Design week in Milan has a few main ingredients: parties (like Molteni’s, celebrating their installation Letters to Milan, pictured above); performances (notably Forma Fantsma’s high-concept dance piece for Cassina); pop-up activations (artist Mirei Monticelli eye-catching piece in the Hotel Mélia Palazzo); and inevitably, the nightly, jam-packed gatherings at Bar Basso. But above all, the doings in and around Salone del Mobile revolve around the legacy brands bringing debut products to the fairgrounds at Rho. Here’s a sampling of some of the best and newest work on view this season, from some of the best and biggest names in the business.
Knoll
“It creates a calming presence in space,” said Jonathan Olivares, senior vice president at Knoll. He was speaking of the work of Jonathan Muecke, the designer and artist whose delicate yet sturdy wooden chairs were a highlight at the American brand’s glassy Salone booth. Accompanying them, cushy new Biboni sectional seating from LA-based architects Johnston Marklee sat side by side with doll-sized versions of their chief aesthetic inspiration: the always-comfy Michelin Man.
Lodes
The Italian lighting brand was a bright spot (pun not quite achieved) of this year’s As biannual Euroluce sub-fair, in particular owing to their unusual-looking “Map”: a novel, strap based system from German designers Geckeler Michels. “They’re very ‘form follows function,’” says Marco Martin, Lodes’s design director. “We kind of softened them up.” In addition to creating fascinating patterns along any wall or ceiling, the piece stands out for its technical wizardry, with power actually being conducted through the strap.
Edra
Without a doubt one of the most compelling presentations at the main fair, Edra’s glittering display felt like stepping into a rhinestone goldmine. Paired with classic furniture from the brand’s back catalogue, an array of new upholstery options in gems, and glossy-matte materials turned the darkened interior into a riot of glitter. Complementing the seating were some of the company’s familiar Cicaldi side tables, also available in splashy new colorways.
Poltrona Frau
Just in time for the New York City subway to switch back to a version of his celebrated 1960s map, designer Massimo Vignelli—together with his wife and longtime collaborator Lella—unveiled an elliptical version of their Mesa Table for the Milanese furniture giant Poltrona Frau. Also of note at the brand’s Brera showroom was a series of cheery, butterfly-patterned takes on Poltrona classic from designer Barnaba Fornasetti. His optimistic motto for the collection: “One should not dwell on the news, because the news is fleeting.”
Poliform
Featuring both indoor- and outdoor-themed sections, the big, atmospheric booth from Poliform was a major draw once again this year. Sitting alongside the ultra-cool Reef coffee tables from Emmanuel Gallina, designer Jean-Marie Massaud’s Owen sofa made a strong impression for its juxtaposition of ice-cold minimalist palette with exquisitely textured fabric and plush, welcoming contours.
Janus et Cie
At their showroom near the Piazza Cavour, the Los Angeles-born, internationally-esteemed brand took on a decidedly seasonal look, with an easy, breezy outdoor collection in a soft springy palette. Emblematic of the new work are the Orchid chairs designed by Roberto Palomba Ludovica Serafini (plump, personality-packed seating that looks almost as though it might walk away of its own accord), as well as Patrick Norguet’s Plume chairs—their lurid colors and glamorous, larger-than-life proportions seemingly pulled straight out of a Slim Aarons photograph.
Gandía Blasco
Architect Kengo Kuma has had a relationship with Spanish textile and outdoor-seating specialists Gandia Blasco for some years now, and he teamed up with them again this spring to design their Salone booth—a warm, woody assemblage very much in tune with the Japanese master’s work around the world. While he was at it, he also designed the new HOS seating, a line of chairs and stools that pairs simple stick frames for which Kuma is well known with fabric made out of recycled plastic. “He was interested in exploring this kind of fiber,” said creative director Alejandra Gandía-Blasco. “It has a different behavior to materials he’s worked with before.”
B&B Italia
The storied Italian furniture maker put on a strong showing as usual in their downtown Milan showroom. Most impressive among the debuts was a suite of new work by ever-industrious architect and designer Antonio Citterio, in particular the lavish Cocùn sofa, its rounded forms giving it a sheltering quality meant to evoke the “essence of closure,” as its creator put it, “like a true retreat within the home.”
Artemide
Minotti
Among the largest exhibitors at Rho, Minotti was in fine form once again this April in their sprawling booth which seemed almost a fair unto itself. High points in the 2025 collection included the Saki outdoor daybed by Nendo, as well as the Coupé modular sofa by Giampiero Tagliaferri.