H&M Home makes its MDW program debut with Kelly Wearstler

For its debut in the official Milan Design Week calendar, H&M Home – the division of the Swedish fashion giant dedicated to home furnishings – announces a first-time collaboration with American designer Kelly Wearstler, unveiled through an installation at Palazzo Acerbi, a 17th-century Baroque building long closed to the public.

“I have been working at H&M Home since its inception, and it has always been a dream for me to be part of this week, when Milan becomes the epicentre of international design,” Evelina Kravaev-Söderberg, head of design and creative at H&M Home, tells FashionNetwork.com.

“It is an event open to all, which is very important for a company like ours that seeks to democratise design. We simply had to wait for the right moment for us and the right partner, which we found in Kelly Wearstler.”

As part of the collaboration with the American designer, the brand is introducing furniture alongside design objects for the first time. The collection reinterprets the concept of furniture as a modular, evolving system; the Milan installation previews nine pieces, while the complete line of 29 will launch on September 3 on the brand’s website and in selected stores.

Inspired by the gestures that punctuate everyday life and the collection’s modular synergy, the installation – produced by Studio Boum – unfolds as an immersive journey choreographed through the senses. Visitors enter the vast courtyard of Palazzo Acerbi, where Noxen stools form a sculptural composition, poised between furniture and architecture. At the palace entrance, the Emera table lamp takes centre stage, while in the dining room the Noxen stools are distributed throughout the space, each set on a silvered mirrored plinth.

In the music room, two cabanas built from louvred panels frame the space, presenting the Aurex lamp as if it were an object on stage or in a display. In the lounge, the Soluna and Poma seats are grouped and layered against striped wallpaper, becoming a sculptural, unexpected presence. At the centre of the room stands one of the collection’s key pieces: the Curva vase, with soft, sculpted forms. The final room reveals the Mona modular system, a dark-brown lacquered clothes rack, both functional and expressive. Finally, in the press room, conceived as a space dedicated to dialogue and reflection, five Avers armchairs in standard fabric are arranged alongside the Ortra table.

The entire experience is further enhanced by a bespoke fragrance created by Kelly Wearstler for Side Hustle, with notes of orange blossom, Indian jasmine, Japanese quince, mate absolute and Palo Santo.

“We want to grow H&M Home, including through new international openings; at the moment we have standalone stores for the brand in Stockholm, London, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, as well as in the United States,” the executive concluded.

“We offer a comprehensive, affordable range; for example, the pieces from the line created with Kelly Wearstler are priced from 29 to 650 euros, with sofas at the top end. At our Stockholm headquarters we have a team of 28 designers with varied backgrounds, across home textiles, furniture and lighting.”