Designs of the Time presents its new textile collection during Milan Design Week
The Belgian textile editor Designs of the Time, founded in 1998 by the Puylaert family, is presenting during Milan Design Week (April 20–26) Azimuth, its latest interior fabric collection, inspired by the raw beauty, earthy tones, and rugged textures of desert landscapes.
To the general public, Designs of the Time remains a well-kept secret, but textile lovers, interior designers and decorators have long known the Belgian company with nearly 30 years of experience. Each year, the textile editor launches a new collection that finds its place in high-end interior projects created by renowned architects around the world.
This year, Designs of the Time presents Azimuth, a collection composed of natural materials, an earthy color palette, raw textures, and refined tactility. Together, the collection forms a sensory landscape between earth and horizon.
The collection is presented as part of the 5VIE program. For the past 13 years, this platform has been presenting exhibitions and events in Milan’s historic center during Milan Design Week. In an era dominated by digital technologies and their pervasive influence across all sectors, 5VIE focuses on an “analog” experience.
The Azimuth collection fits perfectly within this approach. It is designed to be touched and experienced. It highlights the human within nature, and nature within the human - a rediscovery of how we, materials, and our environment interact.
The Azimuth experience gains depth through the historical layering of a 19th-century palazzo located in the heart of Milan. In this setting, the collection unfolds as a spatial installation, softly anchored in the architecture. Textures, light, and rhythm engage in a subtle dialogue with the space.
For this occasion, Designs of the Time invited Belgian designer Nathalie Van der Massen. Guided by her keen sense of space and material, she drew inspiration from the tactile nature of the collection as well as the layered structure of traditional desert architecture. Using the fabrics, she created a series of unique screens - the Azimuth Screens - where protection and intimacy respond to and explore one another.
The Azimuth Collection
The Azimuth collection for 2026 explores the space between where we stand and where we are looking: an invitation to define our own direction through material and texture.
Between earth and horizon, we wander, guided by touch and texture, surrounded by materials that whisper their stories to our senses.
Each fabric in the collection tells a story and carries an emotion. Texture, weight, and feel reveal a distinct character and bring traditional materials to life. Subtle irregularities reflect authentic craftsmanship traces of the artisan’s hand and patterns slowly shaped over time.
Light linen curtains filter daylight into a soft glow. Silk captures and reflects light with understated elegance. Wool retains warmth like the earth holds memories. Jute brings a raw and pure materiality. Soft mohair velvet adds depth, while stonewashed finishes reveal the marks of time and use.
Geometric patterns create subtle accents, open weaves allow the fabric to breathe, and weathered stripes reveal the beauty of aging. Even the heaviest textiles display variations in texture and color like hemp, which softens over time.
The color palette follows this same approach: desert sand, clay white, silt, silk, saffron, and spiced ochres. Warm tones of amber, date, and cinnamon evolve into burgundy and olive. Rust and indigo contrast with deep earthy hues—rich colors that shift with the light and develop a patina over time.
Milan Design Week
5VIE
Via Cesare Correnti, room 14
20123 Milan
20 - 26 April
Opening hours: 09h30 - 20h00
Late night opening: 22/04 - 20h00 - 22h00
About Designs of the Time
Designs of the Time is a Belgian family business, founded in 1998 by the Puylaert family.
Inspired by the colors, textures, and subtle imperfections of nature, Designs of the Time embodies timeless design and authentic craftsmanship. Earthy tones, organic textures, and discreet irregularities reflect a deep respect for materials and process. Carefully woven, each fabric invites a tactile connection : natural, imperfect, and enduring.
Their expertise, often passed down from generation to generation, brings depth and character to every textile they create.
They collaborate with carefully selected weavers in Belgium and across Europe—partners who share their commitment to authenticity, sustainability, and quality. This craftsmanship, frequently transmitted through generations, adds richness and character to each textile creation.
Natural fibers lie at the heart of their collections: pure linen, soft wool, and cotton blends that remain close to their natural origin. Every texture and subtle irregularity reflects the rhythm of nature and the hands that shape it a quiet dialogue between nature and craftsmanship.
