Milan Design Week 2026 is here!
We love design. We also love food. What happens when we bring them together? Find out what we’ve got cooking.
Food For Thought
Join us for 'Food For Thought', a participatory exhibition that brings together Democratic Design with the sensory world of gastronomy. Co-created with interior designers and chefs from around the world. Together, we're exploring how design reflects the evolving rituals of cooking, eating, and connecting across cultures.
Where:
Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi 7, Milan
When:
21–26 April 2026
Open daily, 10:00–21:00*
*Sunday, 10:00–18:00
Free entry
Designers co-create with chefs
Five interior designers. Five chefs. Each duo has designed a room and menu around a real life at home scenario, bringing cultural stories to life in spaces you can explore. Together, we're seeing the IKEA range through fresh eyes. Discover what's cooking.
Living room
Party at your place
Maye Ruiz and Rosio Sanchez
What does a sanctuary look like when the door is open? Maye and Rosio drew on their shared heritage in Guanajuato, Mexico, where women once created extraordinary dishes in convent kitchens. Inside, celestial blue, tiles, a nook, a heavy sofa. A girls' dinner with tostadas and tamales. Come and find your sanctuary.
Bedroom
Room self-service
Charlotte Taylor and Ben Lippett
What if room service was worth the wait? Charlotte and Ben reimagined the bedroom as a place to eat, with genuine comfort and care. A bowl-shaped room with wood, warm metals and golden light. Pasta that folds like bed linen. Broth that takes hours. A meal worth un-making the bed for.
Kitchen
Do play with your food
Lydia Chan and Alessandra Lauria
How do you make cooking a joyful experience for the whole family? Lydia and Alessandra have designed one for every height, every pair of hands. The walls are there to draw on. Pasta is a little bit like play dough, but at the end, you eat it. Come and play with your food.
Studio living
The not so lonely dinner
Oliver Lyttelton and Tina Choi
What if dining alone felt like a choice worth making? Oliver and Tina grew up on opposite sides of the world but both know that being lonely is different from being alone. Step up into a playful tree house. A few pieces hacked to feel like you. Kimchi fried crispy rice. A plate set for one, made with real care.
Dining room
Eat with your mouth open
Mehek Malhotra and Maurizio Tentella
How do you make a social dinner flow effortlessly? Mehek and Maurizio grew up watching grandmothers turn dining tables into the heart of the home. They've designed a space with lived-in warmth with mismatched chairs, because everyone has a place at the table. Where Milano cutlet meets vada pav. Pull up a seat.
Look before you taste
Every room tells a story. Every dish completes it. Get a glimpse of the creations from each interior designer-chef duo.
Tuesday 21st April
Maye Ruiz and Rosio Sanchez
10:00
We open
12:00 – 14:00
DJ set: R.ocks
14:00 – 15:00
Duo: interior design showcase
15:30 – 16:30
Sara Guidolin: multi-instrumentalist (jazz cello, vocals, piano)
17:00 – 18:00
Duo: storytelling and tasting
18:00 – 21:00
Aperitivo with DJ set: Akwaaba World
Wednesday 22nd April
Charlotte Taylor and Ben Lippett
10:00
We open
12:00–14:00
DJ set: Akwaaba World
14:00–15:00
Duo: interior design showcase
15:30–16:30
Federico Calcagno: quartet (bass clarinet, vibraphone, upright bass, drum)
17:00–18:00
Duo: storytelling and tasting
18:00–21:00
Aperitivo with DJ set: Michiru
Thursday 23rd April
Lydia Chan and Alessandra Lauria
10:00
We open
12:00–14:00
DJ set: Michiru
14:00–15:00
Duo: interior design showcase
15:30–16:30
DJ set: Giannantonio
17:00–18:00
Duo: storytelling and tasting
18:00–21:00
Aperitivo with musicians: Elena Cantarutti and Elia Pastori (harp, percussion, synth)
Friday 24th April
Oliver Lyttelton and Tina Choi
10:00
We open
12:00-14:00
DJ set: R.ocks
14:00–15:00
Duo: interior design showcase
15:30–16:30
Martino Vercesi: classic guitar
17:00–18:00
Duo: storytelling and tasting
18:00–21:00
Aperitivo with DJ set: Dualismo
Saturday 25th April
Mehek Malhotra and Maurizio Tentella
10:00
We open
12:00–14:00
Riccardo Sala and Beetamax (jazz tenor saxophone, synth-drums, bass)
14:00–15:00
Duo: interior design showcase
15:30–16:30
DJ set: Dualismo
17:00–18:00
Duo: storytelling and tasting
18:00–21:00
Aperitivo with musicians: Riccardo Sala and Beetamax
Sunday 26th April
10:00
We open
18.00
We close
The exhibition is open to the public on 21–26 April 2026.
Opening hours:
Monday–Saturday: 10:00–21:00
Sunday: 10:00–18:00
The exhibition takes place at Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi 7, in the Porta Venezia area of Milan.
Spazio Maiocchi is a social space for new cultural experiences, housed in a former industrial building.
Free IKEA shuttle:
A free electric bus runs from the city centre to Food for Thought at Spazio Maiocchi.
Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00–19:00
Sunday: 10:00–17:00
The bus makes multiple stops:
P.zza Ventiquattro Maggio
Tuesday-Saturday: 10:30, 14:30, 18:30
Sunday: 10:30, 12:30, 15:30
Duomo
Tuesday-Saturday: 11:00, 15:00, 19:00
Sunday: 11:00, 13:00, 16:00
Repubblica
Tuesday-Saturday: 11:15, 15:15, 19:15
Sunday: 11:15, 13:15, 16:15
Centrale
Tuesday-Saturday: 11:25, 15:25, 19:25
Sunday: 11:25, 13:25, 16:25
Spazio Maiocchi
Tuesday-Saturday: 11:40, 15:40, 19:40
Sunday: 11:40, 13:40, 16:40
Brera
Tuesday-Saturday: 11:50, 15:50, 19:50
Sunday: 11:50, 13:50, 16:50
P.zza Ventiquattro Maggio
Tuesday-Saturday: 12:20, 16:20, 20:20
Sunday: 12:20, 14:20, 17:20
Download the timetable of the same information as above here
Public transport to the venue:
Metro: Line M1 to Lima or Porta Venezia
Train: Porta Venezia station
Bus: Lines 60 and 92
Tram: Lines 5 and 33
No registration or ticket needed. We're proud to host this event for free every year, making it accessible for the many people attending Milan Design Week.
Room sets and a working kitchen. Interior designers and chefs collaborate to explore how we experience food in different parts of the home and reinterpret the IKEA range.
Live cooking demonstrations and tastings. Chefs offer a window into different cultures through food.
IKEA PS 2026. Meet three pieces from the new collection: a chair that blows, a bench that rocks and a lamp that bends.
BILLY café. A space to explore a giant Phaidon cookbook library, hang out and enjoy a coffee.
A food market. A mix of stalls featuring IKEA food products, local vendors and Phaidon cookbooks.
IKEA Food classic. Hot dogs, ice cream, soft drinks and more served at the kiosk.
Live performances and DJ sets from independent artists from the city. Classical and intimate experiences with violins, cellos, harps and more.
IKEA PS is our design collection, born in 1995 with a simple idea: good design, great function, low prices, for everyone. Thirty years on, that spirit is still the same. IKEA PS 2026 continues the tradition of exploring Scandinavian design through expressive, functional pieces with a playful edge. At the exhibition, you'll get a sneak peek at three pieces from the collection. It will be available to buy at IKEA stores and IKEA.com later in 2026. Exact dates will be shared closer to launch.
The IKEA Food kiosk will serve classics, including hot dogs, soft serve ice cream and soft drinks.
Each day, a "topping of the day" designed by the designer-chef duos will be available to add to the hot dog, and paired with a signature drink.
There’s also a food market. A curated mix of market stalls brings together local Milanese food vendors and IKEA Food offerings.
We’ll have a couple of bars inside the venue serving coffee during the day and aperitivo in the evening.
Yes, the event is fully accessible. In the room sets, we have stairs to an upper floor for varied perspectives. We'll provide accessible solutions so everyone has the same viewing experience. If you have specific accessibility needs, please speak to a member of the IKEA team or security on-site, and we'll be happy to help.
