Milan Design Week 2023

Here COVER offers the lowdown on rugs at Milan Design Week 2023

Our inboxes are packed full of emails announcing the line-up for Salone del Mobile and all the satellite events around Milan. It looks as if Milan Design Week has returned to its pre-Covid format. Rugs and textiles are always well represented throughout the event in numerous innovative guises.

Battilossi will be appearing at Salone del Mobile for the first time, putting on a show based on the brand’s current theme of ‘Complementary’—rugs that speak to and enhance each other. The stand of Jaipur Rugs will feature a new collection with multidisciplinary designer Pavitra Rajaram, who comments: ‘For my first- ever carpet collection, we explored the history behind some of the more iconic and recognisable carpet traditions and reimagined them in a contemporary idiom.’ 

Jan Kath will be another Salone exhibitor this year, showing as part of S.Project in Hall 10, with a number of collections including Insert Coin (pictured), Azer Pulse (see Collections) and the ever-popular Spectrum. Also, in S.Project will be cc-tapis and we look forward to seeing the Cumolo rug by Duccio Maria Gambi, which was part of the ‘Merge’ exhibition in New York last November. Further names at Salone del Mobile will include Amini, Carpet Edition, Nanimarquina, By Kamy, and Verdi. SaloneSatellite will be home to Envisions and Belgium is Design, who will highlighting young designers including tapestries by Manuel Leromain and rugs by Emma Terweduwe. 

Sardinian brand Mariantonia Urru will present woven rugs in a display called ‘Tinto in Pecora’ (Tinged by the Sheep) featuring work by creatives Mario Cucinella, Anna Galtarossa, Paulina Herrera, Pretziada, Angelika Rösner, Celestino Sanna, Studio Salaris + SansNom. All designs will be woven in natural colours, showing the diversity of tones in natural Sardinian wool. 

Brera is always a beautiful location in which to hang out in Milan. Jaipur Rugs will have a showroom event at the brand’s Piazzale Cadorna space showing the Postorganic collection by Marialaura Irvine. Battilossi will open the brand’s new showroom space at Via dell’Orso 16, including a stunning display of super-stylish Milton Glaser design rugs. At Via Clerici 10, Design Variations will feature rugs by Poltronova and QSMSU from China and the Illuminata show on Via Montebello 30 will be home to beautiful flatweaves by Edelgrund.

Also in Brera, Altai will hold the exhibition ‘Primitive Rugs’ while ClassicCon are showing ‘Eileen Gray – Non-Conformist Artist’, featuring gouaches and collages by the legendary designer from the period between the 1920s and the 1960s, as well as rug designs inspired by the works. Don’t miss rugs by Maison Pinton at Via Formentini, 4/6, rugs by David Chipperfield for Kasthall at Piazza Paolo VI and Tai Ping x Elena Salmistraro at Piazza San Simpliciano

In the lively 5Vie area which comes to life on Wednesday night,  Jan Kath and Clara Bona will be showing rugs at Alberto Levi’s gallery on Via S. Maurilio and the new collaboration between Faye Toogood and Maison Matisse will be on show at Studio Nerino. 

Tortona will again be home to Superstudio and the Base Milano event called We Will Design We Have an I.D.E.A., where young designers take the spotlight. Travel north to see Rossana Orlandi’s new edition of RoCOLLECTIBLEDESIGN at via Matteo Bandello 14.

Around town, the group shows to see include Alcova in the new location of a former abattoir at Via Molise 62, where over 90 designers will make the site a feast for the eyes. Masterly – The Dutch in Milano at Palazzo Giureconsulti will host a large number of Dutch designers including Marcel van Doorn‘s designs for Fuli Carpet, 3D weaving by Aleksandra Gaca and textiles by Kiki van Eijk. Textile designer Sandra Planken will be one of 49 designers at the Isola Designer Gallery’s 4^th MDW eventat Via Pastrengo 14.  
Don’t miss the cc-tapis showroom at Piazza S. Stefano, 10, where the new rugs on show will include collaborations with Formafantasma, Objects of Common Interest, Patricia Urquiola, Bethan Laura Wood, and Germans Ermičs. ‘The Bright Side of Design’ is the title of the displays at Nilufar Depot (Via Lanetti 34) and Nilufar Gallery on Vis della Spiga 32.  

Moooi’s ‘A Life Extraordinary’, on at via S. Gregorio 29, is always a stunning display including the brand’s uber-cool printed rugs. The Scandi elegant rugs of Kristiina Lassus will be displayed at her Via Soperga, 18 showroom. ‘Paulig since 1750’ will be an exhibition of Paulig rug designs on at ZEUS Design Store at Corso San Gottardo 21/9.

Nodus always put on a great show and this year the Italian brand will show its first outdoor collection by Sam Baron. The Mélancolie rugs draw inspiration from paintings by Turner and Lord Byron’s poetry.