Beyond design, Fuorisalone celebrates dynamism and invites discussion

Year of debuts, extraordinary openings, innovation. 2026 is set to be a growing edition with great novelties for everything that will take place outside the Rho Fiera pavilions. The approximately 1,000 appointments of Fuorisalone 2026 will be joined by 293 initiatives selected by the Milan City Council through a public call for entries (a record number this year for a total of almost 2,000 appointments) that will carry the Design Week stamp around almost 19 neighbourhoods.

In the city, design and architecture reclaim the creative scene with the Fuorisalone theme Essere Progetto, an invitation to rediscover design as a dynamic process, not only as an end product but as a creative process. In a time dominated by speed and overproduction, design once again becomes a place of confrontation. One of the novelties, the Fuorisalone Passport debuting in Brera to simplify access to events through a single Qr Code.

In the beating heart of the Brera district, the richest with its 217 permanent showrooms and over 190 temporary exhibitors, design becomes immersive and monumental. Palazzo Moscova hosts Y.O.U., Glo's installation signed by Numero Cromatico, where a fiery orange technological portal invites the public to interact with the work. Timeless elegance is in the air at Casa Brera, where The Luxury Collection and Margherita Maccapani Missoni unveil a selection of iconic pieces in an exclusive pop-up store.

The loggia of the Pinacoteca di Brera becomes the stage for Serotonin - the chemistry of happiness, the sensory work by Sara Ricciardi promoted by American Express. In Brera comes a historic debut for the Fuorisalone: for the first time the Piccolo Teatro (Studio Melato) opens up and transforms into Grohe Spa Aqua Sanctuary, a sensorial journey dedicated to wellness. In the district, Solferino 28 returns with Città delle idee, designed by Mario Cucinella Architects. Moving towards the centre, Stark returns to Castello Sforzesco with Albori, an installation that stages the creative process with lights inspired by the atmospheres of Italo Calvino.

An unavoidable stop is the Triennale Milano, which inaugurates the new exhibition itinerary of the Italian Design Museum and three exhibitions dedicated to the Barber - Osgerby duo, Andrea Branzi and the Vignelli couple. At the heart of the 5VIE, on the other hand, the theme Qualia of Things invites us to rediscover the pure sensory experience of objects. Here the main poles are two: the Cavallerizze of the National Museum of Science and Technology - a container for a selection of designers - and the galleries and courtyards of the historic district. At Palazzo Litta, the central installation of MoscaPartners Variations 2026 is Metamorphosis in Motion, signed by Lina Ghotmeh in her debut as an open-air site-specific work in Italia. In via Conca del Naviglio CasaOrnella presents the project Animale Sociale - Nessuno mi può giudicare, which transforms the flat into a fluid habitat where boundaries dissolve.