Light, Noise, and the Questions That Matter

Salone del Mobile 2025

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Milan has always been a beautiful city. Not just for the obvious reasons - the architecture, the fashion, the food - but because it has a strange, magnetic quality that intensifies for one week each year. During Salone del Mobile, and especially Fuori Salone, that beauty multiplies: the streets open up, courtyards come alive, designers take over the palazzi, and the city turns into a vast stage where design merges with daily life.

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This year was no different. Or maybe it was, not necessarily better or worse, just different. The event remains a massive, yet surprisingly intimate meeting point for architects, designers, brands, and students who cross continents to see, touch, and understand where design is headed. And although some spaces were almost impossible to get into, the lines for LOEWE, GUCCI, or HERMÈS were simply unmanageable, the general feeling is that it’s still worth being there, if only to be reminded that at this fair, design also lives on the edges.

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Once again, Milan becomes the perfect stage for design’s imperfect side.

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From Light as Concept to Light as Space

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One of the standout names this year was, without a doubt, Vibia. Not just for their products, which have long spoken their own language, but for the way they create atmosphere. Their booth, like everything they present, doesn’t aim to impress through excess but to reveal what’s essential: light as architecture, as a silent gesture that gives space its meaning. It’s a masterclass in designing through the invisible.

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At the other end of the spectrum, though equally impressive, was Grau. A brand that had already been making waves, but this time came out swinging. Their booth was a powerful blend of product design, storytelling, and immersive experience. It felt like a small, self-contained universe where technology, form, and emotion lived together effortlessly. It's rare to see a project so complete.

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The Real Pulse Happens Outdoors, in the Sunlight

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Even if the Salone remains the official heart of the event, the real pulse of design now beats at the Fuori Salone. That’s where you feel the new, the provocative, the free. And this year, the best was found at the extremes.

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On one side, there was Viabizzuno, continuing to prove that light isn’t designed, it’s interpreted. Walking into their space feels like entering a temple: there’s a kind of reverence in the air, a pause that’s not silence, but total attention. Here, a lamp isn’t just displayed, it’s explained in plan view, in section, with a delicately framed drawing. And that’s enough, a line, a detail, a name like Peter Zumthor or Snøhetta, to give you goosebumps. Viabizzuno doesn’t just show products, they tell stories. They talk about process, about authors, about intent. And they do it without spectacle, just light, shadow, and a near-poetic sensitivity.

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On the other side, Time & Style achieved what few can: to move you through simplicity. Their proposal, a meticulous blend of Japanese craftsmanship and contemporary design, was flawlessly understated. No noise, no excess. Everything was exactly where it needed to be: every joint, every fitting, every finish. What’s most impressive isn’t what they show, but how they show it. Each piece carries a narrative, a coherence that flows from the object to the way it’s lit, or how it rests on a tatami mat. There’s an almost mystical calm in how Time & Style approaches design, as something that doesn’t shout, but resonates deeply if you know how to look.

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Fuori is also the most human part of the event. It’s where real conversations happen, where ideas flow over wine and laughter, where old colleagues reconnect and new talents emerge. And it’s the part that best connects with the city itself, taking place in spaces where history and experimentation live side by side, churches, abandoned factories, secret gardens.

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Even the Lines Tell a Story

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Talking about the Salone today also means talking about the endless lines, the invite-only events, the spaces where design feels more like an Instagram filter than something tangible. Is that part of the game? Maybe. But it’s also a wake-up call. Because when design becomes an inaccessible spectacle, it loses its most essential purpose: to connect with people.

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And yet, even in the middle of the chaos, something magical still happens. Because between an immersive installation and a sculptural lamp, what really sticks is the conversation: What materials are we using? How do we live? How do we want to live? How much design do we actually need?

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No Easy Answers, but Clear Signals

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Salone 2025 wasn’t a revolution, but it did reflect the moment we’re in with surprising clarity. A moment when sustainability is no longer a trend, but a necessity. Where beauty can’t be used to excuse superficiality. And where the brands that truly stand out are those capable of building a vision, not just a collection.

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At Mormedi, we believe design must be strategic, sensitive, and deeply human. It’s not just about creating beautiful objects or desirable spaces, it’s about understanding the systems they live in. That’s why we look at events like this with curiosity, but also discernment. We’re not easily dazzled. We prefer the projects that, beyond the hype, offer real solutions, inspire change, and spark new questions.

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Milan, as always, leaves us with more questions than answers. But it also leaves us energized. And when that energy is channeled well, it’s the best fuel for designing what comes next.

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