Architectural Cases

Journey Through Design: Hermès Reimagines the Home as an Explorable Landscape

The Unveiling of Hermès' Vision for Domestic Spaces

The kickoff of Milan Design Week sees Hermès presenting its 2026 home collection in a striking installation. This exhibit is constructed from an extensive array of beechwood blocks, forming an interactive field. The layout is reminiscent of an open grid, with varying heights and arrangements of these elements dictating sightlines and pathways that evolve with each visitor's movement. Selected design pieces are carefully placed atop these platforms, symbolizing points of interest on a conceptual map.

Architectural Insight: Crafting a Navigable Interior Experience

Conceived by architect Charlotte Macaux Perelman, the installation offers a fresh perspective on interior design, emphasizing the importance of placement and arrangement. The Hermès design team envisions each visitor as an explorer, traversing the space and observing how items are elevated, rotated, and positioned relative to one another, much like coordinates guiding a traveler.

Design Elements as Navigational Markers

For Milan Design Week, Charlotte Macaux Perelman's installation evokes a miniature urban landscape, where items from the Hermès home collection assume structural significance. A marble table by Barber and Osgerby, intricately shaped like a soft figure eight, anchors the display, serving as a pivotal element in the overall scheme. Its marquetry details and slender legs subtly nod to equestrian themes, a hallmark of the brand, while its balanced proportions maintain a sense of lightness despite its substantial material.

A Harmonious Blend of Textures and Materials

Surrounding the central table, hammered palladium vessels exhibit a delicate texture that captures and reflects light dynamically. Some pieces are adorned with leather or horsehair, creating a visual shift from reflective to matte finishes depending on the viewing angle. This thoughtful combination of metallic and organic materials introduces a subtle yet consistent contrast throughout the collection, avoiding monotony.

The Cohesive Dialogue Between Objects and Their Environment

A key strength of this Hermès project lies in the symbiotic relationship between the displayed objects and the surfaces they occupy. Leather marquetry boxes inject vibrant color accents, mirroring the geometric patterns of the exhibit. Small circular appliqués on baskets are scattered across the field, further emphasizing the concept of precise placement and distribution within the space.

Textiles: Weaving Softness and Structure

This design philosophy extends to the textile collection, which embraces softer forms. Cashmere throws feature resist-dyed patterns and meticulously stitched panels that resolve into elegant, simple shapes. One particular piece employs traditional bojagi techniques, with seams thoughtfully organizing its surface into a subtle grid. Another design draws inspiration from equestrian webbing for its ribbed edges, imparting structure to an otherwise fluid material.

An Interpretive Journey Through Shifting Perspectives

The essence of the Hermès installation in Milan is found not in a single focal point, but in the evolving viewpoints it offers. Minor variations in height subtly alter the appearance of objects as visitors move closer or farther away. This encourages a more deliberate pace, as each step unveils a new arrangement and relationship between forms and pieces. Consequently, the exhibition captivates attention through this gradual revelation of connections between its elements.

Shimin Gu's groundbreaking NUMA system revolutionizes the traditional elevator environment by transforming it into a dynamic, responsive spatial interface. This innovative projection-based solution aims to enhance the user experience by addressing the inherent limitations of confined elevator cabins, which have historically prioritized technical functionality over aesthetic or psychological comfort. The system seamlessly integrates a visual layer that works independently of the physical structure, utilizing advanced projection technology to reshape how individuals perceive the space. This approach allows for its implementation across diverse elevator types without requiring any structural alterations, offering a versatile and non-invasive upgrade.

Pioneering Elevator Experience: NUMA's Adaptive Projection Technology

In a bold move to redefine elevator interiors, interaction designer and creative technologist Shimin Gu unveiled the NUMA immersive projection system on April 21, 2026. This avant-garde technology re-imagines elevator cabins not merely as functional transporters but as responsive spatial interfaces. NUMA achieves this transformation by projecting dynamic visual content onto the interior surfaces, effectively altering passengers' perception of the enclosed space without any physical modifications to the cabin itself. The system's core comprises a ceiling-mounted projection unit coupled with a sophisticated spatial scanning mechanism. This mechanism, capable of real-time cabin geometry analysis, ensures precise alignment of projected imagery, making the system adaptable to various elevator dimensions without manual calibration. The projections, often featuring serene landscapes like open skies and expansive natural scenes or intricate abstract compositions, primarily target the upper peripheral areas of the cabin. This strategic placement maintains the existing interior's legibility while simultaneously introducing a sense of depth and visual continuity, diminishing feelings of confinement without creating a singular, distracting focal point. The system operates in two distinct modes: a subtle peripheral projection for routine journeys and an expansive, full-surface projection for unusual circumstances, such as prolonged stops or power outages. An integrated battery ensures continuous operation during electrical interruptions, enhancing safety and comfort. Developed following extensive behavioral research involving 317 participants, NUMA dynamically adjusts projection coverage, movement speed, and timing to optimize user comfort. By treating projection as an essential infrastructural element alongside mechanical systems, NUMA fundamentally re-conceptualizes the elevator cabin, making environmental conditions adaptable to the human experience.

The NUMA system represents a significant leap in environmental design, highlighting how technology can transform mundane spaces into engaging and reassuring experiences. It challenges designers to think beyond traditional physical constraints and embrace dynamic, adaptive solutions. This innovation has the potential to become a new standard in elevator design, particularly in urban environments where elevator usage is frequent and the psychological impact of enclosed spaces is a relevant consideration. Furthermore, the adaptability of NUMA's projection technology could inspire similar applications in other confined public spaces, fostering a broader trend towards responsive and perceptually enhanced architectural interventions.