The Art of Living: The Highlights of Milan Design Week

Fashion houses at this year’s Milan Design Week showcased the best and latest in home and product design, with every piece telling a story of innovation and style.

By Megan La Faber

Published: June 27, 2024

The Art of Living: The Highlights of Milan Design Week — From left: Bottega Veneta, LOEWE, Fendi

One of the largest and most prestigious design events in the world, the annual Milan Design Week brings together creativity and flair in various disciplines, ranging from interior to product design.The star of the show is the Salone del Mobile, a furniture and furnishings fair which features exhibitions, installations, and conceptual showcases of home couture, dotted across the Italian city.

Participating brands in this year’s edition included fashion houses such as Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Loewe, Armani, and Ralph Lauren, among others.

The Art of Living: The Highlights of Milan Furniture Week — Photo: Courtesy of Giorgio Armani

Armani opened the doors to its headquarters in the Palazzo Orsini to present its new Armani/Casa collection, Echi dal Mondo (or Echoes from the World). Different rooms were staged to evoke locations Giorgio Armani often looked to for inspiration, such as Japan and Morocco.

The Virtù cabinet featured textures reminiscent of Japanese samurai armour and katana swords, while influences from Berber culture were evident in the Miro multi-functional cabinet, with its iridescent blue shellac glaze inspired by the clothes worn by the Tuareg people, a Berber nomadic community.

Hermès’ showcase combined pieces from its archives with its latest collection of furniture, textiles and home decor, such as a vintage jockey’s silk blouse displayed alongside a cashmere blanket that echoes the blouse’s pattern and palette.

The House’s equestrian heritage was a running theme throughout the exhibit— from the flooring, composed of raw materials such as stone, brick, wood, compacted earth, and slate, laid out in patchwork-like designs reminiscent of a jockey’s jersey; to the Derby buckets and chairs that demonstrated the craftsmanship of its leatherworking and saddlery artisans.

Loewe commissioned lamps by 24 internationally renowned artists who employed an eclectic range of mediums, materials, finishes, and reflective dynamics. For example, Hafu Matsumoto’s table lamp was woven from flattened bamboo, while Alvaro Barrington’s steel and concrete standing lamp was fashioned like a storefront with metal shutters, with a pull cord inspired by Loe w e’s gold doughnut chain. The lamps were displayed alongside homewares and bags created in collaboration with some of the artists.

For its new Casa collection, Fendi continued the dialogue between design, luxurious materials, and workmanship in its furniture, home accessories and lighting. The standout was the Fendi F-Affair modular sofa system, where the brand logo was rendered in a three-dimensional form.

Louis Vuitton also unveiled new products for its Art of Living collection. The highlight was a reinterpretation of its iconic Bed Trunk, originally conceived in 1865. Blending heritage with modernity, the new version features the signature monogram canvas on the exterior, with a fold-out bed frame constructed of aluminium and beechwood. Catering to less esoteric tastes is the Monogram Flower range of Limoges porcelain tableware, now available in blue and beige.

Ralph Lauren’s Modern Driver Collection took inspiration from his own collection of automobiles. The RL-CF1 chair uses the same high-tech fibre used in Formula 1 race cars, resulting in a lightweight yet strong frame, while the Turner nesting tables takes elements from classic automobile design with their louvred mahogany detail and stainless-steel trim.

The Versace Home collection were presented at the Palazzo Versace, originally its founder’s home and atelier. Titled If These Walls Could Talk, the exhibition showcased lavish pieces such as the Medusa ‘95 Conversation Sofa and soft blue La Medusa armchair.

Bottega Veneta partnered Cassina and Fondation Le Corbusier to present a large-scale installation at Palazzo San Fedel. On the Rocks featured custom editions of the LC14 Tabouret Cabanon, a chestnut wood box covered in the House’s signature Intrecciato leather in various hues.

On display at Gucci’s Monte Napoleone flagship store were five works that represented the golden age of Italian design, recoloured to Rosso Ancora, a delicious red hue chosen by creative director Sabato De Sarno.

Saint Laurent collaborated with Gio Ponti Archives and Fundación Anala y Armando Planchart to reissue 12 limited-edition plates that were commissioned in 1957 for the Villa Planchart in Venezuela. They feature the villa’s motifs such as the sun, crescent moon, and the letter ‘A’.

For fashion and design lovers, Milan Design Week offers a wealth of treasures to discover, from furniture and home accessories that are elevated beyond mere functionality, to the creativity and stories behind the luxury houses which are translated into beautiful pieces for the home.