Design Shifts from Milan Design Week

April 26, 2025

Thousands of visitors, suppliers, and designers descended into the Fuorisalone in Milan this month for the creative fury of Milan Design Week.

Embodying the experience of everything design, we observed notable design shifts that serve as significant indicators of the direction of the design industry. As the current geopolitical landscape evolves, so does the design industry.

Milan Design Week isn’t only about showcasing design creativity mise-en-scène with the latest innovations; it is also a reflection of our times. Our ethos, functional adaptations, and the context of how we live in the world are expressed through multidimensional lenses of perception, curiosity, and new narratives.

In this first quarter of 2025, the world is experiencing massive shifts at every level, and notably the design trends we observed at Design Week markedly reflect how we are consciously adapting to such shifts and intentionally planning an uncharted future. 

Marking a significant turning point in the global design industry, this year’s show reflected broader shifts in heritage, culture, technology, and sustainability with a stronger presence of fashion design houses in the luxury home interiors scene. Here are some of the most notable changes we observed.

Sustainability and Timeless Design

Sustainability has become an adapted core principle for many designers and brands emphasizing eco-friendly materials, circular design practices, and reducing waste. 

Celebrating sustainability was Gucci in their Gucci|Bamboo Encounters celebrating the enduring legacy of bamboo in the House’s design history and identity.

Sustainability fosters timeless designs that can stand the test of time and through this lens, authenticity gives way to the intentionality of imperfect decor that allows upcycling and recycling to be appreciated fully in a mindful dimension, even in Gucci.

Playful Bold Narratives

Whimsy and playfulness in a world gone mad! Kidding aside, playful bold narratives are emotional concepts in design that are easily welcomed, like a breath of fresh air when days seem heavy.

Bold colors, playful patterns, and creative scale invite us to experience something bigger than ourselves…opening the curtains of our imagination. 

Sometimes a little cheeky marries tradition to make us question which mindsets we carry.

The narrative by Marimekko’s installation of ‘All things we do in bed’ was amusingly relevant spotlighting the fact that once just used for sleep and sex, has merged into a place to eat, work and play, and chill out with your friends.

Iconic stripes of course!

Nature and Nurture

As increasing awareness of mental health and wellness is now mainstream, many designs emphasize comfort and nurturing environments.

The feel-good factor of wellness comes through in soft, organic shapes in furniture, amusing animal-inspired statement pieces, biophilic design elements, and spaces that encourage relaxation and living well.

A sense of authenticity and openness in a world that historically prided itself on perfection.  

High Tech Design Experiences

As the design industry actively embraces technology, digital integration played center stage with Google’s ‘Making the Invisible Visible ‘ installation.

The immersive installation was a perfect marriage of poetic artistry and technology, in collaboration with artist Lachlan Turczan, renowned for his work with light, water, and perception,

While many designers and brands are turning towards using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to enhance the design experience, this shift demonstrates a growing recognition of digital platforms as essential components of the design process.

Heritage and Timeless Craftsmanship

If we are talking about heritage, certainly Pierre Yves Rochon’s installation at Villa Heritage transports us instantly back in time in the evocative and dramatic A Luxury Way.

From sumptuous IDogi Napoleon Chandelier with 24-carat gold decoration filling the room with the concept of eternal beauty, to the damasks fabrics with handmade trimmings and neoclassical dressers, to the dress worn by Maria Callas in Luchino Visconti’s La Traviata in the plum Library, filled all our senses of Venetian glamour. 

One cannot go to Milan Design Week without marveling at true Italian craftsmanship. In their 10th Anniversary milestone exhibition, L’Appartamento at Palazzo Donizetti.

Designers from diverse backgrounds showcased different apartment designs celebrating multicultural influences, merging traditional techniques with contemporary aesthetics in the historically rich Italian setting of Palazzo Donizetti. 

The artistic heritage of the Palazzo is stunning with its elliptical staircase and intricate wrought-iron balustrade, a perfect setting for the L’Appartamento installation.

Weaving Italian heritage from Naples into her design narrative was Allegra Hick’s collection Napoli Future Nostalgia.

The crochet bronze element is the common thread of this vibrant and eclectic collection blending contemporary design with Naples’s rich nostalgic allure of its heritage. The bold colors, intricate patterns, and playful silhouettes reflect Hick’s beloved city with its artistic spirit that shaped her creative passions.

Overall we found this edition of Milan Design Week to be filled with playful energy with a grip for the nostalgic past. Perhaps this duality represents a safety grip for a world that is quickly evolving into its future identity.