Milan Design Week is widely regarded as the world’s launchpad for design and innovation, showcasing the latest in colour and design trends that influence annual design cycles.

Attending is an integral part of Dulux’s year-round research into the latest global trends that are predicted to influence colour and design trends locally, in New Zealand, so we relished the chance to participate again after the pandemic had put travel to Europe on pause for three years.

While we’re still in the process of unpacking the symphony of insights and inspiration encountered during this remarkable event, some overarching themes presented immediately — and appeared strongly — throughout the week.

Immersive colour

A plethora of emotion and energy was evident in the number of exhibitors which employed colour immersion in their displays:

• Kartell – one of our favourite displays was the colourful Kartell installation — a beautiful engaging experience, where coloured walls were woven from yellow-greens right through to warm pink-browns.
• Cassina – the luxe furniture designer’s showroom, Durini, was a feast of colour, along with interesting and unexpected colour combinations.
• COR – this German furniture brand presented its latest furniture collection in a beautiful apartment in the Brera district. We were inspired by the immersive display of colour used in each space to create an emotive atmosphere.
• The Colour Waterfall at Rosanna Orlandi Gallery – Rosanna Orlandi is a destination for new artists and designers. She has the power to recognise exceptional talent and curate their work as a collective experience. A crisp, bright white was the perfect backdrop for the Colour Waterfall installation, which picked up on the immersive colour concept of the ‘Lighting Boxes’ by artist and composer Brian Eno, with new objects by Draga & Aurel.

Stripes & neutrals

Stripes and neutrals were utilised in a number of showings, which together created a sense of movement while keeping the space grounded:

• Gubi – a Milanese public bathing pool space set the scene for the Gubi installation ‘Beyond the Beetle’ in which visitors wove their way around an array of stunning spaces, featuring neutral and natural colourways with layered textures intermingled with stripes.
• Artemest – the online destination for contemporary Italian craftsmanship and design. Artemest presented in a 1930s Milanese apartment curated by six prestigious international design firms. The unique location provided the perfect backdrop for interior designers to showcase their distinctive creative visions, with each studio designing its own room in the apartment. The dining space was a captivating blend of cream and soft yellow-tan painted stripes by designer Nina Magon.
• Molteni&C – this leading Italian designer furniture company featured an array of elegant neutrals, demonstrating that a calming natural palette intermingled with texture is still a key design trend.

Technology

The use of technology in interior design brings a whole new sensory dynamic to spaces. From lighting design, to audio, and olfactory effects, the possibilities are endless:

• Google – the tech giant’s ‘Shaped by Water’ installation demonstrated how one of the most powerful compounds in the natural world — water — served as the inspiration for Google’s latest hardware design. Led by the Google Design Studio and the immersive artist Lachlan Turczan, two interactive water sculptures provided a welcome respite from the busy design week hustle and bustle.
• Moooi – the Dutch furniture, interior and lighting design company provided a fully immersive experience with its installation ‘A Life Extraordinary’. Here, the senses were taken on a journey through the intersection of technology and humanity with innovative design. Even appealing to the sense of smell, each room was accented with a bespoke fragrance fueled by artificial intelligence.

The effect of colour and light on design

Several exhibitors delved into how lighting and colour affects a space by adding dimension, balance and energy:

• Muuto – Scandinavian design company Muuto joined forces with H + O and V-ZUG to create a distinctive installation exploring the concept of ‘the butterfly effect’. Sharing a passion for colour, form, and tactility, they investigated how this impacts our perception of a space.
• Elle Décor – the home style bible’s installation ‘The Art of Light’ focused on the role of light in domestic spaces: how it illuminates our home, emphasizes the shapes of objects and furnishings, changes the way we see colour and affects our mood.

Overall, Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile was back to its best, providing a feast of colour and design inspiration. In coming months, expect to see a raft of beautiful warm colours coming through including yellows, oranges, browns, and reds with furniture and design inspired by both the Mid-century and the 1970’s. Expect to see metallic accents in chrome or platinum along with Mid-century modern inspired prints, or fabrics featuring stripes and geometric patterns.