Urban Renewal Proposal for 2025 Spotlights Aesthetics in Urban Decay during Milan Design Week
Alcova, the nomadic design platform, made a grand return to Milan for the 2025 Design Week, transforming historic and industrial venues into immersive design experiences. This year's event showcased unique exhibitions, experimental installations, and collaborations among independent designers, all while emphasising sustainable practices and large-scale 3D printing.
Highlights of Alcova Milan Design Week 2025
PORTAL Exhibition
The former SNIA factory, a new Alcova venue, played host to the PORTAL Exhibition. This exhibit featured large-scale 3D printing of furniture using recycled materials, with a 15-foot robotic arm printing chairs daily. Designers such as Karim Rashid showcased their work, creating a dialogue between cutting-edge sustainable design and the industrial decay of the space.
Historic Property Venues
Alcova maintained its signature use of historic architecture by staging shows in unique locations such as a cluster of pastel-colored Victorian houses and Miami River Inn (for the Miami edition). These venues enriched the atmosphere by combining timeless settings with experimental design.
Diverse Experimental Installations
The exhibitions featured material and conceptual experimentation, including installations by emerging and established artists and designers. Examples include sculptural lighting by Leo Maher exploring LGBTQ+ themes, decorative materials mimicking terrazzo made from natural elements by Yuma Kano, and speculative furniture by design students evoking dystopian themes.
International Expansion
While Alcova is traditionally part of Milan Design Week, for 2025 it expanded internationally with a notable event during Miami Art Week, held at historic venues, reinforcing its global presence and commitment to independent design.
Collaborative Spirit
Alcova creates spaces for designers to collaborate and explore experimental ideas, such as the "Cosmic Resonance" shared space during Milan Design Week, highlighting the community aspect of the platform.
Other Notable Exhibitions
- The Shakti Design Residency presented the results of young, talented designers who collaborated with India's leading collectible design studios, starting from the underground level of Villa Bagatti Valsecchi.
- Villa Borsani focused on domesticity and design as something refined and poetic, with a renewed interest in both experimentation and craftsmanship.
- Studio Noké displayed mesmerising rotating structures in the Ghiacciaia.
- The Pasino Glasshouses, a new venue for Alcova, still bears traces of its botanical past.
- 'Sun Catcher' by Rive Roshan and SOL-R&D, a luminous arch that captures solar energy, will be displayed in the historic fountain of Villa Bagatti Valsecchi.
- Japanese ceramics brand Noritake debuted a new tableware collection at Villa Borsani, presented by British designer Faye Toogood.
- Terraformæ offered an expressive terracotta trilogy at Alcova.
Key Venues
The event will take place in various locations, including Villa Borsani, Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, the former SNIA factory, and the Pasino Glasshouses.
Tickets and Guide
Alcova's Milan Design Week displays are on view at these venues until 13 April 2025. Tickets are available, and for a comprehensive guide to must-sees, visit alcova.com.
Additional Features
- Under the Volcano, a new lava stone furniture collection by Francesco Meda and David Lopez Quincoces, is displayed at the former SNIA factory.
- Greek Marble x Objects of Common Interest showcase 'Soft Horizons', a dreamy reinterpretation of Greek marble, at Alcova.
- 'Habitare Materials & Objects' exhibition brings a hands-on approach to sustainable design, with an interactive Material Bar for visitors to try foraging and distilling local gin, cultivating mushrooms, crafting tinctures, and creating zero-waste garments from geometric fabric pieces.
- 'Woven Whispers' is a major textile design exhibition in the Scuderie, showcasing fabrics transformed into wall art, hammocks, chair covers, and patchworks stitched from vintage shirts, presented by Belgium is Design.
- VOIDS is a project by Objects of Common Interest, created exclusively for The Breeder gallery, at Villa Borsani.
- Avau Parfum, a third-generation perfumery brand, introduces conical metal sheets for fragrant, sculptural olfactory architecture at Alcova.
- Marcin Rusak Studio presents 'Ghost Orchids', biodegradable sculptures, in the Pasino Glasshouses.
- 'imi', a collection by Michael Anastassiades for Monstruosus, reinterprets the Grecian urn into ethereal ceramic planters, outside Villa Borsani.
In summary, Alcova Milan Design Week 2025 stands out for its use of historic and industrial venues, large-scale 3D printing and sustainable design practices, and a focus on experimental installations and collaboration among independent designers.
Home-and-garden enthusiasts will be captivated by the PORTAL Exhibition, showcasing large-scale 3D printing of furniture using recycled materials at the former SNIA factory. Meanwhile, the lifestyle scene is enriched by the diverse experimental installations throughout Alcova Milan Design Week 2025, such as the 'Habitare Materials & Objects' exhibition, offering a hands-on approach to sustainable design.
