Lake Como Design Festival 2025: "Fragments" is the theme of the seventh edition

"Fragments" is the theme of the seventh edition of the Lake Como Design Festival, taking place from September 14 to 21, 2025, in the city of Como and around its lake, showcasing exhibitions and site-specific installations. Once again, the open call for the Contemporary Design Selection returns, curated for the third consecutive year by Giovanna Massoni and open to independent designers, as well as architecture and design studios.

The proposed theme serves as a powerful reflection of our time, an era marked by profound changes and contradictions. The international landscape is becoming increasingly complex, while extreme natural phenomena are intensifying, challenging the entire planet. At the same time, society is growing more individualistic, with human beings appearing increasingly disconnected from both the collective and themselves. However, this fragmentation is not merely a sign of crisis but also an opportunity—an act of rebellion that paves the way for a new vision, where the plurality of expressions can become the foundation for forging unprecedented connections.


Photo courtesy of Lake Como Design Festival

The Open Call for the Contemporary Design Selection, curated by Giovanna Massoni, explores the fragment as a central element of design through three key themes: Fragility, which celebrates the breaking and decomposition of objects; The Regenerative Act, which investigates the recovery and recomposition of fragments in new contexts; and Memory, which transforms objects into living archives of stories and traditions. As Giovanna Massoni states: "Design reflects a world marked by crises and catastrophes, where fragments of civilization, through practices of deconstruction and reuse, tell forgotten stories. In this context, design becomes an act of justice, capable of restoring value to what has been discarded."


Photo courtesy of Lake Como Design Festival

Among this year's confirmations, the Chilometro della Conoscenza will once again serve as the ideal stage for numerous works, including projects selected for the Contemporary Design Selection. This year, the installations will be set within scenic greenhouses and extraordinary natural settings, along a route that winds through some of the most beautiful historic villas overlooking Lake Como.
A key collaboration will be with Villa del Grumello, a true historical gem on the lake’s shores, surrounded by its centuries-old park. Another significant venue will be the Fondazione Antonio Ratti, which continues to foster research and experimentation in the arts through its CSAV – Artists' Research Laboratory program.


Photo courtesy of Lake Como Design Festival

As highlighted by Lorenzo Butti, the creator and artistic director of the event, Lake Como Design Festival aims to be a regenerative act, a turning point where fragmentation is not seen as a rupture, but as an opportunity for reconstruction and reconnection. It is a chance to explore memory and rediscover the sense of community, transforming discontinuity into fertile ground for new insights and discoveries.


Photo courtesy of Lake Como Design Festival

Lake Como Design Festival