As someone who’s been to the Milan furniture fair nearly 20 times, it’s difficult not to become fatigued or jaded by the perpetual stream of exciting new product launches that are often neither exciting nor, in a larger sense, particularly new. Even the sheer volume of commercial releases that happen during the week, good or bad, is exhausting in and of itself — are there enough living rooms in the world to house all these chairs and side tables? The best we can do is tune out the noise and try to find just as much joy in whatever great discoveries we do make as we find in eating puntarelle salads and catching up with our international friends. Jill mentioned some of this year’s more peripheral high points in yesterday’s post (pasta, Bjork, more pasta), but we’re rounding out our coverage of our actual design favorites today, with a post dedicated to the best exhibitions, interiors, and projects. In our case, focusing primarily on those produced by independent designers and galleries.

Normally I might offer more commentary on the trends and goings-on at this year’s fair which, unlike Jill, I did attend. But to be honest it was a relatively uneventful show this go-round, and I’d rather focus on giving a little bit of context to our picks below. Until next year!

Strata

A group exhibition of work by Belgian and Dutch designers Tim Vranken, Middernacht & Alexander, and Linde Freya Tangelder.

Interni Venosta

The furniture label of Dimorestudio’s Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran showcased a bunch of new work in one of the duo’s signature immersive installations.

Studioutte

The design duo cleared out their Milan offices to present a site-specific installation whose elements — table, chairs, lamp, wall panels — are available to order (and customize).

Béton Brut — and Tutto Bene

London gallery Béton Brut recently acquired the estate of late Italian metal sculptor Salvino Marsura, and debuted several of his works in steel for the first time both at Alcova (in the garden of Villa Borsani) and inside the studio of Oskar Kohnen and Felizia Berchtold’s interiors and furniture studio Tutto Bene, where it was shown alongside the duo’s new lighting and sofas.

Speak Memory at Casa Cabana

Deborah Needleman curated the work of six designers working with traditional crafts — Peter Schlesinger, Green River Project & Bode, Dahyeon Yoo, James Cherry, Sophie Coryndon, and Sophie Wilson — inside Cabana Magazine‘s events space (also Martina Mondadori’s maximalist childhood home).

Duetto at Oxilia Gallery

As they did last year, Milan’s Oxilia Gallery dedicated their space to a pairing of a designer and artist, in this case Spanish design studio Kutarq (chairs) and Italian artist Flaminia Veronesi (paintings).

Objects of Common Interest x Breeder Gallery

First presented at Frieze 2024, Objects of Common Interest‘s Voids series of resin lamps and sculptures for Breeder Gallery was, during Salone, cleverly incorporated into the library at Alcova’s Villa Borsani exhibition hub by curator Joy Herro.

New Sunnei store

Debuting during the fair, beloved Milan fashion brand Sunnei converted the main area of their headquarters into a shop, coffee shop, and events space, designed by architecture studio 2050+ and accented by the perfect green Campeggi sofa.

Silver Lining at Nilufar Depot

To celebrate Nilufar Depot‘s 10th anniversary, the gallery put together a very Instagrammable exhibition in its main atrium featuring contemporary and vintage furnishings in silver metal, with a crazy mirrored and faux-fur set design by Fosbury Architecture. StudioutteFlavie Audi (center table), Audrey Large (lamp), Walter Moretti (pink chairs)StudioutteDestroyers/BuildersGiorgio Montani

Giuseppe Porcelli

Italian architect Giuseppi Porcelli launched his first furniture line during the fair, showing it inside an apartment he’d meticulously decorated for the occasion to bring its universe to life.

Sofia Zevi

Gallerist Sofia Zevi united the work of five designers — Akira Hara, the Back Studio, Yali Glass, Anabelle Selldorf, and Chiarastella Cattana — around the theme of the Japanese tokonoma, an alcove inside the home “reserved for singular works of art.”

Jialun Xiong

Part of the Boon Room exhibition, LA-based designer Jialun Xiong showed works inside a former bank vault.

USM x Humanrace

The skincare brand Humanrace teamed up with USM Modular Furniture to produce an homage to self-care in the form of an apple-green bathroom and shower made from the Swiss brand’s famed components.

Casa Redduo

The interior design and housewares duo Fabiola Di Virgilio and Andrea Rosso of Redduo opened the doors to their new studio — and home — in Milan during the fair, using it as a canvas to showcase their design approach.

News From Home

A group show organized by Uppercut gallery, Cour gallery, and Burlina Morshed that showcased works by Morshed, Concorde, Fritz Adamski, Hermann Becker, LS Gomma, and Yoonjeong Lee.
Vocla

In addition to adding two additional new venues in Varedo this year, the team behind Alcova also organized Vocla, an exhibition, pop-up bar and restaurant, and events series that took place in an old slaughterhouse in central Milan each night.Stefania RuggieroDaniele Giannetti
Giovanni De FrancescoStandard 404

6:AM Glassworks

One of the most enjoyable presentations in Milan this year, glass brand 6:AM took over an old public shower facility — abandoned since the 1970s — inside a 1930s public pool building and filled its stalls with prototypes, products, and experiments.

The Theater of Things by Delvis (Un)Limited

Curated by Alcova’s Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima, gallery Delvis (Un)Limited‘s Milan presentation consisted of work by 7 designers shown inside a vaguely domestic exhibition design,  which they each proceeded to sleep in for one night each. Laurids GalléeRich AybarLinde Freya Tangelder (furniture) and Stefania Ruggiero (textiles)