Slowness as strategy – When an exhibition offers time for reflection
At Milan Design Week 2025, ENHANCE stood out with a thoughtful selection of material-first projects. Curated by Juan Torres, the exhibition championed patience, craft and conversation—showing how slowness can become a powerful strategy in contemporary design.
In the chaotic whirlwind of Milan Design Week, where thousands of impressions compete for attention all at once, it’s rare to find a truly focused voice. Yet that is precisely what Juan Torres has achieved with the second edition of the ENHANCE exhibition: a clear curatorial line, confident reduction and an atmosphere of quiet strength. Like a luminous satellite, ENHANCE hovered above the noise of the design week, offering a point of calm – an oasis of intentional slowness and deep material conversations.
But what happens when materials enter into dialogue with each other? Can objects express more than what’s visible at first glance? ENHANCE offers no loud answers, but rather quiet, carefully curated exchanges between material, product and audience.
Slow design – Letting materials tell their stories
Design today often moves fast – rapid production, faster sales. But ENHANCE centers on projects whose strength lies precisely in their patience. A prime example is “De Sideria” by Debonademeo x Chroma Composites: an elegant floor lamp whose development took an astonishing 18 years. What appears to be luxurious marble is in fact a composite material made from recycled industrial waste. A process that required time – and that investment is now visibly paying off.
A similarly compelling, though more recent story comes from designer Felicia Neuhof and her project “Buoy.” Her stool is made from what is often considered unusable: seashell waste, collected from the shore and transformed into a surprisingly flexible and comfortable seating object. Patience, again, is central here – a deep engagement with form and matter to bring something entirely new into the world. Her invitation to the upcoming Interzum in Cologne, along with her selection for EDIT Napoli 2025 through DesignWanted’s partnership with the fair, highlights the growing interest in her work.
Other projects in the exhibition highlight ENHANCE’s commitment to design as a research-driven process. Zeoform’s “Polar Shelf,” for example, appears like a sculptural ice block at first glance, yet it’s made entirely from biodegradable material. Studio Joshua Klappe’s “Self-Bent Chair” explores how wood can bend itself – a silent homage to the resilience and patience found in nature. Meanwhile, Monostudio Associati’s “Tempesta B” – chosen among EDIT Napoli 2024’s exhibitors – turns the destruction of storm-damaged trees into poetic statements.
The scenography for these material narratives was shaped by Terraformæ – an experimental design and research studio working with terracotta. Their scenographic concept embraced fragility: raw, handmade terracotta tiles formed a grounded backdrop that exuded stillness and reflection. Juan Torres described their contribution as “a fragility that becomes strength.”
Dialogues of Matter – Community and connection on a new level
ENHANCE is more than a showcase of materials – it is a space for exchange. “More networking than selling products,” as Juan Torres put it. His words extend metaphorically: just as people connect, so do the materials in the room.
Felicia Neuhof’s sea-worn material sits in dialogue with the industrial elegance of “De Sideria.” Two materials that couldn’t be more different – and yet, they speak to one another. Their stories intersect at the point of transformation: waste becoming value, fragility becoming structure, tradition meeting reinvention.
Terraformæ’s installation is not only a stage, but also a silent mediator. It grounds the exhibition – literally and metaphorically. Between earth and ocean, between craft and technology, a conversation emerges that transcends aesthetics and raises questions about the future of our material world. Admittedly, the installation isn’t easy, as the material needs to rest for a few days after setup before it becomes stable enough.
This metaphorical dialogue echoed on a human level, too. Felicia Neuhof’s “Buoy” will soon appear at Interzum with Studio Joshua Klappe’s Self Bent Chair and travel to EDIT Napoli. Who knows where these projects will surface next? What future journeys might unfold in the coming weeks? ENHANCE becomes the launchpad of an international design dialogue that extends well beyond Milan.
Looking Ahead – What remains when the exhibition ends?
The lasting strength of ENHANCE lies in its ability to create resonance. Juan Torres is already planning the next edition in 2026, with the intention of further deepening the network between designers and products. By then, the format may grow even further – in confidence, in content and in its commitment to reject the superficial in favor of substance.
The ENHANCE exhibition demonstrates that patience and depth may be the most valuable qualities an exhibition can offer today – a platform where materials and people learn to speak with and through one another, in stillness, without distraction.
In a world that often prizes speed and spectacle, ENHANCE has offered a rare and necessary reminder: true innovation doesn’t always come from acceleration. Sometimes, it emerges from quiet, intentional curated dialogue.
