Maria Karolidou: Design Your Mind

Preciosa – Drifting Lights  was one of the most mesmerizing lighting installations of  Milan Design Week 2026 , transforming the  TEMPESTA Art Gallery  in the Brera Design District into an immersive landscape where light, glass, colour, and movement merged into a single sensory experience. Conceived by  Michael Vasku  and  Andreas Klug , the installation demonstrated how contemporary lighting can transcend its functional role to become a medium capable of shaping emotion and perception.  At the heart of the exhibition floated  sixty suspended Bohemian glass panels , animated through sophisticated  3D light mapping . Rather than remaining static, the installation evolved continuously as colours drifted across the textured glass surfaces, generating an ever-changing choreography of reflections, transparency, and luminous depth. Visitors did not simply observe the work—they became immersed within it, surrounded by a constantly shifting atmo...

 

 Cavea Arcari, a hidden gem in the Veneto region of Italy. Cavea Arcari  is a remarkable example of how landscape, architecture, and material can converge to create a space of extraordinary emotional power. Carved into the historic Arcari stone quarry in the Berici Hills near Vicenza, the project transforms an abandoned extraction site into a contemporary open-air theatre, where nature itself becomes the architectural setting. Designed by  David Chipperfield Architects  in collaboration with  Laboratorio Morseletto , the intervention is defined by restraint rather than addition, allowing the existing quarry to remain the true protagonist. Rather than imposing a new architecture upon the site, the design reveals and enhances what already exists. Monumental limestone walls, sculpted over centuries by quarrying, frame a sequence of terraces, platforms, ramps, and seating carved from the same Vicenza stone. These stepped elements—known as the  cavea , after the...

 Designed with a reverence for Oriental tradition and an unwavering commitment to seclusion, Hangzhou Majestic Mansion at Xiang Lake represents a rare opportunity to inhabit a living work of art amid one of China’s most storied landscapes.  Developed by Desheng Real Estate — creators of the iconic luxury landmark Ginkgo Bay — 31 exquisitely crafted courtyard residences rise on the hillside overlooking the heart of Xiang Lake. Molteni&C contributed Hi-Line 6 kitchen by Ferruccio Laviani and loose furnishings to this project. Just 100 meters from the lakeshore, the estate opens directly into the core area of Xianghu Phase II, where greenways, docks, and teahouses unfold in seamless connection. Nestled within a lush valley, a gentle mountain stream winds down to form a central lake within the project — an auspicious site where mountains stand guard and waters embrace in timeless natural harmony. Inwardly, every room gazes through floor-to-ceiling windows onto a framed garden ...

 SHANG XIA is an Eastern brand dedicated to the reinterpretation of traditional craftsmanship through contemporary design. Its collections of furniture and objects explore the relationship between material, form, and use, creating pieces defined by balance, precision, and material clarity. Established in 2008 by Chinese designer Jiang Qiong’er in collaboration with Hermès Group, SHANG XIA works closely with artisans and specialized workshops to sustain and develop traditional crafts. By supporting endangered techniques and helping rebuild production capacities, the brand contributes to the continuity of a living handicraft culture. At the same time, SHANG XIA engages in ongoing collaborations with contemporary designers and artists. Through these exchanges, traditional techniques are explored from new perspectives, giving rise to objects and furniture that express this dialogue through distinct creative voices. Η  SHANG XIA  είναι ένα ανατολικό brand αφιερωμένο στην επανε...

At Fuorisalone 2026, Floralis offered a rare moment of stillness amid the overwhelming energy of Milan Design Week. Presented by Art de Vivre in collaboration with Estúdio Campana at the intimate setting of Teatro Arsenale in the 5VIE district, the exhibition felt less like a product showcase and more like entering a sanctuary dedicated to nature, healing, and contemplation. Created from the artistic universe of Brazilian designer Humberto Campana, Floralis transformed his drawings of cellular structures, leaves, and imaginary ecosystems into handcrafted rugs of extraordinary presence. The works occupied the space like living organisms rather than decorative objects, inviting visitors to slow their pace and reconnect with a more instinctive relationship with the natural world. Beyond aesthetics, Floralis carried a broader message about interconnectedness. East and West, craftsmanship and experimentation, architecture and ecology, tradition and contemporary creation all converged into a...

  During Milan Design Week 2026, Superstudio Più presented “SuperCity – Nemesi”, an immersive exhibition that explored the complex relationship between humanity, technology, nature, and the future of urban life.  At the heart of the exhibition stood the concept of Nemesis—the ancient force of balance and consequence. Here, Nemesi became a metaphor for the invisible systems that respond to human actions, reminding us that every technological advancement, environmental intervention, and social transformation carries responsibilities as well as opportunities. Through monumental installations, digital environments, architectural visions, and multimedia narratives, visitors were invited to imagine cities not as static infrastructures, but as living ecosystems shaped by the interaction between natural and artificial forces. The exhibition questioned conventional ideas of progress, proposing alternative futures where sustainability, collective awareness, and human values become centr...

 JORGE ZALSZUPIN Born in Warsaw in 1922, Jerzy Zalszupin left Poland at eighteen, fleeing war.  He studied architecture in Bucharest, worked in the econstruction of Dunkirk, and arrived in Brazil in February 1949, in the middle of Rio’s carnival.  He became Jorge, became Brazilian, and in São Paulo found the freedom and material generosity to build one of the most singular bodies of work in the history of modern design. Jorge Zalszupin died in 2020, at 98, in the house he had built in São Paulo in 1962. He never stopped designing. More than 16,000 visitors came to Torre Velasca during Milan Design Week to see the work of Jorge Zalszupin. For a Brazilian modernist, born in Poland and largely unknown outside design circles until recently, that number says something significant about where this legacy now stands. From Warsaw to São Paulo — and to his international recognition as one of the great figures of modernist design worldwide — the journey of Jorge Zalszupin — born Je...