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Impressive Inflatables for Milan Design Week

Milan Design Week 2026 Was Full of Air (in the Best Way)

Milan doesn’t do subtle. But this year the festival found one unexpected obsession: air. Giant inflatables, living canopies, and roving pillow-carriers turned the city into something between playground and fever dream. Three that stopped people cold.

A building facade with large, stylized octopus tentacles protruding from the upper levels, surrounded by greenery and windows with shutters.
An oversized inflatable pink octopus perched on the roof of a building, with one tentacle extending down towards a garden area below.

Moncler’s Octopus at 10 Corso Como

A maroon octopus the size of a building swallowed the facade of 10 Corso Como. Tentacles through windows. Walls wrapped. From the street, thrilling. From inside, dining beneath it, something closer to delightfully unhinged.

Serotonin: The Chemistry of Happiness — Sara Ricciardi Studio

Tie-dyed balloon spheres in blue and pink against the carved stone arches of the Pinacoteca di Brera. Sara Ricciardi’s installation for American Express made the biology of joy visible. Step inside and the forms moved. Breathed. Exactly as advertised.

Škoda Epiq x Ulises Studio at Palazzo Senato

A historic palazzo turned video game. Slides, ball pits, a mobile cafe, massive balloon archways in orange and teal. Over 60,000 visitors. Top prize at Fuorisalone 2026. The brief was to promote an electric car. The result was the most popular installation at the festival.

A vibrant retail space featuring a large, inflatable pink octopus sculpture in the background, with a display of various clothing items hanging on a rack in the foreground.
A view of an architectural courtyard featuring large, colorful floating sculptures in shades of pink and blue against the backdrop of classical columns and a statue.
Colorful, large inflatable sculptures hanging in an architectural space with columns and a balcony.
An inflatable arch decorated with colorful balloons in orange, green, white, and light blue, welcoming visitors to an event. People are seen in the background walking through the archway.
A view of a courtyard featuring large inflatable structures in vibrant colors, including orange and teal, contrasting with the classic architecture of the surrounding columns and roof.
An oversized inflatable structure with brightly colored slides and a foam pit filled with colorful blocks, located in a historical courtyard with columns.
An outdoor courtyard filled with large, colorful inflatable structures in various shapes, surrounded by historical architecture. People are sitting on bean bags and socializing.
Vibrant colorful inflatable sculptures suspended in an architectural setting with columns.

Images © 10 Corso Como.

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Author

Ben VanderVeen is the founder and editor of Moss & Fog, one of the web’s longest-running visual culture destinations. Since 2009, he’s been finding and framing the most beautiful, surprising, and thought-provoking work in art, architecture, design, and nature — reaching over 325,000 readers each month. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

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