Milan Design Week 2025 Spotlights Japanese Creativity: Don't Miss Out on Spectacular Japanese Design Showcase in Milan
In a dazzling display of contemporary innovation and traditional craftsmanship, the 2022 editions of Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile showcased an impressive fusion of the old and the new. This year's exhibits, characterised by renewal and reinterpretation, celebrated Japan's rich heritage while embracing modern minimalism, sensory experiences, and adaptive design.
Newcomer Yomosugara, a Japanese lighting brand, made its debut during Milan Design Week at Cavallerizze, Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology. Meanwhile, established brands like KC showcased new collections, introducing table and dining chairs for Taipei restaurant Logy and two small circular side-tables that slide smoothly over sofas or beds, for the new Bluebottle Nagoya.
Highlights from Time & Style's 2025 collection included Kensaku Oshiro's Vestige chair, Yumi Terauchi's Amagumo washi paper lighting system, and Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune's Koma (spinning top) lighting. Hideo showcased luxuriously spacious white standalone bathtubs, while Kaikado celebrated its 150th anniversary with an exhibition of 150 tea caddies and the publication of a new book by ERG Media.
Kengo Kuma presented a new collection called Hos at Salone del Mobile, featuring rug-like textiles organically draped over structural wood frames and recycled PET fibres. Nao Tamura unveiled a new portable light called 'Vosco', inspired by generations-old tools and made with Karimoku wood.
The brand was created by Takasho Digitec and Tangent, and their outdoor installation included lights inspired by Japan's deep-rooted ties to nature. Atsushi Shindo launched the lighting installation 'Some Echoes' at Salone Satellite, crafted from hundreds of pieces of hand-split Japanese sawara cypress wood.
Notable elements included the celebration of traditional materials with modern reinterpretation, such as Mizuki Kojima’s *KAMI* chair, which uses handmade Japanese washi paper to create a sensory, tactile experience. Kojima’s *Stool* reinterpreted time-honored Japanese joinery, influenced by Danish Modernism, where joinery became an aesthetic focal point.
Designs like the Shaku Chair by KOYORI emphasized simplicity, warmth, and poise, embodying Japanese values of material honesty and refined craftsmanship. Architectural and product design innovation was also a key trend, with designers such as Daisuke Motogi blending architecture and product design, pushing new ideas that connected traditional Japanese aesthetics with fresh contemporary perspectives.
Nagano Interior launched a new series of stools made from camphor wood, and introduced Castello, a foldable wooden bookcase designed by Giovanni Levanti. Adal Look into Nature presented a new collection featuring contemporary forms of tatami, including the Haori Armchair with a natural fibre cover and the undulating Nagare hanging panels.
Naoto Fukasawa presented a new modular addition to his Hiroshima sofa, along with new products from Cecilie Manz and Jasper Morrison for Maruni Wood Industry. Time & Style's newly renovated Largo Treves showroom featured around 5,000 sheets of washi paper wrapping the interior stone lines and curves. The residential-style space showcased new work by KC, a brand whose collections are created for specific spatial projects.
Finally, Muji showcased a modular, minimalist micro-house during Milan Design Week, made of bio-based and repurposable materials, with a natural ventilation system and a mini Japanese niwa garden. This compact yet functional living space encapsulated the essence of the 2022 exhibits, a fusion of heritage craftsmanship with modern minimalism, sensory experiences, and adaptive design—a key trend in contemporary Japanese design at these international design forums.
- Home-and-garden elements were showcased by brands during both Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile, with new designs such as Hideo's luxurious bathtubs and Nagano Interior's camphor wood stools.
- The lifestyle concept was integrated throughout the exhibits, as seen in Adal Look into Nature's contemporary tatami collection and Muji's minimalist micro-house featuring a niwa garden.
