There are many things that make Milan one of the most interesting and welcoming cities in the world, the fashion, design, and good food being just a few. But during the spring, there is one thing that lights up Milanese streets more than anything else: Milan Design Week. In April, designers from all over the world come to Milan to present their latest creations to a global public. It’s definitely the most interesting (and stressful) week of the year for designers. So where do they stay when they seek some rest, relaxation and inspiration?
We asked nine designers, from the youngest to the most established, to share their favorite Airbnb retreats. From a quiet apartment to concentrate and create, to a vacation home to relax with family, here is a wishlist of Airbnb listings as suggested by some of these guests.
GIACOMO MOOR – La Pescaia Designer Suite – Tuscany, Italy
A historic estate in Tuscany immersed in more than 370 acres of uncontaminated land have hosted the wood designer Giacomo Moor and his family for a relaxing holiday far from the hustle and bustle of the city. After Milan Design Week, where he will present two new collections that are ” the result of a long and tireless work,” he will take a break to rest, dedicating time to his children.
MARC SADLER, Traditional Home in Noto – Sicily, Italy
A Frenchman born in Austria, Marc now lives in Italy and has collaborations with the most important international design companies.
We asked him what’s in store for this design week:
Various projects coming from both established as well as brand new collaborations. I will present sofas, chairs, other furnishing accessories, a radiator, a floor, and three kitchens, including a very small one, enclosed in a suitcase!
Marc Sadler
Once Milan Design Week is over, Marc will escape with his wife to a little house by the sea in Sicily. Despite his passion for traveling and discovering new places, this house has for years been Marc’s fixed destination. Marc suggests this traditional island house in Noto to fellow Airbnb guests, where they can enjoy the smell of lemon and medlar trees while listening to the sound of the sea.
CHIARA ANDREATTI, Japanese Traditional Home – Takayama, Japan
Young and tireless, with an endless list of new creations that she will present during Milan Design Week, Chiara Andreatti is a designer to really keep an eye on. But once Milan Design Week is over, she will relax among the snow-capped mountains of Japan. Her favorite vacation home is in a traditional Japanese-style home (onsen included) located an hour from Takayama, surrounded by nature.
For me, traveling has to be absolutely spartan and essential, I have to feel a contact with the place where I stay.
Chiara Andreatti
We asked her what makes an ideal holiday home:
“A home that is perfectly able to integrate harmoniously with the place where it is located, an authentic place where you breathe local tradition and customs,” she says. “The defense of the genus loci is a very important thing for me.”
SABINE MARCELIS, Volcanic Paradise – Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
The young Dutch designer selects a listing in Lanzarote perfect for relaxing as her favorite place to unwind. She stayed in this home for a last last minute holiday – an eco-sustainable house on the shore of the island’s famous volcano, immersed in the magical colors of the land. This home is a place to discover, to share with friends and to feel at ease.
We asked her how she gets around on vacation:
I love driving. I love driving alone to tell the truth. It’s one of the few moments when I’m not distracted by anything, I just drive and sing.
Sabine Marcelis
ELENA SALMISTRARO, Riad Shiraz Private House with Pool – Marrakech, Morocco
With the upcoming Milan Design Week in front of her, the artist and designer Elena Salmistraro is, “happy and anxious at the same time.”
We asked her what she plans to do next:
I have not yet identified the destination, but it will certainly be an isolated and relaxing place at the same time – I need to recharge the batteries and unplug for a while.
Elena Salmistraro
She always carries a book in her suitcase, along with colors and a notebook for drawings.
She favors this beautiful traditional riad in the heart of the Medina in Marrakech, where you can relax in the amber light of this magical space just as she will after Design Week.
LUCA NICHETTO, Contemporary Design in the Greenhouse Loft – Milan, Italy
Based between Venice and Stockholm, the designer Luca Nichetto chooses this apartment in the heart of Milan for his business trips. He is so busy with work that he hasn’t planned any day off after Milan Design Week, so we asked him what his plans are during the Design Week:
“I’ll go around to see what the other designers have created,” he replies jokingly. His favorite relaxation spot can also be a great home on a business trip – it is part of the new Airbnb Plus tier, which includes only verified homes for comfort and quality.
STUDIO GLITHERO, Chalet with a Pool and Panoramic View – Tuscany, Italy
The shadow of a pergola, an amazing view of the mountains, an ancient Italian village. These are the elements that characterize the listing selected by Sarah van Gameren and Tim Simpson of Studio Glithero.
We asked them what they look for during an adventure:
Movement. We travel to keep body and mind in motion. We travel to discover, to be in the present. This is particularly true when we find ourselves in unplanned situations, immersed in new circumstances which are not 100 percent the result of your choices.
Sarah van Gameren and Tim Simpson
MICHAEL BARGO, Historic Home With Garden – Haddam, Connecticut
Surrounded by mountains, waterfalls and rivers, this house in Connecticut dates back to the 18th century and is the place where designer Michael Bargo escapes during the weekends. We asked him how he embraces the journey:
I am a creature of habit, I like familiar places: same restaurant, same store, same house. I like always knowing what to expect.
Michael Bargo
As for what he’s up to during Milan Design Week? Easy, he will be one of the protagonists of the Life in Vogue project.
ANDREA ROSSO, Casa Delfino – Mexico City, Mexico
Andrea Rosso, the Licensed Creative Director for Diesel, will be in Milan for Design Week for a special project by Diesel’s home collection, Diesel Living. Once Milan Design Week is over, he won’t take time off but instead is planning to work on a new collection, perhaps abroad, just like he did last year when he worked from this house in Mexico City, inspired by the colors and scents of the land.
