Salone del Mobile returns to the United States to unveil two major installations that will be featured at this year’s show: the world premiere of “Villa Héritage” by architect Pierre-Yves Rochon and “Mother” by Robert Wilson.
Salone del Mobile.Milano is back in the USA for a sneak peek at the 63rd edition of the Fair, to take place from April 8-13 in Milan. The curtain opens on the world premiere of “Villa Héritage”, the large-scale installation (Pav. 13-15) by architect Pierre-Yves Rochon.

Founder and Global Design Director, PYR Project “Villa Héritage”
Salone del Mobile.Milano
©Alex Systermans
Pierre-Yves Rochon, head of the eponymous interior design studio and a protean designer and master of luxury hospitality, has devoted 45 years to the pursuit of ultimate absolute luxury, with the interiors of prestigious hotel brand-chains like Four Seasons, Starwood, Ritz, Fairmont and Waldorf Astoria to his name, not to mention fine-dining establishments for Michelin-starred chefs like Joël Robuchon and Alain Ducasse. Rochon has also conceived residential projects for lavish residences in Europe, America and the Middle East. For the Salone, he created “Villa Héritage”, a space in which design becomes a universal and timeless language that allows the arts to engage in dialogue and invites reflection on the idea of heritage transmission. Elegant and evocative, “Villa Héritage” redefines the concept of interior design, transforming it into a bridge that connects heritage and innovation, past and future, where luxury goes beyond aesthetics to become a multi-sensory experience made of harmony, culture and timeless suggestions.

Rooted in the universal concept of a form, the square, “Villa Héritage” eschews all outlandish attempts to impress and offers instead an invitation to pause and reflect through the expression of a quiet beauty that is not blatant but perceived, touching all the senses. Each room is a chapter in a story where design and the arts entwine. In the white room, light transforms into cinematic projections that turn surfaces into visual poetry. The bright green hues of the winter garden evoke Italian landscapes. The red salon immerses visitors in the dramatic power of Italian opera, and the plum-hued library celebrates literature as a refuge for the ideas and stories that have shaped our culture. The patio at the center is a space for music in which an Alpange piano finds its natural home, where notes played and shared silences intertwine to generate collective emotions. “Villa Héritage” is not just a tribute to design, but a statement of intent: every detail speaks of heritage and innovation, of the past reflected in the present to imagine the future.

Comments Pierre-Yves Rochon “Heritage is not a constraint; it is a source of freedom. Understanding and mastering the legacy of our craft gives us the tools to reinvent and push the boundaries of design. ‘Villa Héritage’ celebrates this dynamic relation between history and contemporary creativity.”
A similar reflection on dialogue and heritage also guides Euroluce, the International Lighting Exhibition that explores technology and innovation in the sector and this year introduces the first edition of The Euroluce International Lighting Forum (April 10-11) to give voice to a broader reflection on the role of light in everyday life and in the spaces we inhabit. Hosted in the arena designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, the two-day event will provide an unprecedented opportunity to re-imagine light from a new interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary perspective. The rich program, entitled “Light for Life, Light for Spaces”, consists of six masterclasses, two panel discussions and two workshops, bringing to the stage twenty international speakers including lighting designers, artists, set designers, botanists, scientists, biologists and anthropologists. Together, they will share visions, insights, research and design practices that intersect across complementary disciplines with the aim of stimulating a deeper understanding of the future of lighting.
Among the protagonists are the Dutch duo Drift, with their experiments in poetry, science and nature; Stefano Mancuso, “plant neurobiologist” van Aubel; Japanese lighting designer Kaoru Mende, a master of light and shadow; A.J. Weissbard, American lighting designer and artist working worldwide for theater, opera and dance; and Rogier van der Heide, who curated lighting for a wealth of iconic collective spaces as the Olympic Stadium in Beijing and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Then, from the Big Apple there will be: Hervé Descottes of L’Observatoire International, known for its innovative and artistic approach to light, which has illuminated such extraordinary projects as the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi and the Qatar National Museum in Doha, both designed by Jean Nouvel, as well as the High Line and Lincoln Center in New York; Elisa Orlanski Ours of Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, a company that manages the marketing and sales of luxury real estate projects such as 432 Park Avenue, Rafael Viñoly’s skyscraper and Central Park Tower, the world’s tallest, and whose iconic projects include Hudson Yards and Waldorf Astoria residences as well as Bjarke Ingels’ The Eleventh in NYC, Renzo Piano’s Eighty SevenPark and Zaha Hadid’s One Thousand Museum in Miami.

Museo Pietà Rondanini, November 2024 Preliminary site visit
©Archivio Change Performing Arts
On April 10, Robert Wilson will be the protagonist of a Forum Masterclass: an absolute master in the creative use of light for theater and video art, his ability to transform stage space into emotional experiences makes him an icon of the contemporary avant-garde. But the American artist will also open the week of the Salone with his extraordinarily powerful project “Mother”, dedicated to Michelangelo’s “Rondanini Pietà”, one of Milan’s most iconic symbols on a par with Leonardo’s “Last Supper”. Wilson’s vision promises to be one of rare intensity, thanks to his unparalleled ability to blend light, sound and movement into a creative narrative with a strong emotional and aesthetic impact. The work emphasizes the universal and timeless value of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, which will be placed in dramaturgical dialogue with “Stabat Mater”, a medieval prayer in the vocal and instrumental version by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. The installation will take the form of a 30-minute sequence of music, lights and images in a continuous loop, which will be open to the public by reservation until May 18, in parallel with live performances of the Stabat Mater through April 13. Lastly, Robert Wilson will also star in the opening night of the 63rd edition at Teatro La Scala as the curator of “The Night Before. Object Chairs Opera” with the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra conducted by Michele Spotti.

Artist
Installation “Mother” Salone del Mobile.Milano ©Lucie Jansch
Says Robert Wilson: “I set out to create my own vision of Michelangelo’s unfinished masterpiece torn between a feeling of reverential awe and profound admiration. Prevailing over all, however, is a feeling of serenity, of peace with oneself even in the face of the tragedy of death. Which for me has nothing to do with religion. It is a universal image, a spiritual experience that moves something deep in us that needs no explanation.”

President Salone del Mobile.Milano ©Guido Stazzoni
Maria Porro, President of Salone del Mobile.Milano, comments: “We are particularly happy to have the opportunity to present here in New York two very important projects that will immerse visitors in a dazzling experience at the Salone in April in Milan: Villa Héritage by Pierre-Yves Rochon, a well-known architect in the U.S. hotel and luxury residential interior design world, who has created iconic interiors in New York; and Mother by Robert Wilson, an eclectic artist who, like few others, has the ability to explore the full landscape of the arts while remaining faithful to a unified poetics expressing his vision in this very city. The two projects, Villa Héritage and Mother, will give us access to spaces that are an invitation to slow down, to observe, to feel: they suggest a necessary pause, reminding us all that beauty, at its most authentic, transcends all boundaries and becomes a universal language capable of moving, inspiring and connecting. The same language will also be spoken by another unique event in the history of the Salone and Euroluce: the first edition of the Euroluce International Lighting Forum, an ambitious project that emphasizes the importance of light in transforming spaces and experiences, enhancing design as a key element of a new quality of life.”

©Diego Ravier
The two installations and the Euroluce International Forum were presented during the New York leg of the international tour of the Salone designed and coordinated with the support of ITA-Italian Trade Agency that promotes the internationalization of Italian companies abroad. The day consisted of two key moments: a morning press conference at ITA headquarters, with Pierre-Yves Rochon as a special guest, and an afternoon presentation dedicated to stakeholders, architects, designers and professionals, also organized in collaboration with Interior Design magazine at the historic Rizzoli Bookstore, with Robert Wilson as a special guest. Both events were an opportunity to meet and connect with the local media and design community and to reaffirm the Salone’s international stature not only as a business platform but also as a cultural catalyst that nurtures the multidisciplinary dialogue which, over the years, has built the Salone’s undisputed global relevance in the world of art and design.

Concept Dentsu Creative Italy
©Bill Durgin
After New York, the Salone will stop in Toronto on 23rd January and then return to Europe to begin the countdown to the 63rd edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano. The run-up will be heralded by the new communication campaign “Thought for Humans.” under the banner of Dentsu Creative Italy, which entrusted American photographer Bill Durgin with distilling the subtle relationship between the human body and matter, the starting point and the intersection of every experience with the world of design.
Pierre-Yves Rochon. Villa Héritage
- April 8-13, 2025
- Pav. 13-15, Fiera Milano, Rho
Robert Wilson. Mother
- In collaboration with Comune di Milano | Cultura
- Project curated by Franco Laera
- Production Change Performing Arts
- April 6-May 18, 2025
- Museo Pietà Rondanini, Castello Sforzesco, Milan
The Euroluce International Lighting Forum
Light for Life, Light for Spaces.
- Project directed by Annalisa Rosso in collaboration with APIL
- April 10-11, 2025
- Pav. 2-4, Fiera Milano, Rho