Wood, a living narrative
Alpi has transformed wood research into an open field for creative exploration, collaborating annually with international designers on new experiments. This year, Yabu Pushelberg signs ALPI Aurora Purple, a new surface exploring an intense and iridescent color palette: deep shades of purple, blue, and petrol green gradually traverse the material like layers of light. The pattern appears to expand and contract, alternating denser, more compact areas with luminous openings that shift with the viewing angle. The result is a vibrant surface, balancing design precision with atmospheric suggestion. From the Salone del Mobile exhibition space, the project extends to the city showroom, where it takes on a more dreamlike dimension, interacting with the essential and rigorous elements of new collections designed by Piero Lissoni.
Salone del Mobile: S.Project | 24 | D18
MDW26: Via Solferino 7
Outdoor performance
MEG (Material Exterior Grade) is Abet Laminati’s compact HPL panel developed for exterior building applications. Robust, durable, and high-performing, it’s designed to withstand demanding conditions and extreme climates. The panel consists of a kraft paper core and a decorative surface layer, both impregnated with thermosetting resins, with an environmental impact certified by the EPD HPL Compact product environmental declaration. The panel integrates into ventilated facade systems and is suitable as a rainscreen cladding, for sunshade systems, or for urban furniture production.
A connection with the city
For Milan Design Week, Florim unveils “PIAZZA CASTELLO Milano gentile,” a collaborative project with Nicola Gallizia and Matteo Thun. This installation celebrates Florim’s presence between Foro Buonaparte and Piazza Castello, in Milan’s historic center. “The city’s gentleness, understood as balance, measure, and urban continuity, transforms into a design language where the surface becomes an expressive tool,” the company explains. This narrative begins at their Rho Fiera Milano stand and continues at their Foro Buonaparte showroom.
Salone del Mobile: S.Project | 24 | D24
MDW26: Foro Buonaparte 14
Encounters with matter
Gypsum, an Italian manufacturer with over 50 years of history, presents highly flexible, eco-friendly materials. Their collections encompass a vast range of gypsum, enhanced polystyrene, and high-performance cement products, shaping architectural elements and design pieces for both indoor and outdoor use. This sensory-driven showcase is now featured at Materia 2.0, Italy’s largest material library, located in the heart of Porta Nuova.
MDW26: Materia 2.0 | via Marco Polo
A dive into memory
No material tells a story quite like Travertine. Its parallel veins, warm ivory-to-hazel tones, and subtly marked surface have collectively become synonymous with beauty and tradition. Inspired by this natural stone and its aesthetic, Sapienstone (an Iris Ceramica Group brand) created Travessa. This collection captures the soul of Travertine, translating it into a captivating and high-performing ceramic surface. Ideal for contract environments, Sapienstone’s large slabs, continuous surfaces, countertops, and vertical coverings boast extreme resistance, stability, and durability. Travessa is offered in a Natural finish, which fully conveys the stone’s materiality with a structured surface, and in a unique 320×160 cm format (12 mm thick) designed for continuous, visually impactful applications.
MDW26: Via Santa Margherita 4
Extra bright
Marazzi’s iconic Crogiolo Lume collection now scales up to an unprecedented size without losing its authentic essence. Grande Lume debuts in 160×320 and 120×278 cm formats (6mm thick), and 162×324 cm (6-12mm thick), amplifying the vibrant experience typical of the collection’s glossy surfaces. These large formats provide continuity for architectural volumes, dramatic walls, and furniture surfaces, suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications.
Salone del Mobile: S.Project | 03 | D06
MDW26: Via Borgogna 2
Seamless continuity
RAK Ceramics redefines application boundaries with Maximus. These large-format porcelain stoneware surfaces enable material continuity and bespoke fabrication, ideal for kitchen islands, vanity tops, work surfaces, and horizontal applications. They are distinguished by their aesthetic quality, replicating the materiality of natural elements, and maximum performance. The range now expands with a new 162×324 cm format in 12mm thickness.
MDW26: Via Borgogna 8
