Note 06: Milan Design Week, Italy
Milan Design Week is the largest annual design event in the world, in two parts. Salone del Mobile is the trade show at Fiera Milano (the largest convention center in Europe) with over 2,000 exhibitors featuring high-end design products and furniture. Furisalone consists of city-wide events with installations in historic venues, palazzos, and showrooms, focusing on design, art, and fashion.
In 2022 I was invited to Milan to work for Kohler, helping document the Kohler booth at Salone and the Daniel Arsham Divided Layers installation at Palazzo Senato.
Salone del Mobile featured over 2,000 exhibitors focusing on design innovation. Luxury brands, furniture designers, and fashion houses all came together to show their latest creations. The Kohler booth was a beautiful display of their products showcasing technology, sustainability and fine design. The last day working in the booth, I had my first encounter with Queen Martha.
I had a few opportunities to look around the show, mostly walking to/from lunch. Your mind can easily start spinning when looking at all the inspiration and design choices one has for their home. Truly the perfect place to begin that journey and to be inspired by all the beauty. C'è troppa bellezza qui.
The 2nd part of our coverage was Furisalone; the Daniel Arsham x Kohler Divided Layers Installation at Palazzo Senato (Via Senato 10). It my first time covering a large scale art installation and it was truly a magnificent site. The interactiveness of the installation made it a must see and the place was almost always at capacity. The night of the Arsham cocktail party, the energy was through the roof and such an exciting vibe to be a part of. One of those “is this really my life” moments I’ll never forget. #Prosecconight
Always the fans of taking advantage of work travel, Sammy + I had a full day photowalk around the city, seeing so much of the history of Milan as well as the contemporary art + design the city is known for. We traveled around the Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the Teatro alla Scala, the Berea District, Parco Sempione, Castello Sforzesco, and more. So many miles, so many photos.
It was a bit of a whirlwind of a trip… as our flight was taxiing out of Chicago, I got the call from my realtor that my offer was accepted and I was officially a first-time home owner. Even though it was my first time visiting Italy, I didn’t get the chance to share many photos since the move started as soon as my return flight landed. My intended trip to Venice was put on pause to get back home to the (exciting + crazy) reality of home buying.
Milan is so beautiful. I adore traveling to places with history that stretches farther back than my brain can comprehend, farther than what we see on the daily in the US. I’ve only seen a tiny fraction of this extraordinary country and cannot wait to visit again. Grazie, Milano. Tornerò.
iyk… The dancing bull of good fortune resides in the center of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. The long-standing ritual is to place your right heel on the Torino bull and spin clockwise 3 times for good luck, prosperity, or a return to the city 💛
“The name of Italy has magic in its very symbols.”
