At the fairgrounds of Milan, the 64th edition of 2026 Salone del Mobile unfolded like layers, bringing breathtaking designs, exploring various materials, unconventional processes, and a sustainability approach to the forefront. Amidst the global popularity of the event, the emerging designers gained immense visibility and shone the brightest with avant-garde ideas.
To honor the passion, dedication, and integrity they bring to their work, we have curated a list of the emerging designers we saw at 2026 Milan Design Week. The list also includes the winners of SaloneSatellite, ‘the jewel in the crown of the Salone del Mobile.Milano,’ and those who exhibited at Fuorisalone 2026.
Russo Betak – Ark Collection
Formed by Stefannia Russo and Soren Betak, Russo Betak specializes in 3D printing flat sheets of seashell biopolymer and then giving them the desired shape by hand. Based in Copenhagen, the studio is known for turning waste into functional and stunning lighting objects by using their self-built robotic system. The unpredictability of biomaterials and the precision of 3D printing explain the studio’s work. But it is not without physical brilliance. The designer duo shapes their product by hand, letting the biomaterial unfold itself into whatever shape it wants to take.
The Ark is the brand’s first lighting collection, featuring floor lamps, table lamps, and pendants, exploring unconventional 3D printing, balancing digital precision and material intuition.
IOUS Studio – 3D Printed Ceramic Tiles
The IOUS Studio, led by Sol Sanchez Cimarelli and Agustin Ros, is an architecture and design studio specializing in evolving technologies and innovative materials. The studio strongly focuses on computational design, embracing the connection between creativity and technology. Founded in 2023 in Rotterdam, the studio is highly inspired by the city’s technological and experimental sceneries, leaning beyond digital, constructive, and material capacities by stressing, creating, and experimenting with innovation at the helm.
The studio takes cutting-edge 3D printing design to the next level with its 3D printed ceramic tiles. This manufacturing process creates intricate and customizable forms with minimal waste. This project showcases a ceramic cladding system from 3D printing clay through computational design, introducing new possibilities in architecture.
JÜNGERKÜHN – Soft Touch
Berlin-based JÜNGERKÜHN is a design studio founded by Konrad Jünger and Verena Kühn. The studio aims to bridge the gap between industrial design and digital crafts, focusing primarily on materials, mindfulness, and knowledge transfer. This design studio creates products, installations, and digital manufacturing processes, challenging the boundaries of material, its processing, and manufacturing. The studio explores digital technologies like robotics, which they find interesting for designing and manufacturing products flexibly and as they please.
This design studio’s famous project involves porcelain vases, in which the interaction between digital precision and the intrinsic nature of the material is visible. The vases are highly tactile, formed with robotic meticulousness. Each porcelain vase is unique in details and shapes, while the material usage gives them a lively, colorful appearance. The closer you look, the more intrinsic details you’ll be able to find.
Aiko Design – Numina Lamp
Santiago-based Niko, the founder of Aiko Design, is a passionate designer driven by the desire to create aesthetically pleasing, transforming, and functional lighting. Through his design, Niko showcases his Chilean roots, making each piece creatively unique and sustainable. However, more than just crafting aesthetic objects, he creates to improve lives with the utmost consciousness and celebrate Chilean design in the most environmentally friendly way. The Aiko Design highlights local talent through innovative products designed and manufactured in Chile.
A prime example of his commendable work is the Numina Lamp by Aiko Design. It is crafted using wicker and horsehair, featuring stepped forms, unique geometries, and braided texture, evoking balance and strength. The Numina light transforms and improves the space we inhabit with sensory, aesthetic, and functional design.
Yixian Wang – Foggy
The Foggy collection by Yixian Wang explores the transformation of crocheted fiberglass fabric into glass through kiln firing. Comprising vases, lights, and trays, the Foggy collection reveals how design process and technique reshape material perception, allowing lightness, structure, and fragility to come together under one roof.
Emilia Tombolesi – Calypso and Etna
Emilia Tombolesi is an Italian designer based in London whose projects are heavily material-driven, experimental, and sculptural. She explores unique characteristics, balancing between control and unpredictability. Tombolesi doesn’t shy away from embracing imperfections, process, and organic irregularities of each material. Her pieces are crafted to be functional, playful, and highly expressive.
Leaving her indelible mark at the design fair, her Calypso and Etna collection finds inspiration in her Sicilian heritage. The Etna is made from hammered aluminum moulds to shape cast jesmonite, a versatile and eco-friendly two-part material. Calypso, on the other hand, is a series of smaller hammered objects, discovering functional forms through expressive surfaces, creating playful shapes and intriguing details.
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