There are places in the world where creativity isn’t just seen , it’s felt. Milan during Salone del Mobile is one of those places. Stepping into this international design fair is like entering a living, breathing manifesto of innovation, elegance, and bold vision. For me, this year’s visit was more than an industry event; it was a journey back to the essence of why I create.
Wandering through the installations, exhibitions, and carefully curated showrooms across the city, I was reminded that design is not simply about objects or spaces , it’s about emotion. It’s about how people move through a room, touch a surface, sit, gather, or pause. And most of all, it’s about how beauty and purpose can coexist harmoniously.
Milan: The City Where Ideas Are Sculpted
Milan has long been a city of intersections, of old and new, of craftsmanship and technology, of restraint and exuberance. At Salone del Mobile, that contrast becomes a vibrant dialogue. This year, I found myself captivated by the blurred boundaries between furniture as art and art as function.
Chairs that stood like sculptures. Tables with the poetry of paintings. Light fixtures that transcended illumination to become spatial gestures. Each piece whispered a story — of the hand that designed it, the materials chosen, and the intent behind the form.
In particular, I was moved by the way materiality is being reimagined. Designers are not just selecting finishes; they’re composing textures. Wood, metal, glass, textiles — each treated with reverence, each pushed beyond the conventional. There’s a tactility to Milan’s design language, one that invites interaction as much as admiration.
Art and Architecture: A Shared Language
As an architect and artist, I’ve always seen design as a bridge between disciplines. But Milan reminded me how fluid those connections truly are. What I saw at Salone weren’t just products , they were spatial experiences. Entire rooms were curated as immersive artworks, inviting you to not only observe but to feel.
In those moments, I saw my two worlds,art and architecture,not as separate practices but as parts of the same creative thread. A building, like a piece of furniture, can embody grace, balance, texture, and rhythm. A canvas, like a room, can hold space for contemplation, energy, and story.
Bringing Milan Home
I returned from Milan with a sketchbook full of ideas, a heart full of energy, and a renewed belief in the power of thoughtful design. My next projects will carry with them the spirit of what I witnessed: the confidence to blur lines, the curiosity to experiment, and the commitment to create spaces and objects that speak both functionally and emotionally.
In a world where we often compartmentalize disciplines ,art here, design there, architecture somewhere else — Salone del Mobile is a powerful reminder that the best creativity comes from interweaving. From letting boundaries dissolve. From letting one discipline breathe into the other.
Because when we allow art and design to dance together, we don’t just build ,we compose. We don’t just decorate , we narrate. And that, to me, is where the future of design lives.
Natalia Giacomino