Sometimes we joke that it’s the “Superbowl of furniture design” or “South by Southwest for chairs,” but more people attend Milan’s annual design week, anchored by the venerable trade show Salone del Mobile, than attend either of those events. Last year, “Salone”alone drew 307,000 visitors, increasing the population of the city of 1.3 million inhabitants by nearly 25 percent. For one week, Milan becomes the best place to discover the trends and ideas in furniture design from all over the world that will be coming to your living room soon.

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I’m in Milan and ready to pound the pavement, complete with a jam-packed schedule that I’ve been told is “ambitious at best”—but I’m confident I can squeeze it all in before aperitivo hour. I’m running around town with photographer Olga Mai, checking out galleries, stores, site specific installations, and the toilet everyone is talking about, with my portable phone charger in tow. Read on to join me on this totally manageable, not at all insane, journey.

Nilufar Gallery

It’s now my tradition to begin every Milan Design Week at Nilufar Depot. And after three years, it’s never failed to set the scene for what’s to come. Set in a former silverware factory, the sprawling ground floor is surrounded by more intimate lofted galleries, each taking on an entirely different personality with both vintage and new pieces. It’s no wonder that this year’s exhibition is titled “Time Traveler,” connecting design from the past and the present.

Loewe

Ligne Roset

Ginori 1735

Kohler

Fornasetti

Dimore Centrale

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