Milano Design Week: 5 things to see after work

While the We Will Design collective exhibition closes its doors at 8pm, the lights at Base remain on until late in the evening. Beers, cocktails, and a rich music programme enlivens the spaces of the open courtyard and the elevated / panoramic terrace set up by IKEA. You won’t be able to dance, but you will be able to sway to the sound of a total of 19 artists, who will alternate from 8 pm to midnight during the week, offering their live DJ sets.
Base is in via Bergognone 34 in Milan.

For this September’s Fuorisalone, Heineken has set up a “reusable” bar in the courtyard of the prestigious Palazzo Serbelloni, saving “6,539 kg of waste, 5,335 kilowatt-hours of energy, 21,128 kg of CO2e emissions and 25,108 litres of water”. The Greener bar is built with wood that fell near Amsterdam’s Heineken brewery, has no flooring (difficult to recycle, they explain), uses cushions made from discarded uniforms, sustainable energy, and so on. All this is accompanied by talks and meetings on sustainability and a lot of Formula 1 - which is not exactly a symbol of ecology, but we’ll get over that. And then DJ sets every night. There’s even a water hose with a crank to cool your beer bottle. The gap between the philosophy of the bar and the elegance of one of Milan’s favourite fashion locations will perhaps prompt a rethink of its aesthetics. This should be the step that will make us like the concept of sustainability more or else we will end up in the cardboard-coloured sadness of the Supersalone.

Palazzo Serbelloni is in Corso Venezia, 16 Milan. Open until 12th September, from 12 p.m. to 10.30 p.m.

(Alessandro Scarano)

For those who can’t get around the city during the day, from Thursday 9 September Alcova, the curatorial project by Space Caviar and Studio Vedèt that has become a must-visit destination for the Fuorisalone for some years now, will remain open until 9 pm (last entrance at 8 pm). This year the chosen location is in the Inganni area, inside the huge complex of the Military Hospital of Baggio, between Via Forze Armate and Via Simone Saint Bon. Within its 3,500 square metres of exhibition space, made up of gardens, open-air paths and ruined buildings covered in vegetation, once inhabited by nuns and nurses, this week the work of 50 exhibitors including independent designers, galleries, schools and innovative brands has found a home. Both the container and the content are unmissable.

In the evocative setting of Palazzo Francesco Turati is the MASTERLY pavilion of the Netherlands, which has brought not only world-famous and upcoming designers but also many, many flowers, placed in the courtyard of the Palazzo - in full Dutch tradition. On the large rooftop of the fifth floor, with a view over Milan, one can enjoy the lounge area and have a drink - but only after visiting the rooms, divided between contemporary rooms, where the works of the most famous Dutch designers are located, and the old rooms, where historical and contemporary design come together to create a unique experience. On Thursday evening, from 8pm to 2am, international DJs will take turns and admission is free. Palazzo Turati is in Via Meravigli, 9/b, Milan. 

In the heart of the Design District (and of Milan), between via Durini and Corso Europa, and among the windows of the most renowned showrooms, we can expect music and cocktails until after dusk. Durini Design District is a must-visit for those who can’t get enough of the Salone. Dada, Molteni&C and Unifor are just some of the many that leave their doors open until late at night. Istituto Marangoni will also be open exceptionally on Thursday evening for the Design Drop Night, with a DJ set until midnight. 
You can find Durini Design District between San Babila and Largo Augusto.