April 20, 2026 – In its 11th edition, Alcova returns to Milan across two locations: the Baggio Military Hospital and Villa Pestarini, the only private residence designed in Milan by rationalist architect Franco Albini. At Villa Pestarini, Haworth, in collaboration with Cassina, presents an installation by Patricia Urquiola that reinterprets the entrance and living areas, transforming the spaces into a fluid and welcoming environment.
Villa Pestarini opens its doors to the public for the first time April 20th through 26th. Dating back to 1938–39, the villa stands as one of the clearest expressions of Italian rationalism. Albini makes his principles of relational transparency explicit in this project. Its open plan is not merely a modern gesture but a tool for establishing relationships between space, light and objects, before bringing them back to the scale of the single room complete and articulated. Nothing is isolated, everything is in dialogue. From this principle, the installation was curated through subtraction rather than adding narrative.
At the center of the villa, a large island is created with Mokoro rugs by Cassina. These act not merely as a surface but a spatial device – the pattern reinterpreting the modular rhythm of the large glass-block window. Redesigned by Albini in the post-war period, the window returns light, filter and structure, like a photographic negative.
Within the villa, Albini’s projects are arranged to create an extended domesticity that brings together icons exclusively re-edited by Cassina, including a previously unseen armchair and several special versions. Color is also integral to this installation. In Villa Pestarini, Albini conceived a neutral white setting punctuated by precise chromatic accents: pink marking doorways and interior elements, ochre defining frames and shutters and green acting as a connective thread between gates, blinds and vertical structures. These tones are reactivated in the installation rather than replicated. The curtain recalls the villa’s pink inflection; the Luisa chair introduces a yellow note that reiterates Albini’s calibrated use of ochre; the Tre Pezzi armchair reinforces this chromatic rhythm.
Additional installation detail is below, Villa Pestarini visits are by appointment and photography is available through CorpCom@Haworth.com.
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The Haworth Group designs at the intersection of people and environments with brands like Haworth, AIS, BuzziSpace, Cappellini, Cassina, Ceccotti Collezioni, Heller, Hushoffice, Interni, JANUS et Cie, Karakter, Luminaire, Luxury Living Group, Poltrona Frau, Tayco, Tuohy and Zanotta. Founded in 1948, the group is a privately-owned company operating in more than 150 countries through a global network of 400 dealers and 8,000 employees. Headquarted in Holland, Michigan, U.S.A., the company has sales of $2.7 billion USD.
With a heritage in the workplace, Haworth is the founding brand of the Haworth Group. Haworth believes great spaces empower people to thrive and work their best. As a leading global furniture maker, the company partners with customers, dealers and influencers to create spaces that result in effective people and efficient real estate. Haworth’s customer-first approach comes from an entrepreneurial spirit, design-forward thinking and multicultural perspectives.