IKEA has unveiled a reengineered take on the inflatable chair at this year's Milan Design Week.

Taking the once kitsch staple, the Swedish design giant is repositioning it as the standout piece of its upcoming PS 2026 collection and a symbol of how low-cost design can evolve for a more sustainability-conscious era.

Designed by Mikael Axellson, the new chair rethinks the familiar air-filled form by pairing it with a carbon steel frame and a tailored textile cover in a rich emerald green.

The hybrid construction marks a decisive shift away from the fully plastic designs of the 1990s, addressing long-standing criticisms around durability and comfort while retaining the lightweight efficiency that made inflatable furniture appealing in the first place.

Inside, a system of air chambers provides structure and ergonomic support, eliminating the sagging and instability that plagued earlier versions. The addition of a fabric exterior also resolves practical issues such as squeaking and slipping, bringing the piece closer to conventional upholstered seating — albeit with significantly less material use.

For Axellson, the material choice is central to the concept. “IKEA is all about democratising design, and in that way, air is the perfect material to work with,” he told Hypebeast. “It’s free and everyone has access to it.”

The chair’s assembly process further reinforces that balance. Rather than including an electric pump, IKEA opted for a manual foot pump — a decision driven as much by cost as by sustainability considerations. “An electric pump would’ve made assembly slightly faster and easier,” Axellson explains, “but it would have pushed the price higher and, once the chair is ready to use, you’d be left with electronic waste.”

The launch forms part of the tenth edition of the IKEA PS collection, a series first introduced in 1995 to challenge traditional notions of high-end design by making experimental ideas accessible to a mass audience. The 2026 iteration continues that mission, focusing on adaptable, resource-efficient objects suited to contemporary living.

Alongside the inflatable chair, the collection includes a transformable lamp by Dutch designer Lex Pott and a rocking wooden bench by IKEA’s Marta Krupińska, both of which emphasise versatility and tactile engagement. However, it is the chair — with its blend of nostalgia and technical refinement — that has emerged as the headline piece.

By revisiting a once-dismissed typology and applying a more rigorous design approach, IKEA appears to be testing whether inflatable furniture can move beyond novelty and into everyday relevance. "We wanted to take something people might not immediately take seriously and show that, with the right engineering and material choices, it can become a real, long-lasting piece of furniture,” Axellson says.

“It’s about changing perceptions as much as improving performance.”

The IKEA PS 2026 collection is scheduled for global release in May.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• Jil Sander has partnered with Apartamento to present "Reference Library," a temporary exhibition in Milan running from April 20 to April 24, 2026
• The installation features a curated selection of 60 books chosen by various global creatives, displayed on chrome lecterns designed by Milanese architecture practice studioutte
• Visitors can book an appointment to handle and read the books using provided white gloves, a quiet souvenir they can keep as a reminder of the experience

In an era dominated by digital skimming and algorithmic feeds, Jil Sander and Apartamento are inviting us to slow down. Opening today, April 20, in the heart of Milan, "Reference Library" is a temporary exhibition that champions the physical book. Conceived as a curated collection of personal references, the immersive installation brings together 60 distinct titles—each carefully selected by writers, designers, artists, filmmakers, and thinkers whose perspectives have shaped modern culture.

The exhibition serves as a physical affirmation of reading for pleasure, creating a quiet space designed for close observation. To bring this vision to life, Milanese architecture practice studioutte designed the installation inside the Jil Sander showroom. Chrome lecterns stand in neat rows, illuminated by warm reading beams and expanded visually by a mirrored wall. To emphasize the ritual of handling a cherished object, visitors are provided with a pair of white gloves upon entry. The gloves alter how much care is brought to the act of reading, and guests are invited to keep them as a quiet souvenir of time well spent.

The books themselves represent the invisible lines that connect an idea to the world. For his contribution, Jil Sander Creative Director Simone Bellotti chose a piece of his childhood: Italo Calvino’s Il Barone Rampante (The Baron in the Trees). "Cosimo, the protagonist, climbs into the trees and from there observes the world with more clarity than those living below," Bellotti shared, likening the character's unusual perspective to a metaphor for pure creative work.

"The collaboration between Apartamento and Jil Sander is a natural one," added Apartamento Co-Founder Marco Velardi. "Both have long understood that the things we surround ourselves with are never merely decorative, they are biographical. They speak to attention, to care, to a refusal of the throwaway. A book, like a well-made garment, is an act of considered intent. It is made to last."

Whether you are looking to discover new literary inspirations or simply seeking a momentary escape during the bustling design week, the "Reference Library" offers a profound, tactile experience. The exhibition is open by appointment, with a preview installation also on display at the Jil Sander Store on Via Verri. The registration is here.

Reference Library
Via Luca Beltrami 5
Milan, Italy
Monday, April 20 – Friday, April 24, 2026

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• USM has partnered with renowned artist and illustrator Kasing Lung for its second installation at Milan Design Week, titled "Wonderland of The Monsters"
• The event will unveil a brand-new USM Haller furniture collection adorned with Lung's Nordic folklore-inspired illustrations, as well as a limited-edition collectible dubbed "Beautiful Thing!"
• Supported by Lane Crawford and How2Work, the immersive showcase will run from April 20 to April 25, 2026, in Milan

The collaboration you didn't know you needed is officially touching down at Milan Design Week. USM has teamed up with acclaimed artist and illustrator Kasing Lung for its second major installation at the prestigious design festival, inviting guests to step into the "Wonderland of The Monsters." Seamlessly blending world-class modular furniture design with playful contemporary art, the immersive showcase brings Lung's mischievous universe to life in the heart of Italy.

Rooted deeply in Nordic folklore, Lung's captivating world of "The Monsters" is famously led by Labubu, a mischievous, grinning character that has rapidly transformed from an underground cult favorite into a massive global obsession. This unique partnership channels that infectious, playful energy directly into interior design, serving as the official reveal for a brand-new USM Haller furniture collection featuring the artist's signature illustrations.

Beyond the debut of the collaborative furniture line, attendees of the installation will have the exclusive opportunity to hunt down and secure a highly anticipated limited-edition collectible appropriately titled "Beautiful Thing!" The cross-cultural design event is brought to life through the dedicated support of key partners Lane Crawford and How2Work, ensuring a premium fusion of collectible art and high-end home furnishings.

Whether you are a dedicated collector of Labubu or an aficionado of innovative modular design, "Wonderland of The Monsters" is poised to be a standout destination during this year's festival. The exhibition officially opens its doors to the public on Monday, April 20 at Via San Marco 26, Milan and will welcome visitors throughout the week.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by USM Modular Furniture (@usmmodularfurniture)

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

It's very fair to say that Milan Design Week has outgrown design in its most traditional sense.

What was once a furniture fair orbiting the Salone del Mobile has evolved into a city-wide convergence of fashion, architecture, and design in all its formats. Overall, it can only be a good thing that more eyes are on the design industry, but year on year, there's definitely more to sift through in order to find the gems.

Luckily for you, we've done the hard work to find the stuff you can't miss. As always, we'll be on the grounds scouting out the very best in show, but for now, feel free to copy our hit list.

Reference Library, Jil Sander

The trend for reading (performative or not, you decide) continues over at Jil Sander with Reference Library, a mirrored, chrome-lined environment. Visitors enter in controlled intervals, wearing white gloves while interacting with a tightly curated selection of books. The installation slows everything down, transforming attention and touch into the central experience.

Via Luca Beltrami 5, 20121 Milan

Triennale, Eames Pavilions and Fredericia

This year’s Triennale programme is anchored by three exhibitions: The Eames Houses, an immersive exploration of Charles and Ray Eames’ architectural thinking, complete with full-scale structures; Alphabet, a sweeping retrospective of Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby that traces their influence across furniture and industrial design; and A Chronicle of Danish Design by Fredericia, mapping a century of Scandinavian craftsmanship from Børge Mogensen to Cecilie Manz.

Viale Emilio Alemagna 6, 20121 Milan

Alcova

Alcova continues to anchor the underground scene, expanding into both a modernist villa and a disused hospital on the outskirts of Milan. Installations respond directly to these raw environments, making architecture an active participant in the work, while the atmosphere gradually shifts into something more social as the day progresses.

Baggio Military Hospital: Via Giovanni Labus, 10, 20147 Milan/Villa Pestarini: Via Mogadiscio, 2/4, 20146 Milan

Convey

We were huge fans of Convey last year, and this year is no exception. For 2026, the show turns a residential building into a dense, multi-room exhibition, where each space introduces a different designer or brand. Moving through it feels like navigating a physical feed, with distinct aesthetics unfolding room by room and reinforcing a collective, multi-author approach to design.

Via San Senatore, 1020122, Milan

Dropcity

Beneath the city, Dropcity reframes design through infrastructure. Its tunnel-based program foregrounds process over product, exposing prototypes, materials, and systems, and shifting focus toward how design is made rather than how it is presented.

Via Sammartini 38-60 20125 Milano

Nilufar Depot

At Nilufar Gallery’s Depot, the space is reimagined as a fictional hotel. Each room operates as its own environment, staged with collectible design pieces that function as part of a larger narrative, collapsing interior design into scenography.

Viale Vincenzo Lancetti 34, 20158 Milan

Deoron

Deoron introduces a more fluid format, combining exhibition, sound system, and social space. Objects are designed to be touched and used, while a central audio installation shapes the atmosphere, turning the project into a continuously evolving gathering point.

Via Padova 11, 20127 Milan

Bunch of Knobs

“Bunch of Knobs” narrows the focus to hardware, isolating handles and fixtures and presenting them with an almost obsessive level of attention. The result elevates utilitarian components into objects of design significance, reflecting a growing emphasis on detail as a marker of luxury.

Various addresses

Memoria, Gucci

Rather than presenting a chronological archive, Memoria is set to unfold as a fragmented sequence of rooms where past and present overlap. The experience leans heavily on scenography, turning brand history into something cinematic and immersive, with memory itself treated as a spatial medium.

Piazza San Simpliciano 7, 20121 Milan

Polish Modernism

Explorations of Polish modernism revisit regional design histories that have often been overlooked, contributing to a broader shift toward decentralizing the global design canon and expanding the narrative beyond its traditional centers.

Corso Venezia 48, 20121 Milan

Bottega Veneta x Kwangho Lee

The collaboration between Bottega Veneta and Kwangho Lee centers on material experimentation and craft, translating fashion’s focus on technique into a tactile, spatial experience.

Torre Velasca, Piazza Velasca 3-5, 20122 Milan

Marsèll x Odd Matter

Marsèll’s collaboration with Odd Matter continues the convergence between fashion and collectible design, positioning footwear within an installation context and dissolving the boundary between product and object.

Via della Spiga 42, 20121 Milano

Range Rover x Storey Studio

Range Rover’s installation, developed with Storey Studio, approaches automotive design through an architectural lens, emphasizing materials, surfaces, and spatial composition over performance.

Galleria Meravigli, Via Meravigli 5, 20123 Milano

Salone Raritas

At Salone del Mobile, we're excited to see the introduction of more tightly curated sections focused on collectible and limited-edition work signals a shift within the industry itself, aligning the fair with the broader movement toward narrative and authorship.

Fiera Milano, Rho, Strada Statale Sempione 28, 20017 Rho

Silhouettes, Muller van Severen

In collaboration with Apartamento and Tim Van Laere Gallery, colorful duo Muller Van Severen will celebrate 15 years in business at Salone. Rather than a retrospective in the traditional sense, the duo distills their archive into a series of 15 life-size aluminium candleholders, each abstracting forms from past works across seating, lighting, and objects. As the candles burn throughout the week, the pieces gradually transform, introducing time as a material and turning the installation into a slow, evolving reflection on their practice.

​Ordet, Via Filippino Lippi 4, ​​20131 Milan

Ghost Kitchen, Uppercut x Soft Baroque

Belgian gallery Uppercut brings "Ghost Kitchen" to Milan alongside Soft Baroque. At the show, new works and an installation will reflect on contemporary systems of circulation and the increasingly intangible nature of material culture.

Via Leone Pancaldo 12, 20129 Milano

Chopsticks, S—3

This show is set to connect "East Asian design with global ideas and practices". Curated by Yoko Choy, it brings together 16 creatives from China, Japan, South Korea, each who have been tasked with creating a set of limited-edition chopsticks.

Via Pietro Giannone 3, 20154 Milano

(META)FISICA, CC Tapis x Fornasetti

Curator Dan Thawley and exhibition designer Pablo Molezún come together to contextualise a collection of CC-Tapis new rugs designed in collaboration with Fornasetti. Each takes on a selection of archival motifs by Piero and Barnaba Fornasetti, and will be presented in a "labyrinth" thoughout the brand's showroom.

Piazza Santo Stefano, 10, 20122 Milano

Renaissance of the Real, USM X Snøhetta

Set to unfold as a multisensory, anti-digital environment built around the USM Haller system, this cocoon-like structure will be wrapped in responsive textile layers scent, sound, and touch into a choreographed experience, shifting focus from objects to perception itself.

Fondazione Luigi Rovati, Corso Venezia 52, 20121 Milan

Food for Thought, IKEA

IKEA’s Food for Thought transforms its presence into a working food environment, with spatial design led by Charlotte Taylor. Combining exhibition with a live kitchen, market, and café, the project explores how cooking and gathering shape domestic space, evolving throughout the day into a social hub.

Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi 7, 20129 Milan

The Romance of Fragility, Delvis Unlimited

The Romance of Fragility show uses glass to explore impermanence and perception, with objects ranging from erosion-like tables to imprint-based panels. The material extends into the architecture itself, framing fragility as a defining condition of how design is experienced.

Piazza Guglielmo Oberdan 2A, 20129 Milan

Objects that Speak, Rosewood

A pitstop to see pieces of Italian design history, Curator Deyan Sudjic brings together later works by architect and designer Andrea Branzi, including 15 of his iconic domed lamps.

Via Carlo de Cristoforis 1

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Issey Miyake’s pleats paved a distinct path for the brand. Now, Pleats Please pieces are some of the most coveted archival grails — but the brand’s latest project proves that pleats don’t just have to be limited to clothing. A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake has launched a first-of-its-kind project, a collection of sculptural lighting fixtures in collaboration with Swiss-based design studio Atelier Oï.

Atelier Oï has strong roots within interior design and architecture, so those perspectives were carried over into this multidisciplinary project. With the help of Japanese portable lighting manufacturer Ambientec, the brand rolled out the first phase of this collab: the “O Series.” The O Series consists of pieces that meld a single piece of fabric to a single piece of wire — portraying a delicate balance between structure and softness.

The series’ detachable lampshades come in three styles, and the light can be dimmed to four different levels to set the mood. Each is crafted out of a steam stretch material — the same used to produce APOC Able Issey Miyake clothing. This material’s innovative qualities shine, as each lamp displays fabric shrinkage due to a unique heat reaction. The result is home decor that stands out from the rest — because who said your lamps can’t be pleated too?

The lamp and shades are sold separately, with the lamp going for $898.38 USD and the shade going for $228 USD. Check out the full range at isseymiyake.com.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• A$AP Rocky’s HOMMEMADE expands its surrealist "Galaxy" line with a "TRASH BAG COUCH" in collaboration with Crosby Studios.
• The modular seating mimics hyperrealistic street waste, featuring printed plastic bags stuffed with cash and debris.

A$AP Rocky's HOMMEMADE finally dropped its surreal Galaxy Collection this March, but the furniture label isn't done expanding its collection. This week, the rapper-turned-renaissance man unveiled the TRASH BAG COUCH, a fitting addition to the metropolis-inspired themes he's explored in previous drops.

Now, HOMMEMADE's Paper Bag Vase gets a disposable cousin that takes the concept to the next level. In collaboration with Harry Nuriev's Crosby Studios, the seating design comprises beanbag modules constructed and printed to appear as hyperrealistic street trash. The cushions take the form of clear, black, red, and blue trash bags, stuffed to the brim with plastic containers, crumpled cash, candy packaging, and other miscellaneous objects.

Rocky's HOMMEMADE debuted a collection at Design Miami 2024, complete with a bird's-eye-view city rug for $18,000 USD and a $13,500 USD Skyline Divider, which takes the cityscape to the next level with towering skyscrapers arranged in foldable panels. Among the standout designs and the most expensive, at $300,000 USD, is the CBNT V.1, a “state of the art” recording studio with 8-track, VHS, DVD, and CD compatibility, Exposed Analog Tape Reels, a TV, a Macintosh Computer, and wheels.

As of the time of writing, the piece hasn't surfaced on the brand's webstore, so one can only speculate on the price point. With the singular space-themed bean bag chair currently available at $3,000 USD, the couches' 9 bags may add up to as much as $18,000 USD.

A$AP Rocky's HOMMEMADE line can be shopped at the label's official webstore.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• Issey Miyake has partnered with Spanish architecture office Ensamble Studio for an exploratory Milan Design Week project
• The installation reappropriates compressed paper rolls, a byproduct of the brand's signature garment pleating process
• Showcased at the ISSEY MIYAKE / MILAN store, the exhibition features memory objects and furniture prototypes

Issey Miyake has officially unveiled "The Paper Log: Shell and Core," a collaborative installation developed alongside architecture firm Ensamble Studio for Milan Design Week 2026. Running from April 21 to May 5, the exploratory exhibition recontextualizes the discarded byproducts of the Japanese label's signature garment pleating technology into compelling spatial and structural works.

Conceived by MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO design director Satoshi Kondo, the project breathes new life into "Paper Logs" — compressed rolls of wafer-thin paper originally intended for transportation and recycling. The installation is divided into two contrasting yet complementary sections. The "Shell" segment, crafted by Ensamble Studio, features crisp paper objects frozen in time, sculpted using sheets peeled from the logs and treated with hardening agents to crystallize every wrinkle and crease.

Conversely, the "Core" section showcases work from the in-house project team, highlighting furniture prototypes like stools, chairs, and tables. These functional pieces explore the raw materiality of the logs, utilizing treatments such as soaking the paper in wax, painting it with glue, or tying it into robust bundles. Operating at the intersection of design and architecture, the collaborative effort transforms a secondary material into a profound study of form, memory, and permanence.

"The Paper Log: Shell and Core" installation will be open to the public from April 21 through May 5 at the ISSEY MIYAKE / MILAN store located at Via Bagutta 12.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

After over 10 years in the making, the doors to the V&A East are almost ready to open to the public.

London's Stratford has seen unprecedented development and change over the past two decades. First came the Olympics in 2012, and now, building on that legacy, the area is becoming a huge cultural quarter for the city's Eastern boroughs.

A cornerstone of that is V&A East, designed by architects O’Donnell + Tuomey. With its facade being a nod to the area's past, a key part of their inspiration has come from ensuring future visitors know that the museum is somewhere designed for them, not against them.

From outside, you walk straight into the building (past Thomas J Price’s 18ft sculpture), with no front desk to block your way. Wayfinding by Fieldwork Facility makes different exhibitions easy to find, and along your route, there are places to perch and just spend time.

Inside the V&A East galleries.
Inside the V&A East galleries.
Inside the V&A East galleries.
Inside the V&A East galleries.

Inside, local practice J A Projects has created the permanent exhibition space "Why We Make", in collaboration with A Practice For Everyday Life, Larry Achiampong and the V&A East Youth Collective. With a huge emphasis on inclusivity and participation, the flexible layouts are inspired by markets and public gathering spaces.

“V&A East Museum is shaped by east London – its high streets, its parks, and the ways communities already gather, make and represent themselves," J A Projects founder Jayden Ali says. "Developed in close collaboration with young people and local artists and designers, it draws directly from how space is shaped and inhabited across the city – from how shop fronts are illuminated to how textile is displayed – bringing those rhythms into the heart of the museum."

"As east Londoners, we feel a deep sense of pride and responsibility to offer this to the communities we hold dear, and to the wider world – a museum that invites people in, supports different ways of being, and allows everyone to find their own place within it."

Inside the V&A East
Inside the V&A East
Inside the V&A East
Inside the V&A East
Inside the V&A East
Inside the V&A East

In the main gallery, which will host a changing roster of exhibitions, will be a landmark show named "The Music is Black: A British Story, which is the largest ever exhibition on Black British music’s impact on culture across the UK and around the world.

"Music is the soundtrack to our lives, and one of the most powerful tools of unification. In The Music is Black: A British Story, we celebrate the richness and versatility of Black and Black British music as instruments of protest, affirmation, and creativity, and reveal the untold stories behind some of the world’s most popular music of all time," says Jacqueline Springer, Curator of The Music Is Black: A British Story, and Curator of Africa and Diaspora Performance at the V&A.

V&A East opens to the public on April 18 2026.

V&A East
107 Carpenters Rd
London
E20 2AR

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• Aman has officially revealed its first Six-Bedroom Villa at the renowned Amangiri resort in Utah's Canyon Country
• Designed by original Amangiri co-architect Marwan Al-Sayed of MASASTUDIO, the private residence spans approximately 12,000 square feet across nine acres
• The compound accommodates up to 18 guests and features a 118-foot swimming pool, private spa, and dedicated staff quarters

Aman has expanded its prestigious real estate portfolio with the unveiling of its first Six-Bedroom Villa at Amangiri in Utah's breathtaking Canyon Country. Conceived as a fully serviced private compound rather than a singular dwelling, the 12,000-square-foot residence sits on nine acres of wilderness, perfectly blending the brand’s refined hospitality with a spatial philosophy rooted deeply in its surrounding natural environment.

The striking villa was designed by Marwan Al-Sayed of MASASTUDIO—one of the three architects who originally conceived the Amangiri resort back in 2009. His return ensures a seamless architectural continuity, utilizing low-lying volumes that emerge organically from the rocky terrain with a sense of geological inevitability. Built with a tonal palette of stone, concrete, and wood, the residence mirrors the desert itself. Unique oculus skylights draw the desert sky inward, while vast glass planes frame the shifting natural light and the iconic sandstone rock formations outside.

Operating as a hybrid between a private residence and luxury resort infrastructure, the villa is the first of 12 private homes planned for the Canyon Country site. It accommodates up to 18 guests across six expansive suites, supported by discreet, dedicated staff quarters and a full-service kitchen designed for private chefs. The interior also boasts multiple wellness-focused spaces, including a private spa, a fitness room, and expansive living and dining areas that echo Amangiri's broader ethos of retreat and restoration.

Outside, the property successfully dissolves the boundary between the built environment and the vast Southern Utah wilderness. A stunning 118-foot swimming pool stretches along the horizon line, complemented by a series of outdoor dining courts, fire features, and shaded lounges. Walled gardens and sheltered terraces create a calibrated sequence of exposure and refuge, allowing the building's open-plan volumes to feel completely continuous with the landscape beyond.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Dozie Kanu has had a lot going on recently, and as a result, when we catch up for this interview, he tells me that he’s struggling to find energy. He says it lightly, almost in passing, but it frames the rest of our conversation, and sets us off honestly.

Given that we’re speaking ahead of Milan Design Week – the design industry’s busiest moment, where literally hundreds of events are set to take place – it’s understandable. Here, Kanu himself will launch a new collection with Knoll, one of the most historically significant names in modern design. “It’s not even slowing down, it’s amping up!” he says, jokingly, when I ask if there’s any light at the end of the busy tunnel.

Despite taking a lot of his attention of late, the Knoll collaboration, on paper, is a clear milestone. His first project at this scale within industrial design: the collection will be made up of a series of leather and steel pieces, softened by cascading tassels that hover just above the ground, shifting slightly when you move around them.

Inside Kanu's studio

Inside Kanu's studio
Inside Kanu's studio

But the more we talk, the less it feels like a “moment” in the traditional sense. He doesn’t frame it that way. If anything, he keeps circling back the way it relates to his wider practice. “I use design as a conceptual tool,” he says. “It’s a way to bring people in.”

That idea comes up more than once, in slightly different forms. It’s clear that accessibility matters to him, but not in a reductive way. His work often starts with something familiar, chairs, tables, objects that feel legible, before shifting into something that pushes a more conceptual view.

With these pieces, which are an extension of a work Kanu created in 2021, that shift happens through movement. The tassels sway, almost imperceptibly at times, catching light, catching your attention. He describes them as something that changes the object, makes it feel alive in a way that’s hard to pin down. “It commands an emotional response,” he says.

What’s interesting is how easily this project folds into everything else he’s doing. There isn’t a sense of him stepping into design so much as stretching what’s already there. He resists the idea of being positioned within “collectible design,” or really any category that feels too fixed.

“Within design, it just becomes about the product,” he says. “I can allude to function without the object actually having to perform it.” At one point, he describes himself as an exhibition maker, which feels like the closest thing to a definition. Not because it narrows things down, but because it opens them up. Exhibitions, for him, are spaces where things can coexist without needing to resolve. “Within an exhibition, anything can exist,” he says. “There’s not a prescribed way to view anything.”

Dozie Kanu's Knoll collection
Dozie Kanu's Knoll collectionDozie Kanu's Knoll collection

That way of thinking seems to extend into how he’s structured his life as well. In 2018, he moved from New York to Portugal, settling in a warehouse space about an hour outside Lisbon. When he talks about it, it’s less about escape and more about possibility, what happens when certain pressures fall away. “Moving to Portugal was one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made." In New York, he describes a process that was constantly in motion, objects moving between different workshops, dictated by cost and logistics. In Portugal, things slowed down. “Having space changes everything,” he says. “Things can just be there, and then at a certain point they tell you what they want to become.”

It’s an evocative image, the idea of objects sitting quietly until something shifts. It also feels slightly at odds with the pace of everything else he’s describing now. The scale of his work has grown, the expectations around it too, and there’s a sense that the outside world is harder to ignore than it once was. “There’s this search for meaning in a time when meaning feels sparse,” he says.

He talks about the recent opening of his exhibition in Milan, and the disconnect he felt there, between the work, the audience, and everything else happening beyond that room. It’s one of the few moments where his tone shifts slightly. “I gave so much of myself,” he says. “And it was just kind of a bunch of rich, white collectors.”

He half-laughs when he says it, but not enough to dismiss it. The questions seem to sit there: who the work is for, and what it means to place it within systems that don’t always feel built for you.

That tension carries quietly into the Knoll project as well. A brand whose history is defined by a very particular lineage, now intersecting with a practice that has never quite fit those terms. He doesn’t overstate it, but the shift is there, and is visible if you’re looking for it. He credits a lot of this shift to the current design director, Jonathan Olivares, who was the instigator behind Kanu’s Knoll collaboration. "He belongs at Knoll," Olivares tells me.

"Knoll is a design company founded on deliberately looking outwards, away from furniture, to bring new ideas to the field of interiors, and Dozie’s work lent itself naturally to this mission. He represents a singular cultural point of view within his generation of artists."

Dozie Kanu and Jonathan Olivares

It doesn’t come across as a declaration so much as something he’s navigating in real time. There’s a similar subtlety in the references that sit inside the work itself. The tassels draw, loosely, from Nigerian masquerade traditions, but also from Texan cowboy culture – two parts of his background that don’t announce themselves so much as sit within the material language. Nothing is over-explained. It doesn’t need to be.

As we come back around to Milan, it feels almost secondary. The launch will happen, the objects will be seen, documented, and circulated. But it's the process that has been the real focus for Kanu. “I need to feel something," and to be around people who I want to learn from."

It’s a simple way of putting it, but it lingers a bit. Because underneath everything, the new collection, the scale, the visibility, there’s still that same impulse running through it. Not to present things that are fully resolved, or to fix meaning in place. But for his work to keep moving.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• Paulin, Paulin, Paulin collaborates with Hauser & Wirth Monaco for a multi-sensory exhibition running through summer 2026
• The Mise-en-scène environment features functional design objects alongside works by modern masters and contemporary icons
• A seasonal musical program titled "Sounds Like Paulin" debuts on April 9 with a live performance by The Cristalist

Paulin, Paulin, Paulin has partnered with Hauser & Wirth to unveil Mise-en-scène, a dynamic presentation opening this month at the gallery’s Monaco location. Dedicated to preserving and evolving the legacy of legendary designer Pierre Paulin, the Paris-based studio has transformed the gallery into an immersive environment where iconic design objects serve as the staging ground for curated artworks by modern and contemporary masters.

The presentation creates a unique dialogue between furniture and fine art, featuring a roster of artists that includes Pablo Picasso, Louise Bourgeois, Jean Arp, Lucio Fontana, and Andy Warhol. Contemporary contributions from Rashid Johnson, Henry Taylor, and Paul McCarthy further activate the space, which is designed to function as a living "mise-en-scène." The environment focuses on the intersection of form and function, placing Paulin’s sculptural seating and interior objects in direct conversation with 20th and 21st-century masterpieces.

In addition to the visual exhibition, the residency introduces "Sounds Like Paulin," a cultural initiative and record label founded by Benjamin and Alice Paulin. This musical extension treats sound as a collaborative space, hosting a series of seasonal activations. The program officially launches on April 9 with a performance by The Cristalist, coinciding with the opening reception and the first of several scheduled open viewing sessions. The exhibition will remain accessible via appointment throughout the summer, offering a revolving sensory experience in the heart of Monte Carlo.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Hauser & Wirth - Art Gallery (@hauserwirth)

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• Pirate Gold Poker and Lionsgate introduce the Official Collector's Set forged to the exact standards of The High Table
• The premium ensemble features 50 solid metal Continental Gold Coins and 250 casino-grade clay composite chips
• A precision-machined aluminum Signature Dealer Stack and two PVC collector decks complete the release

Pirate Gold Poker and Lionsgate bring the cinematic underworld to the tabletop with the release of the John Wick Poker Official Collector's Set.

Forged to the exact standards of The High Table, the comprehensive kit delivers a premium, high-stakes setup tailored for discerning hands. The defining elements of the collection are 50 uncirculated, solid metal Continental Gold Coins. Weighing 30 grams each, the coins feature dual matte and mirror polish finishes to reflect their true worth. The currency is accompanied by 250 casino-grade clay composite chips engineered with DeadDrop technology. Designed for superior sound and tactile feedback, the 11-gram chips arrive in denominations of 1, 5, 10, and 20.

Elevating the gameplay experience is the Signature Dealer Stack. Crafted from forged aluminum, the four-piece set includes a Small Blind, Big Blind, and a two-part Dealer Token. Precision CNC-machined and hard-anodized with laser-etched details, the pieces uniquely assemble into a unified totem when stakes escalate. Rounding out the implements are two sanctioned PVC collector's decks in Black-on-Black and Red-on-Black, featuring iconic weaponry from the franchise's first film. The entire arsenal is housed securely within a reinforced heavy-duty polymer case equipped with a cut-to-fit EVA foam inlay, a metal insignia, and an individually serialized Certificate of Authenticity.

The John Wick Poker Official Collector's Set is available now via Pirate Gold Poker.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• Salù Iwadi Studio unveils the Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ́ Lamp Collection, exploring Yoruba cultural memory and feminine authority through light
• Three works - GLD01, GLD02, GLD03 - reinterpret illumination as reverence, continuity, and generative force

Salù Iwadi Studio has introduced the Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ́ Lamp Collection, a sculptural series that explores Yoruba cultural memory and the power of feminine authority through the medium of light. Based across Lagos, Dakar, and Marrakech, the studio continues its signature practice of merging materiality, craftsmanship, and ancestral narratives into contemporary design. This latest body of work treats illumination not as a static function but as "living matter" - cradled, nurtured and gradually revealed - reflecting the Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ́ tradition where the generative force of women is celebrated as essential to social balance and continuity.

The collection unfolds across three distinct works: GLD01, a vertical alignment of three vessels symbolizing the temporal continuity of ancestor, mother, and child; GLD02, a single vessel where generational distinctions dissolve into a continuous, interconnected presence; and GLD03, an intimate-scale piece designed to be held closer to the body while retaining its full conceptual weight. Each lamp is composed of ovoid carved oak vessels that evoke the womb, the calabash, and the orí — the head regarded in Yoruba culture as the seat of destiny.

These vessels are pierced by sand-cast brass spirals whose granular texture references periods of gestation in darkness and anchors the work to Ayé, the earthly realm of ancestry and cosmic circulation. The interplay of wood and brass creates an "architecture of restraint," where light is disciplined, protected, and released with measured intensity. Ultimately, this design approach emphasizes reverence, positioning illumination as a spiritual presence and a reflection of feminine authority rather than a mere utility.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• Demna is set to debut "Memoria," an immersive Gucci exhibition at Milan’s San Simpliciano monastery, bridging the house’s 105-year history.

• Open April 21–26 during Fuorisalone, the showcase follows Demna’s star-studded runway debut and signals Gucci’s growing dominance in the luxury homeware and design space.

Demna's late February runway debut for Gucci generated enormous buzz with all-star casting, from Fakemink to Kate Moss, and striking visuals, including massive Roman sculptures. In a close follow-up, the former Balenciaga Creative Director is pivoting his attention to the realm of design as Milan Design Week approaches. The brand has announced that Demna will present his first exhibition for Gucci at the Furiorsalone attendees this April.

Already the global trade hub for architecture, interiors, and design, Milan Design Week is exponentially drawing more attention, along with visitors from outside the trade. In recent years, Gucci has upped its presence at Milan Design Week, too, showing a dedicated exhibition in 2024 titled ‘Design Ancora" and then in 2025 showing "Bamboo Encounters" last year.

This year, Demna will debut "Memoria" inside the 16th-century San Simpliciano monastery. Nestled in the heart of the Furiorsalone action in the Brea district, the showcase will be open to the public from  April 21 to 26. According to WWD, Gucci shared that “the exhibition will offer a symbolic retelling of the house’s 105-year history, reflecting its many facets, transformations, and creative expressions,” and that it “invites visitors to experience an immersive narrative that bridges past and present.”

Per 2026 estimates, this edition of Furiorsalone is expected to draw an international crowd of approximately 500,000 visitors. Recent editions have seen upped participation from fashion industry titans, who are increasingly dipping their toes in homeware and hospitality, like Gucci's peers, Hermes and Prada.

Stay tuned to Hypebeast for the latest fashion and design industry news and insights.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• NOT A HOTEL has officially commenced operations for its highly anticipated SETOUCHI property, located on Sagishima Island in the Hiroshima Prefecture
• The property marks the very first completed buildings in Japan from BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), the globally acclaimed architectural firm founded by Danish visionary Bjarke Ingels
• Accessible via speedboat and helicopter, fractional owners can now enjoy three distinct villas named "360," "270," and "180" based on their panoramic views of the Seto Inland Sea

The Setouchi area has long been a famed destination for art and culture, but it now boasts a groundbreaking architectural marvel. NOT A HOTEL has officially opened its SETOUCHI property on the southwestern cape of Sagishima Island. The ultra-exclusive retreat—accessible to its owners by speedboat or helicopter—features a communal restaurant and three distinct villas. Most notably, the launch marks a major historic milestone: the very first completed Japanese project by the globally renowned architectural firm BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group).

Masterfully bridging the gap between fearless futurism and deep traditional roots, the architecture builds directly on the region’s heritage. BIG reimagined traditional Japanese single-story houses with striking modern structures. Expansive glass facades connect the interior to the lush exterior, serving as a modern interpretation of traditional shoji screens, while the floor layouts heavily incorporate the concept of tatami mats. Adding an organic, tactile element, the sweeping curved walls utilize a rammed earth technique using local soil, seamlessly blending the structures into the island's natural topography.

The three villas are appropriately named "360," "270," and "180," directly corresponding to their locations and the angles of their sweeping views over the tranquil Seto Inland Sea.

"NOT A HOTEL Setouchi represents our first completed buildings in Japan, a culture that has had a profound impact on myself and my understanding of architecture," shared Bjarke Ingels. "The archipelago around Sagishima is like a Japanese landscape painting... Traditional and modern, integrated and outstanding, Scandinavian and Japanese, the villas are architectural oxymorons embodying seemingly contradictory elements into a holistic hospitable whole."

During the construction process, NOT A HOTEL pre-sold fractional ownership of the property. Under the company's innovative model, owners can utilize their allotted nights across the three Sagishima villas or trade them for stays at other premium properties within the extensive NOT A HOTEL network.

"We are beyond honoured to have partnered with BIG in realising the company's first buildings in Japan," stated Shinji Hamauzu, Founder and Co-CEO of NOT A HOTEL. "This is a landmark moment for NOT A HOTEL's mission to make Japan even more valuable, and we are sure that BIG's three SETOUCHI villas will provide their owners with unprecedented experiences for years to come."

Operations for NOT A HOTEL SETOUCHI officially begun with the three luxury villas now fully open to their fractional owners.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• A$AP Rocky’s HOMMEMADE returns with the "Galaxy" line, featuring a $300,000 mobile recording studio and satellite-inspired lighting.

• The collection includes a Gufram-collaborative "Skyline" rug and $13,500 cityscape dividers, fueling rumors of a major design week activation in NYC or Milan later this year.

Launched in 2022, A$AP Rocky's home line has been relatively quiet since showing its full Galaxy line at Design Miami 2024. The rapper-turned-designer had been quite busy with the rollout of his LP DON'T BE DUMB, becoming Ray-Ban's first-ever creative director, and holding down his own fashion label AWGE. However, this week, a flurry of posts from @hommemade direct the audience to the brand's webstore, where product details and pricing are available.

Among the standout designs and the most expensive, at $300,000 USD, is the CBNT V.1, a "state of the art" recording studio equipped with Pro Tools and Ableton, 8-track, VHS, DVD, and CD compatibility, Exposed Analog Tape Reels, a TV,  a Macintosh Computer, and wheels for easy configuration. The piece has the sensibility of a spaceship control room, fitting for the rest of the Galaxy line, which plays with trompe-l'oeil birds-eye cityscapes.

The Skyline Carpet may look like a rendering of NYC from above, but it's indeed a collaborative rug with Gufram, made in Alba, Italy.  “For this second collaboration with Gufram, we wanted to create a piece that embodies the spirit of this city by merging art, architecture, and functionality. As a creative, my goal is to design objects that not only furnish but also stimulate and inspire," Rocky said in an official statement.

Complementing the rug is the $13,500 USD Skyline Divider, which takes the cityscape to the next level with towering skyscrapers arranged in foldable panels. Elsewhere, lighting features two high-ticket pieces, the Satellamp 1 at $50,000 USD and the Satellamp 2 at $35,000 USD, to hang from the ceiling, mimicking satellites orbiting the earth.

The sudden re-up of HOMMEMADE activity could signal a forthcoming activation. Given the timing, one could speculate that A$AP Rocky could bring his design venture to NYCxDesign or Milan Design Week this year. However, as of the time of writing, no official announcement has been made for the next HOMMEMADE collection.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• The Central Pavilion at Giardini della Biennale reopens after a major renovation led by Arianna Laurenzi and Cristiano Frizzele
• Updates include restored historic elements, new rooftop altane and reorganized exhibition spaces
• Sustainable systems integrate skylights, photovoltaics, and ventilation, positioning the Pavilion as the Biennale’s cultural hub

The Central Pavilion at the Giardini della Biennale has reopened ahead of this year's Venice Art Biennale, following a comprehensive renovation led by architect Arianna Laurenzi and engineer Cristiano Frizzele.

Rather than a conventional restoration, the project reimagines the historic building as a layered, flexible exhibition space while restoring key architectural elements. The renewed Pavilion emphasizes spatial hierarchy and legibility, with Sala Chini transformed into a distribution space leading to neutral galleries designed for diverse curatorial formats.

Service areas such as a café, bookshop and educational spaces are clearly separated from exhibition circuits. Notable restorations include Carlo Scarpa’s original window systems and the reconfiguration of Sala Brenno del Giudice to its 1928 layout. Openings toward the canal-facing terrace were reinstated, strengthening the building’s dialogue with its landscape. Two rooftop structures inspired by Venetian altane were added, constructed from charred laminated wood and X-LAM panels, offering elevated views while maintaining architectural balance.

The renovation integrates environmental and technical systems into a unified framework. Skylights with photovoltaic and diffusing glass provide natural lighting and energy efficiency, while operable elements enable ventilation and shading. Infrastructure was embedded within walls and roofing to preserve interior clarity. These strategies align the Pavilion with contemporary sustainability standards, ensuring material efficiency and environmental control.

The renovation was overseen by the Biennale’s Special Projects Department under Arianna Laurenzi and Cristiano Frizzele. Designed by Labics in collaboration with Fabio Fumagalli, the intervention was funded through Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The reopening positions the Pavilion once again as the Biennale’s central hub, with its first exhibition, In Minor Keys curated by Koyo Kouoh, opening on May 9, 2026.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• Dior partners with multi-starred chef Yannick Alléno to create an oversized chocolate egg inspired by the house's signature medallion and bow
• The dark and white chocolate sculpture houses hidden treats featuring the iconic cannage pattern and CD initials
• Dior Maison simultaneously introduces lifelike decorative ceramic pieces paying homage to 18th-century trompe-l’œil art

Dior has officially revealed its latest Easter offerings, headlined by a monumental Chocolate Egg crafted by multi-starred chef Yannick Alléno alongside a new Dior Maison decorative ceramic piece. Designed to elevate shared seasonal moments, the delectable release merges haute couture heritage with high-end gastronomy.

The Yannick Alléno-designed sculpture is constructed from a blend of dark and white chocolate, directly referencing the Christian Dior signature medallion punctuated by a bow. Hidden within the oversized egg is a multitude of chocolate surprises detailed with the brand's iconic cannage pattern, button motifs, and ‘CD’ initials. These internal treats utilize a textured composition of hazelnuts, almonds, puffed rice praline, and sobacha to deliver a crispy finish that honors the founding couturier's love for culinary pleasures.

Expanding the seasonal drop, Dior Maison introduces a highly detailed decorative ceramic piece to its Trompe-l'œil collection. The artwork features a lifelike hen and colorful eggs resting on delicate plates, paying direct homage to 18th-century trompe-l’œil aesthetics. Crafted with remarkable precision, the ceramic figures blur the boundary between playful art and culinary delight.

The Dior Chocolate Egg is available now at Le Jardin du 30 Montaigne, while other creations are also available at Rue Saint Honoré in Paris, at Harrods and New Bond Street in London, and at Corzo Venezia in Milan.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• Lahdelma & Mahlamäki reimagined a vanished Jewish village through minimalist aluminum "houses" and a symbolic memorial park
• A surrounding memorial park of birch alleys, meadows, and orchards evokes the community’s last journey while integrating biodiversity

The Lost Shtetl Jewish Museum in Šeduva, Lithuania, designed by Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects, is a striking memorial and cultural space that reimagines the vanished shtetl through abstract architectural forms.

The museum’s concept is rooted in the destroyed Jewish village of Šeduva, whose community and culture were erased in 1941. To honor this loss, the architects created a cluster of minimalist, hip-roofed “houses” clad in marine aluminum, evoking the scale and rhythm of a shtetl. The facades, reminiscent of weathered wooden shingles, reflect light differently throughout the day and seasons, blending the museum into its rural Lithuanian surroundings. Each building is the size of a family home, connected by narrow passageways, symbolizing both the intimacy of village life and the potential for future expansion.

Inside, the museum balances solemnity with tranquillity. Visitors enter through a lobby designed as a cozy, living room-like space, before descending into exhibition areas below ground level. Galleries mirror the hip roof forms, with skylights introducing controlled natural light. The exhibition narrative moves from the Canyon of Holocaust, a dark, narrow space, to the Canyon of Hope, a tall white chamber opening toward the cemetery and countryside. A memorial wall of mouth-blown glass embedded in wood inscribes the names of Lithuania’s 294 shtetls, reinforcing the museum’s role as both archive and remembrance.

Surrounding the museum is a memorial park designed to evoke the “last journey” of Šeduva’s Jewish community. Landscapes such as birch alleys, meadows, wetlands and orchards recall the paths they might have walked. The park also integrates biodiversity, with new plantings attracting insects and wildlife, while preserving old trees to root the museum in its environment.

The Lost Shtetl Jewish Museum
Žvejų g. 14, Šeduva 82213,
Radviliškio r., Lithuania.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast

Summary

• Jil Sander and Apartamento will present Reference Library at Milan Design Week
• The installation 60 curated books from contributors such as Simone Bellotti, Ronan Bouroullec, Jasper Morrison, Lykke Li, Celine Song and Hans Ulrich Obrist
• The space will open from April 20 - 24, 2026

At the upcoming Milan Design Week, Jil Sander and Apartamento will present Reference Library, an installation that stages a quiet rebellion against digital skimming by inviting visitors into a space of deliberate reflection. The installation features a collection of 60 books curated by a global circle of visionaries - including prominent architects, filmmakers and writers - each representing the personal references that have fundamentally shaped their creative trajectories.

The curated library includes contributions from an eclectic group of cultural leaders, including Jil Sander creative director Simone Bellotti, alongside influential figures such as Ronan Bouroullec, Jasper Morrison and Hans Ulrich Obrist. Other notable participants include musician Lykke Li, filmmaker Celine Song and artists Rirkrit Tiravanija and Faye Toogood. By bringing together these diverse perspectives, Reference Library offers an intimate look into the foundational texts that continue to inspire some of the most significant voices in contemporary design and art.

The physical space, designed by the Milanese practice studioutte , is engineered to foster an atmosphere of deliberate reflection. The interior utilizes mirrored walls and chrome lecterns to display the selected titles, creating a stark, focused environment for study. To emphasize the sanctity of the physical book in an era of instant access, the exhibition has been designed as a specific ritual. Entry is strictly limited to 60 hourly slots, and visitors are required to wear white gloves provided at the entrance to handle the delicate collection.

Reference Library will take place at the Jil Sander showroom at the annual Milan Design Week, from April 20 - 24, 2026.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast