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.
Stefania Ruggiero (on cover)
1. Probably a lamp, an object as a source of illumination. 2. For this Design Week, I will exhibit an installation at Alcova created in collaboration with set designer Weronika Wolińska; then I will be part of a collective: The Theater of Things 7 Nights and 7 Days Living with Collectible Design, from 8 to 13 April, curated by Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima, including works by Objects of Common Interest, Linde Freye Tangelder, Espace Aygo, Rich Aybar, Laurids Gallée, Stefania Ruggiero, Niki Danai. Finally, I will participate in a show curated by Cinema Parentesi where a short film featuring collectible design objects will be screened.
Mist-O
1. There are still many objects we haven’t designed, but we don’t focus on a specific type to create at all costs. For us, what really matters is not the type of object, but the value the project brings. Every new work must represent an intellectual challenge, something that stimulates us to explore new solutions, innovate, and improve the way people interact with objects. 2. A loveseat and a series of tables for Living Divani. These new pieces represent the evolution and expansion of the outdoor armchair Kasumi, which we introduced last year. This year the family is completed with a two-seater loveseat and a series of tables in five variants, round, square, and rectangular, also in the indoor version.
NM3
1. We would love to design a building rather than an object. We’ve had the opportunity to execute some retrofits of existing buildings, always in relation to interiors and custom objects, but we would really like the chance to build a new building from scratch. The reason? Because we started as architects, and despite the long timelines and very complicated dynamics, we are still passionate about architecture as a form of expression. 2. We will be bringing our first wooden collection for the Swedish brand NO GA, a Plaza capsule in Spazio Maiocchi. Additionally, we will be presenting a collaboration with Gruppo Florence, a textile producer for the main luxury groups, featuring textures and surfaces designed by our friend Andrea Ferrari. Finally, we will be among the ambassadors of Not in Milan by Highsnobiety, involved both in the city’s communication campaign and with some objects in their takeover of Lubna, behind Fondazione Prada.
Parasite 2.0
1. We have never designed a bed. We would love to! Why? Because we believe it is underestimated and because we often dream of still being in bed and not in the office. You can spend entire phases of the day in bed, with the right breaks, getting up sporadically just to stretch your legs and back. Furthermore, when we turn it into the scene for functions other than just sleeping, we believe there is much to design. 2. There are several. To name a few, we will present a site-specific installation within the showroom of the Brazilian brand Ornare at Via Manzoni 30 and a new collection of XC Objects in collaboration with Bianco67 in various locations.
Federico Peri
1. I would love to design a wristwatch and a coat, two objects that, in different ways, embody the concept of timelessness, a theme very dear to me. The watch is like a micro-architecture for the wrist, where materials, details, and proportions intertwine to tell a vision of time. The coat, on the other hand, represents the perfect synthesis between structure and softness, and I find it fascinating how it can influence both the perception of the wearer and the surrounding space. 2. At Baxter’s showroom, we will present two evolutions of existing collections: the desk version of the Blend collection and the table version of the Wave lamp. For Nason Moretti, I will introduce several Murano glass projects, two collections of glasses with matching carafes, two series of vases, and a charger plate. For the past three years, I have been following a very structured artistic direction for Carpanese Home, and this year we will curate the Fuorisalone space in Via Statuto 4. Finally, Saba: both at the fair and outside. This is the project I consider my main focus for this Milan Design Week because I believe greatly in their products and approach. For them, I have designed a bookshelf (in both wall and freestanding versions), a dining table, and an armchair.
Elena Salmistraro
1. There isn’t a specific project I’ve always wanted to do that I haven’t realized yet, mostly because what fascinates me the most is precisely what I don’t know. Discovery is an essential part of every new project; it’s an opportunity to explore unexpected territories, challenge myself, and give shape to something that didn’t exist before. If I had to choose an object, perhaps I would say a chair. It’s one of the most complex elements of design, not only because of ergonomic and structural considerations but also for the symbolic value it can hold. Designing one would mean facing a complete challenge, which could be both fascinating and stimulating. 2. At the next Milan Design Week, I will present various projects, each with a well-defined identity. Among the new developments I can discuss, there will be a basin made with Flaminia, born from research into forms that can give the bathroom a distinctive character. I will also present a new collection of marble coverings with Lithea, where stone becomes an expressive medium for creating surfaces rich in details and suggestions. Finally, with Bosa, I will continue a collection started several years ago of ceramic coverings, featuring new forms and variations of textures and patterns with a strong visual impact.
Sara Ricciardi
1. We are currently focusing on inclusive spaces and have noticed that the world of bathrooms still lack accessible and aesthetically pleasing solutions. Items designed for disability often focus solely on function, neglecting design’s aesthetic and sensory values. I would like to collaborate with a sanitaryware company to rethink the public bathroom experience, transforming it into a more comfortable, welcoming, and inclusive moment for everyone. 2. For Roche Bobois, we are presenting our new home accessories collection AURAVIBE. In the 5Vie district, we’ll showcase two installations: The Chrysalis Knows the River’s Song, an immersive experience created in collaboration with Antica Passamaneria Massia since 1843, Silver Tre Traviganti, and music therapist Paolo Borghi. We’ll also unveil Golden Harvest at the new Borbonese headquarters in Corso Venezia 2, celebrating the magic of the harvest. Lastly, a social design project, Arena Stadera, a public space co-designed on the theme of welcoming.
Lauren Rottet
1. I’ve always wanted to design a flying bicycle or a pocket air conditioner because Houston was so hot, and the bike never went fast enough. More realistically, I’m working on a line of oversized planters as art objects, so even if your plant doesn’t survive, you still have a beautiful sculpture. I haven’t yet designed a chest of drawers that I’d like to, with large drawers for big items, small compartments for precious ones, and designed under the principles of Light and Space to change with the time of day. 2. I’m collaborating with Turri, the Italian maker of exquisite furniture, to display new pieces from the Rottet Collection. We’ve also engaged several designers for accessories. On Thursday evening, April 10th, we will participate in a panel discussion titled Weaving the World Together, where experts will discuss the love and passion behind design.
Studio Klass
1. We believe the value of a project emerges only when there is a real demand, a necessity to satisfy. Rather than focusing on the idea of ‘creating an object,’ we are interested in exploring where design can truly make a difference, improving experience, simplifying a gesture, or creating new relationships between objects and spaces. The real question, perhaps, is: what is truly needed today? 2. This year at Fuorisalone, we present an installation and new products for Molteni&C, while for UniFor we have curated the communication of two novelties that will be exhibited for the first time at their showroom on Viale Pasubio. At the fair, together with Fiam, we launch a new collection of containers for living.
Valerio Sommella
1. Off the top of my head, today I would say I would like to design a coffee maker, to use it every morning. A project as beautiful as it is challenging. 2. With Ethimo, a brand-new collaboration, we will present a small family of outdoor glazed ceramic tables called Tama. For I 4 Mariani, on the other hand, the modular sofa Siesta, a product designed for a residential context starting from an idea of extreme comfort, with simple and recognizable lines, to create a break from what has been done with the company in past years. Moving to lighting, there will be two novelties for DGA, Kumini and Kumax, which expand the range of outdoor products that began some years ago with the Kumi lamp. With KDLN, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Kumi collection, a bestseller and now an iconic product of the company, with a new table lamp, which for my part is the missing piece of an already very wide collection. Additionally, a photographic project will narrate the 10 years of Kushi through the shots of various photographers.
