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Italian designer and architect Andrea Banzi's approach to material, form and individuality was revisited through a contemporary lens at Rosewood's Milan Design Week debut last month. Busola Evans reports on how the hospitality group – set to open its first property in Milan next year – is making a statement through design and dialogue.
BY BUSOLA EVANS | HAPPENINGS | 1 MAY 2026
Objects That Speak, an exhibition curated by Rosewood, curated by Dejan Sudjic.
“In design there are never two buildings and structures that are exactly the same,” declared the late Italian architect and designer Andrea Branzi. “Everything in the world is different, the product of chance, like in art, like in music.” This idea formed the backbone of Objects That Speak, an exhibition presented by Rosewood for its Salone debut. The show paid tribute to Branzi’s expansive and philosophical body of work by sitting it in dialogue with pieces created by nine contemporary makers who have work featured in Rosewood properties.
Branzi, who passed away in 2023, challenged modernism and rejected the idea of mass production. Instead, he embraced irregularity and imperfection and developed his fascination with how people interact with objects and the spaces they live in. In Objects That Speak, his quest to create distinctive works formed the centerpiece, with a 15-strong collection of his towering lamps, each crafted using Japanese rice paper, Belgian blue stone and inlaid with maple or bamboo leaf. As well as the lamps, made in the last decade of Branzi’s life, were two wall hangings that, until now, had never been publicly exhibited.
“Andrea Branzi’s unique work was the starting point of the exhibition,” says the show’s curator, Deyan Sudjic, director emeritus of London’s Design Museum. “The lights offer a chance to create an installation on a large scale.” For Rosewood, it was an opportunity to echo many of the principles that guide the hospitality group's approach to design.
Branzi viewed design as a reflection of culture, time, and lived experience, "ideas that are central to how we think about creating spaces”, says Trish Luyckx, Rosewood’s chief design and project services officer. “Like him, we are interested in how environments influence behaviour and emotion, and in the role that natural materials and craftsmanship play in creating spaces that feel authentic. Our approach is rooted in working with what already exists, whether that’s the landscape, local materials, or cultural traditions, and allowing those elements to shape the design in a meaningful way.”
Objects That Speak, an exhibition curated by Rosewood, curated by Dejan Sudjic.
Alongside Branzi’s displays were commissions from a new generation of designers that offer different perspectives while sharing an interest in craft and storytelling. Each was selected not just for their individual practices but for the way their work resonates with Branzi’s ideas. “For example, Maarten Baas brings a more conceptual, playful perspective to time and authorship through his work, while Marc Quinn’s sculptural pieces reflect on our relationship with nature and control,” explains Luyckx. “Others, such as Frederik Molenschot and Jaime Hayon, explore materiality and form in ways that blur the boundaries between art, design, and environment.”
Rosewood’s ongoing work with artisans and makers will remain a focus at the opening of its much anticipated Milan hotel, slated for 2027. “The city has such a rich design legacy, and our intention is to engage with that in a way that feels both respectful and contemporary through considered collaborations, thoughtful material choices, and a design language that reflects Milan’s role as a global center of craft and creativity,” says Luyckx. A reminder that design at its most compelling is personal and unexpected – just like Branzi always championed.
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