Sicer at Fuorisalone 2026 with Metamorphosis

Fuorisalone 2026, one of the key events of Milan Design Week, turns Milan into a city-wide laboratory of creativity, materials and design experimentation. Within this international design context, Sicer makes its first-ever appearance at Fuorisalone with Metamorphosis, an installation that explores the moment when material, through chemical research and technological innovation, becomes a ceramic project. The installation will be hosted in the Brera Design District, one of the most important districts of Design Week, at Arte in Salotto – Camilla Prini Gallery.

Learn how to attend by clicking here

Indice

Fuorisalone 2026 theme: “Essere Progetto”
Metamorphosis: when material becomes a ceramic project
Arte in Salotto: the venue in Brera Design District
From marble to ceramic surface: the Rosso Cardinale project
Design trends 2026: chemistry as a creative act
Comparing Fuorisalone 2025 and Fuorisalone 2026 themes
Sicer’s first time at Milan Design Week
Visiting Metamorphosis at Fuorisalone 2026

Fuorisalone 2026 theme: “Essere Progetto”

Each edition of Milan Design Week is accompanied by a theme that guides the cultural narrative of the event. Fuorisalone 2026 theme is “Essere Progetto”, a concept that invites designers, companies and researchers to look at design not only as an end result, but as a process shaped by research, experimentation and transformation. Ceramic design is a strong example of this perspective: behind every surface lies a complex journey involving material, technology, chemistry and design engineering. From this reflection comes Metamorphosis, the installation through which Sicer interprets the Design Week theme.

Metamorphosis: when material becomes a ceramic project

With Metamorphosis, Sicer presents a path that highlights the moment when material goes through research and becomes a ceramic surface. The installation brings to the foreground what usually remains hidden in the ceramic value chain: the phase in which material is studied, transformed and engineered through chemical research, application technology and industrial experimentation. The result is a visual and material narrative showing that a ceramic project is not only an aesthetic matter, but the outcome of a complex process of study and innovation.

Arte in Salotto: the venue in Brera Design District

The installation will be hosted at Arte in Salotto – Camilla Prini Gallery, Via Milazzo 6, in the heart of the Brera Design District.

Brera is one of the main hubs of Fuorisalone, with hundreds of installations, showrooms and exhibitions spread across historic courtyards, galleries and Milanese buildings. Within this context, Arte in Salotto becomes a material gallery where the ceramic surface is presented as an object for direct observation-highlighting aesthetic qualities, technical characteristics and its sensory dimension.

From marble to ceramic surface: the Rosso Cardinale project

Among the key materials featured in Metamorphosis is Rosso Cardinale, developed in collaboration with Margraf, an Italian company internationally recognised for marble processing.

Thanks to Ipogeo by Margraf technology, the marble is worked on the surface to reveal veining and details that are typically hidden within the stone structure. Building on this new reading of natural material, Sicer reinterprets the language of marble through a ceramic lens, transforming what technology makes visible into a designed and engineered surface.

The outcome is not a simple reproduction of marble, but a material reinterpretation that translates the identity of stone into a new ceramic surface.

Design trends 2026: chemistry as a creative act

One of the most compelling aspects of Metamorphosis is the role of chemistry applied to surface design, a theme that emerges strongly among design trends for 2026. In ceramic processes, factors such as:

chemical composition of finishes
how light behaves on matt or glossy surfaces
technical resistance of materials
tactile quality of the surface

are the result of extensive research and development work.
Metamorphosis tells this transition: the moment when scientific research and design vision meet to generate new aesthetic possibilities.

From Fuorisalone 2025 to 2026: how the Design Week theme changes

Comparing different editions of Milan Design Week shows how the design conversation evolves rapidly, reflecting contemporary cultural and technological shifts.

Fuorisalone 2025 was guided by the theme “Mondi Connessi” (“Connected Worlds”), focusing on relationships between humans, technology (especially artificial intelligence) and nature. That edition explored how digital systems, materials and environments interact, highlighting new dialogues between technological innovation and sustainability.

With Fuorisalone 2026, the focus shifts toward the design process itself. The theme “Essere Progetto” invites designers, companies and researchers to view design not only as a finished outcome, but as a journey of research, experimentation and material transformation. Within this framework, Sicer’s Metamorphosis installation fits naturally into the Design Week conversation: describing the moment when material moves through study and innovation to become a ceramic surface gives tangible form to the idea of design as process.

Sicer’s first time at Milan Design Week

Sicer’s presence at Fuorisalone 2026 marks an interesting perspective shift within the event.

Traditionally, Fuorisalone is centred on finished products: furniture, objects and solutions for architecture.

Sicer brings into focus a fundamental yet often invisible component of the ceramic process: the materials and technologies that enable innovative surfaces.

With over 30 years of experience, Sicer operates today as a technical partner and aesthetic consultant for leading porcelain stoneware manufacturers worldwide, contributing to the development of decorative and technical solutions that anticipate industry trends.