Written by Ju-Wei Chen
While we didn’t walk the streets of Milan this year, we followed Design Week 2025 closely - through editorials, curator coverage, and conversations across the design community. And what we saw confirmed something we’ve always believed: the most powerful spaces aren’t just seen - they’re felt.
Across galleries, palazzos, and pop-up moments, brands redefined the experience of space. Fashion houses, in particular, led the way - infusing interiors with narrative, emotion, and storytelling. For us, these weren’t just inspiring visuals - they were cues for how we think about living, hosting, and escaping through design.
Here’s our curated take on the spatial experiences that stayed with us and what they mean for the way we shape hospitality, residential, and travel projects around the world.
When Fashion Designs the Feeling of a Space
Marimekko x Gohar World: Hosting as Performance
This collaboration was a joyous collision of pattern and personality. Surreal, playful, and richly domestic, it reimagined hosting as theatre. For us, it was a reminder that hospitality design thrives on narrative - the art of making people feel welcomed, amused, and delighted.
Photo: Sean Davidson
Miu Miu Literary Club: A Woman’s Education
Miu Miu’s Literary Club returned with a strong thematic focus: A Woman’s Education. This immersive salon-style space celebrated feminist literature, girlhood, and societal storytelling. The curation of books, readings, and performances created a space that was intellectually engaging and atmospherically calm.
This speaks directly to our approach to spatial storytelling - creating environments that are not just physically elegant but emotionally and culturally resonant. It was a beautiful example of how quiet design can carry powerful messages.
Photo: T Space
Georg Jensen x Gelateria Danese: Everyday Ritual, Elevated
Silver gelato dishes, minimalist curves, and Scandinavian refinement - this installation turned a casual experience into something ceremonial. In hospitality design, we’re always inspired by ways to elevate the ordinary through material and ritual.
Photo: Peter Vinther
Designing Emotionally Intelligent Journeys
Prada Frames: In Transit
Curated by Formafantasma and hosted in Milan’s Centrale train station, Prada Frames: In Transit focused on the social, ecological, and philosophical dimensions of movement. Conversations ranged from climate justice to architecture and global policy - positioning mobility not just as a design theme but as a cultural force.
We found this particularly meaningful. In our work designing spaces for travel and transition - boutique hotels, retreats, and destination properties—we know that in-between spaces can be transformative. Prada’s approach reminded us that lobbies, lounges, and corridors can be designed not just to impress, but to connect.
Photo: Gio Ponti, Treno Arlecchino. Courtesy Prada
Loro Piana x Dimorestudio: La Prima Notte di Quiete
One of the most talked-about experiences of the week, La Prima Notte di Quiete was a cinematic installation born from the collaboration between Loro Piana Interiors and Dimorestudio. Inspired by a 1972 Italian film, it unfolded in dusky tones, soft cashmere, draped fabrics, and atmospheric lighting. The result was a space that felt suspended in time - evoking memory, solitude, and quiet elegance.
This is the kind of design that doesn’t demand attention, but draws you in quietly. It’s a masterclass in emotional atmosphere -something we aim for in every retreat, residence, and hideaway we create.
Photo: Courtesy of Loro Piana
Craft, Character, and Confidence
Louis Vuitton: Objets Nomades for the Global Collector
Luxury here was nomadic, sculptural, and joyfully transportable. These objects weren’t just décor - they were destinations in themselves. For clients who live and travel globally, this mindset aligns perfectly: pieces with presence, rooted in craftsmanship, but made for movement.
Versace: The Art of Living
Versace’s The Art of Living was set in a grand Milanese palazzo, and as the Hypebae article confirms, it was a bold showcase of maximalist opulence. Gilded frames, sculptural lighting, dramatic colourways, and marble surfaces defined the space—a theatrical demonstration of how design can be both luxurious and unapologetically expressive.
For us, this reaffirmed the value of bold, character-driven design in the luxury space. When rooted in craftsmanship and cultural reference, maximalism can create unforgettable spaces—ones that aren’t just designed to be admired, but experienced.
Takeaways for the Way We Design
Even from a distance, Milan Design Week 2025 made one thing clear:
Design is no longer just visual - it’s experiential, emotional, and immersive.
As a studio that works across high-end residential, hospitality, and luxury travel, these themes are deeply aligned with the way we approach our projects. Whether crafting a tranquil retreat in the hills, a boutique hotel in the city, or a home filled with soul, we design spaces meant to be felt—long after the lights are dimmed and the doors are closed.
The best design, we believe, doesn’t simply impress.
It stays with you.
