Design Week Is Here: Unmissable Openings in Milan
With Design Week running from Monday to April 21, new home stores and projects are springing up in Milan.
As Design Week kicks off Monday and runs until April 21, Milan offers plenty of new destinations. Here, a roundup of some of the openings to check out during the week.
Cabana Store
Cabana opened its first-ever retail space in Milan at Via Borgospesso, 8. The store covers 8,000 square feet with interiors designed by cofounders Martina Mondadori and Christoph Radl. The space was conceived as an extension of Casa Cabana, Mondadori's childhood home, decorated by Renzo Mongiardino. The store embodies the colorful style of the magazine and features a sculptural installation displaying some elements of the Cabana homeware collection. Also, the brand's 10th anniversary collection will be launched in the store, featuring artisanal linens, rattan accessories, hand-painted glassware and porcelain dinnerware produced by Ginori 1735.
“Opening our first store represents a true milestone for Cabana — and all the more so in Milan, given that this is where it all started,” said Mondadori. “I want our first physical space to be a journey of discovery: a space in which to linger over beautifully handcrafted objects, browse our eclectic vintage finds or flip through a carefully curated selection of books.”
Cabana took over the Sant'Ambroeus restaurant's terrace and windows on Sunday, adding its signature touch with limited-edition textiles used on tablecloths and napkins, featuring Cabana's “Toscana” floral print in Sant Ambroeus' signature coral color. Inside, interior designer Ashley Hicks decorated the restaurant's private dining room “Sala Isabella,” which will stay on after Design Week.
“Both brands elevate each other naturally, it's a perfect match,” said Alireza Niroomand, creative director of the Sant Ambroeus Hospitality Group. "Sant Ambroeus is a favorite of mine in Milan,” continued Mondadori. “It is a place where the Milanese lifestyle melds with paradoxically elegant comfort food, where tradition is given a contemporary twist — which is true, too, of Cabana's style.”
Via Borgospesso, 8 – 20121;
Tel. 02-74–23–5292; cabanamagazine.com
Talenti Manzoni
The outdoor furniture brand Talenti unveiled a new store at Via Manzoni, 11 to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Covering 5,400 square feet over three floors, inside visitors can find spaces ranging from the living room and the kitchen to a lounge, for example. The design of the project was entrusted to the Milanese architect duo Roberto Palomba and Ludovica Serafini.
“The showroom was set up in a very simple way and without excessive embellishments, placing the product and the quality of the company at the center. A neutral box which becomes the perfect stage for the creation of installations that carry the spirit and the dynamism of the brand,” said Palomba. “The box is also characterized by a large central skylight which in itself has a strong identity; for this reason it seemed redundant to us to create further structures. As for the color, we have selected neutral and relaxing shades that recall a vision of the outdoors, in line with the image of the brand: welcoming and concrete,” said Serafini.
Via Alessandro Manzoni, 11 – 20121; talentispa.com
Seletti
Seletti is presenting many fun projects during this Design Week. At Rinascente Milano, the brand is taking center stage with a reinterpretation of a true 1960s supermarket, fully operational and functional with the original logo created for the brand's founding in 1964, shopping bags, and uniforms for the staff. On display on the shelves will be Seletti's bestselling catalog items alongside specially created "fake" products for the installation, like refrigerators with unexpected items inside, and discount flyers hanging from the ceiling. "The first Italian supermarket opened in Milan in 1957, and a few years later my father, Romano, founded Seletti," Stefano Seletti, the brand's art director, explained. "Seletti Market is a fun way to reinterpret the classic elements of the 'consumer society' in which we grew up."
Additionally, two new products by creative Gianpiero D'Alessandro will be showcased — the Love Hurts You cactus with comic-like and almost anthropomorphic forms tenderly embracing a "bandaged" balloon and the Monsters tableware collection inspired by typical children's party dishes. On Wednesday, the Design Pride parade by Seletti will cross the city for its seventh edition celebrating freedom, creativity and playfulness. Starting at 6 p.m. from Piazza Affari, the parade will arrive at the Arco della Pace for the final party until midnight organized by Save The Duck, the 100 percent animal-free clothing brand.
Piazza del Duomo – 20121;
Tel. 02-92–38-7388; rinascente.it
THG Paris
At Via Fiori Chiari, 5 located in the Brera district, THG Paris has found a new home. The French brand founded in 1956 and specialized in luxury bathroom fittings and accessories is using the opening to celebrate its longtime partnership with Lalique. Founded in 1888 by avant-garde artist René Lalique, the French glassware brand is a symbol of know-how and craftsmanship. For Design Week, Lalique has created a unique light installation for its Milan showroom. THG Paris and Lalique share a history of craftsmanship, innovation and aesthetics, reflected in their distinctive products. With a presence in more than 60 countries and eight branches worldwide (London, Paris, Moscow, New York, Shanghai, Dubai, Singapore and now Milan), THG Paris is synonymous with refined design and quality.
Via Fiori Chiari, 5 – 20121 thg-paris.com
Schumacher
Schumacher, the international luxury fabrics and wallpaper brand, revealed the opening of a showroom and store in Milan after openings in the cities of London and Paris. The company, now led by the fifth generation and known as “the home of joy" was founded in New York in 1889. Located in the storied Brera neighborhood, the boutique carries the collections made in collaboration with different artists and a space is dedicated to show the selection of fabrics from their more than 15,000 fabric archive, wallpapers, trimmings and carpets.
Visitors can explore textiles and cultures from every continent and style whether it be floral, abstract, graphic, tribal, stripes, jacquard or chintz. This address is dedicated to enriching and extending the experience with Schumacher since it will serve as a place for exhibitions and exchange.
Via Fiori Chiari, 28 – 20121; schumacher.com
Zanotta
Italian furniture brand Zanotta celebrates its 70th anniversary with the opening of a new flagship in Via Durini which spans more than 5,400 square feet over two floors. Calvi Brambilla, art director of the brand, decided to focus on the surfaces, juxtaposing rough and polished materials. A bright orange color is a focus in the new flagship. New collections developed in collaboration with international designers such as the duo of Belgian Muller Van Severen and the Anglo-Canadian designer Philippe Malouin are exhibited together with pieces created by designers who have already worked with the brand, such as Zaven and Brambilla himself. Zanotta also is introducing new products and re-editions, such as the Gomma armchair designed by De Pas D'Urbino Lomazzi, the Sosia mirror by Ugo La Pietra, the Ara Fenice by Piero Bottoni and the Cuculia bowl by Alessandro Mendini, to name a few.
“2024 marks a fundamental chapter in Zanotta's relaunch path. We are thrilled to announce a large editing of the color range, which also involves the products already in the catalog, together with the introduction of three new fabrics and the renewal and updating of the leather upholstery,” said Luca Fuso, chief executive officer of Zanotta.
Via Durini, 25-27 – 20122;
Tel. 34-87–12-5090; zanotta.com
Astier de Villatte
Astier de Villatte has set up its luxury bazaar boutique at Via dell'Orso 1 with its three arched ogee windows and frames painted wagon green, the house's signature color. Completely refurbished, from the stone floor to the furniture created by the designers Ivan Pericoli and Benoît Astier de Villatte, the shop includes a white-walled gallery overlooking the street, reserved for exhibiting artworks or furniture, or for the Christmas market.
The store area is divided into two sections: the first is dedicated to the house's perfumes, incense, candles and ceramics together with the house's skin care products, creams and soaps. The shelves are lined with ceramic cups, teapots, candle holders and decorative objects.
The second area showcases ceramic tableware and the new service created in collaboration with visual artist and cardboard sculptor Eva Jospin, its first international collaboration. Jospin created her three mini-mondes: works of art or mini-architectural follies, sculpted in cardboard and then molded in white ceramic. An eight-piece service, decorated with interlacing lianas and branches, also in white ceramic, is presented in the boutique.
Via dell'Orso, 1 – 20121; astierdevillatte.com