I’m just back from the annual design fest in Milan, which is to the world of interior design what the catwalk shows are to frocks, and what a refreshing event it turned out to be. Rather than any economic woes, everyone’s minds seemed merely to be on the ways and means of bringing beauty and usefulness into the world. There were all the designers, mostly in shabby jeans and T-shirts, usually (though, it has to be admitted, not always) able to bring some fresh thinking and a big dose of humour to the matter of creating a new lamp, sofa, plate or chair. Tables with rainbows spouting out of them; sofas that appeared to be made of wood but were actually fabric; benches that weren’t just benches but also a combination of table and chair — all in a day’s work in Milan.

But it’s not just designers who seem to be bubbling with new responses to the economic challenge. Everywhere the role of the shop is being rethought by retailers eager to entice. Indeed, the philosophy of Vittorio Radice, formerly the invigorating supremo of Selfridges, that shopping should be like going to the theatre is even being challenged — these days the liveliest shops are part retailing space, part laboratory, part theatre, part gallery and part leisure space.

In Milan last week two brand new retailing ventures had the world’s design press tripping through their doors. First off is the wonderful Spazio Rossana Orlandi, Via Matteo Bandello 14 (rossanaorlandi.com; 00 39 024 674471), whose haphazard collection of interconnected spaces in the Magenta district rivals the eclectic 10 Corso Como (10corsocomo.com; 00 39 022 9010207) as the place to spend one’s euros. It’s a wonderfully idiosyncratic collection of vintage pieces and experimental design.

Jaime Hayon’s glorious multicoloured glasses for the iconic glassware company Baccarat (€16,000) looked dazzling in her space, as do Marcus Tremonto’s alluring one-off lights. Down in the basement rooms Orlandi shows that design is for everyone, giving space to a venture run by a newspaper, the Corriere della Sera (atcasa.corriere.it). The Corriere encourages its readers to become designers by displaying the work that features in the gallery online together with inspiration for making things yourself.

The rest of the galleries and downstairs rooms show the experimental work, the courtyard café serves tea and cakes and upstairs you can buy whatever has caught your fancy. Tablemats of clear plastic fused with old lace (€32), quirky vases decorated with porcelain cauliflowers (€105), vintage chairs, cutlery, and next door some very idiosyncratic fashion, largely from little-known Japanese designers. All mind-expanding, if pricey.

The other venture that is causing waves is Skitsch, at Via Monte di Pieta 11 (skitsch.it; 00 39 199 411411) a project conceived when the world looked very different and which has cost millions of euros to get off the ground. This shop again is really a celebration of creativity. There are some 50 design projects on show, each a one-off, each brought to life by an internationally respected designer (Maarten Baas, Todd Bracher and the Campana brothers, to name a few). A brilliant source of unique, special pieces. I was most tempted by the Front Girls’ witty bookcase that turns into a cupboard.

Back in Britain, Priscilla Carluccio is pushing the boundaries of retailing. Few and Far, 242 Brompton Road, London SW3, is an eclectic mixture of old and new and this Saturday all those who have ever longed to shop in a real Indian bazaar but have never managed to get there can do so. There’ll be everything from jangling bracelets and earrings (from £5 a time) to pashminas from the wonderful Kashmir Looms, kitchen implements, from silver spoons and cutlery to one-off pieces of modern furniture (a gorgeous red-lacquered coffee table and yellow painted chest, see left) and, for anybody who still is in the mood for something sumptuous, the most heavenly unique Kani shawl.

Motto of the week, from the Memphis designer Ettore Sottsass: “You don’t save your soul just painting everything in white.” Which no doubt accounts for Rossana Orlandi’s idea of brightly coloured loo rolls (turquoise, orange, lime green) at €10 for a pack of three.

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