The Japanese company Daikan returns to Milan Design Week 2026 with a sensory experience that celebrates the meeting between technical innovation and traditional craftsmanship. At the heart of the project is the brand’s artisanal precision, based on advanced production techniques, combined with its particular aesthetic sensibility and digital technology.
Flow chart is the title of the exhibition at Via Palermo 18, attracting visitors to a “materialJourney designed to stimulate the senses. On the first floor, the central element of the project is presented: the panel, which came from the industrial manufacturer’s research into the unexplored possibilities of structurally engineered metal. With the help of the creative studio FEEL GOOD CREATION (FGC), the brand leveraged its expertise in mirror polishing and maximizing this expressive potential.
Flow chart © Daikan
Flow chart © Daikan
Flow chart © Daikan
Flow chart © Daikan
Structurally engineered metal is obtained by joining together multiple panels, which appear solid but irregular, while maintaining remarkable flexibility. When polished, the ultra-thin layers of aluminum reveal a unique aesthetic: a thick, fluid surface reminiscent of a water mirror, thanks to the foil’s light-reflecting properties.
Achieving this effect is more complicated than it seems and requires both mechanical and manual skills: during polishing, the parts tend to shift, making the precision of the machine itself insufficient. Only the hand of the craftsman can complete the process to achieve this distinctive finish.
The material is applied as the top of the Flux Table, serving as tangible evidence of the union between digital and analogue, technological control and human sensitivity. The white base of the piece is designed to highlight the tabletop and is made in collaboration with 130 (ONE THIRTY)a design brand that shapes materials in three dimensions with an innovative technique to create spatial structures from a single continuous framework. 130 also oversaw the production of the entire facility.
As company based in Osakaexplains:“The Flux Table explores the notion of elasticity as a paradox between technical precision and natural spontaneity and seeks to explore the possibilities of metal as a living material. Touching the piece allows one to rediscover gesture in its simplest form, with a surface that surprises with its natural harmony.”
The exhibition at Via Palermo 18 continues in the basement, where a structured path allows visitors to engage all five senses: the space hosts twelve material samples with a variety of textures to stimulate touch. The sense of smell is stimulated by aromas extracted from stones and living organisms, while the taste invites visitors to discover new sensations through a tasting inspired by konpeito, a traditional Japanese sweet.
In an age where perception is mainly focused on visual and auditory stimuli, during Milan Design Week 2026 The Flux Table offers an experience to discover and be surprised by a new fluid materiality through touch, smell and taste. A 360-degree experience that also pays tribute to Daikan’s craftsmanship, highlighting its precision and sensitivity.
