In the world of contemporary design, the ability to explore new design territories has become an essential skill. Designers specializing in specific categories like chairs, lamps, or tables are finding great value today in broadening their scope and engaging with the design of previously unexplored objects. This openness to new challenges is not only an opportunity for personal growth but also responds to the needs of an increasingly fluid and interdisciplinary market. Looking closely, it’s like facing a methodological revolution. A seating piece interacts with the body, its ergonomics, and structural resilience. A lamp dialogues with light, ambiance, even with the energy passing through it. This leap in scale and function forces a reevaluation of approach, exploring new materials, and perhaps studying new technologies. Achille Castiglioni, who often emphasized the importance of curiosity and an experimental approach in design (“If you lack curiosity, it’s best to skip it.”), embodies a spirit of exploration that gave birth to vastly different objects, from the Arco lamp to the Mezzadro. To experiment means accepting uncertainty and risk, surely, but it is in this space of adrenaline-charged freedom where the most revolutionary ideas and products destined to make a mark in the history of design are born. Therefore, when we asked 20 selected designers, both Italian and international, emerging and seasoned, what objects they would like to design (and have not yet done), some surprised us, and perhaps surprised themselves, by allowing their minds to venture into truly unexpected territories. Others corrected us on the very premise of the question: we are not seeking a missing type, a checkbox on a creative to-do list. Common to these responses (followed by an obligatory one: what are you presenting at Design Week?) was certainly a premise: in an era where disciplinary boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred, design is increasingly becoming a process intertwining technology, sustainability, and innovation. For a designer, embracing new types of projects means not only professional growth but also contributing to a richer and more articulated project culture.
6:AM Glassworks (on cover)
1. Rather than focusing on a single object, we are interested in creating products that integrate directly with architecture, such as bricks and innovative glass components for luminous floors, roofs, and other solutions pushing our material research to a more structural level. At the same time, we explore the potential of traditional Murano semi-finished products, reinterpreting them in a contemporary key to create new lamps and furnishing objects. 2. This year, our main project is Two-Fold Silence, our first solo show. It is not a retrospective – we are too young for that – but a true manifesto of our world, our inspirations, and our products. The goal is to show not only what we do but also the creative process and the connections between the ideas that run through us. Within the exhibition, we will present several new products, including a collection of modular architectural lamps called Quadrato. Additionally, we are preparing our first pop-up shop, open for the whole month of April, on level -1 of La Rinascente in Milan.
Michael Anastassiades
1. As a designer I began my exploration with industry quite late in my career. I have been lucky to be given an opportunity to design a diverse range of products with a lot of incredible and historical brands. I have arrived at this position maturely to learn how to operate from a place of appreciation and not from a place of greed. I find a challenge in every invitation I receive which keeps me excited enough not to dream of things I don’t get the chance to do. 2. I am presenting two new lighting collections from my own brand at an exhibition hosted at the Fondazione Danese, which is open to the public for the first time in 20 years. I am also launching a new collaboration between Alessi and my brand, and exhibiting new products that I have designed for Tacchini, Monstruosis, Il Tornitore Matto and Flos.
Federica Biasi
1. I would like to design products that are more closely associated with the fashion world, clothing, and bags, and simultaneously, I am attracted to audio systems that can be well integrated into the domestic environment, moving away from technological aesthetics.
2. At the fair, I will present an armchair (Alba) and a collection of Wicker Poufs (Sam) for Frigerio, a sofa with a matching armchair for EMU – the collection will be called Antigua. Then, an entire collection consisting of a table, chairs, benches, sofa, and bookshelves for Koru, a new brand set to launch in the spring. Additionally, the Soffio goblets designed for Cantine San Marzano, and for Galleria Movimento, we will present the Zenith table at Spaziovento, of which we had previewed in London in the autumn.
Simone Bonanni
1. I would like to try my hand at designing a large pendant lamp, possibly in fabric or rice paper. I have never designed one before, and in recent months I have had some interesting ideas floating around in my head. 2. This year, at the Salone, I present an entire collection for Carpanese Home, a young brand from Veneto that, under the artistic guidance of my friend Federico Peri, is making significant strides in a highly competitive world. I have been given carte blanche, provided the projects are strong and recognizable. I have stepped out of my usual comfort zone, and I hope you will like them.
Cristina Celestino
1. After designing the Matrice handle for Manital last year, I would like to focus on designing a faucet: an object that must combine functional and ergonomic requirements but also express an innovative and fresh aesthetic, all guided by well-founded design and technical expertise. 2. I will present Rilievo, a new carpet for CC-Tapis and a new outdoor collection designed for Ethimo, a renowned outdoor furniture brand. Furthermore, the Luminora chandelier designed for MOOOI last November will be officially presented in the new MOOOI spaces on Via Turati.
Draga & Aurel
1. We have always been passionate about home object design – vases, centerpieces, tableware – elements that enrich everyday life with style and character. For some time, we have wanted to design pieces belonging to this universe, as yet unexplored by us. We like the idea of applying our research and aesthetic code to a smaller, more intimate format, transforming simple everyday objects into elements with a strong expressive value. So far, time has not allowed us to bring these ideas to life, but who knows…! 2. This year we present a series of novelties that mark an evolution in our research path. Transparency and color are the common threads of the new creations on display at the Rossana Orlandi Gallery, where light will play a central role with a new collection of pendant lamps. In parallel, we have delved into the theme of recovery, giving life to unique pieces formed from the union of orphaned (cupboards, drawers of old wardrobes, and library modules) components of vintage furniture we have reinterpreted and transformed over the years through the Heritage collection. Added to this are new pieces we have signed for Baxter, Wall&Decò, and Gallotti & Radice.
Finemateria
1. We would like to design cutlery or an analog kitchen utensil. In recent years, we have had the opportunity to develop various projects and prototypes of small accessories, among various collaborations, particularly the perpetual calendar for QuadroDesign. We are fascinated by the design of small-sized objects with strong manual interaction, perhaps because they can create a different kind of satisfaction compared to other objects. We would like to continue experimenting with our language in the everyday context of home accessories. 2. By invitation of Park Associati, to be part of the cultural programming of Park Hub, we present PAFF PAFF – Liminal Spaces for Sensorial Rituals, an installation that explores wool as a symbolic and primordial element. Then, from an experiment with 70Materia, a Venetian company specializing in surfaces created from various mixtures of water, sand, stone fragments, recycled materials, and cement, a new finish is born, which will be presented by Capsule at Spazio Maiocchi. At the fair, we will be present with Ritagli, our first stand for Besana Carpet. Finally, House of Finemateria will open its doors for the Milano Design Week with a program of culinary activities in collaboration with Volumeuno, a Piacenza-based kitchen company. Our new space, located at Via Cadibona 9, will present a bespoke setup for the launch of a unique serving plate, Primosecondo, handcrafted in Nove (VI).
Giacomo Moor
1. A kitchen for a sector brand. My studio designs and manufactures kitchens constantly for our clients, I would like to collaborate with a company to develop a kitchen that follows the criteria of industrial production. 2. A furniture collection for Cappellini and an armchair for Living Divani.
Sebastian Herkner
1. I would love to design a kitchen. I personally love to cook and host friends for dinners. 2. We will present a new lounge collection called MDear with Dedon this year. We started almost 10 years ago to work together and it is always a very fruitful collaboration. We also present a new dining chair with ClassiCon and the extension of our Nymph lamps for Poltrona Frau.
Mandalaki
1. We live in an age of abundance, where objects accumulate and quickly lose meaning. In this context, the question is not so much what to design, but why. We believe that design today should focus on quality rather than quantity, creating durable, meaningful objects capable of enriching people’s lives. For us, the value lies in concepts like slowness, contact with nature, essentiality, and functionality. Our next project will be born precisely from the intersection of these values. We want to create something that invites slowing down, reconnecting with natural rhythms, focusing on what is essential. An object that is not just beautiful and functional, but that inspires a new way of living, more conscious and sustainable. 2. This year, Halo Edition, designed by Mandalaki, continues its research. At the Rossana Orlandi Gallery, we present The Beauty of Nature, an exhibition that celebrates light as a living force capable of reshaping spaces and transforming any environment into a luminous landscape: the novelties will be Halo Mini Landscape, the iconic compact model now available in the delicate Landscape shades; Halo Bold, a floor lamp that emphasizes its optical body with a newly enlarged diameter design; Halo Applique, the first wall declination of the Halo collection, and Halo Mag 2 Sunset, a portable magnetic lighting in an updated version ranging from pendant lighting to reading light.
