achille castiglioni and bruno munari knew how to have a good time
a look inside achille Castiglioni’s historic milan studio
Inside the former studio of Achille Castiglioni, bordering Parco Sempione, Milan’s central park, there are gadgets and gizmos, sunglasses and a curling stone. Looking at the late Italian designer’s treasure trove of trinkets that were squirreled away by the architect, it’s easy to wonder if toys ever made their way into his oeuvre of chairs, shelves, and teapots. ‘No!’ remarks Marco Marzini, co-curator of ‘Achille and Bruno, Free to Play,’ Fondazione Achille Castiglioni’s 2026–2027 exhibition on the works of Castiglioni and Bruno Munari. ‘But he collected and preserved countless toys both in his studio and at home, for personal amusement and as design inspiration, but also to play with his children and friends.’
inside the former studio of Achille Castiglioni in Milan | all photos by the writer unless otherwise stated
Toys, games, and fun with Bruno Munari and achille Castiglioni
This year, in dialogue with the works of his contemporary Bruno Munari, the exhibition reframes Castiglioni’s trinkets and doo-dads to reveal the joy he found in everyday objects. While Castiglioni didn’t design playable games or toys in his lifetime, Munari’s work is filled with didactic puzzles, books, and playthings. ‘Toys represented a tangible educational tool: a way to help children grow and develop as free, creative, and independent individuals.’ Says Marzini about the contrast between the two men, ‘Bruno made children feel grown-ups and adults feel children.’ By placing these two collections together, the exhibition reveals how serious Castiglioni was about fun.
in dialogue with the works of Bruno Munari, the exhibition reveals the joy Castiglioni found in everyday objects
The hidden treasures inside foundation achille castiglioni
Entering the Foundation, which is just off a historic courtyard characterized by the iconic design of Milanese palazzos, the exhibition space very much looks like a studio. It does not, in fact, have the white walls of a gallery or museum. Instead, there are bookshelves bursting with magazines. There are old vetrine, their glass yellowing and, peering inside, one discovers not fine china or precious silverware, but piles of knick-knacks, googly eyes, and paper 3D movie spectacles. It is very much a place in motion and a cabinet of curiosities—it seems as though the designer, although he left us more than two decades ago, is still at work.
there are old vetrine, their glass yellowing and, peering inside, one discovers piles of knick-knacks
marzini and castiglioni foundation embrace archive
Leveraging the chaos of the space, Marzini and the Foundation embrace the madness, placing the viewer inside a fun house of design. From the ceiling hangs a poster of Munari’s iconic October 1944 Domus spread, in which he is pictured sitting, straddling, and perched on a topsy-turvy armchair, playfully seeking comfort in all the wrong (or possibly right!) ways. As a way of activating the exhibition, a heavily upholstered armchair, tipped onto its back and facing a mirror, invites visitors to explore everyday items in the charming, ludic way that Munari once had—while also snapping a selfie.
from the ceiling hangs Munari’s October 1944 Domus spread, which shows him on a topsy-turvy armchair
playing with Xerografie originali and Proiezioni Dirette
The encouragement to play doesn’t stop there. One of the back rooms of Castiglioni’s studio is set in dim shadow and, descending from a system of hand-operated pulleys, is a screen that captures the light of a projector. Here, a laboratory comes to life that tests visitors’ creativity. Three Rocket Ferrania projectors, designed in 1960 by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, are set up to replicate Bruno Munari’s Direct Projections (Proiezioni Dirette), where layers of coloured film, scraps of paper, bits of wire, and other unassuming materials can be laid out in front of a light and arranged to make a work of art. Additionally, a hulking photocopy machine is available for visitors to discover Munari’s Xerografie originali, his ongoing experiments in image-making using the scanning bed of a photocopy machine.
a projector and photocopy machine are set up for visitors to engage with Munari’s Xerografie originali and Proiezioni Dirette | photo by Marco Marzini
Glasses for seeing from a new perspective
In another alcove, a flat, backlit glass case holds the wacky range of eyewear Castiglioni collected in his lifetime. Above are images of the designer himself, spectacled and grinning, showing off his impressive assemblage of goofy goggles. Suspended above in a mobile-like arrangement are prints, each holding a face illustrated in black lines— pieces from the series of drawn portraits Munari created during his lifetime. As Marzini aptly puts it, ‘the human face, as a vessel of expression, is made up of elements that can be altered, layered, and transformed through the endless play of the mask.’ Here, the mask is not just the collection of face coverings Castiglioni amassed, but the mask as a philosophical idea—the ways that we shroud, obstruct, and decorate our faces to become someone else.
suspended from above are pieces from the series of drawn portraits Munari created during his lifetime
A yearly re-discovery of Castiglioni
Every year, his namesake foundation looks back into his archive and imagines an inventive way to give the public a new perspective on his legacy. For example, in 2018, they hosted 100×100 Achille, where one hundred designers were invited to send a ‘gift’—a small, everyday object—to Castiglioni, alongside a birthday card celebrating his centennial. These small objects were an ode to his penchant for collecting even the smallest tchotchkes. Eight years later, with ‘Achille and Bruno, Free to Play’, the ways these precious little things influenced his most iconic works come to life.
a photo series of Castiglioni trying on a silly pair of glasses
in 2018, the Foundation hosted 100×100 Achille, where one hundred designers were invited to send a ‘gift’
a flat, backlit glass case holds the wacky range of eyewear Castiglioni collected in his lifetime
the myriad of collections in the studio shows the designers love for gathering everyday things
Munari’s work is filled with didactic puzzles, books, and playthings
every year, the foundation looks back into Castiglioni’s archive and imagines an inventive way to give the public a new perspective on his legacy | photo by Marco Marzini
project info:
name: Achille and Bruno, Free to Play (Achille e Bruno, Liberi di Giocare)
designers: Achille Castiglioni and Bruno Munari
location: Fondazione Achille Castiglioni, Piazza Castello 27, Milan | @fondazioneachillecastiglioni
dates: May 29, 2026 – February 16, 2027
curators: Marco Marzini with Fondazione Achille Castiglioni
exhibition design and graphics: Marco Marzini | @mmarzinidesign
lenders: Claudia Barozzi, Giovanna Castiglioni, Corraini Edizioni, Marzia Corraini, Pietro Corraini, Maurizio Corraini, Danese Milano, Michela Dezzani, Monica Fumagalli Iliprandi, Marco Marzini, Bruno Munari Archives, Laura Predolini, Luca Zaffarano, Zanotta spa.
supported by: Lardini
toasted with: Follador
This article is part of designboom’s PLAY chapter, exploring what would happen if form didn’t follow function, but pleasure. Discover more stories that celebrate joy, imagination and playfulness here.
The post achille castiglioni and bruno munari knew how to have a good time appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.
