Daikan presents Flux Table, a material exploration of metal
At Via Palermo 18, the Japanese brand Daikan presents a sensory journey that guides visitors through a material experience featuring structurally engineered metal and the brand’s artisanal precision.
The Japanese company Daikan returns to Milan Design Week 2026 with a sensory experience celebrating the meeting between technical innovation and traditional craftsmanship. At the heart of the project is the brand’s artisanal precision, based on advanced production techniques, fused with its distinctive aesthetic sensibility and digital technology.
Flux Table is the title of the exhibition at Via Palermo 18, engaging visitors in a “material” journey designed to stimulate the senses. On the first floor, the centerpiece of the project is presented: the table, born from the industrial manufacturer’s research into the unexplored potential of structurally engineered metal. With the help of the creative studio FEEL GOOD CREATION (FGC), the brand leveraged its expertise in mirror polishing and artisanal processes to maximize the expressive potential of this resource.
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Structurally engineered metal is obtained by joining multiple panels, appearing compact yet irregular, while maintaining notable flexibility. When polished, the ultra-thin aluminum layers reveal a unique aesthetic: a viscous, fluid surface reminiscent of a mirror of water, thanks to the sheet’s light-reflecting qualities.
Achieving this effect is more complicated than it seems and requires both mechanical and manual skills: during polishing, the sections tend to shift, making machine precision alone insufficient. Only through the artisan’s hand the process can be completed to achieve this distinctive finish.
The material is applied as the top of the Flux Table, serving as a tangible proof of the union between digital and analog, technological control and human sensitivity. The white base of the piece is designed to highlight the tabletop and is made in collaboration with 130 (ONE THIRTY), a design brand that shapes materials in three dimensions with an innovative technique to generate spatial structures from a single continuous frame. 130 also oversaw the production of the entire installation.
As the Osaka-based companyexplains:“Flux Table explores the concept of resilience as a paradox between technical precision and natural spontaneity and seeks to investigate the potential of metal as a living material. Touching the piece allows one to rediscover the gesture in its simplest form, with a surface that surprises with its natural harmony.”
The exhibition at Via Palermo 18 continues in the basement, where a structured path allows visitors to engage all five senses: the space hosts twelve material samples with varied textures to stimulate touch. The sense of smell is aroused by fragrances extracted from stone and living organisms, while taste invites visitors to discover new sensations through a tasting inspired by konpeito, a traditional Japanese sweet.
In an era where perception is predominantly focused on visual and auditory stimuli, during Milan Design Week 2026 Flux Table offers an experience to discover and be amazed by a new fluid materiality through touch, smell, and taste. A 360-degree experience that also pays tribute to Daikan’s artisanal work, highlighting its precision and sensitivity.
