Milan Design Week: The Ultimate Insider’s Guide

It may seem odd to devote so much attention to a design fair, but Milan Design Week—known officially as Salone del Mobile—is so much more than a celebration of chairs, desks, and sofas. It’s the most prestigious design fair in the world, held when Milan is fully in bloom, and for one week the city transforms into a sprawling, citywide party in honor of design. In recent years, Salone has expanded into a week of presentations, dinners, and events that rivals fashion week, drawing not only design lovers but editors, fashion insiders, and luxury brands from around the world. This year it ran from April 21 through 26, and I was lucky enough to have Martina Mondadori—the founder, editor in chief, and creative force behind Cabana magazine—as my guide (goop collaborated with Cabana this past fall, with Gwyneth Paltrow guest-editing the issue).

For context: the official “Salone del Mobile” trade show takes place on the outskirts of Milan, and it’s not where you’ll want to spend your time. What we’re really talking about is “Fuorisalone” (translating to “outside Salone”)—the vast constellation of events and exhibits scattered throughout the city, where design firms, local artisans, and luxury fashion houses (think Prada, Loro Piana, Hermès, and Ralph Lauren) each stage their own installations.

These week-long activations take over storied apartments, many opening to the public for the first time in decades, along with private showrooms tucked inside working offices and intimate maker studios where you can see the craftsmanship up close. There are so many places to go, spread across every corner of the city, that you’ll never see it all—so don’t beat yourself up over what you miss. Unlike fashion week, the exhibits are open to the public, so this isn’t some closed-door affair available only to a select few. That said, we strongly suggest booking VIP tickets for the installations you most want to visit, or you’ll find yourself in the dreaded lines around the block.

And, of course, we’ll tell you what to wear—whether you’re on your feet running from installation to installation, sitting down to one of those transcendent pasta dinners, or planning a fun night out with friends.

Day One

I arrived in Milan and checked into the Bvlgari Hotel Milano—set right in the heart of the city center but tucked behind its own driveway and courtyard for a welcome bit of quiet. After a quick change and unpacking, I headed to Da Giacomo for lunch. (A note on booking: there are four Giacomo locations around Milan; we recommend the original—it’s more local and less touristy.) They specialize in fish, but for my first meal in Italy, it felt almost remiss not to order pasta, so I went with the spaghetti pomodoro and was more than content for the rest of the day. The slightly distressed pale green walls, embroidered linen curtains, and tiled floors made for a perfect introduction to design week.

Photo courtesy of Da Giacomo

After the flight, my hair needed some attention, so on a recommendation I went to the local Glow Hair & Beyond (they also do house calls to your hotel), and they fixed me right up. My official kickoff was at the Cabana store, for the cocktail opening of a colorful, handcrafted glassware collection commissioned from American glassblower Paul Arnhold. The party spilled out onto the street, and just like that, the village-party feeling of Salone began. The Cabana store stocks the brand’s own line of plates, glassware, and linens, alongside clothing, accessories, and a beautifully curated assortment of vintage pieces you can only find in person.

Photo courtesy of Cabana Magazine

Afterward, Martina hosted a small group at Casa Cabana—the Renzo Mongiardino–designed apartment where her parents lived and where she grew up—to celebrate Arnhold and the start of Salone. It’s one of the most beautiful apartments I have ever set foot in: not a corner without ornamentation or detail. We started with cocktails on the terrace, the city aglow in a rosy pink-orange dusk, before sitting down to dinner.

Photos courtesy of Cabana Magazine

Day Two

For my first full day in Milan, I woke up bright and early to join Martina on the itinerary she had laid out, dressing in white trousers, my GWYN ivory boyfriend sweater, and camel loafers. We started at Osanna Visconti’s showroom, filled with objets and furniture cast in natural bronze using the 6,000-year-old lost-wax process—she’s known for taking an age-old technique and applying it to contemporary forms. Martina snuck us a few floors down to Osanna’s own apartment, and it was incredible: an Anish Kapoor mirror anchored a space full of her signature fantastical sensibility, mixing colors, textures, and materials in a way that felt like the epitome of her work.

Photo courtesy of Osanna Visconti

From there we ventured to Dimore Gallery, the iconic Milanese interior design and architecture firm Dimorestudio’s new commercial space. It features a curation of their own furniture, including pieces from their independent brand Interni Venosta (luxurious, ’70s-inspired minimalist furniture done in collaboration with Fabbri Services), vintage finds, and works from other designers. The space unfolds across two floors of a former bank and retains its original vault, with the curatorial journey enriched by historical references foundational to Italian design culture—including the old stainless-steel lockbox room layered with Gio Ponti clocks and other modernist objets.

Dimorestudio always mounts some of the most talked-about Salone installations, and this year their additional Interni Venosta installation was tucked into a private residence on Via Bigli, opened to the public for the first time, originally designed by Italian architect Osvaldo Borsani. In dialogue with Borsani’s interiors, the Interni Venosta pieces—burnished brass and polished steel vases, lacquered wood, and burl accents—mirrored the surfaces around them. The carved-wood fireplace with inset seating was a highlight. (A note on logistics: Ubers can be slow to arrive, so book them 15 minutes in advance—or just walk if you can.)

Photos courtesy of Dimore Gallery and Interni Venosta

Then we visited the apartment of Martina’s old friend Umberto Pasti, the renowned landscape designer. It was tiny, but not a corner had been left bare; I have truly never seen so much in one place. And it was beautiful beyond belief: layers upon layers of collected pieces, mosaic reliefs, fresh flowers, marble statues, Moroccan tapestries, and stacks of books from his travels and the special moments of his life. He even told us a story about how the apartment had once started sinking under the sheer weight of all those collectibles. Whenever he threw a ball for his cat, it would always roll to the same spot on the floor—proof the floors were giving way. (Thankfully, he had it all repaired.)

Afterward, I joined a friend at Casa Cipriani Milano for lunch on the terrace. (Note: Casa Cipriani and its amenities are only open to hotel guests and club members.) The menu follows classic Cipriani style—their corn, avocado, tomato, and cucumber salad is a personal favorite—but it was the view, overlooking the Indro Montanelli Gardens on the most perfect spring day, that made it. We were joined by others in town for Salone and a few tables of men in suits doing power lunches.

A long lunch and several Bellinis later, I stopped by to see Nordic lifestyle brand ARKET’s collaboration with artist Laila Gohar: an antique carousel reimagined with its original figurines replaced by oversized fruits and vegetables, installed at Giardino delle Arti. Gohar has a flair for the theatrical, and this one was both interactive and a genuine work of art—parents were bringing their kids to ride and pose for pictures, and I considered climbing on it myself.

Photo courtesy of Arket

Then I went back to the hotel to get ready for T Magazine’s annual Salone cocktail party at the iconic Villa Necchi Campiglio. Built in the early 1930s as a single-family residence—and home to the second swimming pool ever built in Milan—it remains one of the most beautiful and famous houses in the city. Dutch designer Marie-Anne Oudejans transformed the gardens into a pink-and-green Jaipur dreamscape—tents, canopies, hand-crafted ceremonial flourishes against the villa’s modernist bones—and Laila Gohar carried the theme to the table, sculpting food into stepwell-inspired architecture. The cotton candy and little sandwiches wrapped in T-logo papers, arranged with surgical precision, were almost too pretty to eat.

From there I rushed over to Ralph Lauren’s palazzo—the family’s Milanese home for some 40 years—for a dinner hosted by David Lauren to celebrate the debut of Ralph Lauren Home’s Fall 2026 collection. In true Ralph Lauren fashion, I felt instantly at home: classic American fare and the ease of stepping into their world. With models drifting through the rooms, I immediately fell into the Ralph Lauren cinematic universe. At the top of the staircase stood a model holding the most gorgeous golden English cocker spaniel I have ever seen. He was truly out of central casting—and, of course, the friendliest dog in the world. We were guided through the new collection, which followed the iconic Ralph Lauren worlds of coziness and joy, before sitting down to dinner, guests trading their Salone highlights so far and taking notes on what to see next. The mini carrot cake bites with vanilla frosting disappeared almost instantly.

Photo courtesy of Ralph Lauren Home

Day Three

Early the next morning, I continued living the Ralph Lauren dream, heading to Ralph’s Bar—inside the flagship store on Via della Spiga—for a breakfast celebrating Elle Decor’s April issue, hosted by editor Stellene Volandes and David Lauren. For Salone, the entire store had been reimagined in a classic American nautical key—blues, whites, and reds threaded across the space, with flags and seafaring details at every turn. For my take on Milanese power suiting, I went with my GWYN navy pinstripe Jude Blazer and matching Sawyer Trousers, a white T-shirt underneath, and black sneakers. To be at Salone is to be constantly on the move, and I’d already learned my lesson from wearing loafers on day one (with blisters to show for it).

Photo courtesy of Ralph Lauren Home

From there I ventured to Laboratorio Paravicini, the renowned hand-painted ceramics studio, for the unveiling of Metalia—a new collaboration with Natalia Criado pairing the studio’s signature ceramics with a line of metal chargers and flatware.

Afterward, I was invited to Coco Brandolini d’Adda’s for lunch at her apartment, which doubles as the studio and showroom for her clothing and accessories line, d’Adda. The brand is “a joyous ode to her heritage,” reimagined as limited-edition pieces made from upcycled materials—and her apartment carries the same eclectic spirit, filled with a rainbow array of vibrant colors and patterns, tapestries, and fabrics sourced from India, Morocco, and flea markets across the globe. Drinks came in her family’s iconic Laguna B. Murano glassware, and lunch landed atop a mix of vintage plates. The tomatoes with mozzarella and salad were perfection.

Post-lunch, I joined Martina at the Hermès presentation, housed inside an old jai alai court. Hermès is a Salone staple for its joyful, playful home accessories, and this year they spotlighted the objects set to land in stores a year from now. This wasn’t a presentation about the space; it was about the objects themselves. The new home collection, designed under creative director Charlotte Macaux Perelman, focused on an unexpected mix of materials—hammered palladium-finish metal, wood, leather, and horsehair. My favorites were the leather boxes, with their grids of rectangles in chic, unexpected color combinations.

Photos courtesy of Hermès and Maxime Verret

Following a quick reset at the Bvlgari sauna, I changed and made my way to the Italian debut of RH (formerly Restoration Hardware), which was unveiling its new megastore in Milan with guests like Margot Robbie and Zoe Saldaña. It was quite the spectacle: Sant Ambroeus catering spritzes, tomato paccheri alla Vittorio cooked à la minute, a massive caviar bar, Negroni Sbagliatos by Bar Basso, and women violinists dressed like Roman muses playing from the arches of the building.

I headed to dinner at Milan’s new private club, The Wilde—housed inside Gianni Versace’s brother’s former residence and beautifully reimagined—with friends who are members. There are multiple floors and multiple restaurants, each with its own cuisine and interior; we sat down in the Mexican Asian fusion room. To cap the night, I went on to Cabana Magazine’s Studio 54–themed after-party, celebrating the new issue at the analog bar NAMI HIFI.

Photo courtesy of Cabana Magazine

Day Four

For my last day in Milan, I had no set plans and just worked through the remaining exhibitions on my list. I slipped on my trusty GWYN Jane Sweater and a pair of jeans and headed out the door.

First stop was 6:AM Glassworks’ presentation, OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER—the studio works in Murano glassmaking techniques through a contemporary lens. The space was deliberately bare-bones, beautifully illuminated by the colored glass in a near-meditative way. Repetition is the creative throughline of the exhibit, expressed in new products and blown-glass cubes originally made for Bottega Veneta’s Summer 2026 runway.

Photos courtesy of 6:AM Glass

Next, I ventured to the Loro Piana exhibit, housed on the ground floor of their Milan office. Titled “Studies Chapter I: On the Plaid,” the show centers on the blanket—the plaid—as a foundational element of interiors. Blankets are deeply rooted in Loro Piana’s history, among the very first items the house ever produced. Organized as a passage, the presentation walks visitors through 24 unique blankets, differing in construction, technique, pattern, and material—appliqué, embroidery, and weaving across different cashmere and wool compositions. If you’re interested in purchasing one, each piece is approached like couture: made to order, sized to the individual, and entirely one-of-a-kind—and priced accordingly.

Afterward, I headed to the Prada Home exhibit “Chawan Cabinet,” in partnership with artist Theaster Gates. Focused on the object as a reason to gather with loved ones, Gates created a series of unique, imperfect ceramic vessels and ceremonial forms: tea bowls, cups, sake cups, and sake bottles, each integral to Japanese tea and drinking culture.

Photos courtesy of Loro Piana and Prada

Then I headed back to Ralph’s Bar (I clearly just couldn’t get enough) for a lunch hosted by Architectural Digest’s Market Editor Maddy O’Malley, alongside AD100 architects and design aficionados. We dined beneath the vine-covered pergola on their signature American fare. On the way out, I stumbled into Tivioli, a heritage Italian couture brand that has been making one-of-a-kind furs and shearling coats and jackets since the 1970s. For Salone, Clemente Tivioli co-curated an installation with French-American gallery Demisch Danant—four intimate vignettes layering historic furniture, lighting, garments, and art with pieces from Tivioli’s couture archive, several reupholstered in the brand’s suede, leather, pony hair, and rare vintage fabrics.

Photo courtesy of Tivioli

From there, I ventured to Vera Persiani, the family-owned and -managed linen boutique selling hand-tailored linens and silks for garments, bathware, tabletop, and sheets—truly luxurious pieces in an extraordinary range of colors. My final stop was Maddalena Tabasso Antichità, a small, beautiful jumble of antiquities: straw bags, woven wine covers, vintage mirrors, plates, and other bric-a-brac. I was in a bit of a rush to get back to my hotel to check out, but the selection was immense and deeply inspiring.

To cap the trip, I went to a talk at the Rizzoli Galleria store inside the world-famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, moderated by Amy Astley, Architectural Digest’s global editorial director, to promote her new book, AD at Home. The panel featured Aerin Lauder, Martina Mondadori, JJ Martin, and Athena Calderone—four women widely recognized for their incredible taste in design—who discussed the homes featured in the book and the inspirations behind each room. I wore my GWYN Jane Sweater straight into the evening, this time paired with tailored black trousers—the perfect weight for a warm spring night.