S7E04 The Milan Edit with The Forecast Club

In this episode, the Forecast Club comes together to unpack what really stood out at Milan Design Week 2026. Moving beyond the hype, they share honest reflections on shifting aesthetics, the rise of multi-sensory experiences, and the growing divide between design for the few and design for the many. From material-driven color stories to questions around relevance, affordability, and authenticity, this conversation offers a sharp, insider perspective on where design is heading next.

The Forecast Club is a global collective of leading, award-winning trend experts,  one from each country. While each member operates independently, they collaborate periodically on exclusive projects known as “Drops.” This podcast episode features the following team members: 

Alina Schartner, based in Austria, is an internationally recognised colour and interior design consultant, trend forecaster, and designer. She creates purposeful strategies, concepts, and collections for major brands. Her futures-focused approach, rooted in longevity, balances relevance, emotional and functional value, profitability, and sustainability. Alongside bespoke services, Alina shares her insights through keynotes, workshops, webinars, trend reports, and expert panels. Since 2021, she has also been the brand ambassador for RAL COLOURS, promoting colour literacy worldwide. 

Stefan ”Trendstefan” Nilsson, based in Sweden, is one of Sweden’s and Scandinavia’s most influential trend experts. Constantly on foot, he visits fairs and world cities to scout the latest in design, lifestyle, sustainability, retail and hospitality. He looks for new colours, shapes and objects, but the main driver is to try to analyse new demands regardless of if they are for Gen Z or regular men on the street. These insights are shared in various magazines and at seminars all over the world. He is a regular contributor to magazines like Elle Decoration, Residence, Plaza as well as morning shows on TV and radio. Trendstefan runs his own digital platform Trendstefan.se since 2006 and the trend seminar “Stora Trenddagen” since 2011. On the side he curates exhibitions both at fairs, museums and how own mobile exhibition platform Designgalleriet. Swedish magazine Rum have listed Trendstefan as one of the most influential people in architecture and design in Sweden. Trendstefan is also the founder of The Forecast Club. 

Susanna Björklund, based in Finland, is a futures thinker, trend analyst, journalist and a designer. As a Senior Lecturer she teaches emerging talents at LAB Institute of Design, LAB University of Applied Sciences. Susanna is also an international speaker and moderator for panel discussions. Susanna is known for curating and producing SIGNALS, the official trend exhibition of Habitare, the interior fair of Helsinki, 2015-2022, linking visual and societal trends. Her passion is design and to look for changes in everything around us, to analyze and cluster those signals into thinking where the futures might be heading. Societal shifts, design for the planet and changes in consumer behaviour as well as in values are interesting ingredients for her work.

Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome back to this April podcast of the Color Authority. And of course, we're going to talk about what happened in Milan Design Week.

Now, who would I talk to about this?

Obviously I'm going to speak with my forecast club,

which I'm very proud to be part of. Fortunately, not the entire team was available. Also,

I don't know, maybe then we would have had a podcast for a few hours and obviously, as always, we're trying to keep it on the hour. So I've invited three of my team members and we're going to talk about really what we saw in Milan and what was relevant.

So TrendStefan is here out of Sweden, Susanna Bjorklund from Finland is here, and then Alina Schaertner is here, and then obviously I will dive in sometimes with some of thoughts of my own.

So stay tuned.

Listen into this conversation.

Save it from when you're going running or when you have a long car ride, because this is going to be it for everything. That was Milan.

Good afternoon. The fork has club. How is everyone? And are you all rested from Milan?

I'm.

I for sure am not.

I'm okay, I'm okay. I'm standing up. Well, I'm actually sitting right now. But yeah, I got back home on Thursday so I have had a few days of rest.

Yeah, I'm feeling quite good as well.

It was intense, but it's nice to be back home again.

Yeah.

And I think now we're all like starting like I think when we were walking through the streets and we did Sunday together and I think some of you did a few more days together.

I think the beauty of it is that we already started talking about things on Sunday and then we did our chat or talk obviously on Tuesday at Kasthal.

And then I'm also curious now at the end, now that we're speaking and everything has trickled down in our brains, we've had our rest.

If, if you can share with the audience obviously what your thoughts are and I think it's difficult, but if you're all, all three of you able to in one sentence what the mood was of Milan Design Week 2026.

Let's start with you, Alina.

The mood of Milan Design Week was very nuanced, elitist, texturized, full of pattern and gorgeous encounters.

For me, love that, Susanna.

Well, for me it was more about emotions, sharing experiences and sort of multi sensorial experiences rather than just product launches.

All right.

Yeah.

Stefan,

I don't know what to add to this. I think it was a lot again,

Again, I'm always trying to be optimistic and positive because usually there's so many impressions, so I get underwhelmed,

meaning I have high expectations of new things and then there's new.

Not that many new things. But I think if I'm trying to be optimistic, I think there's a slight shift. I think that we're starting to see new shapes, see new behaviors and that and that I liked.

There's, of course, again, I could be the grumpy guy again.

And since Design week is growing so much now, it's including everything. And we talked about that also when we saw each other.

I mean, it's been growing with fashion and now car, the automotive industry. And finally now also McDonald's is there.

Do we need McDonald's at the design festival like the one in Milan? And yeah, clear.

Not, perhaps not.

Yeah. The positive trend expert from Sweden says, yes, there is change and some new things out there, but then the realistic one goes, there's too much. And especially McDonald's doesn't have to be there.

Yeah,

I love it.

I mean, Italy doesn't need McDonald's in general. I mean, there is amazing food there. We don't need McDonald's there for sure.

I think indeed the week, I think it was improved from last year. I think we were all having some last year as well. And I think it's a little bit more content based.

I think still there is a lot of filtering to be done and I, I hope that through this podcast we can a little bit bring what we thought was really different.

And I think also there were some words that we kept seeing visually and emotionally. I know Susanna and I, we talked about similar things in our talk,

but what were those words that you kept seeing or kept thinking when you were walking on the streets?

I mean, everyone is talking about the word immersive meaning then of course, a design is something else than a product.

And that could be okay. I mean, all the exhibitions had a scent, the sound.

So like all these other senses is okay. So, yeah, that would be the first word I think of.

I'm not so sure everyone managed to do that properly, but they tried at least.

Yeah,

I'd probably say multisensorial. Susannah Yu also mentioned that in your introduction because,

like you just mentioned, Stefan, there was really beautiful scent and soundscape somewhere. Some brands really pulled that off rather well, in my opinion.

And also engaged in different senses. There was also connection to food and beverage. We've talked about that before.

So I think the whole,

yeah, multisensorial aspect was Something that kept popping up for me.

What did you see, Susanna?

Like a word, perhaps, or same words, really. A shift away from products and like I said, multisensorial and also going back to the roots maybe a little bit.

How do you mean?

Meaning?

Well, there were sort of references to history,

to when you think of Gucci, for instance, telling stories,

thinking.

And I think that these times are forcing people to. Forcing companies to really go deep and think who they are with the economical situation, for instance.

Yeah, a lot of heritage. I think we started to see that a little bit last year.

And I think heritage was definitely something that a lot of brands were playing with. I also saw rituals.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah. In Casa Magica Nilufar, you had the whole ritual of the magical home, you know, with the Palo Santo,

with a lot of, you know, we talked about this. I saw a lot of candles,

which is also part of, you know, softness, sensory, but also sharing moments together, especially at least for us Nordics. Of course, we use a lot of candles.

It's not so common, obviously, in the south of Europe. But yeah, I think that's also something. Definitely rituals was something that. That we were seeing.

Can you give some clear examples of that? Jud. Exactly. Candles.

I saw the ritual of the. What I really saw was a ritual is of the bread. I think we saw copain, of course, with Design Academy, with the bread,

the lamps made in bread. And then we saw the bread table eating with the rats. The rats were also invited in Alcova.

But then we also had at Apricot, when apricots blossom. So the whole Uzbekistan Cultural Center.

I think that is also the ritual, the preparation of the bread with the bread stems.

Bread also, that stands for. It's a ritual that every morning we don't make our own bread anymore, at least hardly anybody does. But this is a ritual that is very much part of our day.

So I felt that was definitely something that came back. And then many crystals together with those candles very often combined,

which is indicating a bit of that spirituality without becoming overly religious.

So that was also interesting.

Some small signals that I saw not in one location, but in multiple locations. Because if you see it in one location.

Yeah, beautiful.

But it doesn't really count, I think.

Yeah.

The funny thing is,

I think it's so funny because I didn't see so many rituals. I mean, because what I like the story of the ritual and I really cherish sort of like the idea of,

you know, pulling out kitchen chair,

having your cereal breakfast in your specific ritual bowl. You know, that's I love that sort of like idea of ritual, but I didn't see so much of it.

I think IKEA for food did some of the ritual as well. And I think they're, I think, I think theirs was, was great. I think we also need to talk a little bit about elitists.

Elitists,

I think from the fashion brands, but not only the fashion brands. The queues so not being able to get in an event, the time slots. I mean, that was also obviously very elitist, very exclusive, something I've been really discussed last year.

And then you have IKEA where you could just walk in and see design and eat and sit down and dance. And then every day they had a designer paired up with a chef.

Some of them even rather famous ones. I think that's also,

that's what I meant with the sharing. I think it's more the sharing ritual of having food together and being together again. And I think that's a little bit of a shift.

Did you guys see any other shifts this year or evolutions of things that perhaps you've been talking about and you really see this is happening in Milan?

Well, I think it's, I think it's funny how,

how much we're talking about the same things because yes, I was just about to mention about, with rituals also IKEA and eating market, food markets and stuff like that.

But I, I.

The thing is, of course, that you are subjective, all of us are subjective and you look at the world through your own lens and what's relevant at the moment. And I've been thinking a lot about the shift from products to experiences.

And one I thought it was also really great to see,

for instance, the Molteni one,

the Multani Garden.

The garden, yeah, yeah.

Which was so calming with the sounds of flies and birds and beautiful flowers and everything.

So I think that is what companies need.

They need to think instead of, with this over consumption, instead of bringing out every single year more products, we need new ways to bring the best out of the products that already exist and are in the production.

So I was seeing examples of that.

What else do you see besides from Molteni?

Well,

everything,

you know, the. Again, the same food for rats. Looking at design from a totally different point of view,

from the point of view of somebody who's not,

who is considered or something that is considered disgusting, maybe, and questioning that, questioning what design is and why does it matter and who's invited and these sort of things.

Yeah,

the sensory one. So the fact that they, I think there were more insulations that were trying to calm you down. So you had the VDV and conveyor that had the music with the soft textiles and the cushions.

Kohler did something like this. Then you had intimacy by Studio Pepe.

There was a lot, I think, of creating some silent moments within that week, which I think it started already last year, but now it's grown. For me, it's not new.

There were more perfumes in the olfactory experiences that were really thought about,

but I think that is.

But if I saw something that was really new, like a significant shift for me, not entirely. How about you, Alina? Did you see something that really was an evolution or a shift?

One. Well, actually, there's two things again. It's an evolution that we've started slowly coming the last years, but it's now building momentum.

And I think one of the biggest shifts is that for me, it seems that a lot of the brands are starting to cater for new markets.

So as the economy is getting much weaker in Europe, I feel that a lot of the styling and the color choices,

especially the accessories, the draping, the excessive lamps, a lot of more, you know,

crystal blown glass,

over the top, elaborate, ornate decorations.

My thought is that a lot of the brands are trying to tap into more aesthetic preferences of,

I don't know, for instance, the Saudi Arabian Peninsula, India,

China.

So I think that some of the aesthetics didn't necessarily appeal all that much to a European audience. So I think there was less of a Eurocentric view.

That's something that felt like a shift for me, where some of us also, we discussed and we said, oh, I'm not sure it's. Some of us didn't. Some of it didn't maybe necessarily appeal to through the lens of a classic design education in Europe.

But I think that was entirely the point that money is elsewhere.

And I think that was a bigger shift for me that this is now really visible. It's not just one of one or two brands, but it's a general.

That's a general shift for me. And another thing was,

you know, we had this polarization, as we said, this ultra luxury and elitism. And on the other hand, of course, there is less of the middle classes, so less of the middle brands.

But on the other hand,

I saw a few exhibitions or nooks in other larger exhibitions where there was a focus on tiny living, so not necessarily a tiny house, but really small apartments or like, you know, spaces where you could really imagine how you feel on a tight space.

For instance, again, at Ikea, there was a Nook. That was really a very small apartment. Or on the other side there was a Japanese brand which name I unfortunately forgot at convey, right?

I think so, yeah.

Hold on. Do you remember? Yeah, something with K. Same building.

That should be it.

Yes, that was also. It was also in the capsule collection. I'm sorry that I don't know the name off heart. Off my heart by now. But they also had lots of beautiful solutions for small scale living.

For instance, you know, like boxes that you can stack, that you build as a.

As a staircase and you can really move them with you. And then some sliding boxes opening mechanisms that are super easy so you can hide and you can play and you can really configure that and build your bed base, your sofa base and so on.

So I think there's these two spaces of the.

I have so much money and I can do whatever I want excess.

And on the other hand there is.

We need to make do with what it is. And lots of nomadic living or small

scale living,

but that also is catering to a market that not yet is European, but already very existing in China, in Japan, in largely Asia, Asia Pacific as well. Because the. I mean, we all know in Shanghai, I mean the average house is super, super small.

And it was interesting. I mean the whole. I call it decolonization of color builds decolonization of design. Of course, it's interesting that that shift's happening in Milan and then there were a bunch of Lebanese designers as well.

And it's. I think it's interesting. That's indeed. It's an interesting shift, I feel. Yeah, definitely.

Can I continue on that? That was a part of my DEI observation.

I think that this is actually the first year that we properly see the abbreviation DEI Diversity Equity Inclusivity at the design week in Milan. This is the first time we've seen that.

And there's not a lot. It's not a lot.

Still just five people, basically. I'm exaggerating a little bit. But still we saw it also on prominent stages like Nol, for instance, American on what they did with the. I think it was Nigerian.

I think it's super interesting that we see that whole, whole different market now. I think that also it's interesting to see that the white middle class is maybe uninteresting and we're looking at something else.

Exactly. Were there any surprises?

I know, but because we have high expectations. Exactly what Stefan said. We go in and we're like, oh, let's see this here.

No, very grumpy indeed.

But was there actually I'M super surprised that the sofas are so ******* big

for small houses.

I know,

yeah.

I mean, of course there's like exhibition and stands and whatever and they're made oversized. But I mean,

98% of all sofas I saw were oversized. I mean, you're not catering for three people or four people. You're catering for 30 people. Who's sitting in that sofa?

I mean, was it a service? Who did a sofa? I think that some of you also posted that quite recently. I think it was a Cerberus who did a sofa that was sort of like basically on levels at the fair.

I was at a fair.

It's ridiculous. I mean, are we all living in sofas in the future? Is that what we're doing laying down like the Romans, eating our food, laying down?

I don't know.

Or if your own home is very tiny and we are getting so many more spaces that are sort of communal spaces within house.

So those would be big. And then you need big sofas

again. I think that the 1% that we sort of like touching on.

I wrote that also on my blog about the 1% and that sort of like flew off and people are reacted to the basis of the 1%. Because a lot of things at the fair now is for the 1% of the population or the 1% of the 1% even.

Everything is super expensive.

And just on that note,

that sort of like collectible section at the fair,

it was only expensive ****. I mean, there was nothing for the average person.

Everything there was super expensive. So it's not. It's for the 1% completely. It's not for us,

it's for someone else.

And I think that's of course fine to find inspiration from. Of course that's fine. But I mean,

yeah, it's kind of ridiculous to sell a dining table for €40,000. I think that's ridiculous.

Yeah, I saw an outdoor kitchen for €70,000.

Yeah.

Or I mean outdoor.

Outdoor.

I mean, kitchen. Yeah, Yeah. I mean, that's probably for your second house on MenOrca or somewhere in the Caribbean, you know, not just your main

hub for your staff, because you're probably not even cooking yourself.

Exactly, exactly.

Maybe the cooking, but not the cleaning.

Yeah, exactly.

Is there what felt really new and not recycled, but that's the same perhaps as the surprise.

I think there were.

I think there was a little bit more new I felt last year. There was a lot of let's pop a new color on it. And it looks. I think that was really happening last year.

I think there's more new, but again, in places like Nilufar, you'd go. And there were still obviously older pieces recycled in. And I think Hermes did the same. Right. I mean, there was a mix of what some new, but then a lot of.

Of also previous years. What you guys think?

I completely agree. I think there was a lot of layering in our talk. Elisabetta also talks about layering and we all discussed it.

This is something I actually like because I feel that good interior design is something that grows over time and that is layered and that has furniture pieces and accessories from different times of our life.

Some pieces we have keepsake that are maybe not even worthy of keeping for anyone else apart from us with the emotional value, but then also things that involve. And so I think a lot of the stands look a little bit more.

I mean, of course, I'm exaggerating here as well, but slightly lift in and definitely more layered. So this approach of adding things on and textures and so on. Stefan, please interrupt.

I think this is the first year we saw also products without styling. I felt that was new.

Well, there was some styling.

I think that the main driver for this was B and B Italia. And they did this thing at the fair, but also in the showroom. So basically,

like no books, no like stones, no cracked vases, nothing like sort of like these styling that we're getting,

getting used to seeing all the time. And it brings a level of flair to it. But now they were just. You had to look at the product itself.

Again,

not necessarily a lot of, like exhibitors did that, but I think that was new and I felt that was kind of like neat.

Go back to what design is. And I think I am missing that with all these fashion brands and everything that, you know,

means very little.

I want to look at a chair and value. Is it a good chair or not? I don't want to be focusing on the emotion of the chair.

I want to look at it properly. It's like, is it a good chair or not?

What do you think, Susanna? Did you really. Were you surprised by something and did you feel something that was genuinely new?

No.

Have you seen it all?

No. I mean, it's a question of also, because you see so many things and like we were discussing that. I mean, it depends on also where you happen to be and how much time you have and what you pay attention to.

I.

I think I was talking to a lot to designers from so many different countries at Alcoa, for instance, and I thought that was really lovely. And that was partly the Same thing that Alina was just talking about.

So more diversity in that sense.

I wasn't surprised that sustainability still isn't communicated enough.

But when you actually started talking to all these designers and small companies,

there was actually,

there were quite a lot of sustainable products and ideas behind them, which I really love anyway. And we should have more of those. But I think that they should be communicated better because not everyone has time to read all the text or have a discussion with the designers when you run around in Milan.

Yeah, very true, Lina.

I have a slightly different view on that.

Some of the brands I spoke to, for instance Bolan,

they stopped communicating sustainability full on because they have built a brand where the ones who know, the people that buy Bolan know that anyways.

And they said it's so ingrained in their DNA that there is no discussion. So literally everything they do has to be as sustainable as possible and therefore they're not communicating it anymore.

Because. And I'm also, I also spoke to other brands about it that really care about sustainability, but it's currently not the main driver for the masses. And so a lot of them keep on doing sustainable things,

but they're noticing that it's that their approach to get the attention is better when they hook people emotionally and they do,

they do things. Rather than maybe talking about sustainability, it's maybe more talking about health or about durability or longevity.

So that's what I'm wondering. But I think that's also a political shift that we're currently seeing. I mean, the whole European Union, if we're staying in Europe for once, is on the one hand building more sustainable solutions.

But on the other hand, we did have backlashes and I think a lot of brands are trying to appease everyone a little bit. So this appeasement policy to about everyone is there.

But Judith, you wrote about it. I mean, so much glass. Glass is a beautifully sustainable material and there were a lot of,

a lot of sustainable solutions that were presented but talked about for their aesthetic value. And I think, Susanna, you. Was it you who said that you can't sell a,

a product or a dress that's sustainable but not, not beautiful? I. I'm not sure. One of our group said something along those lines in one of the discussions

where, yeah, it doesn't help how sustainable your product is if it's ugly. Yeah, because we desirable product.

So it's still about indirect messaging, I guess, indirect messaging really of sustainability without really putting it like in big words and titles.

My point is that if you want to have Some information about what your company is doing. It should be somewhere.

I'm not saying it has to be,

you know, the first thing you bring out,

but it has to be somewhere because we need to trust.

I think trust is actually something I'm really now thinking a lot because of also the situation in the world.

And that influences. We can't ignore that. That doesn't influence. And I feel so that that very highly always influences color. Because we pick out colors, we're more sensitive towards colors that depending on how we're feeling, depending what.

Emotional, economical, you know,

well, restrained. We're under. We tend to select different colors. Do you feel that the colors were more expressive or more restrained?

Strange. I wouldn't say.

I'm not so sure I like them, but then again, that's a matter of my taste. And I think that's also. But that's also part of.

But what?

Did you not like the combinations of them?

I think,

again, I think that's also part of the newness. I mean, there were a lot of things that felt new, and that was one of the upsides of this design week.

We saw some new shapes, new design, new designers, new design collaborations, and also new color combinations. I mean,

there was very little pink, for instance. We saw some butter yellow, which is still sort of like a leftover from before, but very little pink that turned more into lilac.

And it was just strange to me.

I'm not so sure I liked it, but it's okay.

Lilac with mustard and green. I'm not so sure. Not so sure.

Alina, I'm sure you have an opinion on this.

I totally have an opinion on this as an absolute color lover and color nerd. So what I did after coming back was recover for one day and then really dig into color analysis, because,

of course, I'm working on color palettes. So the U2 dip and I did a lot of measurements on colors also on the go, and it was very interesting for me for this.

This was the most interesting for me. So basically, what I have seen for the first time was that there was a lot of the brands came back to color palettes I did for 2023 plus.

And why is that? So when did I do them in 2021.

So a lot of the color combinations were something like this, but with a mix in from the palettes I did for 24, 25, and 26.

But the 2023, that was an interesting thing because 2023. So these palettes would have been developed by people like me and Judith and other color experts, obviously, two years before, in 2021,

and that was when there was a big boom for accessories and furniture. Like after Covid, we had such a high. And I think that some of the brands tapped in hoping that they will get more sales by tapping into this energy.

But of course, the more directional brands, again, I said there was a lot of layering because there was products from different eras and therefore also colors. So we saw new color combinations at the first glance.

But in reality,

this was one of the first years where I had barely new colors. So I usually saw color palettes I did for 2023, 24, 25, 26.

We are in 2026 now. And usually I go to Milan Design Week to look for the colors for 2028. And of course, I found them because we're skilled at this, Juliet and I, and other trend forecasts.

But it was difficult. It was more difficult this year.

A lot of it wasn't new,

but the combinations are new. So I saw a lot of mixing of colors. And of course, with my measurement, I saw that there is an evolution of color. Of course, I can't talk about it all that much in detail, but you will all see it launched for the new palettes.

But name one color that you really felt that that was something that we hadn't seen over the last couple of years.

Well, yeah, as Stefan said before, it was the lilacs, but also the like sort of the fuchsia direction or pinkish. Hot pinkish, fuchsia direction. But there is some softness to it.

It almost looks like it's not a.

It's not your Valentino pink. That's like really high saturation. It looks more like a really stronger fuchsia or hot pink tone that has been exposed to sunlight for some time.

Like, there is a slight softness to it. And the lilacs that are coming back are newer. Of course, there were some brands in the last years that did that, still did.

The lilacs we all started doing in, I don't know, 2020, you know, and there was still a hangover. But the lilacs that are in now are somewhat different,

but there's not much of them. And there was trickier, I think the biggest mustard yellow.

You must have seen lots of mustard yellow.

Yeah, mustard golden tone.

Mustard yellows, golden tones as well. You say you color like.

I feel like color palettes, I would say, are really, really, really strong. So I think the whole. With your question about colors becoming more expressive for restraint, and I'm going to stop there because I know I'm Talking here a lot.

I think what we're seeing is that it's getting more chromatic. So the brands that usually did Black, Gray, Taupe and Torah are becoming a bit more sort saturated,

but still very restrained.

And on the other hand, we're seeing less dopamine color. So we're seeing an anti dopamine trend at the same time as well. So I think the colors are getting more towards the middle center.

So if we're speaking in minimalism or maximalism,

we're moving towards minimalism. So the best of the both in between and that's, I think more unusual. We have a lot more colors in the middle ranges.

What do you think?

Is that interesting? For me, yeah.

What do you think, Susanna? Was there something that really got you?

I still see a lot of color clashes,

which I do like.

I always give an example,

well,

mixing whatever lavender with something more dirty or.

And then I also paid attention, which I was kind of surprised myself that I've been paying attention towards lighter color shades lately.

But also mixing and flushing them with.

With different tones.

So yeah, if you look at a stand like Sancal, Sancal has always been very, very good with colors. They were super strange, weren't they?

In my perception, maybe they're like so advanced. I go like, I don't know what they're doing, but they felt they will not the secure brand to me. Maybe they just wanted me shake me up.

But I mean, they were doing. If you go back to what Teklan was doing with her slalom exhibition and the thing she did for Johansson, I mean, that was sort of like expected what she would be doing.

But Sancal was strange.

Right?

But it's a question,

I think that also it's a question of what. What feels new with color is what.

What materials they are in.

For instance, we've been seeing light blue for a long time, but seeing it as a shiny table at Casino was really fresh,

for instance.

Yeah, Cassina.

Nice colors anyway.

Yeah, I think generally. Sorry, no, the Casino had really good colors and they had the color clashes. I think that you were talking about Susannah.

Yeah.

And then the material clashes as well. I think the mix of the material with the colors was, I think, interesting. And you know, as I said in my talk at Kasthal, I feel materials coming now almost before color at many of those.

I'm not sure if you guys have also seen that,

you know, color is important still, but the material dictates more the color than the other way around.

Yeah, yeah. Color's secondary now.

Yeah,

yeah, exactly.

Well, it's interesting when we talk about. I have just about, you know, more yours, your segments and what you work in. I mean, we all do trends, we all do colors, of course, but it's interesting a little bit to see,

you know, Stefan, do you think that the brands are taking risks or are they still playing safe? I felt last year they were playing safe. Are they taking more risks this year?

Absolutely not. The only risk they're doing right now is making more expensive products for the 1%.

One of my disappointments. I mean, of course,

there's very little sustainability talk in general,

as you three know. I'm very much obsessed right now with the question of repairability, repair or upcycling and caring. And I saw super few examples of that.

Nothing was repairable or repaired or upcycled or something like that.

So in a world where EU is driving repairability, nothing was in Milan and I was kind of surprised by that. But again, trying to be optimistic.

Yes, there was like new shapes and some dei and I'm happy with that.

Yeah, no, I totally feel that. Feel that with you. Susanna, when we. Did you feel optimism this year at the fair? Did you feel that there was more societal signals, shifts and optimism throughout the fair?

Yeah, I think so. Because I think that when we've been going through turbulent times for so long and this sort of insecurity about whatever is going to happen tomorrow and whatever,

people have a tendency at some point to get used to it in a way,

obviously, depending on where you are and what's. Under what kind of circumstances. But generally for us, for instance,

to get used to it and they just keep on going with their life and their work and whatever. And I think that's what's happening and that's what you have to do as well.

So in that sense, yes, you have to go on.

But yeah, we do need changes and they are taking place.

Yeah.

But obviously wealth values change rather slowly anyway,

so. But there are shifts all the time and it's. It's much easier to look at them afterwards, of course. But yeah, I'm kind of.

I feel.

I want to feel positive.

Yeah, up to a point. Anyway.

I think there was more a softness as well this year. The lights were softer,

the materials were softer. A lot of paper as well.

Paper, leathers, fiberglass as well. That looks, for some reason looks soft, although it's quite actually sturdy. I think there was some softness in the designs, in the colors and especially in that lighting together with this whole emotional well being that we're starting to see.

I mean, they're not really great at it yet, but they're trying to infuse spaces with well being and feeling and light.

The olfactory experiences as well.

Yeah,

there's so much, of course, that's not really new at all,

but so much art and so much sort of borderline art between art and design.

Difficult to say which one it was.

I like the art.

You want to comment on that, Stefan?

No, I want to take on a different thread,

different topic. No, but I think that we've touched on the topic of authenticity.

And I think that sort of like we're turning down the styling and let the products speak for themselves.

I think that's also. We could see that also at the glass installation at 6am and also at other places. And so we can actually see the actual object, not hidden behind styling or props, so we can actually see the actual product.

And I think that was nice. I'm not so sure I like that Dimora Studio thing. I know that you girls did, but I mean.

Okay, you hated it. Good, good, good, good.

Because that was not really a good exhibition. So. Yeah, I'm done.

Alina.

Okay. I quickly have to say something about Timore.

I'm not sure we liked it. I felt that they got weaker and weaker over the last years. If I'm completely honest.

Some of the magic has gone. I mean, I liked your. Your thoughts on potentially that they're hinting at the, you know, the collapse of what we talk about, like overconsumption and that it's sort of death and, and, and.

But I felt really depressed after walking out. After walking out at Timor. I mean, it was at the end of a long day,

but in the beginning I walked in. I didn't like it much. That was my first impression. And then I started to feel really uncomfortable,

but I felt like I can handle it and I wanted to dive into that so I didn't flee from it. But afterward I really realized color setting actually drained me.

But I wanted to take it to a different direction also. Like you said that. Yes, I really completely saw that there were exhibitions where there was no styling. But on the other hand, we had other exhibitions where there was really the most poetic, the most storytelling styling that really worked well.

I'm a huge fan of Casa Morella every year. It's interesting for me, it was super interesting. I measured a lot of colors that I actually had in a color palette for 2023,

which was interesting. But she still managed with those colors to create something well, her and her team.

Something really interesting. I think it Was animale sociale. How do you pronounce them?

Animale sociale.

Was it jelly? Yes,

it was very interesting. But again, lots of materials, lot of pattern, lots of pattern, and lots of styling. And again, a lot of food was really there, like the jelly, the jellied cakes, the really sensuous aubergine that was layered on top of it.

And then with, I don't know, it felt like beans or something like that. I have no idea what it really was, but there was a lot of sensuality there. Lots of,

well, pattern, pattern, pattern. Ornaments. Ornaments. Ornaments. Not just in this exhibition.

That's your thing, Alina.

Yeah, yeah, but it's also casa of Nella's thing. You know, they would never do something minimalistic.

Do you think, Alina, brands are more strategic when it comes to color, or you feel.

Not quite yet.

I mean, they were strategic, apparently, because they went back to a palette from a pandemic palette,

which is strategic, and it could also be considered sustainable.

So that's sort of a strategy. But did you see any other examples that you were like, hmm, you know, they're. They're spot on, and they're working on their color strategy?

I think that colors is super important for every brand right now. And I think that it's a fairly easy tool for a group of designers to agree on. I mean, instead of talking about, so, like, should we do something affordable or a cheap chair or whatever it's easier to agree on.

Oh, we should do it in green and in this color green. And the pillow should be this color yellow to it, you know, so it's easier. I think it's a fairly easy tool to talk around, and that's color,

because you can base it from what your own aesthetics, what you self feel or what you predict.

That's not necessarily a strategic color, you know.

No, but I think. Is it? No, but I think it's the. The way brands are working right now, because they are. They're having difficulties. You can also see that in the lack of new shapes.

I mean, now I've said that we've seen a few new things at the fair. Absolutely. And I'm happy with that. But for the last three years,

we haven't seen any new shapes. We've seen new colors, but we haven't really seen any new shapes. And also the reissues of the 1950s, we all love the 1950s, but the reissues of pieces from that time.

Come on, we're done with that now.

Don't make it another yellow or another green. Make a new chair if you want to bring something to the table.

So. But, yeah, my. My answer to color is it should be strategic, but I think it's an easy tool to work with instead of thinking the deeper thoughts,

if you see what I mean.

Now, I'd like to. Alina, what did you think?

I think that colors are used more strategically and also more emotionally, but in a strategic way.

I think that finally,

some brands are starting to hire color design teams or designers that are renowned for doing beautiful color work. Colorists.

Because they're understanding that color is the first thing you see, and it instantly sets the tone for everything else that follows. Of course, we.

I think, Judith, you've said so many beautiful things about the importance of materials and color. You do a lot of work in this regard as well. I think we both agree on that.

Material is super important,

but still, the first thing you notice when you get into a space still is the color that speaks to you. And I think that it's finally understood that color is actually healthy for us and that we need a variety of colors.

So there was more varieties of colors. And I think that's. That's a strategic move to work with emotions, because brands understand that the economy is hard, and then they obviously need to tap into people's emotions.

But for instance, I saw a lot of colors that was shifting, for instance, about day and night rhythms that were really showing atmospheric lights and so on.

Interesting.

I agree. Do you remember, like, was it four or five years ago?

I can't remember if it was pre pandemic or after the pandemic when everyone had all the upholstery brands had the same fabric from Deodar. It was white base and a green tiger, a Chinese tiger on it.

Or was it sort of like arrows to it? I can't remember. Dashes. Regardless, everyone had the same fabric, and that sort of like, that's how it was done five years ago.

That's what I mean. Everyone was going to the same supplier of fabrics. Now everyone's going to a color expert and asking them to do colors.

And I don't hate colors. I think colors could be personality, and it could bring a lot of niceness to it. But we need to do new things and not only new colors.

Yeah, no, that's totally right. I agree.

I mean, there was not enough new shapes. We've definitely seen that. And I think you mentioned sofas before. There were so many sofas that I found genuinely ugly. Like,

I couldn't see any design principle I've ever heard or just you. Neither Did I see a break of rules? You know, it was trying to be sort of round and then sort of edgy at the same time.

Like last year, we saw a lot of these huge round sofas. We're still seeing a lot of rounded, circular shaped sofas, but we also saw sofas like Patricia Ukuiola, you know, with this sofa that was really spilling out,

that was really molding, like a fluid slimy gum. And you could just imagine friends. And more friends, actually than at the gallery opening. Friends cuddling up, snuggling up together. Family.

You use that. We saw a lot of that. That was new last year. But this year there was this. I can't even. I have tried to put the name on it, these sofa shapes.

I call it Soft Geometry. Something that's not the best, but it's my work title yet. But I feel like you're still working on it. Sofas, the design is so off.

It's really trying to be a mishmash and I don't understand it.

And I saw it with a lot of brands. They seem to have spoken with each other, of course,

but that made no sense for me whatsoever. How did you see that?

I have one important question. I think that when we talk about what's happening in the world right now, what does Milan say about what the world is like right now? Susan?

Escapism.

Escapism.

And you, Susanna?

Yes, it's escapist.

Yeah. Like polarization, unfortunately.

Yeah, it is

so polarization. We mean, again, the design collectible and the affordable, which luckily there was as well.

Yeah, yeah.

The few and the last is important.

Then again, it's kind of.

It's a funny thing because it's our job to.

We thrive on finding new things and new.

Something new.

True.

So novelties all the time and whatever. And at the same time, we know that, you know, like we said, that we cannot have a new company, can't have a new set of furniture every single time.

There's Milan. So.

Yeah, so, yeah,

so that's interesting.

What are.

What did we feel? Because I think there was a few things that were missing. What are people missing? I mean, not people. What are brands missing?

Because what's the undercurrent that we simply did not see in Milan?

I think it has something to do with this elitist,

you know, movement that we're seeing.

But also I think the undercurrent might be the fact that there's a lot of general questioning about fairs in general,

that what is happening to the fairs in general.

And when you think of it. How.

How we run around like crazy for many days and try to fit as much into our schedules and we still see maybe one third of what's happening there.

So it is just crazy.

Now it was a little bit easier for professionals in the sense that there were more press days.

Yeah, perhaps. Yeah.

Because last year it was going crazier and the years before.

So I want the brands to have an agenda, you know,

to sort of like, they're. They're supposed to be the ones to understand my needs.

You know, that's their responsibility. That's their role in our relationship. They should be like,

okay, so you're now living in Sweden and you want to move to a smaller house because everything's getting expensive.

So therefore we're making smaller furniture. We're gonna. You know, there's like a very. It's a huge gap between brands and the end user today. There's a huge. And then again, this is the 1%.

The only one they're talking to is the 1%,

because it's easy and they don't have any taste. They just buy everything that's expensive. But there's like no evolution of, like. I mean, if you. I didn't.

Through your cucina. So I'm not going to be pointing them out, but I feel like when I've been looking at the evolution of kitchens, it's like the thing is, like, we don't cook anymore, so what should kitchens look like?

Can we have that conversation? Should there be more cupboards or did

you see that conversation?

No, I didn't have that conversation. But I mean, they could also be talking about how I should live a better life. We're talking about wellness. How should I move more in my apartment?

Maybe we should do chairs that make me move. Maybe it's sort of like the move disappears every half hour.

I don't know.

But when we talk about. Sorry, I didn't mean to say, but

I think that we're looking. What I'm lacking is sort of like an idealism from the brand. So it was like, what kind of life I should live.

That's. That's what I'm missing.

Alina, I've been talking for too long.

No, but the thing is, the one

thing I want to interject about the kitchens is I saw quite a few modular kitchens. So kitchens that you can actually move with your. You yourself to different apartments. So for that need, some brands did cater.

And that I found interesting. Like really stackable, totally reconfigurable kitchens next to all the glamorous kitchens that are all larger than my whole apartment.

What do you think, Susanna?

I think that you can't really say that people don't cook anymore because again, we live in a sort of diverse world. There are people who don't cook anymore, and they basically,

for them, it would be good to maybe not have a kitchen at all. But then, then you have the opposites. There are people who are deeper and deeper into cooking,

like me.

And so.

So I don't know. There's just.

There's never just one trend anyway,

or one truth anyway.

And that's actually,

I've been surprised so many times when somebody calls and asks me, what do you think about this trend or that trend? And then I'm saying that,

oh,

interesting. But I haven't noticed that sort of a trend at all.

So,

you know,

what do you think that whatever we saw this weekend, Milan will still be relevant in three to five years?

Because I think that's the whole point with doing new with, you know. But I think me personally, what I missed was longevity in affordable design. Because if you buy a chair of $40,000 because you love it, you're going to love it also if you don't, because for the sake of the money,

you're paying for it. Right?

But.

But I think that whole affordable longevity, I think that we're very few that were doing that. So what do you guys think that in three, five years of whatever also what we talked about now will still really be relevant?

Well,

I think that what I've always been going on about is that taste actually changes much slower than trends anyway.

So buy,

know your own taste.

Get stuff that you really love. I mean, who cares if somebody thinks it's passe in two years or something, if you like it and if it's good quality.

So I think this whole industry might die. Judith?

I'm honest. I mean, I think that this whole industry, the furniture fair industry,

because it lacks relevance and young kids are staying at home, they don't get their own apartment, they move into with their partner and they get a kid. So there's like a lot of things that happen.

And the whole secondhand vintage market is growing immensely.

Who will go to a store and buy a new chair?

And this is what I mean with relevance. And I don't know.

I think there's a threat that this industry might die,

right,

Leela?

I think that actually for this thing again, yeah, I think there will be.

I'm not worried that the whole industry dies, but for me, it seems that the brands for the call it middle classes or whatever you want to say, people with middle income.

So whatever you have bought between your Ikea Billy shelf and then the, I don't know, Maltini or I don't know, BofI set,

there is nothing exciting in that middle market or barely. Like maybe brands like Dfebi or something like that. There, there's nice things and they're also offering smaller pieces, larger pieces and so on.

But I feel that the only ones who I noticed from the larger brands who did it really well was ikea. And I don't want to rave about IKEA all the time, but at the end of day, they are the largest furniture and accessories trader and dealer producer in the world.

And they have a team or teams that are larger than everyone else's team.

So I'm really worried that it's this whole monopolization again, you know, that there's only the few that are big enough to survive. Because, I mean, we've seen it. We've seen how much the press effort was for everyone went to the same events where the agencies poured in so many much money and then it was not that exciting.

Like the Mulabandsverend who needed another huge candlelight in. I mean, yes, it was candles, but at the end of the day it was aluminium, large candlesticks that no one can use anywhere.

But I feel that IKEA did quite well. They did a lot for the masses, but they also showed that you can use it in a more premium way. So I guess they're also starting to take over that market because no one else is.

They're very sweet.

IKEA is struggling. IKEA is struggling internationally. They're struggling with money right now. But did you all get the book?

No.

I think that was such a clever thing as well. I mean, speaking about, in a world with over consumption and the 1%.

And we all got.

They.

Every press person who was there got a bag with press materials. There was a lollipop. I didn't taste it, but apparently it said on the, on the lollipop. It, it, it tasted like a meatball.

Did you try it?

Yes, I did not try it.

Everyone got a cookbook. Judith. And I think that was.

So I didn't go on press day. I should have.

I got a cookbook and I think Sosania. A Vietnam book.

Yeah,

the one, the one cook pot.

Yeah. I don't know. You cook everything in one pot.

Yeah, almost,

but not really.

I thought that was also cute. I mean, again,

we don't want to have the same things. It's about sharing and communications and caring for others. I think that's also something that you miss.

Exactly. Totally true, Aline.

I think there's one thing we haven't spoken about that actually. It's just jumping back from what surprised me. Have you noticed that there was so many more exhibitions in old churches and cloisters and everything?

Well, it is Italy for the serenity. But it was insane this year, wasn't it?

Like spirituality was very important in this.

I didn't think of that later.

Religious places.

The Convey thing was super nice with sort of like the abandoned apartment house. They were all like abandoned apartments.

So it was not a church. It was. Is basically.

Yeah.

A normal house and they have taken every floor and filled it up with exhibitions. I thought that was kind of nice.

Yeah.

Or some brands used showrooms that were not finished yet. So they made it. They created this styled building site.

True. Are you guys going back next year?

I say never every year and still I'm there every year.

Same year.

Yeah.

To see you guys anyway.

Of course to see you. It was beautiful with you.

I know, right. So what do we wish in one word for Milan? 2027?

Everyone's quiet.

Yeah. For the first time.

Affordability. Can we wish for anything?

I want affordability for the masses.

Yeah, affordability would be nice. Yeah.

I agree with sustainability, of course, you know, like a good product that lasts for a long time, not trash that serve to the people that aren't.

I think those two should already be connected right now because affordability is automatically, in my opinion, sustainability. Because it. Because we talk about longevity.

Yeah, right.

I also want to see brands that sort of like, think about the afterlife of a product.

Again.

I'm obsessed with the repair issue, but I mean,

it could be something a brand that thought of like Vitra is doing that when they were not at the fair.

But so like now, when you've used this for five years, it goes back to the factory and they reupholster it. Yeah. They care about it and then they resell it.

So brands who do this,

I think those are the things.

Yeah. Fritz Hansen did that in quite a bit exhibition at 3 Days of Design last year and the year before. I think I loved that it was a sign about it and I think that it's a brilliant point.

You don't necessarily pass it on to someone in your family, but you can get it serviced for yourself and reupholster it or resell it through the brand.

Yeah, Sounds good.

Are you wishing for Susanna and two

Ds well,

I still want to see beautiful design that and go to experiences where there's emotion that wakes something in me and gives me new thoughts about the world and design and all that.

But yes,

affordability as well would be nice for me.

True well being, I think. True, there's immersive, there's olfactory experiences, but true well being,

I think we're still not really nailing that one.

So I think that would be something that a lot of brands need to be focusing on.

Yeah. Definitely agreed with you.

Yeah.

Yay. The Forecast Club. This was amazing.

And we did this just so that everybody knows it's. We did this on Monday, April 27th. It's now 4:12.

We've talked for an hour and it will go live tomorrow because I think a lot of people, because of budgets being cut, obviously because of the world in Middle east, many people couldn't come.

You know, I think a lot of people are waiting for this podcast to go live and know what was happening.

So thank you so much for being part of the Color Authority podcast, everyone.

Thank you for having us.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for having us.

Thank you so much.

I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Color Authority podcast.

Next month, we'll be talking to a new guest again on everything that is shaping 2026 and color. See you back very, very soon and have a colorful rest of your day.