Woven highlights from Milan Design Week 2026 Part 2

Spanning exhibitions, installations and collaborations, Milan Design Week 2026 explores the intersection of material, craft and design, with textiles playing a central role across the city’s programme

In the second part of our review of Milan Design Week, we look at the best rug appearances across the city outside of Brera and Salone.

A visit to Rossana Orlandi is always a design treat. The collaboration between Argentinian rug brand El Espartano and trend forecaster Li Edelkoort returned to the show with the exhibition Room. Edelkoort and her all-female group of Dutch designer friends Carole Baijings, Kiki van Eijk, Ina Meijer and Mariola López Mariño created a room space—including door, clock, flooring and cupboards—out of hand-tufted rugs. In another room the hand-tufted 100% wool rugs of Studio Omecara, depicting the dramatic sweeps of material made wonderful statement pieces.

Artist and designer, Christoph Hefti created the installation ‘The Story of Shelter’ with product designer Jörg Boner in Assab One. The inspiration for the project was a real hut in the mountains owned by Boner and it questions the idea of what shelter is. The duo recreated the space in Assab One, making it comfortable with a hand-knotted rug and lit with lights made of thin shavings of wood.

Jaipur Rugs’ striking new hand-tufted collection with Japanese architect Kengo Kuma were on display on the outskirts of Milan, at the Crespi Bonsai Museum, on a beautifully curated stand at Salone del Mobile and the Jaipur showroom in town.

As part of the 5Vie area, Alberto Levi had two separate exhibitions in his gallery. Venetian Echoes—Framing Light and Matter by Marta Bastianello Design Milano comprised thirty-four original works, furniture, lighting, vases and rugs, which featured rich colour and elegant design. In the other half of the showroom, Aptitude Objects created the inventive Mise en Abyme collection of rugs made with cashmere and wool and abaca fibre.

Also part of 5Vie, Azerbaijani artist Aida Mahmudova showed a series of rugs based on her artworks, which will feature in the next issue of COVER, out in June. Nearby, Atelier Bowy CD, a division of Henzel Studio, showed The Atelier Editions at Le Cavallerizze. The project included the designs of architects and designers such as Adam Court, Fernando Mastrangelo, Fernanda Marques, and Suchi Reddy.

At Nilufar Depot, Iwan Maktabi’s stylish rug Cadence designed by David/Nicolas was used in a room to match wallpaper by de Gournay in a bedroom setting. While the company also showed Cora, a seating collection by Abeer Alrabiah and Albandari Sulaiman for Iwan Maktabi, as part of the Jusoor Design Collections, the flagship programme of the Architecture & Design Commission under the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia.

Moooi celebrated its 25-year anniversary at Superstudio, including a new rug design by Kilian Vos. At Alcova, House of Knots’ Brick by Brick collection, designed by Sanchit Arora of Reenesa Architecture, turned architectural typology into an abstract, flattened diagram. Near Bar Basso, the evening hangout for many, Crayon Artel showed three rugs at the Curiouz showroom, including a great depiction of a crushed Fanta can. Near Centrale station, Kristiina Lassus invited guests to see her latest elegant tonal designs woven with natural fibres.

Words by Lucy Upward and Libbi Kettle