A Designer’s Guide to Milan.
Design gems, hidden cafés, and moodboard-worthy stops curated by Orijin Studio
Whether you’re planning a trip to Milan or simply gathering creative inspiration from afar, this is your go-to guide for exploring the city through a design lens.
We’ve rounded up our favorite visual and spatial experiences — from storied galleries to concept boutiques and tech-fueled installations. This isn’t your standard travel list. It’s a curated journey through the heart of Milanese creativity.
Creative Escapes: Milan’s Most Inspiring Design Spots
Pinacoteca di Brera
A masterful curation of art, architecture, and Milanese heritage.
Located in the charming Brera district, this iconic gallery is a cultural cornerstone. Housing works by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Mantegna, it offers more than a historical art experience. It’s a study in light, texture, and composition. The architecture itself is quietly majestic, with vaulted ceilings, stone columns, and sun-drenched corridors that create a painterly atmosphere.
Designers will appreciate the visual harmony and timeless palette. Whether you’re studying brushwork or capturing inspiration for a packaging concept, Pinacoteca di Brera offers a kind of elegance that never dates.
10 Corso Como
The original Milanese concept store where fashion, art, and design intersect.
10 Corso Como isn’t just a store. It’s a sensory journey. Founded by former Vogue editor Carla Sozzani, this ivy-draped space blends high fashion, art books, photography exhibitions, and avant-garde homewares under one roof. Every room is curated like a gallery, making it a playground for aesthetes and collectors alike.
The lush courtyard café is the perfect spot to sketch, reflect, or simply people-watch. You’ll often find fashion editors, creatives, and local tastemakers passing through.
Fondazione Prada
A bold fusion of architecture, modern art, and design philosophy.
Housed in a former gin distillery on the city’s southern edge, Fondazione Prada redefines the art space experience. Designed in collaboration with OMA (led by Rem Koolhaas), the site is a sculptural landscape of gold-clad towers, industrial halls, and minimalist courtyards. Inside, you’ll find rotating exhibitions from artists like Jeff Koons, Louise Bourgeois, and Damien Hirst, all thoughtfully contextualized.
The real charm lies in the contrast — between old and new, shadow and light, polished and raw. There’s also a Wes Anderson-designed café, Bar Luce, which feels like stepping into a pastel film set. And don’t skip the rooftop. The view alone is a moodboard moment.
STEP FuturAbility District
Where immersive tech, architecture, and storytelling converge.
Tucked into Milan’s innovation district, STEP is part museum, part experiential lab. This interactive space invites you to explore the concept of futurability — your ability to shape and respond to the future through creativity, empathy, and technology.
Expect motion-sensing installations, AI-driven projections, and environments that react to your presence. It’s a blend of experience design, behavioral science, and speculative architecture. For designers interested in where storytelling, design systems, and technology collide, this is a must-visit.
Ready to Wander?
Whether you’re walking through Brera’s cobblestone streets or exploring Milan’s hyper-modern design labs, this city offers an endless stream of creative energy.
Our Milan Design Guide is your starting point. Curated, poetic, and visually rich. Bookmark it, share it, or build your next brand concept around it.
A Designer’s Guide to Milan.
Design gems, hidden cafés, and moodboard-worthy stops curated by Orijin Studio
Whether you’re planning a trip to Milan or simply gathering creative inspiration from afar, this is your go-to guide for exploring the city through a design lens.
We’ve rounded up our favorite visual and spatial experiences — from storied galleries to concept boutiques and tech-fueled installations. This isn’t your standard travel list. It’s a curated journey through the heart of Milanese creativity.
Creative Escapes: Milan’s Most Inspiring Design Spots
Pinacoteca di Brera
A masterful curation of art, architecture, and Milanese heritage.
Located in the charming Brera district, this iconic gallery is a cultural cornerstone. Housing works by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Mantegna, it offers more than a historical art experience. It’s a study in light, texture, and composition. The architecture itself is quietly majestic, with vaulted ceilings, stone columns, and sun-drenched corridors that create a painterly atmosphere.
Designers will appreciate the visual harmony and timeless palette. Whether you’re studying brushwork or capturing inspiration for a packaging concept, Pinacoteca di Brera offers a kind of elegance that never dates.
10 Corso Como
The original Milanese concept store where fashion, art, and design intersect.
10 Corso Como isn’t just a store. It’s a sensory journey. Founded by former Vogue editor Carla Sozzani, this ivy-draped space blends high fashion, art books, photography exhibitions, and avant-garde homewares under one roof. Every room is curated like a gallery, making it a playground for aesthetes and collectors alike.
The lush courtyard café is the perfect spot to sketch, reflect, or simply people-watch. You’ll often find fashion editors, creatives, and local tastemakers passing through.
Fondazione Prada
A bold fusion of architecture, modern art, and design philosophy.
Housed in a former gin distillery on the city’s southern edge, Fondazione Prada redefines the art space experience. Designed in collaboration with OMA (led by Rem Koolhaas), the site is a sculptural landscape of gold-clad towers, industrial halls, and minimalist courtyards. Inside, you’ll find rotating exhibitions from artists like Jeff Koons, Louise Bourgeois, and Damien Hirst, all thoughtfully contextualized.
The real charm lies in the contrast — between old and new, shadow and light, polished and raw. There’s also a Wes Anderson-designed café, Bar Luce, which feels like stepping into a pastel film set. And don’t skip the rooftop. The view alone is a moodboard moment.
STEP FuturAbility District
Where immersive tech, architecture, and storytelling converge.
Tucked into Milan’s innovation district, STEP is part museum, part experiential lab. This interactive space invites you to explore the concept of futurability — your ability to shape and respond to the future through creativity, empathy, and technology.
Expect motion-sensing installations, AI-driven projections, and environments that react to your presence. It’s a blend of experience design, behavioral science, and speculative architecture. For designers interested in where storytelling, design systems, and technology collide, this is a must-visit.
Ready to Wander?
Whether you’re walking through Brera’s cobblestone streets or exploring Milan’s hyper-modern design labs, this city offers an endless stream of creative energy.
Our Milan Design Guide is your starting point. Curated, poetic, and visually rich. Bookmark it, share it, or build your next brand concept around it.
July 15, 2025
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