Milan Design Week opens
- Salone del Mobile and Milan Design Week opened across the city and fairgrounds with installations, talks, and exhibitions. (archdaily.com) - Highlights include Ikea previewing the playful “Ikea PS 2026” collection and Fendi showing the Baguette 26424 Re‑Edition. (wallpaper.com; elle.com) - The week increasingly blurs design and fashion, with AD’s Salotto and citywide brand activations drawing industry crowds. (architecturaldigest.com; aol.com)
Milan Design Week opened across Milan this week, with the Salone del Mobile fair running at Rho Fiera from April 21 to 26 and Fuorisalone events spreading through the city from April 20 to 26. (salonemilano.it; milandesignweek.org) The fair is in its 64th edition, and organizers say more than 1,900 exhibitors are showing work at Rho. This year also brings back the biennial EuroCucina and International Bathroom Exhibition. (salonemilano.it; visitrho.it) Outside the fairgrounds, Fuorisalone’s official map lists more than 1,090 local events across Milan, turning districts including Brera, Tortona and Isola into a weeklong circuit of installations, talks and brand showcases. (fuorisalone.it; visitmilano.org) That split explains how Milan Design Week works in practice: Salone del Mobile is the trade fair for furniture and interiors, while Fuorisalone is the citywide layer where brands, galleries and fashion houses chase attention beyond the halls. (salonemilano.it; archdaily.com) The crossover with fashion is especially visible in 2026. WWD reported that brands including Bottega Veneta, Hermès and La DoubleJ built installations and product launches around the week, while Fendi used Milan Design Week to present its Baguette 26424 Re-Edition. (wwd.com; fendi.com) Ikea is using the week in a different way, previewing three pieces from its Ikea PS 2026 line at Spazio Maiocchi in an exhibition called “Food For Thought.” Ikea said the show runs April 21 to 26, with free entry, and Wallpaper reported that the preview includes the tenth edition of the long-running PS series. (ikea.com; wallpaper.com) Organizers and media coverage are also framing the 2026 edition around materials, craft and collectible design. New fair features include Salone Raritas, a platform for galleries and high craftsmanship, and the public program designed with Formafantasma. (salonemilano.it; wwd.com) The business backdrop is less festive than the installations. WWD reported before the opening that this year’s edition was landing amid tariffs, inflation, higher oil prices and conflict, pressures that are hanging over a global furniture and luxury market already leaning harder on spectacle and cross-industry tie-ins. (wwd.com) By Sunday, the crowds will move on, but the pattern is set: a trade fair with 1,900-plus exhibitors now shares the stage with a citywide program where furniture, fashion, food and branding all compete for the same Milan audience. (visitrho.it; fuorisalone.it)
