From Milan’s historic Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda, MINI and Paul Smith present A Garden of Curiosity—an immersive installation unveiled during Salone del Mobile 2026.

Set within the palazzo’s courtyard, the installation reflects a longstanding creative dialogue between the two British design houses. Rooted in a shared language of optimism, individuality, and craft, the project brings together MINI’s precision with Paul Smith’s unmistakable use of color—resulting in a space that feels both playful and considered.

As Holger Hampf, Head of MINI Design, notes, the collaboration is driven by a mutual enthusiasm for innovation and expression—qualities that shape the installation’s layered sensory experience.

Visitors enter via a wooden footbridge, crossing into the courtyard and through a vivid red door—an intentional threshold that invites a shift in perception. Beyond it unfolds a constructed garden: pathways edged with grasses and plantings, leading to open platforms and geometric interventions. Throughout, Paul Smith’s Signature Stripe appears subtly, threading color through the environment without overwhelming it.

Architecture, texture, and sound converge into a sequence of experiences that unfold at an unhurried pace.

The installation is anchored by a series of interactive rooms.

The Colour Theory Room acts as a living canvas, where visitors arrange color samples across a modular wall. The composition evolves throughout the day—each interaction leaving a trace—echoing Paul Smith’s enduring fascination with unexpected combinations and tonal balance.

In the Listening Room, recordings of Sir Paul Smith reflect on the emotional and perceptual dimensions of color. The atmosphere slows; the experience becomes more introspective, encouraging a different kind of attention.

Elsewhere, open platforms invite visitors to engage more intuitively—with space, with sound, and with the shifting rhythm of the garden itself. There is a deliberate lightness here, a sense that discovery need not be directed.

At the center of the installation, almost concealed within the landscape, sits the MINI Cooper Convertible Paul Smith Edition. Its presence feels less like a reveal and more like a quiet encounter. The design reflects Smith’s signature sensibility—playful, precise, and slightly unexpected—while maintaining MINI’s distinct identity.

“I’ve always adored my visits to Milan for Salone del Mobile,” reflects Paul Smith, “and I’m delighted to be back in the city to introduce the world of design to my new MINI.”