From April 7 to 13, Alcova comes back to Varedo for its ninth edition, expanding across four locations that balance historical charm with raw industrial energy. This year, the design platform builds on its presence at Villa Borsani and Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, while introducing two new spaces: the former SNIA factory and the Pasino Glasshouses. Each venue brings a unique mood, ranging from botanical remnants to industrial decay, offering visitors an experience rooted in light, material research, and the shifting relationship between design and place.
New Energy at the Pasino Glasshouses and SNIA Factory
At the Pasino Glasshouses, once home to Europe’s largest white orchid cultivation, Marcin Rusak Studio prepares Ghost Orchids, a biodegradable sculpture series made in collaboration with the Łukasiewicz Institute. The work draws from Rusak’s own narrative while referencing the site’s botanical history. Nearby, Soft Horizons by Objects of Common Interest and Greek Marble turns discarded stone fragments into floating compositions.
The former SNIA factory, a rationalist structure shaped by past industry and slow natural takeover, hosts Under the Volcano, a new installation from Ranieri introducing lava stone pieces by Francesco Meda and David Lopez Quincoces. The space also brings in Finland’s Habitare, with a focus on forward-looking materials. U.S.-based Decibel Made will run live 3D printing sessions, while French group Warm Weekend, with designers Mathias Palazzi and Robinson Guillermet, will create 18 Drops of Sweat, an inflatable hammam that fills the space with softness and breath.
Fresh Perspectives at Villa Bagatti Valsecchi
At Alcova, Villa Bagatti Valsecchi opens its eclectic interiors to a new generation of designers. ANANASANANAS, together with Parasite 2.0, responds to issues around food production and soil exhaustion. Rive Roshan reimagines the villa’s fountain using natural light, while Soleille Gallery from Ibiza presents works by Andrea Mancuso, Marius Ritiu, Kym Ellery, and Manuel Bañówith. Shakti Design Residency brings a cross-cultural dialogue between international artists and craftspeople from Jaipur and New Delhi, including a project by Duyi Han.
Inside the villa’s icehouse, Studio Noké debuts Drifting Cloud, six sculptures engaging with light and wave dynamics, followed by Shape of Water, featuring ceramics by Moon Seop Seo. Martina Muzi curates Design Signals, a research-led project exploring how design interacts with production, industry, and changing urban contexts, starting with an investigation of Timisoara.
Material Experiments at Villa Borsani
Villa Borsani remains a key part of the Alcova trail, engaging directly with its modernist character. Noritake Design Collection reveals a new ceramics collaboration with Faye Toogood, and THE BREEDER gallery presents a new light installation by Objects of Common Interest. Completedworks introduces its first foray into design objects, while Joy Herro curates a domestic staging of The Library Show for Eleftheria Tseliou Gallery.
Supaform, founded by Maxim Shcherbakov, rethinks material identity in Missing Material, an installation that shifts familiar forms through an urban lens. Inside the villa’s fireplace room, the creatures of Atelier dell’Errore, an art collective connected to child neuropsychiatry, take over the space. Outside, the garden features ceramic planters by Monstruosus x Michael Anastassiades, reinterpreting the Greek urn through a sculptural lens tied to Cyprus.
Public Program and Food Concepts
This year’s public program, curated by Design Academy Eindhoven with KALDEWEI, will explore circular design practices under the title Are We Going in Circles?. As always, Alcova’s food and drink offerings remain a key social anchor, curated once again by Alessandro Longhin and LUNCHBOX by Victoria Small, in collaboration with Davide Longoni and GASTRONOMES STUDIO.
Visitors can expect a refreshed space featuring a special presentation by Mutina using Nathalie Du Pasquier’s Mattonelle Margherita tiles. With only weeks to go, Alcova signals another ambitious edition, ready to challenge, surprise, and experiment across its expanded Milan footprint.
