MILAN DESIGN WEEK :: BY THE MACROTRENDS
An inspirational interlude
Serious question: Where did the last month go? Am I the only one who feels like it disappeared in flash?
Ages ago now, at the start of April, I stopped by the launch of Side Projects, the new home for Day One Agency’s podcast and their new newsletter. I have a quote featured in their first print publication.
And, ICYMI, a few weeks back, I had a lovely chat with benton williams 🐛 of Silence, Brand! and Chris Danton of GOOD THINKING. We discussed the Q1 Macrotrend Update in-depth, and you can watch or listen to our conversation here.
I also published the recording of my Macrotrend Webinar, which provides a step-by-step walkthrough of my methodology and quick summaries of all 13 Macrotrends and 5 Key Themes for 2026. Watching this would be particularly worthwhile if you’ve ever felt confused about the framework I keep referencing, and/or have a hard time keeping up with the What’s Anu™ vernacular of trends. I’ve tried to explain all this in previous posts and reports, but sometimes it’s just easier to understand with my voiceover.
Finally, I had the chance to speak with Ilia-Sybil Sdralli of StyleTitle . In the interview, we discussed my view on micro-trends and how I make sense of aesthetic trends (more on that coming soon).
Milan Design Week, Decoded
I’m hoping to write more consistently this month, but since the next Trend Radar is not quite finished yet, I wanted to share something of an inspirational interlude. I’ve spent a decent amount of time scrolling through Milan Design Week news (and wishing I was there IRL), so I curated a roundup of some exhibits that struck me as particularly interesting manifestations of the macrotrends, organized by the drivers spaces framework.
HUMAN :: Analog Soul, Spiritual Healing, Hyper Pleasure
La Casa Magica by Nilufar & Valentina Ciuffi • “The exhibition brings together works from diverse geographical and cultural contexts, exploring ritual, symbols, and the home as a site of re-enchantment…Beyond folkloric or ethnographic echoes, the objects come alive as vessels of meaning and effective magical devices, activating the domestic space as a threshold between memory, imagination, and belief.”
Leo Lague & Versa for Alcova • “Rather than delivering a fixed message, the project reorients a sacred space toward the contemporary desire for deeper presence, bringing the divine within each visitor into focus.”
The Reference Library by Jil Sander & Apartamento • “The book stands as something worth defending — a physical object that demands slow, full attention.”
Material Anthology by Faye Toogood & Tacchini • “The site-specific takeover celebrates raw materials and hands-on making.”
Renaissance of the Real by USM & Snøhetta • “The space is designed not for performance, but for stillness – offering a temporary refuge to breathe, listen, and simply be present.” This exhibit really brings together all three Human Macrotrends. The design leverages USM Haller’s modular steel grid system as a holding structure for a “soft, textile membrane that expands and contracts subtly like a breathing organism,” creating a “unique space where structure and vulnerability coexist.” Visitors are invited to “rediscover the sensory intelligence of the physical body” inside the cocoon-like space where they “encounter a landscape of subtle sound frequencies, diffused light, scent, and tactile surfaces,” with daily vinyl listening sessions scheduled.
SOCIAL :: Collective Kinship, Sovereign Systems, Radical Realism
Chasing the Sun by Yinka Ilori & Veuve Clicquot • “At the centre is a large sun-like dome, holding that sense of warmth and optimism…Around it, you’ll see hands coming together as symbols of connection and community….The hands speak to making, craft, and togetherness, while the circles reference the sun, something constant, cyclical, and life-giving. The calabash was an important influence in the thinking behind both the collection and the space. In Nigerian culture, it’s both a vessel and something people gather around, so it carries ideas of function, community, and shared experience.”
The Design of Collective Experience by Trippin & Dropcity • “By centering spaces often overlooked as backdrops, we explore how built environments shape cultural events as much as what happens within them.“ A panel talk explore the question of, “How does spatial design shape the way we experience music, fashion and art?”
Faces by Jaipur Rugs & Kengo Kuma • “Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has collaborated with Indian brand Jaipur Rugs to develop Faces, a collection of wool rugs modelled on his buildings…the names of the rugs refer to traditional Japanese construction techniques.”
About Silk by Ai Weiwei & Rubelli • A tapestry called ‘The Animal That Looks Like a Llama but Is Actually an Alpaca,’ is described as a form of protest with “silk and metal threads depicting surveillance cameras, handcuffs and the Twitter bird logo. (The social media platform now known as X was permanently blocked by China in 2009.)…Close attention is required to see beneath the lavish surface to pick out the underlying references to authoritarian suppression and imprisonment.”
‘In Sight’ by Prada Frames • “Images, today, embed a net of entanglements, challenges and contradictions…No longer a reliable depiction of truth, they embody a tension between the real and the represented, with distinctions between human-authored and machine-generated increasingly blurred. As a result, reference points crumble, complicating the ability to discern reliable information from fabrication.”
Note: I don’t think I noticed anything that stood out for relating to Regressive Nostalgia — did you?
NATURE :: Natural Embrace, Bioadaptive Balance, Intelligent Resilience
The Bathhouse by Flamingo Estate & Kohler • “The baths serve as sanctuaries for bees and other pollinating species….reinforcing the ideas of balance, care, and reciprocity with the ecosystems that sustain us….Surrounded by wild growth and pollinators, the structure helps remind us that our most personal rituals are deeply connected to the natural world.”
Beosound Haven by Bang & Olufsen & Antolini • “By blending the raw elegance of natural stone with precision sound, we’ve created a bridge between nature and technology. These landscape speakers are not just objects, they are a dialogue between the elements, transforming gardens and terraces into living galleries.”
Forum Florum by Marcin Rusak • “Forum Florum is an invitation to see plants as carriers of memory, knowledge, and interdependence—living archives through which we can rethink our relationship with materials, time, and nature”
The Paper Log: Shell and Core by Issey Miyake & Ensamble Studio • “The project centers on the creative reuse of compressed paper rolls, which are the byproduct of the house’s signature garment pleating process. Each 80 cm cylinder, once destined for disposal or recycling, is reimagined as raw material for furniture and sculptural objects. This approach highlights a future where industrial waste serves as a catalyst for new creation.”
Re:Programming Wood by SDU CREATE • “The exhibition examines how computational design and robotic fabrication transform timber from a consumable resource into a programmable material system…that can be disassembled, recalculated, and reprocessed across successive lifecycles.”
TECH :: Functional Optimization, Synthetic Expression, Creative Codebreaking
NikeAir_Lab by Dropcity & Nike • “Air is harnessed as a tool being reworked in response to climate, performance and the limits of the human body.”
Lumiac Lamp by Andrea Mancuso for Nilufar • The AI-powered lighting fixture “explores the relationship between human and machine, between organic gesture and artificial thought. Conceived as a kinetic ceiling lamp, it comes to life through a choreography of light and movement, challenging the idea of design as static.”
House of Creatures Exhibit by Slovenia Centre for Creativity• “A current of rebellion runs through the works, verging at times on the unsettling…the designers are part of a broader movement — genre-defying, anti-functional and shaking up the status quo.”
‘Crystal Crypt’ by Bethan Laura Wood & Emmanuelle Luciani for Baccarat • “This science-fiction-inspired scenography combined a cathedral setting with neon lights, dancers and a techno soundscape.”
Kinetic Playscape by NUOVA & ASICS • “The overall space was conceived as a fictional research institute…Guests journey through a retro-futuristic world of tactile, sensorial, and playful encounters”
I’d love to know if any of these particularly resonated with you emotionally, visually, or strategically — share your thoughts in the comments or by responding to this email!
P.S. For a much more comprehensive on-the-ground overview of MDW with particular attention to brand activations, I’d highly recommend Good Thinking’s recap.
Loved the idea of the Kohler x Flamingo Estate. It was very disappointing in person. Like a showroom. With zero percent of the magic that you know and love about FE. Very confusing.
Yinka x Veuve was incredible