaffirms the Domus Academy’s role as a venue for interdisciplinary and transcultural discourse within international design education.

BASE Milano
Domus Academy: UNFOLD
20 to 26 April
V. Ambrogio Bergognone da Fossano, 34, 20144 Milan

‘When Apricots Blossom’ is presented by the Uzbekistan Art and Cultural Development Foundation (ACDF) and focuses on cultural renewal, contemporary craftsmanship and Uzbekistan’s ecological heritage. Curated by the architect Kulapat Yantrasast, the exhibition takes its name from an Uzbek poem from the 1930s. As an immersive installation in the historic Palazzo Citterio in the Brera district, it marks Uzbekistan’s first participation in Milan Design Week. The focus is on narratives from the Aral Sea region and insights into life under the conditions of climate change in Karakalpakstan in northern Uzbekistan. Twelve international and Uzbek designers present new works created in collaboration with local artisans, including Bethan Laura Wood, Marcin Rusak, Fernando Laposse, Nifemi Marcus-Bello and Bobir Klichev. The works bridge the gap between traditional knowledge, contemporary design and ecological responsibility.

When Apricots Blossom
Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) and Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of ACDF
Curated by: Kulapat Yantrasast, WHY Architecture
Palazzo Citterio, Via Brera, 12, 20121 Milan
20 – 26 April 2026, daily 10 am – 6 pm

The curated platform Deoron, launched in 2021 by Alberto Pallaoro, will once again present both established and emerging artists this year, whose works are an expression of intention, craftsmanship and contemporary culture. The curatorial approach aims to transcend traditional categories and present an inclusive and non-hierarchical interpretation of contemporary art. The new venue will offer more space for the exhibition: the repurposed industrial hall of a former ball bearing factory in the Porta Venezia Design District provides 800 square metres. Around 50 exhibitors are expected, including Victor Foxtrot, Alessi Spa, Frama and Tubes Radiatori. The supporting programme includes talks and events, a diverse sound programme and a bar.

Deoron
Via Padova 11, 20127 Milan
20 – 26 April 2026, 10 am to 7 pm

Insider tip: The CASVA – Centre for Advanced Studies in the Visual Arts is a cultural institution that has been collecting, preserving and disseminating archives on design, architecture and visual culture in Milan since 1999. Originally established in premises within the Castello Sforzesco, CASVA has developed into a key hub for academics and researchers, as well as for the general public with an interest in design and architecture. In 2025, CASVA opened its new headquarters in the QT8 district, a significant 20th-century urban ensemble designed by Piero Bottoni for the 8th Triennale in 1947. The converted former market hall has been carefully transformed into a contemporary venue for research, exhibitions and knowledge dissemination. Spanning around 3,000 square metres, the new site combines exhibition, archive and educational spaces, making CASVA’s unique cultural heritage accessible to the public. 

Via Isernia 5, 20148 Milan, Metro QT8