When Design Becomes a Show

Why we returned this year

How much easier it would have been to arrive in Milan a week later again this year.

Back in 2022 we skipped Salone del Mobile entirely and came to the city after the fair had closed. At the time it felt almost liberating. No crowds, no queues, showrooms at a calm pace, the chance to actually move through everything and take it in. We wrote about it here.

But after a few years we started to feel like we were missing the fair itself. Salone is still the biggest event of its kind, and there’s always that nagging feeling you’re being left out of something.

So this year we went back.

And we think we finally understood why we felt so good that other time.

 

Design week as an urban festival

It’s not so much about the design itself. Although we’d have some reservations about that this year, too. What stood out much more was the overall impression of the entire event—how much it has changed in just a few years. Salone is no longer just a furniture fair. A vast network of additional design zones scattered throughout the city has sprung up around the original event. And along with them, a completely new type of visitor. In the past, one mainly encountered architects, designers, merchants, or manufacturers. Today, Milan during Design Week is more of a mass event, something between Fashion Week, a festival, and a city fair.

The first shock came right at the exhibition center. The big brands have closed themselves off. Huge booths with not a single glimpse inside. Dark walls all around, a line in front of them, and registration at the entrance. Maybe you’ll get in. Maybe not. Sometimes only with a prior invitation. Sometimes only as a business partner. 

Paradoxically, it is the architect who suddenly finds himself somewhat out of the loop. We are neither a direct distributor nor a dealer. We are merely the link in the chain that uses the products in real projects. The search for inspiration thus often boils down to discovering smaller or unknown brands. And that in itself isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes you find something interesting there. But in the end, most of those things can’t actually be used in Czech projects or even brought here at all.

And that was the first disappointment.

When trends start to resemble Fashion Week

On the one hand, it’s impressive to see how much energy and money brands put into their presentations. Boffi, for example, completely transforms its entire showroom every year. Whatever you may think of the result, the sheer volume of work is incredible. On the other hand, however, something is becoming increasingly visible that is somewhat dangerous for the interior design world. Trend. And not a trend as a natural shift. But almost a fashion wave.

This year, for example, wood, beige, subtle textures, and a very similar aesthetic dominated everywhere across brands. It’s not that this is wrong or out of style. The problem lies more in how quickly the entire environment unifies in a single direction. And if that direction doesn’t suit you, you feel like you’re in the wrong season.

But an interior isn’t a handbag for a single collection. You don’t design a house or apartment for just two seasons. It’s an environment meant to last ten years or more. Perhaps that’s precisely why what we missed most this year was diversity.

What we still enjoy searching for

Ultimately, we’re actually less interested in the trend itself and much more in individual ideas. Those moments when someone comes up with an unexpected detail, material, or technical solution. Like an outdoor ceramic kitchen. Or working with unconventional materials in places where you wouldn’t expect them. We ourselves enjoy similar experiments — steel doors, concrete trowels, or wire glass in kitchens.

Technical innovations are just as interesting. For example, in the field of range hoods, even though one often suspects that half of the prototypes will never make it into production.

And then there are the absolute little things. A light that would be an ordinary cylinder if it weren’t for one well-thought-out detail. A material that someone uses in a completely different way than is customary. A technical solution that isn’t visible but works perfectly.

Perhaps this is what we still enjoy most about design—clever little details.

Why we’ll be coming back after the fair next time

Milan isn’t bad. It’s just that it’s probably not quite right for us anymore. The place we used to visit to find new products and inspiration for interiors has turned into a massive cultural spectacle centered around design. And maybe that’s just a natural evolution.

This year, we realized that Milan actually suits us better after the fair. Calmer showrooms, a less crowded city, and the chance to look at things without lines, registration, or crowds around. So next time, we’ll probably wait until the week after again.

And one more important thank you—Stopka, Konsepti , and DesignBath—who helped us with access and registrations this year. Without them, we would likely have spent part of the week in lines and the other part wandering between showrooms, which are almost impossible to access without the right contacts. That actually sums up quite well where Milan Design Week has moved to today.

by Radka - 7. 5. 2026