L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 4 B y t h e t i m e M i l a n ' s Design Week has come to an e n d , t h e c i t y feels as though it has lived several weeks in a few days: streets that normally move at an orderly pace become crowded from morning until late evening; historic court- yards fill with visitors while former factories reopen as temporary cultural spaces, and showrooms stay bright long after dark. Conversa- tions drift from cafés, hotel lobbies, taxis, tram stops, and museum entrances in a dozen languages at once. For one week each spring, Milan does not simply host a n e v e n t , i t b e c o m e s t h e event. At the center of it all is, of c o u r s e , t h e S a l o n e d e l M o b i l e , founded in 1961 and still the most influential gathering in the world for furniture and contemporary living. Around it grows the Fuorisalone, the citywide c o n s t e l l a t i o n o f i n s t a l l a - tions, exhibitions, product launches, talks, and experi- m e n t s t h a t t r a n s f o r m e d neighborhoods across Milan into an open map of global creativity. Yet to describe it simply a s a f u r n i t u r e f a i r w o u l d m i s s t h e p o i n t e n t i r e l y , b e c a u s e w h a t M i l a n p r e - sents each year is something much larger, it is a vision of how people may live next. That is why the Salone continues to be important in a world where almost every- thing can be viewed – and purchased – online; if you think of it, catalogues are digital, launches can happen on screens, and meetings can be held remotely, yet every April, the internation- al design world still boards flights to Milan. The rea- son is simple: some things cannot be understood virtu- ally; they cannot be experi- enced if not in person. P r o p o r t i o n c a n n o t b e fully appreciated through a photograph, and certainly, t h e f e e l o f w o o d , s t o n e , linen, leather, glass, or steel c a n n o t b e d o w n l o a d e d . Light cannot be experienced through pixels alone, nor can atmosphere, which is often what design creates best. I n a n a g e i n c r e a s i n g l y affected and influenced by t h e i n t a n g i b l e , M i l a n remains stubbornly physi- cal: here, people come to touch surfaces, sit in chairs, open doors, walk through r o o m s , t e s t l i g h t , h e a r sound, and sense scale. In short, they come to discover whether an object merely l o o k s n e w o r w h e t h e r i t actually changes the experi- ence of daily life. And it is, perhaps, this key distinction that helps explain why the S a l o n e s u r v i v e d t r e n d s , recessions, technological shifts, and changing tastes while many trade fairs else- where lost relevance. B u t t h i s y e a r ' s e d i t i o n a l s o s u g g e s t e d a s u b t l e s h i f t i n t o n e . For some time, design weeks around the world were driven by spectacle, the focus solidly on dramatic installations d e s i g n e d t o c i r c u l a t e o n s o c i a l m e d i a , o v e r s i z e d statements made to be pho- tographed rather than used; to be clear, Milan has never been immune to that temp- tation, but the strongest sig- n a l s t h i s y e a r s e e m e d t o move in another direction. There was greater attention to materials, longevity, craft, repairability, and, yes, emo- t i o n a l d u r a b i l i t y . I t i s a c h a n g e t h a t s p e a k s t o a wider mood, based on how consumers across many sec- t o r s h a v e b e e n s h o w i n g f a t i g u e w i t h d i s p o s a b l e g o o d s , o f t e n m a d e t o impress briefly before being replaced. Design is respond- ing by returning to values Italy has long understood: quality materials, workman- ship, balance between beau- ty and use, and the idea that a well-made object can last for life. Italy's advantage in this field has never depended only on style, but actually lies in a cultural habit of l i n k i n g a e s t h e t i c s w i t h everyday function. In many places, design is associated with luxury or exclusivity, b u t i n I t a l y , a t i t s b e s t , d e s i g n h a s a l w a y s b e e n practical and democratic. It concerns the kitchen table, the lamp used each evening, a chair that lasts decades, the public bench, the espres- s o m a c h i n e , t h e s h e l v i n g system, the tiled floor, the light entering a room at the right angle. Beauty is not separate from use, it is part of it. This approach is the best explanation for why Milan, when it comes to design, remains unmatched: other cities have money, manufac- turing, or creative scenes, but few have an ecosystem where major brands coexist w i t h f a m i l y w o r k s h o p s , industrial districts, architec- Where the future takes shape: Milan beyond Design Week FRANCESCA BEZZONE NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS CONTINUED TO PAGE 6 Italian design is well represented by this image: the union between past and future, all in the name of beauty and usability (Image generated using Adobe Illustrator AI)

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