This was my first time attending Milan Design Week and Salone del Mobile.Milano. This year’s focus was kitchen & bath – sinks, vanities, plumbing products, cabinets and so much more. We spent the first two days visiting the city’s showrooms and dedicated the final day to touring the exhibition floor, which was enormous, easily six times the size of some of the other shows I’ve attended!
Above: Falper continues to push boundaries by blending textures, materials, and shapes. The vessel sink paired with a gold towel bar and uniquely shaped mirror perfectly captures their design language: bold, architectural, and intentionally unexpected. Photo: Kurrent Kitchen + Bath
Access on the weekend is open to local residents, allowing them to experience the show and reinforcing the city’s pride in hosting it year after year.
Park Avenue’s display embraced personality, featuring a teacup vessel sink and matching bathtub. Beyond the whimsy, the brand offers elegant statement pieces suitable for both powder rooms and primary bathrooms. Photo: Kurrent Kitchen + Bath
Visiting the Source: Factory Tours
We arrived a few days early and focused on factory tours so we could see firsthand how some of our pieces are manufactured, including visits to CEA and Stenal.
CEA’s new collection showcases a striking combination of brushed finishes along the sides and polished finishes on the top surface. The contrast creates movement within the faucet itself, transforming under different lighting conditions and adding depth to an otherwise minimal form. Photo: Kurrent Kitchen + Bath
At CEA, what stood out most was how sustainable and impeccably clean their factory is. Nearly everything is handmade, down to the very last screw. Dedicated teams oversee each small component of the design and production process with incredible attention to detail. While there are robots integrated into the facility, their primary role is transporting heavy materials from one area to another; the craftsmanship itself remains largely hands-on.
Stenal has a wonderful team and an impressive facility. Stenal offers fully customizable saunas with a wide range of wood panels, thicknesses, textures, finishes and lighting options. They are extremely meticulous, each sauna is fully assembled, plugged in and tested to ensure it is functioning perfectly before being shipped overseas. They also provide detailed, step-by-step installation instructions to simplify setup in the U.S.
Their most memorable feature was the snow machine – yes, real manufactured snow. It’s an incredible addition for clients who prefer an alternative to a traditional cold plunge after a sauna session.
Sink Showcase
Antonio Lupi embodies quiet luxury. The green marble tub with a concealed filler highlights their philosophy: strong construction, minimal presence and seamless integration. Their ability to incorporate hidden wall storage reinforces the concept of clean, uninterrupted design. Photo: Kurrent Kitchen + Bath
Many of the attached photos are from the exhibition itself but we also visited several showrooms in the city, including CEA, Gessi, Raspel, Falper, Rexa, Idea Group, Laufen, THG Paris, Franke, Fantini, Dornbracht and even a pop-up showroom from Samuel Heath. It involved a lot of walking and refueling with espresso!
Dornbracht stands apart by not chasing trends. They don’t release new collections annually because their designs endure. Their floral pedestal and matching wall-mounted faucet exemplify why the brand maintains its reputation for innovation, quality and lasting relevance. Photo: Kurrent Kitchen + Bath
Our last day in Milan was spent entirely at the show, from 10:00 a.m. until closing at 6:00 p.m. To put the scale into perspective, we barely made it through a quarter of it. This year there were 22 pavilions, up from 17 last year. We were fortunate to visit booths from Olivari, Zen, Kreoo, Park Avenue, Antonio Lupi (which had the longest line), Graff, Serdaneli, AXOR, Bathco, Inbani, SICIS, Alice Ceramica, Baden Haus and Cielo Ceramica.
Sicis delivered one of the most impactful displays at the show. Their level of customization, from glass and leather finishes to a fully integrated makeup counter with bifolding illuminated glass panels, demonstrates what’s possible when craftsmanship meets creativity. Photo: Kurrent Kitchen + Bath
We wrapped up the trip with some much-needed pizza, pasta, and, of course, plenty of fresh bread.
—Jack Bernstein is founder of Kurrent Kitchen + Bath
