Last week saw the return of Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile! From Gubi's epic takeover of Bagni Misteriosi to the opening of Cappellini's new showroom in the heart of Milan - it was such an inspiring week and an absolute pleasure to connect with our brand partners in person. We also loved seeing so many familiar faces from the Australian design community! Watch our live video recaps below, wrapping the very best highlights, new releases and inspiration from our brands. Plus, stay tuned for our comprehensive news and trends report - coming soon next month. 

Ciao! Behind the scenes with the Cult team in Milan 

This year, five people from the Cult team were in Milan, across sales, marketing, VM and leadership departments. We hit the streets from 8:00am until well past midnight each day to get the most out of the week!

WATCH NOW. Live coverage from Milan Design Week 

Nanimarquina.

This Spanish textile brand presented three new handmade rug collections at the fairgrounds. It was such a delight to catch up with the team and view the news over  a Catalan vermouth! New releases include Doblecara by Ronan Bouroullec, Haze by Begüm Cana Özgür and Oblique by Matthew Hilton.

Gubi.

Gubi made a big splash at the Bagni Misteriosi, a revived 1930s lido attached to a performing arts theatre. At this iconic venue, which has never been open to the public during Salone before, Gubi showcased its new Under the Sun outdoor range and unveiled a series of lighting by legendary mid-century designers Paavo Tynell and Gianfranco Frattini. 

TEN by Gubi.

In addition to Gubi’s poolside showcase at Bagni Misteriosi, the Danish brand presented an exhibition in an adjoining heritage building to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Beetle chair. Curated by Marco Sammicheli, Gubi invited ten artists across disciplines to run wild and reinterpret the iconic Beetle chair.

Carl Hansen & Son

Carl Hansen & Son presented HERITAGE - an exhibition at the brand’s Milan showroom that took visitors on an inspiring journey through the Danish heritage of design and craftsmanship. New releases / reissues include VLA61 Monarch chair by Vilhelm Lauritzen, AH Outdoor Series by Alfred Homann, CH004 Nesting tables by Rikke Frost and PK1 Papercord by Paul Kjaerholm. 

Louis Poulsen

Louis Poulsen unveiled an exclusive collaboration with Fendi at the Fendi Casa flagship store, which sees five icons by Poul Henningsen subtly reimagined in Fendi’s trademark palette with stripes, brown and yellow tones. Louis Poulsen also extends its Pale Rose collection with more icons now available in this subtle tinted finish. Previews of reissued designs coming soon were also on show, including a table lamp and pendant.

Cappellini

During design week, Cappellini opened the doors to a brand-new flagship showroom in the heart of Milan. Spread over two floors with two expansive outdoor courtyards, visitors discovered the new LIDO Cappellini outdoor range, a special exhibition honouring the work of Shiro Kuramata plus a series of new releases by Nendo, Scholten Baijings, Dimorestudio and more.

Zanotta

At the Salone fairgrounds, Italian brand Zanotta presented six key novelties alongside a curated selected of hero designs from the existing collection. New releases / reissues include the Quaderna extensions (mirror, sideboard and tall cabinet), Bumper sofa by Calvi Brambilla, Galeotta chair by De Pas, D’Urbino, Lomazzi, Sciangai 50 special edition, Bol table by Zaven and Daisy stackable chair by Mist-o.

Vipp

For Salone 2023, Vipp opened a pop-up showroom in the heart of Milan. On show was a special preview of the new Vipp Swivel Chair in a limited-edition upholstery by renowned textile company Torri Lana - imagined for Vipp’s newest hotel at Brescia’s historical Palazzo Monti, halfway between Milan and Verona. At the pop-up showroom, Vipp also presented a distinct selection of its design portfolio including furniture, lighting and 2023 novelties.

Karakter

Karakter took over a space inside the Cassina flagship showroom to unveil seven new designs amongst beautiful pieces from the existing collection. Our favourite releases include two reissued chair designs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, plus a series of lighting by Angelo Mangiarotti including the reissued Saffo table lamp (1967) and Plexi pendant (1965), plus a smaller portable version of the iconic Lari lamp. We also loved the new Hang Around coat hook system by Derek Mcleod and tonal rugs by Karin Carlander made with woven paper.

COMING SOON. Milan News & Trends Report

Our CULT Milan News & Trends Report offers a comprehensive review of all news, product releases, designers, trends and inspiration from the 2023 edition of Salone del Mobile. It will be shared with our mailing list in mid-May - make sure you are subscribed for Cult news to receive it. For now, view a round-up of video highlights from both the fair and city exhibitions below.