Every year during Milan Design Week, Alcova invites us into unexpected places—spaces where time seems to stand still and design breathes new life into forgotten architecture. Today I would love to take you along visiting Villa Bagatti Valsecchi.
Wandering through the villa is a true walk through stories and spaces. The high ceilings, peeling walls, and faded grandeur of the villa form a stunning contrast with the contemporary works of the different works on show. Each room tells its own story where designers carefully choosing materials, light, and placement to engage with the space rather than overpower it. There’s something magical in the way natural light filters through old windows and interacts with the pieces. And just as last time I also really loved the raw basement and its kitchen.
Just outside the villa, the new Pasino Glasshouses offered a beautiful contrast to the historic interiors. I loved the walk over the fields towards the glasshouses, a new location and once home to one of Europe’s largest white orchid cultivations. Today, they offer a stunning natural backdrop, creating a space where vegetation interacts with the exhibited pieces. Alcova continues to be more than just an exhibition—it’s an experience, a slow discovery of both space and ideas. Like always I have a few favourites and I will show you more of those in a seperate blog. For now an impression of Villa Bagatti Valsecchi at Alcova 2025.
Marlotbaus
One of my favourites at Villa Bagatti Valsecchi was Barcelona based Marlotbaus they work with microcement, glass materials and carved oak wood. Their design shows bold geometric shapes with organic structures, as well as more serene and firm design.
Wei Xiaoyan & Studio Unicoggetto
The basement with the old kitchen is one of my favourite spots at the villa, here Wei Xiaoyan & studio Unicoggetto presented their collection. Wei Xiaoyan artistic vision centers around natural materials,light,and spatial experiences. Her creations are imaginative and surreal, taking the form of installations that challenge our perceptions of space and materiality. I loved her work and she is definitely another favourite!
Giopagani Gallery
Milan based Gallery Giopagani beautifully presented several pieces of their collection in one of the rooms of the villa. Each piece in the collection tells a story of journey and exploration, where memory and material merge to create a unique experience, read more about Giopagani
Sten Studio
Inspired by the enduring legacy of observing the cosmos, ‘Cosmic Traces’ evolves from the essence of ‘Cosmic Relics.’ While totems connect us to the spiritual and ancestral, ‘Cosmic Traces’ represents the physical manifestation of those energies in our daily lives. Each table in this collection is a bridge between the abstract and the tangible, embodying the progress from cosmic observation to human creation. More about the collection can be found here
masaya kawamoto
A furniture series that focuses on the transformation of cylindrical forms through compression Visit the designere here
Shakti Design Residency
Shakti Design Residency is a first-of-its-kind programme that bridges Indian Artisanship and global design
Studio Lugo
Studio Lugo is an Istanbul based studio that aims to intersect cumulative design knowledge with contemporary approaches. I thought they were interesting and pretty different from all other.
Soleille Gallery
Soleille gallery presented A composition of Monumental Functional Sculptures around the theme of the Lava stone and Poetical brutalism bringing us back to the essence of our senses. Andrea Mancuso unveiled A 2.5-meter-high pyramid carved from black lava from Mount Etna in Sicily, developed in close collaboration with Ranieri Lava Stone.
Room File group show curated by Jirah Joshua
At the Pasino Glasshouses
Greek Marble X Objects of Common interest
Terra Formae
Terra Formea at the Pasino Glasshouses
images ©vosgesparis
Have you seen my previous posts about Alcova 2025 yet? Find all articles about Milan Design Week and Alcova under fairs
Het bericht Alcova Continues at Villa Bagatti Valsecchi – Milan Design week 2025 verscheen eerst op vosgesparis.