Salone del Mobile 2025: A glimpse into Hermès and Dior’s artistic homages to glass

French craftsmanship took center stage at Salone del Mobile 2025, with two of the most renowned luxury labels spotlighting glass at the heart of their home collections. While Hermès embraced a bold scenographic installation filled with light and color, Dior opted for a refined, in-store reveal of artisanal works by French designer Sam Baron. Though the events unfolded last week, their impact still resonates.

Hermès illuminates Milan with a celebration of glass

Returning to La Pelota in the vibrant Brera district, Hermès transformed the 2,000-square-meter venue into a radiant all-white space, departing from the darker atmospheres of previous years. The immersive installation was designed by Charlotte Macaux Perelman, who co-leads the Hermès home collections with Alexis Fabry.

Suspended geometric volumes—cylinders, cubes, and other forms—hovered throughout the space, casting vibrant halos of color on the floor. Each structure contained carefully curated items from the new home collection, subtly revealed through slits and cutouts. The display was designed to spark emotion and curiosity, enhanced by an interplay of light and shadow and, most notably, glass—the highlight material of the year.

Although Hermès has long been associated with crystal, this marked the brand’s most in-depth exploration of glassmaking. The material appeared in a side table designed by Tomàs Alonso, whose colorful base was composed of lacquered glass slabs, as well as in the multicolored, fused-glass lid of a wooden box.

Glass vessels and vases took center stage. A standout piece included a mouth-blown orange glass vase accented with a two-tone leather cuff in rust and blue. Pitchers, crafted by layering molten colored glass over clear glass, appeared half-filled with vibrant hues that shifted once water was added. Another highlight was a series of checkerboard tumblers, their design inspired by jockey silks and formed from cold-cut strips of colored double glass.

Color coursed through the space beyond the glassware—from geometric-patterned cashmere throws to hand-painted watercolor borders by Nigel Peake on porcelain tableware and tartan leather baskets.

Dior Maison unveils limited-edition glass sculptures

In contrast to Hermès’ bold installation, Dior Maison embraced intimacy. At its boutique on Corso Venezia, Dior introduced a poetic collection centered on three glass vases designed by Sam Baron, a longtime collaborator with the brand.

Each vase—nearly one meter tall and limited to eight pieces—was mouth-blown by Italian master glassmaker Massimo Lunardon in Bassano del Grappa, Veneto, and features delicate arabesque branches in transparent glass. The vases, priced at €15,000 each, exemplify Dior’s dedication to artisanal excellence.

“I began with designs I originally created for Maria Grazia Chiuri’s 2020 cruise collection, which had a wheat theme,” Baron explained during the Milan presentation. “That led to a wider dialogue about nature—an eternal muse for Christian Dior, who adored flowers.”

Baron, who splits his time between Lisbon and Paris, also sought to underscore Dior’s pioneering role in decorative arts. “Dior was the first fashion house to introduce a line of objects. The first boutique opened in 1947 and was named Colifichets, where accessories and home items were sold,” he noted. Researching the archives, he discovered parallels between Dior’s creative process and his own. A key inspiration was the original Miss Dior perfume bottle—an amphora-shaped, ribbed glass flacon—that informed the vases’ smooth, rounded silhouettes.

Alongside the three statement vases, Dior presented a wider collection titled “Ode to Nature,” featuring mouth-blown glassware embellished with botanical motifs. The line includes vases, candlesticks, bowls, trays, and a carafe, with prices ranging from €200 to €800.

Though showcased during Design Week, these artistic expressions from Hermès and Dior continue to spark conversation well beyond Milan—affirming their status as torchbearers of French design excellence.