Milan did it again. From 21 to 26 April 2026, the 64th edition of Salone del Mobile 2026 drew 316,342 visitors from 167 countries to the Rho fairgrounds and across the city — making it the most internationally attended edition yet. Against a backdrop of global uncertainty, the world's most important design fair felt charged with energy, optimism and an extraordinary level of creative ambition.
This year's theme — A Matter of Salone — placed material at the very heart of the conversation. Not just as physical substance, but as a source of memory, meaning and possibility. The best presentations we saw weren't chasing novelty for its own sake — they were rooted in craft, texture and the intelligence of making. And for a business like Studio 198, whose entire purpose is curating the world's most exceptional materials, the week felt deeply personal.
Here are our highlights.
Hermès: The Week's Most Unmissable Installation
Photo Credit: Charles Negre.
Year after year, Hermès sets the standard for what a Milan Design Week presentation can be. The 2026 edition, held as always at La Pelota on Via Palermo, was no exception.
The installation was conceived by Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry, structured through a series of thirty rectangular columns in plaster and beechwood, varying in height and arranged to create shifting sightlines and pathways. The effect was architectural and meditative — visitors were drawn to move slowly through the space, encountering each piece in sequence rather than all at once.
Among the standout pieces: the Stadium d'Hermès table by British designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, its elongated curved form recalling both a racetrack and the line of a horse's back — a subtle reference to the House's equestrian origins. Smaller objects continued the focus on precision and material nuance. The Piano boxes use intricate leather marquetry to build colour compositions that range from restrained to vivid, while the Confettis basket introduces a lighter, more playful note through perforated calfskin and stitched appliqué.
Textiles, as ever, were central. Cashmere throws — often hand-woven and resist-dyed — explored geometry, transparency and layering through techniques such as embroidery stitching and the Korean art of bojagi. As Macaux Perelman noted, craft has always been at the heart of what they do — and this year, more than ever, that felt like exactly the right instinct.
Rubelli × Ai Weiwei: When Silk Becomes a Political Act
Photo Credit : Rubelli
One of the most talked-about installations of the entire week was at the Rubelli showroom on Via Fatebenefratelli — and it was genuinely unlike anything else in Milan.
Rubelli unveiled "Ai Weiwei: About Silk," an immersive installation featuring bespoke silk lampas fabric — the first time the artist's symbolic language has been translated onto fabric. From surveillance cameras to provocative hand gestures, motifs centred on themes of control and free speech, positioning decoration as a form of protest.
Rubelli's weavers engineered the textile structure, translating political imagery into the language of Venetian silk production. At the centre of the installation sat a sofa upholstered in the same lampas. Two display cases designed by Formafantasma housed silk artefacts from the Rubelli Historical Archive alongside Chinese textile documents, drawing a line between the Silk Road's history and the fabric's contemporary meaning.
This is exactly the kind of project that reminds us why Rubelli belongs in the same conversation as the world's greatest design houses. The craftsmanship is extraordinary — and the fact that it can carry a message this powerful makes it extraordinary in a different way entirely.
We are proud to stock Rubelli at Studio 198. You can explore their collections here.
Kvadrat: Honouring a Silent Pioneer
The Danish textile giant brought material intelligence to two very different corners of Milan Design Week.
At the Triennale di Milano, Kvadrat presented "Silent Pioneer" — a touching tribute to the late textile designer Frans Dijkmeijer, featuring prototypes, personal collections, and contemporary artworks that respond to Dijkmeijer's work and personal passions. It was one of the most quietly moving exhibitions of the week — a reminder that great textile design is a deeply human pursuit.
Across the city at Corso Monforte, Kvadrat's residential showroom hosted a very different kind of event. Designer Giulio Ridolfo conceived "In Rainbows," a four-chapter series of melodic activations — each a two-hour vinyl set bleeding into the next. For Kvadrat, the performance was an extension of its relationship to material: a conversation between friction, texture and time.
Two presentations couldn't have been more different in tone — and both were utterly Kvadrat. We stock their full collection at Studio 198, including the celebrated Raf Simons collaboration. Explore Kvadrat fabrics here and Raf Simons here.
Armani Casa: The Borgonuovo Games Table
Photo Credit: Armani
Armani Casa's Milan showroom on Corso Venezia was, as always, a destination in its own right during Design Week. The standout new piece from the 2026 collection was the Borgonuovo games table — an art deco-inspired design crafted from rich ebony wood, the table featuring a taupe leather-covered top inlaid with a rotating checkered playing surface and satin-finished light-brass edging.
It speaks to a broader mood we noticed across the week — a desire for objects that encourage slower, more social living. Games tables, reading rooms, objects that bring people together around something analogue and tactile. After years of screen-dominated interiors, it feels like a genuinely important shift.
Explore the full Armani Casa collection at Studio 198.
Ralph Lauren: Fashion Meets Interior in Milan
Photo Credit: Ralph Lauren
For the first time at Milan Design Week, models wearing Ralph Lauren's Women's Collection and Purple Label Menswear moved through the brand's design space, reinforcing the brand's approach to fashion, interiors and hospitality as a single connected world. The presentation also marked the announcement of Ralph Lauren's first standalone Home Store, set to open on Via della Spiga in Milan.
It was a bold statement of intent — and a reminder of why Ralph Lauren remains one of the most complete luxury lifestyle brands in the world. Their ability to make fabrics, furniture, fashion and hospitality feel like a single coherent universe is unmatched.
Browse our Ralph Lauren fabric collection here.
The Bigger Picture: Key Trends from Salone 2026
Beyond the individual brand highlights, several clear themes emerged from the week that will shape luxury interiors over the coming year.
Materiality is back at the centre. The fair's theme — A Matter of Salone — wasn't just a slogan. From Hermès's plaster columns to Rubelli's hand-loomed silk, the most compelling presentations were rooted in the intelligence of materials. Texture, weight, tactility and the marks of making were everywhere.
Craft as cultural statement. The Rubelli × Ai Weiwei installation was the most dramatic example, but the mood across the week was clear — the most interesting design is now asking questions about how and why things are made, not just what they look like.
The archive as inspiration. As one critic observed during the week: we are living in the age of the archive. The most successful brands were those drawing on their own heritage — not in a nostalgic way, but as a foundation for something genuinely new. Hermès, Ralph Lauren, Rubelli, Armani Casa all showed this beautifully.
Salone Raritas — collectible design enters the fair. A new initiative debuting this year, Salone Raritas opened the fair to limited-edition design and high-end creative manufacturing, curated by Annalisa Rosso and designed by Formafantasma. It signals a growing conversation between the world of fine art collecting and interior design — one that plays directly to the ultra-luxury end of our market.
Salone Contract 2027. Perhaps the biggest strategic announcement of the week: the reveal of a masterplan by Rem Koolhaas and OMA for a new contract furniture initiative launching next year. For those of us supplying hospitality and commercial projects, this is one to watch.
Inspired by What You've Seen?
If Milan Design Week has left you inspired and ready to start a new project, we're here to help. Studio 198 stocks collections from many of the most celebrated brands we saw in Milan — including Rubelli, Kvadrat, Armani Casa, Ralph Lauren and more — with worldwide delivery on all orders.
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