ONE WEEK ABOUT Milano Design Week 2026
Day 5 – Report by Sanne Kaal
Designer and curator Sanne Kaal is this year’s co-curator of SOLIDIFIED. Together with David Heldt, she is organizing a group exhibition in Milan featuring more than 30 designers. She isn’t at the exhibition right now, but she’ll take you on a tour through Milan.
Today started differently than the past few days. Not with a delicious espresso at the exhibition that David and I are organizing here in Milan, but on the tram, on my way to Dropcity. Yesterday, we wrapped up the day at Onno Adriaans’s beautiful exhibition. Luckily, we didn’t stay out too late, so we were able to get up early again this morning.
Like many other exhibitions here, Dropcity is a stunning venue. Every year there are interesting events, with this year’s focus on experimentation and creative processes. You can see the care that goes into the exhibitions as you’re guided through the halls from building to building. The highlight here? Nike Air Lab. A Nike exhibition centered on research, process, and experimentation. Not only does it feature an incredibly strong exhibition design, but it also offers an interesting perspective on this established brand.
On to Deoron: an online platform that has also been organizing “offline” exhibitions since last year. There are many beautiful pieces in a stunning building, where we also spotted Tom Schoonhoven’s aluminum candlesticks, which are also part of SOLIDIFIED.
Nearby was a somewhat smaller curatorial project, which we popped into for a quick look. As a curator, you’re always curious to see how others approach things. This was one such exhibition. ‘A Moment of Absence’: designs by 25 participants in a staged living space, where you feel as though you’re stepping into a scene and could just pull up a chair at the table. Well done.
Their neighbors were Muller Van Severen x Appartemento: enormous candle installations, also beautiful to behold.
On our way to our final must-see stop, we popped in to see Rosanna Orlandi. Besides saying hi to Alissa and Nienke, who are also part of SOLIDIFIED, we saw some other beautiful works there. At a venue where there’s so much to see, not everything speaks to you, but we spotted some wonderful pieces again. Rosanna is, of course, a household name in Milan and beyond, and it’s always fun to see the new work by Alissa and Nienke. This year, in collaboration with Kraftmann, they showcased a beautiful combination of glass and wood.
Our last stop was Comune. It’s just outside the city center, but it was another exhibition that, as a co-curator, I really wanted to see in person. I think I’m really the target audience: I’d seen a lot about it online, while many others I spoke to hadn’t even heard of it yet. A number of designers participating in SOLIDIFIED combined their presentation at our venue with one at Comune. Once again, it was in a beautiful space: an interplay of objects. Not everything was equally functional—often more of a collectible design—but as a whole, it was impressive to see.
It’s been great to spend a day in Milan getting inspired. Now it’s back to SOLIDIFIED. Are you in Milan too? You can still visit us through this coming Sunday. We’d love to welcome you with a cup of coffee in the morning. See you there!
Photography: Sanne Kaal
