The sun is out in the centre of design. The first space during Milan Design Week sets the tone. Enter Plan C, with a simple intention: finding a statement necklace. It turns into a malachite piece, one that carries its own meaning for me.
The name Carolina Castiglioni is one to know. There is a clear sense of heritage, shaped by her family’s history with Marni. Plan C is located on Via Manzoni, a street long associated with luxury and fashion. The space once housed her great-grandmother’s fur atelier in the 1960s, now reworked into a flexible, almost infrastructural environment by design studio (AB)NORMAL.
During Salone, the store shifts into The Curated Core at Plan C Framework. A bright red staircase anchors the space, functioning as both display and structure. It draws the eye immediately. Small frames, designer objects. Names appear throughout the space. Helle Mardahl, India Mahdavi, Maarten Baas. Pieces move between playful and conceptual. Fragments of architecture enter the setting, including surplus ceramic tiles originally designed by Herzog & de Meuron for the Tate Modern extension, now placed in a different context.
Aliita installation and Acerbis Due Più by Nanda Vigo, Plan C Framework, Salone del Mobile.
Installations by Acerbis integrate iconic furniture across the store. Aliita appears twice: within the main space, reworking the bathroom as an immersive setting in dialogue with Mutina and Dornbracht, and as a separate installation during the week. The name means “important object” in Wayuu, the native language of the Guajiros in Venezuela, where founder Cynthia Vilchez Castiglioni grew up. The pieces are made in Italy, often using natural stones and unexpected cuts, with subtle animal references. Memo Paris collaborates with Olimpia Zagnoli on a new scent, while Sarah Andelman takes over the staircase with Just a Friend, a selection of collectible and contemporary pieces. Her Colette background is visible in the edit.
What stands out is the architecture, the atmosphere, the people moving through the space. The rhythm shifts from object to fashion and back again. I like this as a style destination. Masculine and feminine codes meet through colour and silhouette. There is a sense of humour in the mix.
And somewhere in between, that malachite necklace. Now my Milan statement piece.
All images taken by author, courtesy of Plan C.
Discover more: www.plan-c.com
