The most immersive installations at the Salone del Mobile and throughout Milan were ones that elevated the elemental to the monumental. They enveloped visitors in sensory experiences that slowed down time and allowed for a deep appreciation of atmosphere, artistry and material experimentation. These were our favourites:

“LA CASA DI MARMO” BY HANNES PEER ARCHITECTURE
Leave it to Hannes Peer to make a basement apartment seem like some of Milan’s most desirable real estate. Working with natural stone company Margraf, the architect lined the garage below a historic Brera villa in honey-toned Santafiora and a range of other rich Italian marbles. At the heart of this atmospheric cavern, water poured down from around a glowing light panel into a shallow reflecting pool accented by a pair of sculptural, Margraf-fabricated busts propped up on marble plinths.

But the space was just as domestic as it was divine. (Sure enough, the water feature was inspired by the open-roofed cavaedia designed to collect rainwater in ancient Roman houses.) In one corner, velvet banquette seating ran along a backlit tiled wall clad with translucent varieties of onyx, quartz and agate, while in another, steps led up to an unmade bed — proving that even raw, rigorous spaces can support relaxation.

“LIGHT AS MEDIUM” BY BOCCI
It has been three years since Bocci first opened the doors to its Milan showroom, but stepping back into the brand’s Via Giuseppe Rovani hub this past April, it felt as though the space had been operating since the dawn of time. The first primordial wonder was waiting near the entrance in a dark, curtained room, where a row of Omer Arbel’s latest — an orb dubbed “93” — hung like glowing spheres in a Newton’s cradle, waiting to be struck. Each pendant seemed to have been forged in the fiery heart of a volcano, featuring swirling swaths of what looked like glowing magma peeking through its otherwise marbled exterior. In fact, the light does have molten origins: It is created by pouring melted aluminum into a hand-blown glass vessel that is then lit from within by a bulb.

Carrying on to the next room, a cascade of thick, multicoloured glass ridges formed a glowing glacier that moved the experience into the Ice Age. And in the showroom’s most fantastical coup, a cluster of hundreds of Bocci lights swirled together into a glowing cyclone. The creative mastermind behind each of these displays? David Alhadeff, who leads the Future Perfect design gallery — and clearly understands how to show Arbel & co.’s work in its best light.

“NATURE—RITUAL” BY FISHER & PAYKEL
Korimako, pīwakawaka and other species native to New Zealand greeted visitors to the Fisher & Paykel stand at EuroCucina, their voluptuous birdsong filling the 450-square-metre, multi-sensory showcase. In this oasis, the Auckland-based appliance manufacturer presented its State of the Art collection and Minimal Style series in stunning kitchen systems clad in rich reddish-brown tōtara veneers algorithmically milled to evoke hand carvings and featuring basalt countertop slabs that offered up aromatic kawakawa tea in ceramic cups by artist Aaron Scythe.

Among the impressive novelties on display were a four-metre-tall product sculpture housing Fisher & Paykel’s 60-centimetre Series 11 Minimal Style ovens within carved tōtara surrounds and, in a sublime architectural wine cellar, the 61-centimetre Series 11 Integrated Column Wine Cabinet, which boasts separate temperature zones for different vintages. Forming the backdrop to the entire stand was the forest of Piopiotahi (Milford Sound): Photographer Josh Griggs captured an ultra-high-resolution panorama of the UNESCO World Heritage treasure that was so lush you could almost feel the squishy moss beneath your feet.

“OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER” BY 6:AM GLASSWORKS
For the Milan design studio 6:AM Glassworks, things have been going swimmingly. Dedicated to preserving traditional production techniques — its name is a reference to the hour when Murano glass-makers fire up their furnaces each morning — founders Edoardo Pandolfo and Francesco Palù’s recent undertakings have included custom seating for Louise Trotter’s first runway show as Bottega Veneta’s creative director last September. Crafted in blown glass with a cast-iron mould and engraved by CNC, those playful designs returned during Fuorisalone as modular building blocks stacked floor to ceiling in the central hall of Milan’s abandoned Piscina Guido Romano. Standing in front of this wall, it was easy to see the transparent stools — dubbed Batch — as oversized ice cubes honouring the water that had once filled the room’s long-drained pool. Ultimately, the buzzy installation was a big win for glass block, which is experiencing a resurgence after several decades of unpopularity.

By presenting 126 examples of the same design so close together, 6:AM also drew attention to the subtle distinctions that result from handicraft. “Repeating while creating difference is what artisans do every day,” explained the exhibition’s opening text. The rest of the show flowed into the pool’s former shower stalls and hallways. Glass lighting by Hannes Peer first introduced last year was back in a new textured black cast-glass finish, joined by giant totems clad in 6:AM’s Paysage surfacing panels, plus more stools and glass rod hardware that would make for perfect towel racks. Again, Piscina Guido Romano’s past lived on. As 6:AM summarized, “In a world that is constantly changing and offering endless possibilities every day, repetition becomes a way to find calm and orientation.” You can say that again.

“AQUA SANCTUARY” BY GROHE SPA
During a period as fast-paced as Milan Design Week, sometimes the only time you get to stop and collect your thoughts is in the shower. A trip to Grohe’s showcase inside the Piccolo Teatro Studio Melato was the next best thing. The cultural venue was an appropriate choice, given the drama of the three spa-like environments — or “sanctums” — on view. In addition to moodily lit displays of current products like the Allure and Atrio faucets and modular Aqua Tiles (head and body spray elements that can be installed horizontally, vertically or at an angle), the brand’s design team also upped the wellness ante with a series of conceptual prototypes: a tree-shaped rainshower and hanging lily pad–like faucet stationed beneath a glowing oculus that shifted through soothing colour gradients, plus a vanity complete with a cleansing steam sink and refrigerated drawer for chilling skincare products.

Bringing a meditative atmosphere to the bathroom is nothing new — but Grohe’s fusion of nature and high-tech gadgetry felt particularly invigorating. We entered “Aqua Sanctuary” on Friday morning stressed about the possibility of a Milan metro strike, and left to news that the crisis had been averted. That’s the magic of a good shower.