DESIGN AWAKENS
Design Week 2026
For Milano Design Week 2026, Istituto Marangoni presents Design Awakens, an activation exploring a new phase in contemporary design where objects, spaces and digital systems evolve into responsive, interconnected environments shaped by the convergence of technology, human experience and nature.
At the core of this initiative, Istituto Marangoni Milano Design investigates a new phase in contemporary design, where products, spaces and digital platforms integrate into adaptive and connected systems. Developed as a structured programme of installations, exhibitions and collaborations with leading industry partners, such as Alessi, Poltrona Frau, Cappellini and Trussardi Home, the initiative reflects the school’s commitment to research and experimentation across technology, human experience and nature.
At its core, Design Awakens investigates how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and responsive materials are reshaping the way design is conceived and experienced. In this context, aesthetics is not only a matter of formal expression, but a key element in generating interactions and relationships that extend beyond the traditional boundaries of the discipline. The projects presented explore environments that are no longer passive, but capable of sensing, interpreting and adapting to human needs. Through this vision, Istituto Marangoni Milano Design acts as a platform where education, industry and research converge, anticipating new design approaches and supporting a more integrated relationship between people and their environment.
Students from the Interior, Product and Visual Design courses will show their creative works
during the Milano Design Week in collaboration with the most renowned brands in the design world.
DOMESTIC ORACLES
In partnership with Alessi
@Superstudio, Milano
Developed with Alessi, the project explores how artificial intelligence becomes tangible through design, creating responsive objects that communicate through light, movement and material in contemporary living environments.
DISCOVER MOREFUTURE CITY: CAP CLUB & CAP SPA
In partnership with Cappellini
@Superstudio Maxi, Milano
In collaboration with Cappellini, the project explores adaptive interiors where technology, design and multisensory experiences redefine social spaces and wellbeing environments for the future.
DISCOVER MORESOUL OF SPACE
In partnership with Poltrona Frau
Created in partnership with Poltrona Frau, the project explores contemporary living through responsive interiors, where advanced technologies, material research and spatial design converge to create immersive, adaptive environments enhancing comfort and experience.
DISCOVER MOREKEEP IT ROLLIN'
In partnership with Jaipur Rugs
@Bocciofila via Morgagni - Porta Venezia, Milano
Engaging Jaipur Rugs, the project transforms a historic Milanese bocce court into a cultural platform where craftsmanship, social rituals and contemporary communication design converge across generations.
DISCOVER MOREOUTSIDE IN
In partnership with Rivatelier
@ IM Milano Design – Via Cerva 24, Milano
Partnering with Rivatelier, the project redefines outdoor living by transforming balconies and terraces into adaptive spaces where work, leisure and social interaction coexist throughout the day.
DISCOVER MORETHE SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Bringing together projects from multiple campuses, the initiative presents a global perspective on design, combining Italian heritage, technological experimentation and culturally aware approaches to contemporary practice.
DISCOVER MOREAt Milano Design Week 2025, last year’s edition explored the evolving intersections shaping contemporary design. Through the theme Seamless Singularities, Istituto Marangoni Milano Design investigated the convergence of physical and digital, natural and artificial, object and experience.
Students developed a series of installations and projects in collaboration with leading brands including Cappellini, Smeg, Lenovo, Rivatelier and Baleri Italia, reflecting on how design responds to increasingly hybrid realities. The initiative highlighted a shift from isolated objects to interconnected systems, where technology, craftsmanship and human interaction merge to redefine everyday life.
Explore the 2025 edition and discover how students and industry partners redefined design through experimentation, collaboration and new hybrid approaches to contemporary practice.