As we know, time is relative. So too is its value, especially during Milan Design Week. In this context, the idea that one person’s time is worth more than another’s is a moral question: each of us has the opportunity to make our own ethical judgment. However, as often happens, moral considerations intersect with pragmatic ones – this is where the issue becomes more elusive, more subtle.

What we’ve summarized here in abstract terms is essentially what took place at Villa Borsani, the villa designed in the 1940s by Osvaldo Borsani in Varedo, Brianza. For the second year in a row, it is one of the venues for the Alcova circuit. In the 2025 edition, access requires a 25-euro ticket: not a small fee, especially for a design week. The announcement, made about a month ago, caused a stir, sparking dissent from those who believe that open access is a democratic right that should continue to characterize Milan’s most important Design Week. 

However, according to founders Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima, the introduction of the fee is a response to a practical need: to manage and secure the venue, since the villa can accommodate about seventy people, whereas last year’s attendance was significantly higher. Should we be surprised, then, that exhibitors don’t view all visitors equally? A professional buyer is considered “more valuable” than a Sunday visitor because their time plays a more crucial role.

So, who will enjoy the projects presented at Villa Borsani? We’d say those who don’t question the 25-euro fee will be the most enthusiastic. For wealthy collectors, Villa Borsani aligns well with the positioning of fairs like Collectible or Matter and Shape. The focus is on limited editions, though the names aren’t necessarily household ones. The experimentation is primarily formal, sometimes accompanied by innovative technical research. The general trend leans toward maximalist decoration, though there are also proposals embracing simplicity and revisited minimalism.

The absolute nature of a designer’s obsessions, expressed through the use of mono-materials or specific material approaches, seems more compelling than transversal decorative systems – those that recreate a boudoir atmosphere with the classic trio of seating-table-buffet. There’s still a fondness for glitch effects and shapeless forms, which have been popular with the latest generation of creators. Thankfully, the kitschy tendencies – design without substance but heavy on appearance, which we saw in other city venues – are noticeably absent.

Finally, there are some exceptional contributions. One standout is the Eleftheria Tseliou Gallery from Athens, which exhibits collectible artists’ books – rare and even unobtainable pieces that we are invited to browse freely, taking all the time we need. What’s the connection to design? A small pretext, provided in this case by the tall plexiglass lecterns, a set design by Joy Herro (The Great Design Disaster).

Another interesting project is Chelebi, a tableware collection born in Azerbaijan through collaboration between international designers and local artisans. The collective effect, curated by founder Aida Mahmudova, brings a refreshing breeze of originality. 

Last but not least, an honorable mention goes to J39.5, a somewhat eccentric Japanese project – one only the Japanese could pull off – researching and reassembling an iconic Danish chair, the J39 by Børge Mogensen, which has been restored and reconfigured to create new typologies, elegant hybrids that reaffirm their potential with each presentation.

Opening image: Villa Borsani, Alcova Milan Design Week 2025. Photo Piergiorgio Sorgetti. Courtesy Alcova