Lionel Jadot seems to be hitting a stride. In the past year alone, the Belgian interior designer earned the prestigious Henry Vandevelde Award, enjoyed a solo exhibition of collectible design at the newly opened Objects With Narratives gallery in Brussels, and completed the striking autumn-hued hotel Mix in the city’s former La Royal Belge. But if you asked the freewheeling talent about any of these achievements, he’d likely demur and credit his bursts of creative ingenuity to the collective energy flowing liberally throughout Zaventem Ateliers.

Jadot founded the design cooperative and creative playground in a centuries-old Brussels paper factory to resurrect the communal ethos of Europe’s Middle Age guilds, where a hive of independent workshops function as an open-source network with shared materials and facilities. Thanks to the collective talents of Zaventem’s resident artisans, he can add another feat to that growing list of achievements: the second edition of Baranzate Ateliers at Milan Design Week.

The wide-reaching showcase of Belgian handicraft broke out as a must-see Fuorisalone highlight two years ago, when it took over a disused Necchi factory in the northern Baranzate district, a crucial nexus within the Italian city’s industrial heritage. There, he created a platform to present Zaventem’s philosophy, atmosphere, and designer roster to the global stage. Baranzate Ateliers may have taken 2023 off, but has bounced back with an even more ambitious program befitting its more spacious location at a sprawling ‘50s-era loading dock near Linate. Jadot transformed the site’s two warehouses into a compelling showpiece of artisanal craft and collectible design, but each participant receives equal attention.

Moving through the first warehouse, where a dozen Zaventem residents are presenting their latest mind-bending works and material experiments, the collective’s synergy quickly reveals itself. The work is on the design vanguard, but the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed—a refreshing break from Milan Design Week’s frenetic spate of branded Instagram spectacles that draw hours-long queues. Everyone seems at home with each other and eager to explain the background behind their work for the sake of design, not sales.

Have a news story our readers need to see? Write to our editors.

This year at Coachella, Dorsia founder and Surface CEO Marc Lotenberg collaborated with experiential artist MokiBaby to dream up an installation inspired by the neon nights on dance floors around the world. Simple, subversive, and sexually liberated, the custom pieces speak to those who find their bliss under the cover of darkness.

You likely know Aman’s lineup of ultra-luxe and cloistered getaways. Now get to know its sister hotel Janu, which recently opened the doors to its first property in Tokyo. The site of Aman’s first urban property makes a fitting setting for Janu, which emphasizes community and experiential hospitality with open interiors designed by Aman repeat collaborator Jean-Michel Gathy.

Two expansive on-property restaurants are joined by two intimate dining experiences, which together offer guests brasserie fare, seafood, sushi, and sumibiyaki. Wellness programming, including boxing, golf, and yoga, aim to foster connections between the like-minded guests in residence. The rooms, however, offer a solitary and spacious escape. With the smallest coming in at just under 600 square feet, they’re among Tokyo’s largest. Everything inside from the plaster walls to the shoji screen-like dividers exude serenity in hues of soft gray and beige.

Last week, the Australian lighting designers debuted a new line designed with German architecture shop Flack Studio. To mark the occasion of Volker Haug’s first-ever collaboration and Flack’s first product line, the Me and You Collection, the virtuosic talents hosted the global design community for an exhibition and apéro in Milan’s 5Vie design district. There, guests mingled among works such as Flack’s lighting for the Ace Hotel Sydney, and Volker Haug’s custom lamp for Troye Sivan’s Melbourne residence.

When was it? April 17

Where was it? 5Vie, Milan

Who was there? David Flack, Evan Jerryi, Tom Fereday, Fernando Kabigting, Andy Kelly, Mitchell Zurek, Neil Hugh Kenna, Lillian Lim, Yasmine Ghoniem, Karina Dias Pires, and more.

When: Until Sept. 1

Where: Serpentine South Gallery, London

What: In his latest exhibition, the London-born interdisciplinary artist turns his critical lens to the question of boundaries. The psychological, physical, and geographical delineations, along with the whole of Western iconography, are interrogated through his series of sculptures, paintings, and installations, which shine a light on everything from luxury lifestyles built on the power structures of colonialism to the very nature of war and peace.

Reach the design world every morning. Find out more about advertising in the Design Dispatch.

Since 2016, Wrensilva has been producing handbuilt HiFi record consoles coveted by both design and audio connoisseurs alike. Rooted at the intersection of high design and technological innovation, Wrensilva sets a new standard for the home music experience. All Wrensilva consoles are made in San Diego with the finest American hardwoods and carefully selected materials.

Surface Says: HiFi purists know the importance of sound, but Wrensilva goes a step further by making console tables that also look worthy of your favorite records.

Beleaguered smartphone users desperate for screen relief pivot to dumbphones.

In the spirit of Barbie, every nostalgically beloved toy will soon become a movie.

The SETI Institute claims that they’ve successfully communicated with whales.

Here’s the painting that a German museum worker snuck into a show.