Lera Lee & Ivy Milan Dispatch By Ivy · Salone del Mobile, April 2026 This is my third year attending the Salone del Mobile, Milan's design week, and Milan's biggest week of the year. It trumps any fashion week or art fair. Milan is known for design, and the best part of this week is that it is accessible to anyone. Sure, it helps to be in the design world and to know people - to skip lines and get preview access to certain shows - but everything is open to the public. Having made more connections in the design world, I was lucky enough to attend some shows I might otherwise have skipped due to the crowds. Here is my design week rundown. SUNDAY, April 19 My week kicked off on Sunday evening at Pietro Franceschini's preview, where he collaborated with Serafini, an Italian interior brand, and created architectural side tables and benches out of marble. Pietro is one of the most renowned designers coming out of Italy right now, globally, too. My night moved on to Le Cavallerizze museum, where I was lucky enough to attend a preview, as I had a couple of friends showing inside. Jacopo Gonzato, a sound geometrist specialising in wooden structures, created a sensory immersive experience incorporating sound and smell, with the help of nose Nuria du Chêne, transporting you from the museum into your own meditative space. A fantastic mirror by Costantino Gucci, Italy's most exciting emerging designer, who specialises in mirrors of all sorts. Intended to distort your reflection and launch you into a reflective state, my personal favourite designer. Another standout, a handmade bar cabinet by Studio F, extraordinarily talented woodworkers who took the idea of a retro bar cart, modernised it, and outfitted it with specialised details - drawers, mixing areas, glass storage - making it the bar of anyone's dreams. Monday, April 20 I was lucky enough to attend the preview of the Artemest Appartamento, one of design week's most sought-after shows. The apartment was themed by different cities within Italy. I particularly loved the Naples room, a baroque, over-the-top dining room where, instead of traditional dining chairs, the interior designers added benches by Lorenza Bozzoli. Not the most practical, but inventive. The benches were genuinely fun, I would love them at home. The flower vases by Aina Kari were wonderful too. The other room I enjoyed was the Palermo room, which, to me, felt like a nod to the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, not to downplay the work of the interior designers, who brought something far more considered to it. I also found this quilted bench by Enrico Pellizzoni incredibly chic, very Bottega Veneta. Oh, and why not a bronze nymph planter for the garden. Next, we headed to 6:AM Glassworks, another very well-attended exhibition. A Milan-based brand rooted in Murano, redefining the ancient tradition of Venetian glassmaking through a contemporary lens. It would be very cool to have one of their pieces as an entryway to a house, one day. I then went to see my friends at Secolo, who collaborated with Tableau, a Copenhagen-based studio known for their floral patterns, as can be seen on the side tables. The owners of Secolo also own Movimento Gallery, the best design gallery in Milan. They had the Movimento space next door showcasing, again, my favourite emerging designer, Costantino Gucci's mirrors and coffee tables. Using a mix of mirror and glass that shifts depending on the walls, carpets, and light, they are some of the most interactive and thought-provoking pieces I have seen. Monday night ended at Aveteur's showroom, Patricia Gucci's ultra high-end luggage brand, making rollers, beauty cases, purses, and dog bags from the finest leather, braided into an incredibly beautiful basket pattern. The end-all, be-all of luggage. Wednesday We went to the CC Tapis event, which makes beautiful rugs. I don't have much to say, it was very crowded and we were in and out, but the craftsmanship and detail on each carpet is remarkable. They are true pieces of art. We ended the night at Cabana Magazine's disco party. Cabana does no wrong. We danced late into the night, if there was a party to be at during design week, it was this one. Thursday By Thursday I was waning, energy levels sinking, but one must persevere. I went to the Buccellati show, where the silver pieces were extraordinary, tiny clustered balls used as a border, almost replicating the look of caviar, alongside shell and fish-themed pieces. Some reminded me of pieces we carry, but at ten times the price (wink). I moved on to Osanna Visconti's apartment, showcasing some of her incredible bronze work. It feels quite intrusive to be in someone's personal home, but that is Milan design week for you. The night wrapped up at La Scala, where I had been invited as a plus one, honouring Edra, Italy's most preeminent furniture and design brand. A ballet performed using Edra furniture as set design. Very moving. Very grateful to have been able to attend. One day I hope I can afford an Edra couch. Friday - Saturday Friday night was the closing show for Movimento, where we celebrated into the small hours. Saturday, Debrah De Groot invited me to the Vogue vintage market, but I arrived late (exhaustion had officially set in), and most of the pieces were already picked over. That evening brought the final closing of Le Cavallerizze, where we celebrated everyone's hard work and said goodbye to design week 2026. It was an incredible week, full of inspiration, full of beauty. It was also overcrowded and inundated with things to see. I chose to stay close to design. But many of the big fashion houses use this week as a marketing opportunity, and in doing so can pull attention away from the actual designers and the work. At its best, design week is a week to celebrate incredible design. That is what it should remain. Ivy
