CULT x Milan Report 2025: A Celebration of Design at Salone del Mobile
A Global Stage for Design Innovation
Each April, the design world converges in Milan for Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone, transforming the city into a vibrant celebration of creativity, craftsmanship, and culture. The 2025 edition of Milan Design Week was a powerful reminder of the city's unique ability to blend heritage with innovation—drawing over 300,000 visitors and showcasing thousands of brands, designers, and installations across both the fairgrounds and the city itself.
This year, the theme of “Connected Worlds” resonated throughout Fuorisalone, highlighting the intersection of design, technology, and human experience. From immersive installations in Brera and Tortona to experimental showcases in historic palazzos, the city became a canvas for storytelling and sensory exploration. Meanwhile, at the Fiera Milano fairgrounds, Salone del Mobile continued to set the benchmark for global design, with a renewed focus on sustainability, emotional resonance, and material innovation.
Across both platforms, a clear shift emerged: designers embraced organic forms, earthy tones, and tactile materials, creating pieces that invite interaction and evoke emotion. The atmosphere was one of optimism and reinvention, with a strong emphasis on craft, storytelling, and the sensory experience of space.
“Salone del Mobile 2025 was a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. The energy, the creativity, and the sheer scale of innovation on display were truly inspiring. It’s exciting to see how the brands we represent continue to push boundaries while staying true to their design heritage.”
Richard Munao, Founder & CEO of Cult Design
Cult Design Brand Partners: Innovators at Milan Design Week 2025
At Cult Design, we are proud to collaborate with some of the most visionary and influential brands in the global design landscape. Each year, our partners bring bold ideas and exceptional craftsmanship to Milan Design Week, and 2025 was no exception. From the iconic halls of Salone del Mobile to the vibrant streets of Fuorisalone, our brands captivated audiences with immersive exhibitions, thoughtful storytelling, and product launches that reflect the future of design.
In the following sections, we spotlight four of our esteemed partners - Cappellini, Zanotta, Anglepoise, and nanimarquina -each of whom unveiled exciting new collections and creative concepts that continue to shape the way we live, work, and connect with our spaces.
Cappellini: International Interiors Reimagined
At Milan Design Week 2025, Cappellini presented International Interiors, a poetic and immersive installation curated by Panter&Tourron under the artistic direction of Giulio Cappellini. Set within the brand’s newly transformed showroom on Via Borgogna, the exhibition invited visitors into a series of imagined domestic environments—spaces that felt both familiar and abstract, where traces of daily life lingered in the form of objects, textures, and light. The installation explored the emotional resonance of interiors, transforming furniture into quiet protagonists of everyday rituals and memories.
This year’s collection reflected a bold evolution in Cappellini’s design language, blending conceptual storytelling with refined craftsmanship. Among the standout pieces were Reti-Co, a sideboard by Daisuke Kitagawa inspired by the delicate geometry of Japanese shoji screens, and Uni Notte, a new bedroom system by Piero Lissoni that extends the iconic Uni collection into more intimate spaces.
Giacomo Moor introduced Mathare, a series of tables and benches rooted in social impact and artisanal technique, while Rejo Studio’s Red Bookcase brought a sculptural, brutalist energy to the collection.
Giulio Cappellini reimagined the Dolmen table in two new versions - Dolmen Glass and Dolmen Color - each exploring materiality in a fresh light. Patricia Urquiola expanded her Lud’o System with a new coffee table, and Antrei Hartikainen’s Giunto tables showcased the elegance of exposed joinery.
The collection also featured Kwado, a sculptural armchair by Sebastian Herkner, alongside reissues and new accessories that further enriched the brand’s expressive and evolving identity.
9217 ERARORA
James Irvine, 1992
BHURI COLLECTION
Satyendra Pakhalé, 2025
CAMOUFLAGE
François Azambourg, 2025
COMBI CENTER
Joe Colombo, 2025
COMBI CENTER LIMITED
Joe Colombo, 1963
DOLMEN COLOR
Giulio Cappellini, 2025
DOLMEN GLASS
Giulio Cappellini, 2025
FYRKANT
Giulio Cappellini, 2025
GIUNTO
Antrei Hartikainen, 2025
JULI SOFT PLUS
Werner Aisslinger, 2025
KWADO
Sebastian Herkner, 2025
LUD'O SYSTEM
Patricia Urquiola, 2025
MATHARE
Giacomo Moor, 2025
MILLEPIEDI
Dimorestudio, 2023
MONDO
Lorenzo Damiani, 2025
RED BOOKCASE
Rejo Studio, 2025
RETI-CO
Daisuke Kitagawa, 2025
SELETTIVA CANTÙ
Giulio Cappellini, 2025
TASSTUMU
Nendo, 2025
UNI NOTTE
Piero Lissoni, 2025
Zanotta: A Dialogue Between Heritage and Innovation
For Milan Design Week 2025, Zanotta transformed its flagship store on Via Durini into a vibrant expression of its evolving identity—one that bridges the past and future through bold collaborations and thoughtful reissues. The newly reimagined showroom served as a dynamic stage for the brand’s latest vision of “total living,” where colour, materiality, and form came together in a seamless narrative of contemporary comfort and timeless design.
This year’s collection introduced a diverse array of new pieces, each reflecting Zanotta’s enduring commitment to experimentation and emotional resonance. Among the highlights was the sculptural Riga-Riga series by Pierre Charpin, where coloured glass inlays and ash wood created a rhythmic interplay of texture and light. Vincent Van Duysen’s Fedrigo modular sofa system brought a sense of enveloping softness and sustainability, while the William+ sofa offered a refined update to a beloved classic.
Zanotta also expanded its collaboration with Muller Van Severen, unveiling new additions to the Z24 collection, including a striking freestanding bookcase and a series of chests of drawers that play with geometry and material contrast. Canadian designer Christian Woo made his debut with Zymmo, a radical yet refined collection of side tables and poufs defined by essential forms and brutalist elegance.
Other standout pieces included Yori-Kiri, a sculptural lounge chair by Francesca Lanzavecchia that blends intuitive movement with bold silhouette; the Nellee chair and Ettaro carpet by Calvi Brambilla, which explored minimalism and material depth; and Low Bol side tables and V-Bol vases by Zaven, which reinterpreted iconic design elements with playful versatility.
Honouring its legacy, Zanotta also reintroduced the Marcuso table by Marco Zanuso and expanded Alessandro Mendini’s Cuculia collection. The iconic Sacco armchair returned in a vibrant new fabric, reaffirming its place as a symbol of radical Italian design and informal living.
CUCULIA
Alessandro Mendini, 1985
ETTARO
Calvi Brambilla, 2025
FEDRIGO
Vincent Van Duysen, 2025
LOW BOL
Zaven, 2025
MARCUSO
Marco Zanuso, 1970
NELLEE
Calvi Brambilla, 2025
RIGA-RIGA
Pierre Charpin, 2025
SACCO
Gatti, Poalini, Teodoro, 1968
V-BOL
Zaven, 2025
WILLIAM+
Damian Williamson, 2023
YORI-KIRI
Francesca Lanzavecchia, 2025
Z24 785/786/787
Muller Van Severen, 2025
Z24 BOOKS
Muller Van Severen, 2025
ZA:ZA MAX POUF
Zaven, 2024
ZYMMO POUF
Christian Woo, 2025
ZYMMO SMALL TABLES
Christian Woo, 2025
Anglepoise: Celebrating 90 Years of an Icon
At Milan Design Week 2025, Anglepoise marked a remarkable milestone - 90 years since the debut of the Original 1227 Desk Lamp - with a nostalgic and forward-looking installation in the heart of Brera. The exhibition paid tribute to the brand’s enduring legacy of functional elegance and playful engineering, while reaffirming its place as a timeless companion to creativity.
The centrepiece of the presentation was a limited-edition release of the Original 1227, featuring a hand-polished raw metal finish, contrasting brass components, and a burgundy twisted cord - each lamp individually numbered and etched with a commemorative 90th anniversary logo. Alongside this new edition, Anglepoise showcased a curated selection of archival pieces, offering visitors a glimpse into the evolution of a design that has remained visually unchanged since the 1930s, yet continues to feel utterly contemporary.
Adding a vibrant twist to the celebration, Anglepoise also introduced three new colourways of its compact 90 Mini Mini lamp - avocado green, turquoise blue, and sunburnt orange. These playful hues nod to the brand’s colourful history, particularly the 1973 launch of the Model 90, and reflect Anglepoise’s ongoing commitment to joyful, purposeful design. With its integrated LED module, USB connectivity, and half-size form, the 90 Mini Mini is a modern classic - designed for today’s flexible, creative lifestyles.
As Simon Terry, Creative Director and fifth-generation custodian of the brand, put it: “The lamp’s lasting appeal lies in the fact that it solves a genuine problem and has no frivolous parts. Its anthropomorphic form gives it a certain charm, too. It moves like a human being; it is that quirkiness, along with technical perfection, that makes the lamp inherently British.”
1227 90TH ANNIVERSARY
George Carwardine
90 MINI MINI - AVOCADO
Anglepoise
90 MINI MINI - TURQUOISE
Anglepoise
90 MINI MINI - SUNBURNT ORANGE
Anglepoise
nanimarquina: Weaving Emotion into Form
At Salone del Mobile 2025, nanimarquina once again demonstrated its mastery of emotional design with a presentation that was as poetic as it was purposeful. Designed by Mesura, the brand’s stand offered a serene yet striking experience - an architectural composition of contrasts where transparency met structure, and openness gave way to intimacy. Visitors were invited into a space that unfolded gradually, revealing new textures, colours, and stories with each step. It was more than an exhibition - it was a quiet, immersive journey into the heart of nanimarquina’s design philosophy.
Anchoring the experience were Casual Conversations with designers Jaime Hayon and Stefan Scholten, who shared the inspirations behind their latest collaborations. These intimate dialogues offered rare insight into the creative processes that shape nanimarquina’s collections - processes rooted in craftsmanship, curiosity, and a deep respect for material and meaning.
Among the standout launches was Alga, a hand-knotted rug designed by Nani Marquina herself. Inspired by marine landscapes and the sensory richness of nature, Alga is a tactile exploration of texture and colour, crafted from a blend of Afghan and New Zealand wool, jute, and new wool. Its organic form and layered construction invite both visual and physical interaction, creating a deeply personal connection between object and observer.
Also debuting was Folded, a collaboration between Nani Marquina and Estudi Manel Molina. This innovative bench reimagines the rug as a three-dimensional object, transforming textile tradition into sculptural furniture. Available in three expressive designs - plain, patterned, and embroidered - Folded blurs the line between art and utility.
Talk Talk, the fifth collaboration with Jaime Hayon, brought a playful energy to the collection. Featuring Hayon’s signature expressive faces rendered in bold, organic forms, the hand-tufted rugs are both whimsical and sophisticated - celebrating communication, creativity, and the joy of storytelling through design.
Finally, Nuance, a new kilim collection by Stefan Scholten, explored the subtle power of colour. Through a meticulous interplay of tone and texture, Nuance transformed monochromatic palettes into dynamic visual compositions, offering a contemporary take on traditional weaving techniques.
Together, these collections reaffirm nanimarquina’s commitment to innovation, artistry, and the belief that design can - and should - move us.
ALGA
Nani Marquina
FOLDED
Estudi Manel Molina + Nani Marquina
TALK TALK
Jaime Hayon
NUANCE
Studio Stefan Scholten
A Celebration of Design, Dialogue, and Discovery
Milan Design Week 2025 was more than a showcase of new products - it was a celebration of ideas, collaboration, and the enduring power of design to shape how we live and connect. From the conceptual storytelling of Cappellini to Zanotta’s bold reinterpretations of domestic life, from Anglepoise’s tribute to timeless functionality to nanimarquina’s emotionally resonant craftsmanship, each of our brand partners brought something unique and inspiring to the global stage.
At Cult Design, we are proud to represent brands that not only lead in innovation but also share our values of creativity, quality, and cultural relevance. This year’s Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone reminded us that design is not static - it evolves, surprises, and invites us to see the world differently.
We return from Milan energised and inspired, and we look forward to continuing the conversation here at home - through our showrooms, our community, and the spaces we help shape every day.
