Habitarematerials at Milan Design Week

The brief – building international exposure

For more than 50 years, Habitare has been Finland’s largest design, interior and decoration event, and the week when it is held in September is a key date in the Nordic design calendar.

The team behind the event conceived Habitarematerials – a materials library to celebrate Finnish design, while highlighting material studies, responsible and sustainable materials, and the democratisation of design.

Curated by Finnish architecture practice, NEMO Architects, the experiential materials library made its international debut at the Alcova exhibition during Milan Design Week 2023.

The library was drawn from 14 leading Finnish manufacturers and material suppliers, as well as a host of individual Finnish makers and artisanal brands, representing some of the best in Nordic design.

Ahead of the exhibition, Habitare and NEMO Architects sought a communications partner to maximise exposure and reach international media.

What we did – event and PR strategy

The Caro team worked collaboratively with the client and the curators to rapidly assemble a list of top media targets, including journalists and influencers across international titles.

We supported the event at Alcova, worked on guestlist management, and organised a VIP lunch for media to forge connections with the Habitare team and NEMO Architects.

The results – engaging journalists from around the world

Caro brought key journalists to the library from leading European and Asian titles, ultimately securing coverage in leading consumer and design specific titles in the UK, North America, South Korea, Italy and Japan.

General coverage appeared in Elle Decoration, Disegno and Azure Magazine, and interviews with Habitare’s creative director were featured Dezeen and Wallpaper*.

‘Caro has been fruitful and smooth to work with. They understand well the nature of the event business, the commercial goals and at the same time the importance of distinguishing companies, designers and products. It has been important for us to work with a partner who sees great opportunities also for alternative and smaller players and is ready to work to ensure that even the smallest ones get through to the big masses. Caro has been the right choice for us, precisely because of their genuine interest in us and our customers’

– Laura Sarvilinna – creative director, Habitare