Design Week spots to take a break from Design Week

Milan is a city on overdrive – always buzzing, never satisfied. It’s the city of the aperitivo, a quick drink before darting off to the next spot. No relaxed nights out with friends, no long, drawn-out dinners like in other parts of Italy. For those arriving at Design Week from London or New York, Milan might seem calm, but in Italy, it’s always been the city of work, of getting things done.

“Milan is a city built to work, not to live,” wrote novelist Luciano Bianciardi in 1962, becoming a cult figure among Milan’s sapiosexuals. Or, as the Milanese post-pop duo Coma Cose put it in a recent song, “Milan only sleeps on its back, with one eye open and the other trembling.”

Needless to say, this frantic pace is alive and well at Design Week, where stress is tempered by beauty (believe us, the rest of the year is all stress). Running from one queue to another, hopping from district to district, bouncing from building to building – it can be draining. One minute it’s hot, then suddenly cold, sometimes even rainy.

Design Week can feel overwhelming, and not just for those hit with hysterical FOMO. That’s why, last year, we suggested 5 places to “escape” the chaos of Design Week.

This year, brands like Aesop have caught onto the need for some downtime. Their (stunning) installation in Piazza del Carmine offers a peaceful oasis in Brera, one of Fuorisalone’s busiest areas. Everything here is about calm and self-care: the main installation, Second Skin,  plays on the natural barrier our skin creates between us and the world. You can even book a massage in a small room featuring a historic Gio Ponti sofa, brought in just for the occasion.

But Aesop isn’t alone in thinking about relaxation. Not far away, in Via Palermo, Japanese brand Konel presents the “Zzzn Sleep Apparel System”, a system designed to improve sleep. It includes a smart ring, a hood, and a jacket with futuristic lines that read biometric data and promote relaxation. And, of course, you can try it out on-site.

Muji also embraces a Zen approach with its mini-home dedicated to relaxation, set within the hidden garden named after artist Pippa Bacca.

And if you’re still in the mood to unwind, there’s more. At Capsule Plaza, check out the “Great Sofa”, a room-sized piece by Philippe Malouin for Hem; at Teatro Litta, Finnish brand Marimekko presents Laila Gohar’s oversized bed, an exploration of the many ways millennials’ most beloved piece of furniture is used.

Even at the Salone, if you make it to the fair, there’s an installation that invites you to “slow down, observe, listen.” Designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon, this temporary villa offers spaces that “suggest taking a pause.”

Back in the city, Nobody Owns the Land Byoung Soo Cho’s installation in the 17th-century courtyard of Palazzo Litta for Design Variations, proposes an invitation to lie down on the red earth and reconnect with the sky.

A giant pair of slippers is the symbolic element of Paff Paff, a sensory reactivation project by Finemateria for Park Associati, in collaboration with cc-tapis and QuadroDesign. This project creates a space to enjoy “a moment of rest amidst the daily hustle and bustle,” and takes on a symbolic role that extends beyond Design Week, continuing to live on in the workspace of the very active (and very Milanese, let’s be honest) Park.