The radiance of Milan Design Week 2025 reached its peak with the return of Euroluce, the biennial showcase dedicated to the future of lighting design. Designers from around the world offered poetic visions of light as emotion, space, and story. In this special feature, Designooor highlights 10 standout projects from Euroluce 2025 that went far beyond illumination to deliver immersive, conceptual, and at times meditative experiences.
Studio DRIFT Returns to Milan Design Week with “Drift Us” for Audi
Photo © Ronald Smits
After a decade-long hiatus from Milan Design Week, Studio DRIFT made a bold and poetic return in collaboration with Audi, unveiling an immersive kinetic installation titled “Drift Us.” Presented in the atmospheric courtyard of Portrait Milano, this piece formed a central part of Audi’s House of Progress experience.
“Drift Us” is a choreographed field of robotic elements that respond to human movement. Drawing inspiration from the natural sway of grass in the wind, the installation invites visitors to walk through a responsive landscape, where gentle mechanical stalks bend, react, and come to life with each interaction. The result is an emotional, meditative dialogue between human presence and machine behavior.
The project encapsulates the shared values between DRIFT and Audi: a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and the seamless integration of technology and emotion. “Drift Us” reflects on how subtle human gestures can shape the world around us a metaphor for progress in both design and mobility.
Es Devlin Illuminates Milan with “Library of Light” at Pinacoteca di Brera
Photo © Monica Spezia
British artist and designer Es Devlin unveiled “Library of Light”, a monumental kinetic installation situated in the historic courtyard of the Pinacoteca di Brera. Commissioned by Salone del Mobile to celebrate the Euroluce biennial, the installation embodies a fusion of light, literature, and architecture.
Inspired by Umberto Eco’s reflection, “Books are the compass of the mind, they point to countless worlds yet to be explored,” Devlin crafted an 18-meter diameter rotating cylindrical sculpture composed of illuminated bookshelves housing over 3,200 volumes. During daylight, a mirrored plane atop the structure reflects sunlight into previously shadowed areas of the courtyard, while at night, the installation casts dynamic light patterns, transforming the space into a luminous sanctuary.
“Library of Light” not only pays homage to the surrounding institutions the Braidense National Library and the Academy of Fine Arts but also invites visitors to contemplate the interplay between knowledge, light, and spatial experience.
We Visited Google’s “Lucida” by Lachlan Turczan, A Mesmerizing Dance of Light and Senses
Photo © Google
We stepped into a strikingly poetic space at Garage 21, where Lachlan Turczan and Google Design Studio presented an immersive installation titled “Making the Invisible Visible.” At its heart were the Lucida (I–IV) interactive light sculptures hypnotic structures that responded to human movement with waves of living light.
Each sculpture was equipped with a circular halo embedded with sensors and cameras that translated the presence and gestures of visitors into dynamic patterns of illumination. Light wasn’t just a visual element here; it became the architecture, the rhythm, the medium of connection.
Walking through Lucida felt like floating inside a symphony of motion and reflection a truly meditative and futuristic experience that blurred the boundaries between body and environment, viewer and artwork. It was one of the most conceptually refined and technically seamless installations we encountered this year.
Lasvit Unveils “Splash”: A Liquid Symphony in Glass at Milan Design Week
Photo © Lasvit
Czech design brand Lasvit mesmerized audiences with “Splash”, a sculptural light installation that captures the fluid essence of water in molten glass. Installed in the historic Palazzo Isimbardi, the piece explores the tension between stillness and motion, serenity and energy.
Designed by Martin Gallo, “Splash” freezes the ephemeral moment of water bursting into the air a celebration of spontaneity, chaos, and natural beauty. Each hand-shaped glass element reflects the dance of droplets caught mid-air, brought to life by subtle lighting that evokes reflections on a rippling surface.
With “Splash,” Lasvit continues to blur the line between art and engineering, fusing age-old glassmaking traditions with contemporary poetic expression. The installation is a sensory journey one that honors the unpredictability of nature while showcasing the mastery of controlled craftsmanship.
A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE Unveils Sculptural Lighting That Blurs the Line Between Fabric and Form
Photo © ISSEY MIYAKE INC.
A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE introduced a lighting installation that redefines the relationship between textiles and spatial experience. In collaboration with Swiss design studio Atelier Oï, the brand presented a poetic collection of pleated lighting pieces that feel weightless, fluid, and profoundly architectural.
The designs unfold in two distinct series. One features delicate pendant lights crafted from seamless knitted fabrics that drape gracefully over sculpted wire frames each piece inviting playful reconfiguration and subtle movement. The other explores a more structural expression, with portable lamps enclosed in pleated mesh shades that stretch and collapse with an effortless rhythm, thanks to a unique textile manipulation technique developed in-house.
Far beyond functional lighting, this collection becomes a study in form, material intelligence, and sensory presence. It’s a quiet but radical statement on how light and textile can coexist as one evolving structure.
Artemide Illuminates “Città Paradiso” by MCA – Mario Cucinella Architects at Solferino 28
Photo © CairoRCS
The historic courtyard of Corriere della Sera transformed into a visionary landscape with “Città Paradiso,” an installation by MCA – Mario Cucinella Architects. Part of the Solferino 28 event, curated by Living and Abitare, the project reimagined the city as a harmonious blend of dream, nature, and technology.
The installation featured a constellation of floating spheres, symbolizing an urban utopia suspended between reality and imagination. Artemide’s innovative lighting solutions infused the space with a gentle glow, enhancing the ethereal atmosphere and inviting visitors into an immersive experience.
“Città Paradiso” reflects a shared vision between MCA and Artemide: a commitment to sustainability, innovation, and the seamless integration of design and emotion. The collaboration offered a contemplative exploration of future urban living, where light becomes a medium for connection and inspiration.
Aqua Creations Reimagines Light with the Manhattan Pendant at Euroluce 2025
Photo © Aqua Creations
Aqua Creations unveiled an installation that felt less like a product showcase and more like a living organism. Suspended in a fluid constellation, the Manhattan Pendants formed a glowing canopy that radiated warmth and calm a striking expression of biophilic design principles.
The circular forms, reminiscent of sun halos or cellular structures, brought a sense of organic rhythm to the space. Nestled beneath them, deep burgundy lounge seating invited stillness and sensory immersion. The gentle illumination pulsed like breath, reminding visitors of the innate human need to connect with nature even within the built environment.
This installation reaffirmed Aqua Creations’ ethos: light not only transforms space, but also nurtures our emotional and biological well-being.
Rooted in Light: The Wild Elegance of ‘Kangar’
Photo © Waxy
Waxy Design Studio presented the “Kangar” collection, designed by Nima Bavardi. Inspired by the Kangar plants found in regions such as Ethiopia, South America, and the mountains of Iran, which symbolize resilience and growth in challenging environments, this collection embodies a fusion of natural beauty and contemporary design.
The “Kangar” chandelier features an intricate, organic structure that combines artistry with technology. Utilizing natural forms and soft lighting, it creates a serene and inviting atmosphere, enhancing the sense of connection to nature within modern spaces.
This collection exemplifies biophilic design, aiming to integrate natural elements into contemporary living environments. With this work, Waxy Design Studio demonstrates how design can bridge the gap between the natural world and human-made spaces, providing an emotional and meaningful experience for users.
Lanterns Remembered: A Cascade of Memory and Glow
Photo © Lladró
The collaboration between Lladró and British designer Lee Broom culminated in the unveiling of ‘Cascade’ a luminous installation that seamlessly blends traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design. Drawing inspiration from the ethereal beauty of paper lanterns, ‘Cascade’ features porcelain pendants that emit a warm, candle-like glow, evoking a sense of serenity and nostalgia.
The installation’s design showcases a series of ribbed cylinders and demi-spheres, suspended vertically to create a cascading effect. This arrangement not only highlights the translucency of the porcelain but also transforms the space into a tranquil environment reminiscent of floating lanterns.
‘Cascade’ stands as a testament to the harmonious fusion of Lladró’s artisanal heritage and Broom’s innovative vision, offering visitors a captivating experience that celebrates the emotive power of light.
Between Structure and Softness: Allumette Lights Up the Future While Whispering to the Past
Photo © Foscarini
Foscarini once again proved its mastery in redefining lighting design and Allumette by Francesca Lanzavecchia stood out as one of the most talked-about pieces of the fair. A bold yet poetic reinvention of the classic chandelier, Allumette balances nostalgia with a strikingly contemporary voice.
From a distance, it reads like a sculptural gesture suspended midair. Up close, its complexity emerges a network of asymmetrical arms branching outward, each with its own rhythm and geometry, converging around a solid central axis. The play between rigid metal structures and soft, textile-clad cables creates a dialogue of contrast: strength versus fluidity, tradition versus disruption.
Lanzavecchia’s design pays homage to the chandelier archetype without being imprisoned by it. Instead, Allumette dances with lightness and precision, offering a different visual experience from every angle like a choreographed constellation. It’s a piece that doesn’t merely illuminate a space; it inhabits it, redefines it, and quietly transforms it.
