Milan Design Week brings together the world’s best international design brands for a preview of the latest launches in furniture, lighting and lifestyle. The 2023 edition took place from 18 - 23 April and saw over 300,000 visitors from 181 countries visit Milan to discover new designs, re-issued classics and the most beautiful showrooms in the city.
Read on to view our Cult Milan News & Trends Report 2023 and News Index for a comprehensive wrap-up, plus our team's personal highlights and top furniture and lighting releases.
READ NOW. Cult Milan News & Trends Report 2023
Team highlights from Milan Design Week 2023
This year, five people from the Cult team were in Milan, across sales, marketing, VM and leadership departments. We hit the streets from 8:00am until well past midnight each day to get the most out of the week! Read on for each team member's personal highlight from Milan Design Week 2023!
"My personal highlight was the GUBI experience at Bagni Misteriosi. From the TEN exhibition celebrating a decade of the Beetle Chair, to the way Gubi worked with the environment to create a wonderful journey to highlight the Alfresco outdoor furniture installation. A very clear focus on a new market segment, plus a great way to invite clients to use the product in an incredible setting."
— Richard Munao, Founder and CEO
"I loved the Art of Light exhibition by Elle Decor Italia at Palazzo Bovara. Each room explored how light can affect our mood and perception of space. The use of moving curtains to block or let light in was really effective, along with the changing colour and warmth of light in each room. Seeing iconic designs in unexpected ways was also a highlight, such as the floor-to-ceiling installation of wall-mounted Louis Poulsen Panthella table lamps in chrome."
— Jeff Tsang, General Manager
Art of Light exhibition by Elle Decor Italia. Photography by Angel Ferrillo.
"Creative collaborations! I loved seeing how brands from different categories partnered to create surprising and unexpected products or experiences. My favourite create collaborations from Salone 2023 were Louis Poulsen x Fendi; Giacomo Milano x Liberty London; SolidNature x Sabine Marcelis x Laila Gohar; and Faye Toogood x Maison Matisse.
— Rosie Schloeffel, Marketing Manager
Solid Nature exhibition, in collaboration with Sabine Marcelis and Laila Gohar
Maison Matisse x Faye Toogood
Fendi x Louis Poulsen
Giacomo Milano x Liberty London
TOP 6. Furniture new releases
Nanimarquina Doblecara Rug
by Ronan Bouroullec
Reversible rugs celebrating the spirit of geometry through subtle linear and intermittent strokes ending in a blurred point.
Carl Hansen & Søn VLA61 chair
by Vilhelm Lauritzen
Only ten chairs were originally produced in 1944, and now this beautiful design has re-entered production. The chair has a poetic design, functionalist details and an elegant interplay between soft upholstery and the carefully hand-polished frame.
Karakter Scarpa Chair
by Afra and Tobia Scarpa
The 121 Scarpa dining chair was designed alongside the classic 925 Scarpa lounge chair from 1966. The two chairs are a prime example of Afra and Tobia Scarpa’s work and share the same double trestle structure with characteristic rounded joints. Both designs are now a part of the Karakter collection.
Karakter Hang Around Coat Rack
by Derek Mcleod
An updated version of the classic coat rack. Spacious and sturdy, this design has a soft, rounded expression that contrasts well to the sturdiness of the design. Produced in metal, Hang Around is available in a large version with seven pegs, and in a small version with four pegs.
Nanimarquina Oblique Rug
by Matthew Hilton
Juxtaposing oblique figures in different positions. Handwoven with 100% Afgan wool. The different heights have been achieved by mixing two techniques: hand knotted and sumak, to create two overlapping pieces with different pile heights that give movement. The result: four rugs with four different patterns.
Carl Hansen & Søn AH Outdoor
by Alfred Homann
This series consists of 11 pieces of furniture with a simple and sleek expression, which can be personalised and adapted to individual needs by adding cushions in weather-resistant textile. With its lightness and finesse – made of untreated, FSC-certified teak, a hardy wood that patinates beautifully over time – the AH Outdoor series fits into any outdoor space.
TOP 9. Lighting new releases
&Tradition Flowerpot New Colours
by Verner Panton
In close collaboration with the Panton family, &Tradition has released the Flowerpot range in five new vibrant colours: Cobalt Blue, Swim Blue, Vermilion Red, Tangy Pink and Dark Plum. Alongside this exciting palette refresh, the VP1 Flowerpot Pendant is also now available in a show-stopping 1970s black and white wave pattern.
Karakter Lari Mini Portable Lamp
by Angelo Mangiarotti
This portable version of Mangiarotti’s original Lari lamp from 1978 charges via a USB-C cable and goes from zero to fully charged in 4 hours. When fully charged, it can provide up to 14 hours of light.
Louis Poulsen x Fendi
by Poul Henningsen
This exclusive collaboration celebrates both design companies shared commitment to creativity, craftsmanship, attention to detail, as well as design sensibilities. The collection consiss of five pieces of Poul Henningsen’s iconic PH lamps, reimagined with Fendi’s design language, colour palette, and patterns.
Vipp595 Sculpture Pendant
Ancient mouth blowing techniques have been used to shape the lampshade of layered glass.
Louis Poulsen Luna (preview)
by Poul Henningsen
A preview of a curvaceous table lamp from the Poul Henningsen archives which Louis Poulsen will enter into production this year.
GUBI Aspide Lamp (preview)
by Gianfranco Frattini
Serpentine in shape, beautifully balanced and gleaming like a jewel, the Aspide Lamp is both a brilliantly practical piece of industrial design and an irresistibly playful design statement in gleaming chrome. First developed in 1970, the highly adjustable desk lamp is named after the Italian word for ‘asp’, referencing its sinuous form.
Karakter Plexi Pendant
by Angelo Mangiarotti
Like a luminous waterfall, this design can be used individually or grouped in clusters. With its evocative and dramatic appeal, Plexi is perfect for embellishing rooms with very high ceilings, hotels or restaurants. It has been sandblasted at one end to cast a wider beam of light.
GUBI Timberline Lamp (1970)
by Mads Caprani
With its playful expression and sinuous organic form, this lamp is a sculptural feature in any room of the house.
Karakter Saffo Table Lamp (1966)
by Angelo Mangiarotti
Originally designed in 1966 and has since been a coveted vintage object, this remarkable design bares testament to Mangiarotti's background as a sculptor and shows his unique approach to combining shapes and materials. Made of blown glass, Saffo spreads a soft light that enhances the many material characteristics of the glass.