Every year, the Università Statale has proven to be a must-visit Milano Design Week location. Expect no less in 2024 when it hosts the magazine Interni Cross Vision to celebrate its 70th year of publication. The theatrical cloisters of Ca’ Granda will provide the perfect stage for showcasing Italian creativity and how it relates to international cultures. We’ll be taken on a journey from industry to craftsmanship and vice versa, with respect for the universal principles of sustainability and protection of the places where we live. 

A spotlight will be focused on Chinese design and renowned names such as Patricia Urquiola and Cucinella Architects.

Free entry.

Adjacent to the Università degli Studi, the tranquil Camilla Cederna gardens will be unexpectedly coloured by vibrant crocheted fabrics that envelop the plants and trees with a new look. Yarn bombing is a wholesome street art that involves wrapping objects in colourful fabrics. The trees in the garden are dressed up to invite us to consider a deep and respectful connection with the world of nature.

The fabrics used are all strictly eco-friendly and prioritise the safeguarding and well-being of the plants themselves.

Free access.

Following their 2023 installation, in which they transformed the courtyard of the Pinacoteca di Brera, luxury bathroom manufacturer Grohe returns to reimagine another of the city’s iconic locations: the Palazzo Reale. With Salus per Aquam (meaning Wellness through Water), they pay homage to the history of the palace’s courtyard, formerly its garden, with an immersive experience that emphasises the role of water in architecture and the benefits that its consideration has on our health.

Access: Register online here or directly on-site.

Masterly is a platform dedicated entirely to the Netherlands in which a collective of designers, artists, craftsmen, companies and schools, are selected every year by Nicole Uniquole.

The 2024 edition takes place at Palazzo Giureconsulti, which is not only the venue of the exhibition but an integral part of the visitor’s experience as installations blend with its stunning halls, finding inspiration within them.

Each of the eighty-five participants bring their own interpretation of design to the table: from avant-garde furniture to digital installations, they all fit into the theme The Good of Tradition, the Beauty of the Future. It involves everything from the use of 3D printing machines and the application of AI in project development, to the research and application of new materials, always with sustainability in mind.

Recycled PET, scrap wood, pre-loved denim, materials derived from mushroom composting, algae, apple peels, coffee grounds, linen and sunflowers are just some of the materials being used.

Amongst the projects developed with the contribution of Artificial Intelligence, Every Human Algorithmic Perfumery welcomes visitors in the entrance hall, offering the opportunity to receive a personalised perfume: thanks to the data that visitors input into the system, Artificial Intelligence creates tailored olfactory formulas.

The programme also includes meetings with designers and Architects’ Talk in the conference room on the first floor. On Sunday 21st, make sure not to miss the distribution of beautiful Dutch flowers, which will have adorned the Palace throughout the week, to the public: this year the Netherlands Orchids will be on show.

In front of Palazzo Giureconsulti, a ceramic installation will amaze passersby by surpassing the limits of traditional applications of this material. Unexpected sinuous lines that give life to a sculpted wave in motion, pushing the boundaries of clay.

Ceramic, a natural and sustainable material, thus expresses its technical qualities of resistance and ductility in the innovative project by the acclaimed architect.

The sinuous forms of the installation create a wondrous landscape which invites you to wander and get lost.

Free access.

Don’t miss the opportunity to feast your eyes on the location of Interni’s other city centre event: the stunning Portrait Hotel Milano.

A big venue for a big brand. Audi is making its mark on Design Week with Reflaction, an installation designed by the international architecture studio BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group. Its aim is to address the theme of intersecting visions through four spaces dedicated to community, knowledge, performance and Audi's digital lights, offering an innovative opportunity to experience being at the vanguard of technology.

Free entry.

Bottega Veneta, on the occasion of Milano Design week, presents On The Rocks, an installation inside Palazzo San Fedele in collaboration with Cassina and Fondation Le Corbusier. 

The installation, open to the public from April 16th to April 20th, includes a selection of Le Corbusier's special edition LC14 Cabanon stools, which were first presented at the Winter 24 fashion show. The stools will be available for purchase along with a new tribute to Le Corbusier's classic design.

The violent storm that hit Milano in July 2023 uprooted and destroyed a large number of trees in the city. Therefore, the Municipality of Milan decided to put out a call for the reuse of this otherwise lost heritage, giving rise to the Second Life project.

Thanks to the craftsmanship of contemporary designers, ten of the fallen trees became totem sculptures that will be on display in Piazza San Fedele, the theme of each being the relationship between individuals, cities and nature.

A labyrinthine path elicits a variety of feelings as you pass each totem, guided by the imagination of Alessandra Baldereschi, Elena Salmistraro, Federico Peri, Francesco Meda, Giulio Iacchetti, Marco Piva, Mario Trimarchi, Nicoletta Gatti, Studio Pepe and Zanellato/Bortotto.

Free access.

The iconic flower beds in Piazza Duomo will be entrusted to the care of Zegna for the next three years. What better time to inaugurate this new collaboration than this year’s Design Week! They will feature a hand-picked selection of plants inspired by the natural flora found at the Oasi Zegna, a natural park created in the 1930s by Ermenegildo Zegna, in his home town of Biella. For the plant enthusiasts, these include four evergreen and leafy groves of camphor bushes, rhododendrons and philadelphus plants.

The flower bed project is inspired by Dino Buzzati's 1957 painting Piazza del Duomo di Milano, a work in which the writer, who was also a figurative artist, transforms the piazza into an alpine landscape, the spires of the cathedral into mountain peaks and the pavement into a prairie.

The flower beds are not the only iconic Milanese items that will be touched up by Zegna’s green thumb. The newsstands on the Arengario side of Piazza Duomo, and that on Via dei Giardini, will themselves be transformed into urban oases for the entire week, with surprises in store for all those who pass by.

Even the facade of the global store on Via Montenapoleone will undergo a complete makeover for the occasion and become a perfect backdrop for selfie enthusiasts.

One of the most popular areas around the Duomo, Largo Augusto, will also be transformed into an Urban Oasis, curated by Baxter Cinema. The iconic showroom will cultivate an outdoor garden space that offers a multisensory experience through a harmonious combination of plants and furnishings, creating a dynamic space with lounge areas plus outdoor work and relaxation areas. 

Take advantage of this green oasis to wind down in the busy city centre. 

Access with registration at the entrance.

The area around Via Durini will be restyled into a pedestrian garden of delights with projects, installations and engaging events. The chosen theme for 2024 is Colour Design Experience and, with an emphasis on the role of tactical urban planning, will be reflecting on the emotive role and effect of colour in design, feelings and life. 

Studio Nick Maltese Architettura animates the area with an open-air path of sculptures leading up to Piazza San Babila entitled Oniric Chromatisms, alongside an installation of designer chairs in the piazza which was only recently renovated for the opening of the M4 subway line.

Walking through the Quadrilatero della Moda, one of the city’s most internationally renowned areas, becomes an even more scintillating experience during Design Week thanks to the involvement of its boutiques and hotels. 

Performances by student pianists from the historic Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Milan, taking place from 14:00 to 18:00, will be infusing the already captivating streets with an even more magical ambiance. Expect to see four-handed duets being played on a stunning piano from the 1800s set against the backdrop of one of the world’s finest shopping districts.

Free access.

From April 16th to 21st, Slide and the delightful Hotel Indigo Milan will bring their space to life with an Africa-inspired hospitality project Going Bananas. From furnishings to music, cocktails and menus, the theme will provide a light-hearted and transportative atmosphere in a stylish setting. 

Free access.

Against the splendid backdrop of the Palazzo Morando, home to the Costume Moda Immagine civic museum, you can cast your eyes back at the many marvellous architectural works created by interior design studio ACPV Architects over the last 20 years. All this through the lens of artist Carlo Valsecchi and his all-immersive large-format photography.

Mimesis, Forma e Immagine is the exhibition organised by Hoperaperta, a cultural association of art, architecture and design, in collaboration with the New York Institute of Technology and the Paolo Grassi Foundation. On display are limited-edition works conceived by internationally renowned architects, artists and designers such as Armando Bruno, Maurizio Barberis, Alfonso Femia, Dorian x, Duccio Grassi, Federica Marangoni, Daniele Menichini and Nicolas Turchi, Odilia Prisco, Elena Salmistraro, Studio Spagnulo & Partners, Alberto Vannetti and Carmelo Zappulla. 

The exhibition also includes a collection of the most acclaimed 3D projects within the Robotics course of the NYIT’s Department of Design & Architecture. 

Free access.