Seven trends to look out for during Milan design week

Ahead of Milan design week, Dezeen editor-at-large Amy Frearson identifies seven key trends shaping the future of interior design, from AI-designed objects to biomorphic furniture.

Flesh, fur and feathers

Biomorphism is a major trend, with various designers creating products that take cues from living creatures.

Designer Lara Bohinc has created leather-covered tables with feather-like surfaces for Turkish brand Uniqka (centre), while Parisian gallery Boon Editions is presenting sofas with fleshy forms designed by Stefano Giacomello (left).

Elsewhere, Turkish atelier Studio Lugo is showing a furniture series incorporating hand-brushed horse hair (right).

Art deco glamour

As highlighted by our Art Deco Centenary series, the glamorous and sophisticated style of the 1920s and 30s is back in vogue. Defining features include polished wood and marble, rich patterns and geometric details.

Examples include the inaugural furniture collection from Italian designer Giuseppe Porcelli (left), the new Keys furniture collection from South African brand Lemon (centre) and sculptural pieces by American designer and Soft Witness founder, Whitney Krieger (right).

AI disrupts design

What can artificial intelligence do better than a designer? That's the question being asked by some of this year's Milan participants.

British studio Blond is presenting two products, one designed by AI and the other by traditional design processes, to understand the strengths and weaknesses of this new technology (centre).

At the House of Switzerland, designers Yael Anders and Tymen Goetsch are exploring how AI can be blended with artisanal techniques (right), while the Dezeen and ASUS installation, Design You Can Feel, uses AI to map human interactions (left).

Hyperlocal furniture production

Manufacturing products often requires materials and parts to be shipped between several countries. With designers and brands trying to reduce their carbon footprint, many are exploring other approaches.

House of Switzerland exhibitor Justus Hilfenhaus adopted a hyperlocal approach on his ECAL x ECAL classroom furniture, all made on campus (right), while aluminium producer Hydro set a 100-kilometre limit on materials and production of the pieces on show in its R100 exhibition (left).

Decibel Made, meanwhile, will be showing how 3D printing can offer on-demand production. At the former SNIA factory, one of the venues for the Alcova show, the US studio will be printing chairs live all week (centre).

Back to bed

When it comes to home interiors, the bedroom is rarely in the spotlight. That looks set to change, with various brands looking to turn this room into a place of style as well as comfort.

Italian brand Poltrona Frau's new launches include an expansion of its DUO collection by Roberto Lazzeroni, adding a full suite of bedroom furniture (left), while British bed brand Vispring is opening its first stand-alone store in the city.

Italian brand Bolzan is unveiling a collection of expressive headboards, with designs by Martino Gamper, Julie Richoz, Sam Baron and India Mahdavi (right), while Marimekko has teamed up with Egyptian designer Laila Gohar on a capsule collection of stylish sleepwear (centre).

Reinventing the Chesterfield

With its low-slung back and quilted upholstery, the Chesterfield is one of the most beloved furniture designs in history.

Several sofas on show in Milan take cues from this classic Chesterfield shape. One example is the Maddy system, designed by Patrick Norguet for Italian brand Alias, which combines gridded stitching with a cuboid shape for a more architectural feel (right).

B&B Italia is launching a 20th anniversary edition of its bestselling Tufty-Time by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola (left), including a new curved version. French brand Ligne Roset is expanding the reissued Kashima collection, designed by Michel Ducaroy in 1970s and dubbed the "comfortable Chesterfield", with the addition of an armchair.

Heavy Metal

Metal is increasingly being used differently, as designers and manufacturers explore ways of making objects that are more efficient in their material use and easier to recycle at the end of life.

Milanese design gallery Nilufar is dedicating an entire show to the material, exploring a range of different finishes and techniques (left), across vintage and new pieces.

Elsewhere, product developer Angela Staffa and designer Werner Aisslinger are unveiling an innovative aluminium chair that changes shape to offer two different seating positions (centre), while Turkish brand Uma Objects is debuting a side table designed by Burak Koçak, using technology from the automotive industry to combine aluminium alloy legs with a moulded epoxy top (right).

The photographs are courtesy of the respective brands.

See our Milan design week 2025 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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