Milan Design Week Diaries #01

milan design week

15 Apr

Written By Caroline Steffen

Hydro at Capsule Plaza

Arrivals, First Meetings, and Negroni Fountains

Today marked our very first day in Milan—a long-anticipated moment that began with a smooth ride from the airport into the city. There was a quiet thrill in the air, a mix of excitement and anticipation. Although Susanne and I have been working together for over a year now, this was the first time we were meeting in person. Until today, our entire collaboration had existed through screens, emails, and late-night calls across different cities.

We met at Pasticceria Taveggia, a historic Milanese café with that rare kind of charm—elegant without being performative, timeless without feeling stuck in the past. Over cappuccinos and buttery croissants, we found an easy rhythm. It felt grounding to sit together in such a space, sharing a quiet moment before the pace of design week would inevitably pick up.

From there, we made our way to the Porta Venezia Design District, where we dropped off the latest issues of Schnitt Magazine at Comune. The atmosphere was buzzing with pre-opening energy, and in the middle of it all: a Negroni fountain in the works. Yes—an actual fountain flowing with Gin, Vermouth and Campari. It felt like a perfectly surreal welcome to Milan Design Week.

Just around the corner, we stopped to stock up on color film for our analog cameras. I had brought by Minolta SRT 100, while Susanne shooted with a Olympus—both faithful travel companions. Milan has a way of offering up spontaneous, unrepeatable moments, that we wanted to capture.

Later in the afternoon, we explored the three Capsule Plaza locations, with the one at Spazio Maiocchi standing out as a favorite. The inner courtyard was unexpectedly calm—lush, serene, almost dreamlike. Inside, we found ourselves drawn to installations by NO GA and Hydro curated with intention, thoughtful in their restraint, and deeply inspiring.

Objects at Capsule Plaza

As it got warmer and a bit sunny, we paused at Bar Stoppani for an Aperol Spritz—one of those quietly perfect moments that seem to stretch time. We lingered, watching the city move around us, unhurried and open to whatever might unfold next.

Our next stop was Deoron, where we spent time exploring a beautifully diverse set of installations. We were particularly taken with Sofia De=Francesco’s series “Timeless Objects for the Modern Host”—a compelling interplay between cold stainless steel and warm walnut wood. Other standouts included a sleek metal incense holder by Unifrom and a sculptural turntable by Thuono—small, precise pieces that spoke volumes.

Metal Incense Holder by Unifrom at Deoron

We ended the exhibition circuit at IAMMI, where the theme “Senses” shaped an unusually quiet, contemplative atmosphere. It felt like a welcome counterpoint to the overstimulation design week so often brings—a sensory palette cleanser, in the best sense.

Just before the evening's events, we grabbed a quick espresso at a street-side bar and soaking in the moment. The Comune party later that night was alive with energy. We met people whose work and ideas left us genuinely inspired, and it already felt like we were part of something more than just a design event. There was a sense of connection—creative, human, honest.

At Comune, where we were also exhibiting Schnitt, we especially loved the works of Obscure Objects, Heiko Bauer, the beautifully refined boxes by Aleksandra Hyz, and thoughtful contributions from Nostudio, Pablo Octavio, and others whose names we scribbled down for future deep dives.