DKOR as Panelist at Art Basel Miami 2025: Exploring Italian Design

During Art Basel Miami 2025, as the city once again became a global hub for art, design, and cultural exchange, we were honored to be invited by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast to participate as panelists in “The Miami-Italy Creative Connection: Mutual Influences Shaping Contemporary Design.”

Alongside the fair’s 23rd edition at the Miami Beach Convention Center, featuring more than 280 galleries from over 40 countries, Miami came alive with satellite exhibitions, pop-ups, panels, and design-driven events. For the interior design community, Art Basel week offered a vibrant space to connect, exchange ideas, and experience design in fresh and meaningful ways.

The panel was held at Istituto Marangoni Miami, which made the experience even more meaningful. Widely recognized as a leading institution for fashion, art, and design, and consistently ranked among the top schools worldwide in Art & Design, the venue felt like a natural and inspiring setting for a conversation about creativity, culture, and design education.

The Best of Italian Design – Art Week Edition

We love Italian excellence! Italian design continues to shape and inspire the global interior design scene. We have always admired their craftsmanship, which lead the way in furniture, lighting, textiles and materials. That’s why receiving the invitation to participate in this panel honored us, connect with fellow creatives, and share ideas.

The “The Miami-Italy Creative Connection: Mutual Influences Shaping Contemporary Design” panel was part of the activities organized under The Best of Italian Design 2025, an event dedicated to celebrating and showcasing Italian interior design brands and high-end Made in Italy products.

The three-day program, held at Istituto Marangoni Miami from December 2 to December 4, included seminars, B2B meetings, workshops, and networking cocktails. Designed for local industry professionals, architects, interior designers, and real estate developers, the event provided the perfect platform to connect, share insights, and explore the latest trends in Italian design.

Miami-Italy Creative Connection Panel

The wonderful panel discussion was an engaging and inspiring conversation that we had the honor to share with some of the leading interior design professionals and design firms in the U.S., with our head DKORista, Ivonne Ronderos, representing our company. The panel also included Pat Bosch, Design Director and Principal at Perkins & Will, Steven Burgos, Director of Design, Interiors at HOK, and was moderated by Tracy Fillmore, President of the American Society of Interior Designers, Florida South.

The panel centered on a fascinating topic: exploring how Italian design and Miami’s vibrant culture blend. This collaboration has fostered a dynamic exchange of ideas. We discussed the ways Italian design culture has influenced our work, the core values of Italian design, and our vision of Miami not only becoming a major market but also a source of inspiration in the coming years.

How Italian Design Culture Has Influenced DKOR’s Vision

Our first experience with Italian design began at Salone del Mobile in Milan, which quickly became one of our most important tools for staying ahead of design trends. For Ivonne, visiting Salone early in her career was a defining moment. It was there that she realized Italian design is about far more than a product or a beautifully styled space, it’s about the feeling created through a thoughtfully curated concept, down to the smallest detail.

Over the years, our annual trips to Salone del Mobile in Milan have become a key source of inspiration, guiding our work, especially since many of our projects take two to four years from concept to completion. Experiencing design at this level helps us make choices that are refined, timeless, and not tied to short-lived trends. It shifted our focus from designing for a final photo to designing for how our clients would truly live, feel, and grow within their spaces, an approach that remains at the core of DKOR’s vision today.

Italian designers take the time to develop concepts that create a cohesive and immersive experience. By placing the client at the center of the project, they inspired us to explore directions we might never have discovered on our own, teaching us the importance of designing spaces that feel alive, intentional, and deeply personal.

Italian Design Values

Italians have a natural way of combining design and craftsmanship, creating spaces and products that feel both timeless and purposeful. When we started in design, limited access to Italian showrooms restricted us, but now these showrooms have become an incredible resource for educating our clients and letting them experience firsthand the quality and creativity Italian brands offer.

We’ve noticed that more families moving to Miami are looking for designs that can grow with them over time. As designers, it’s our job help them see the value of investing in special, “legacy” pieces that will last. At the same time, the new generation of clients is looking for more sustainable options. We’re seeing this not just in fashion, with thrifting and conscious choices, but also in furniture. People want spaces that are beautiful, meaningful, and built to last.

We see Miami as a city of cultural layers, with influences coming from all over the world. This diversity is shaping the way we think about interior design here. What used to be the classic all-white leather look with vibrant chrome details is evolving into a rich mix of cultural influences, with indoor-outdoor living at the core. Today’s Miami interiors combine warm woods, carefully curated furniture, and pieces that tell a story, celebrating collectables and design that reflects personality and history, no matter the style.

Being invited to speak as interior design leaders during Art Basel Miami 2025 Week was one of the highlights of our season. It was an honor to join a panel of top industry professionals and represent residential interior design. Ending the year with inspiring conversations and new connections was truly energizing. We’re excited for what’s ahead and can’t wait to share the new ideas, collaborations, and projects already taking shape.