Zanotta launches ‘Vertebra’ table
On April 15 at Milan Design Week Zanotta revealed the Carlo Mollino 'Vertebra' table after acquiring the designer’s archive, and Wallpaper* set up a bespoke kiosk for the festival. ( ) Design shows running this week also include Gaggenau’s 'Presence' at Villa Necchi and Poliform using Milan as a hybrid fashion‑retail presentation space. ( )
Zanotta used Milan Design Week to put Carlo Mollino back into production, unveiling the “Vertebra” table on April 15 after securing new rights to the designer’s work. (wallpaper.com) Wallpaper* reported that Zanotta obtained exclusive rights, granted by the Italian state after a public tender, to produce a series of Mollino designs. ANSA said the deal covers 30 projects held at the Politecnico di Torino and runs through 2043. (wallpaper.com, ansa.it) The first piece out of that archive is the “Vertebra” table, a Carlo Mollino design that Zanotta presented in Milan the same day it announced the archive acquisition. Salone del Mobile says Zanotta has been producing Mollino pieces since 1981, with eight designs already in its collection before this new agreement. (wallpaper.com, salonemilano.it) Milan Design Week has become a citywide launch platform as much as a trade fair, and brands are spreading presentations across kiosks, palazzi and historic villas. Salone del Mobile’s own city program says the 2026 edition includes public-space formats such as the Design Kiosk in Piazza della Scala. (salonemilano.it) Wallpaper* joined that street-level push with a custom kiosk takeover during the festival, using one of Milan’s flower kiosks as a temporary magazine outpost. The publication said the activation was designed as a physical meeting point during the week. (wallpaper.com) Other companies are using the same week to stage branded environments rather than standard showroom displays. Designboom reported that Gaggenau’s “Presence” will run at Villa Necchi Campiglio from April 21 to April 26, with entry from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and last admission at 5 p.m. (designboom.com, gaggenau.com) Poliform is making a similar play in central Milan. WWD reported that the company, now led by chief executive Marco Spinelli, opened a flagship in Piazza della Scala and is pairing that retail move with its “Multitude” installation at Palazzo Clerici during Milan Design Week. (wwd.com, poliform.it) For Zanotta, the immediate result is a new table; for Milan, it is another example of heritage design being relaunched through live events, licensing deals and temporary city takeovers. The “Vertebra” debut turns an archive agreement into a product on the floor while the design world is already in town. (wallpaper.com, ansa.it)
