Italian design news isn’t only about kitchens. This year, three brands working in storage, bathroom furniture, and sculptural metalwork all used Milan Design Week and its surrounding events to show how much room for innovation still exists outside the kitchen itself.
Novamobili: Living Beyond the Surface
For Milan Design Week 2026, storage and living specialist Novamobili unveiled “Living Beyond the Surface. Where Design Becomes Expression” at its flagship store in Milan’s Portanuova district — an installation built around the relationship between matter, light, and transparency.
New product news backed up the concept. Velia introduces transparent storage units in aluminum and glass, while the modular Box 18 system gains curved modules and new vertical elements for more architectural, customizable compositions. The collection is rounded out by the Hashi table from designer Matteo Zorzenoni, the modular Kiri sofa by egg-s, open Rail storage units, and new versions of the Agel seating collection. A recurring material note across the installation was the Vibra panel, a three-dimensional slatted surface that brings rhythm and depth to a room.
Material innovation was a real focus, too: natural marble in new warm tones, an engineered stone-look surface called Eternastone, and a lightweight ceramic surface dubbed Light Stone. On the sustainability side, Novamobili introduced a Bio water-based lacquer made with renewable plant resins, aimed at cutting VOC emissions and improving indoor air quality — alongside veneers and wood finishes sourced from certified, recycled supply chains.
Archeda: A Milestone Year for the Tulle Collection
Italian bathroom furniture brand Archeda marks its 30th anniversary in 2026, and it’s using the occasion to expand one of its signature lines. The Tulle collection now includes new curved end units, softening the system’s geometry with fluid, continuous lines in place of rigid corners.
The technical highlight is a curved end unit with a triple-opening option — offered in both an inward-opening version, which eliminates lateral bulk near walls or fixtures, and an outward-opening version for easier, more direct access to storage. It’s a case of turning a purely functional requirement into a genuine design feature. The new pieces debut in a Tulle composition finished in Rigato Bianco Opaco, paired with a Tecnoril top with integrated basin, the Raggio mirror with perimeter lighting, and the LUX lamp — a full, coordinated bathroom scheme rather than a single standalone update.
Ronda Design: A First-Time Move to the Heart of Milan
After ten years exhibiting at Fiera Milano Rho, metal and magnetic-furniture specialist Ronda Design made a deliberate change for 2026: stepping into the city center itself, joining FOCO by Archiproducts for a more open, informal Fuorisalone presence.
The centerpiece was Magnetika, Ronda Design’s modular magnetic wall system, shown in a configuration enriched with new Gelosia lighting modules that turn light into part of the composition itself, alongside the Linearetta shelf with integrated LED. The brand’s well-loved Levia bookcase also appeared in its backlit Levia LED version, using integrated lighting to turn a simple shelving piece into a genuine focal point. Rounding things out, the Jupe table introduced new back-lacquered glass finishes designed to catch and reflect light differently depending on the room and the angle.
The location shift wasn’t incidental — Ronda Design described it as a chance to connect with architects and designers in a more direct, conversational setting, and the FOCO installation will remain open through January 2027 for anyone who wants a slower look.
Why It’s Worth Watching
Storage, bathroom furniture, and architectural metalwork rarely get the spotlight kitchens do, but all three of these brands are using material innovation — glass, ceramic, backlit metal — to do real design work rather than simply decorate. If you’re planning a renovation that extends past the kitchen itself, these are useful names to have on your radar.
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