Whether you are a designer, a brand, a journalist, or simply a design lover, MILAN DESIGN WEEK is definitely the place to be in April.

This was my second Salone del Mobile and I enjoyed it even more than last year because I knew my way around the city a bit more, I had more places to go to, and more people to connect with.

And this time, I also had the podcast in mind.
I am glad to introduce you to the 4 wonderful persons I had the opportunity to briefly interview :
– Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship — based in Geneva
– Sarah Quan, Creative Director and co-founder of Villa Nomad — based in Zürich
– Riccardo Villa Fabbiati, Designer and Founder of Monstrum Studio — based in Milan and Paris
– Chloé Nègre, Designer and Founder of Studio Chloé Nègre — based in Paris
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The energy is really incredible in Milan during design week.
And as Alberto said, it really is the opportunity for everyone to challenge themselves, to create amazing experiences and basically to go bigger, higher and further every year.
A great example of this is Dimore Studio — I think we can say that they steal the show each time, in a good way!
I was completely blown away by the installation at Dimore Centrale. J’ai pris une claque esthétique. It was an immersive, magnificent and decadent, back in time, all in the details, decor & scenography. And everyone agreed that it was their favorite of all.

I also loved Gubi at Bagni Misteriosi — amazing location, great set up, the Gubi team were easy to talk to, they were really eager to know if people enjoyed it, and the whole thing was pretty well run.

And, of course, part of my top 3 was the Doppia Firma exhibition at Palazzo Litta where I interviewed Alberto Cavalli. I was familiar with the concept of « double signature — a dialogue between design and artisanal excellence » as India Mahdavi participated in 2018. I particularly like how they place the artisan, the « maestro d’arte », at the same level as the designer. And how the pieces interact with the palazzo, too. It’s like a conversation between the antique and the contemporary.

Which is actually what Milan is all about.
And as each of my 4 guests summed it up pretty well in one word — Salone stands for Epiphanies, Collaborative, Solare and Primavera.
And how would I describe Salone 2023 in one word? Exaltant. Exhilarating!
See you next year!