Japanese Design Dominates Milan Design Week 2026 with Poetic Minimalism
The 2026 Milan Design Week prominently featured Japanese design, with Maria Porro, the president of Salone del Mobile, emphasizing its unique combination of precision and poetic minimalism. Notable highlights included Haruka Misawa's 'bit by bit' exhibition at the ADI Design Museum, showcasing detailed paper artworks. The launch of Koyori introduced Vincent Van Duysen's Hinode collection alongside Ronan Bouroullec's Ichirin chair. At SaloneSatellite, Junichiro Yokota Studio unveiled the Oke chair. Galleria Rubin hosted We+ and Heiwa Gokin's 'Unseen Objects / Overflow.' NII revealed office furniture designed by Itoko and Todd Bracher, while Kengo Kuma's 'Faces' rugs were displayed at the Crespi Bonsai Museum. Additional highlights featured collaborations and new collections from Hosoo, Karimoku Case, Time & Style, and the Noritake Design Collection.
Key facts
- Maria Porro praised Japanese design for combining precision with poetic minimalism.
- Haruka Misawa's 'bit by bit' at ADI Design Museum is her first solo exhibition in Italy.
- Koyori debuted at Salone del Mobile with Vincent Van Duysen's Hinode collection.
- Ronan Bouroullec's Ichirin chair is designed to be unnoticeable.
- Junichiro Yokota's Oke chair is made from leftover wood.
- We+ and Heiwa Gokin used metal burrs for 'Unseen Objects / Overflow'.
- NII is a new office furniture brand by Itoko, a 125-year-old Japanese company.
- Kengo Kuma designed 'Faces' rugs for Jaipur Rugs, inspired by his building facades.
- Hosoo collaborated with Carsten Nicolai on 'Wave Weave', translating sound into textile.
- Karimoku Case created 'A Thoughtful Stay' at Salone del Mobile.
Entities
Artists
- Haruka Misawa
- Vincent Van Duysen
- Ronan Bouroullec
- Junichiro Yokota
- Todd Bracher
- AMDL Circle
- Rodolfo Agrella
- Jun Aizaki
- Kengo Kuma
- Carsten Nicolai
- Masataka Hosoo
- Frederik Werner
- Keiji Ashizawa
- Norm Architect
- Lichen
- Postalco
- Waka Waka
- Ayako Ueda
- Roberto Sironi
- Michele De Lucchi
- Faye Toogood
- Masami Okada
- Takt Project
- Atma
- Hideo Shimizu
- Danielle Demetriou
Institutions
- Salone del Mobile
- ADI Design Museum
- Koyori
- We+
- Heiwa Gokin
- Galleria Rubin
- NII
- Itoko
- Jaipur Rugs
- Crespi Bonsai Museum
- Hosoo
- Karimoku Case
- Karimoku Research
- Capsule Plaza
- Time & Style
- Sansui
- Rossana Orlandi
- Noritake
- Alcova
- AMDL Circle
- Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
- Takt Project
- Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Monache
- Atma
- Villa Pestarini
- Hideo
- Wallpaper*
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Tokyo
- Japan
- Takaoka
- Kyoto
- Nagano
- Los Angeles
- United States