A Sneak Peek at Fuorisalone 2025: Leading Exhibitions and Activities to Enjoy During Milan Design Week
From Milan with Design: Fuorisalone 2025 Sets the Stage for a Spectacular Display of Ingenuity and Creativity
Every April, the northern Italian metropolis of Milan turns into the hub of the international design scene as it hosts the eagerly awaited Salone del Mobile alongside its sister event — Fuorisalone. In 2025, this vibrant festival of design, innovation, and creativity will take place once more from April 7 to April 13, transforming the city into a dynamic gallery. Embracing the unifying theme of Connected Worlds, Fuorisalone 2025 encourages visitors to discover the thrilling convergence of design and artificial intelligence (AI), delivering immersive and interactive experiences across various design districts.
What is Fuorisalone?
Fuorisalone is the collective name for the eclectic and decentralized events, installations, and exhibitions occurring throughout Milan’s neighborhoods during Milan Design Week. While the Salone del Mobile takes place at the Rho Fiera convention center — an international trade fair showcasing the latest in furniture and interior design — Fuorisalone brings design into the streets, palaces, shop fronts, and public spaces of the city. It is a citywide event open to design enthusiasts, professionals, and casual visitors alike.
Theme of 2025: Connected Worlds
Fuorisalone 2025 revolves around the theme Connected Worlds, a pertinent exploration of AI’s expanding influence in design. The festival poses essential questions about how technology can foster creativity and introduce new dimensions to human-centered design. This theme manifests in vibrant exhibitions that dissolve the boundaries between digital and physical worlds, art and science, creator and viewer.
Highlights from Fuorisalone 2025
1. Portanuova Vertical Connection
One of the most remarkable installations of the 2025 edition is Portanuova Vertical Connection. This ambitious structure, constructed using Layher scaffolding, serves as an experiential installation that guides guests through layered realities — both tangible and digital. Interactive buttons, sensors, and video walls permit participants to alter their environment through AI, manipulating color, light, sound, and imagery. It stands as a striking example of co-creation between humans and machines and perfectly embodies the Connected Worlds theme.
2. Google and Lachlan Turczan
At Garage 21, Google teams up with light and water artist Lachlan Turczan to create a sensory experience that transforms abstract data into concrete, almost meditative encounters. The molecular allure of water and the brilliance of light act as metaphors for visible algorithms. It serves as a poetic reminder of how AI can evoke wonder — beyond mere efficiency.
3. IKEA Stockholm 2025 and Design Consciousness
Swedish design powerhouse IKEA occupies a space on Via Vigevano 18 to showcase its new Stockholm 2025 collection. A second, thought-provoking exhibition explores the ripple effects of minor design choices — examining how decisions in furniture and functionality impact the environment, everyday experience, and larger societal systems.
4. Gucci Goes Green with Bamboo
Fashion label Gucci revisits its design origins with an exhibition set in the 15th-century Chiostro di San Simpliciano. The show highlights bamboo — a crucial material in the brand’s legendary bags — and its significance in sustainable contemporary design. This installation pays homage to both the past and future of Italian artisanal excellence and Gucci’s eco-conscious vision.
5. L’Appartamento by Artemest
Online luxury furniture outlet Artemest curates L’Appartamento, a showcase of interior design inside the elegant 19th-century Palazzo Donizetti. Each room is reimagined by a different leading interior design studio, showcasing the finest Italian craftsmanship and chic contemporary living. It’s an immersive exploration of the state of Italian interiors with timeless grace.
6. Glo’s Creative Hub at Palazzo Moscova
With vibrant, surreal visuals by artist Michela Picchi, global brand glo takes over Palazzo Moscova 18 to establish a central hub of interactivity, performance, and installations. Picchi’s dynamic and colorful style injects vitality into the Connected Worlds theme, transforming the venue into a visual playground and creative sanctuary during the bustling design week.
7. Design Through the Ages at ADI Design Museum
For those interested in design history, the ADI Design Museum provides an illuminating perspective on Italian creativity over the last century. The exhibition, titled The Best of Both Worlds: Italy. Art and Design in Italy 1915–2025, reflects on how the arts have progressed in response to technological and societal changes — emphasizing design’s lasting ability to revolutionize everyday life.
8. Innovation at Triennale Milano
A cornerstone of Milan’s design week, Triennale Milano showcases a variety of future-oriented exhibitions and research-driven displays. Collaborations with organizations such as the Nest Award and Wallpaper* delve into vital themes of sustainability, youth culture, and next-gen innovations across fashion to urban design.
Navigating Fuorisalone: Key Design Districts
With a multitude of events across several neighborhoods, careful planning is crucial to fully experience