DesignWanted
DesignWanted is a Milan-based digital design magazine serving a global community of design professionals and brands, monetizing through advertising, sponsorships, and a weekly newsletter across furniture, lighting, materials, technology, and architecture editorial categories.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersMilan, Italy
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What DesignWanted does
DesignWanted S.r.l. is a Milan-headquartered, privately held Italian digital media company that operates an online design magazine targeting a global audience of design professionals, brands, and enthusiasts. The platform publishes editorial content organized across seven core categories — Furniture, Lighting, Materials, Technology, Healthcare, Mobility, and Architecture — and supplements written coverage with an original video interview series (BEHIND Series), a weekly email newsletter, and structured directories of brands, architects, and designers. A separate Ideas for Business sub-property targets business-oriented design content. The technical stack is a standard content management system powering the designwanted.com property with freely accessible editorial, alongside a contributor submission workflow (Pitch Your Design) that allows external designers and brands to pitch stories for publication.
The business model is media-led with two monetization streams: (1) advertising and brand sponsorships, evidenced by dedicated sales@ and communication@ contact addresses and editorial partnerships with brands featured during Milan Design Week 2026 (including IKEA, GROHE, Villeroy & Boch, Smeg, and others); and (2) newsletter subscriptions, recurring by nature but with no publicly disclosed pricing, paywall, or paid tier. Distribution extends across owned-and-operated digital, a weekly newsletter, and seven social platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Facebook, Pinterest, X, YouTube), supplemented by editorial coverage of major design events including Milan Design Week and 3daysofdesign Copenhagen.
Ownership and scale signals indicate a small, bootstrap operation. DesignWanted is registered as an Italian S.r.l. (Società a responsabilità limitata) structured as a single-member entity with €12,540 share capital, founded in 2015 and headquartered at Via Aurelio Saffi 29 in Milan. Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees, no venture funding or institutional investors are disclosed, no acquisitions or leadership changes are evidenced, and the company is led by founder and CEO Patrick Abbattista. Despite the small team, the company claims a global reach with millions of community members across more than ten countries.
DesignWanted firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DesignWanted
- Legal name
- DesignWanted S.r.l.
- Website
- https://designwanted.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- DesignWanted is a Milan-based digital design magazine serving a global community of design professionals and brands, monetizing through advertising, sponsorships, and a weekly newsletter across furniture, lighting, materials, technology, and architecture editorial categories.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where DesignWanted is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milan
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
DesignWanted business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Advertising and Sponsorships: The platform generates revenue through advertising placements and brand sponsorship opportunities. Contact addresses indicate dedicated sales ([email protected]) and communication/partnerships ([email protected]) teams.
- Newsletter Subscriptions: Weekly newsletter subscription service delivering design trends and innovations to subscribers
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
DesignWanted product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DesignWanted operates an online design magazine that publishes editorial articles, original video interviews (BEHIND Series), and a weekly newsletter covering furniture, lighting, materials, technology, healthcare, mobility, and architecture design. The platform includes community directories for brands, architects, and designers, plus an Ideas for Business micro-site, and monetizes through advertising placements, brand sponsorships, and newsletter subscriptions.
Product overview
DesignWanted is a Milan-based design magazine platform that operates as a unified content hub, featuring the core magazine with articles on design trends and innovations. The platform is structured around multiple interconnected offerings: the main DesignWanted Magazine covering global design news, the BEHIND Series video interview platform, the Milan Design Week 2026 Spotlight for event coverage, and supplementary services including a newsletter subscription, Pitch Your Design submission platform, and directories for brands, architects, and designers. Additional offerings include the Ideas for Business external platform and an Events Calendar. The platform serves a global design community of millions, focusing on design practice, furniture, lighting, materials, technology, healthcare, mobility, and architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DesignWanted Magazine The core editorial offering of DesignWanted: a freely accessible online design magazine publishing articles on design trends, innovations, brand profiles, designer features, and event coverage across multiple design disciplines. Aimed at designers, architects, and design enthusiasts worldwide.
- BEHIND Series An original video interview series featuring curated conversations with design and architecture studios, offering insights into their world and design approach. Hosted on the DesignWanted platform and distributed via YouTube.
- Weekly Newsletter A recurring weekly email newsletter delivering the latest design trends, innovations, and editorial coverage from DesignWanted to subscribers who sign up via the website.
- Ideas for Business A separate DesignWanted-operated platform hosted at ideasforbusiness.designwanted.com, focused on business ideas and content tailored to the design industry's commercial audience.
Companies that use DesignWanted
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
DesignWanted technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
DesignWanted partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Various Design Brands (Milan Design Week 2026)minorDesignWanted features partner brands during Milan Design Week 2026, showcasing brands including AGAL, AMO ARTE, Annabel Karim Kassar, Antolini, B!POD, Corner 43 Decor, DEESAWAT, GROHE, HYLEtech, IKEA, Iris Ceramica Group, Kenkoon, LASUNYA, LAUFEN, Marazzi, Masaya, Mobella, Moonler, Müller, MV Line, Qurv, RES, Roca, Smeg, TAKEHOMEDESIGN, THORRs, Touchable, and Villeroy & Boch. These brands are featured in editorial spotlights and event coverage.
- 3daysofdesign CopenhagenminorDesignWanted provides editorial coverage of 3daysofdesign, Denmark's official design festival and Copenhagen's flagship Design Week event. Coverage includes exhibition previews and event reporting.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DesignWanted competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dezeen: One of the most widely read online design magazines globally, covering architecture, interiors, and product design with original editorial, video, and event coverage — directly comparable to DesignWanted's editorial magazine model and category breadth.
- ArchDaily: The world's most-visited architecture platform, publishing daily projects, products, and events. Highly comparable to DesignWanted in audience overlap, event coverage, and ad-supported editorial model.
- Designboom: Long-running online design magazine covering architecture, art, technology, and product design with original editorial, interviews, and event reporting — closely overlapping DesignWanted's content categories and Milan-based editorial positioning.
- Yatzer: Design and architecture digital magazine with curated editorial and visual storytelling, similar in scope to DesignWanted's content focus on designer profiles, brand spotlights, and design trends.
- Wallpaper*: Premium design, architecture, and lifestyle magazine with global editorial coverage and a strong design-week presence, comparable to DesignWanted in audience profile and luxury-brand advertising base.
- Core77: Online design publication focused on industrial, product, and UX design with editorial articles, jobs board, and design awards, comparable in vertical focus and ad-supported community model.
- Azure Magazine: Contemporary design and architecture magazine covering furniture, lighting, and interiors, with similar category mix and brand-spotlight editorial to DesignWanted.
- Dwell: Design and architecture media brand covering modern homes, products, and designers with editorial, video, and event coverage, paralleling DesignWanted's design-community-led content approach.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DesignWanted social profiles
Digital presenceDesignWanted financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DesignWanted leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
DesignWanted funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DesignWanted M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DesignWanted
What does DesignWanted do?
DesignWanted operates an online design magazine that publishes editorial articles, original video interviews (BEHIND Series), and a weekly newsletter covering furniture, lighting, materials, technology, healthcare, mobility, and architecture design. The platform includes community directories for brands, architects, and designers, plus an Ideas for Business micro-site, and monetizes through advertising placements, brand sponsorships, and newsletter subscriptions.
Is DesignWanted a public or private company?
DesignWanted is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was DesignWanted founded?
DesignWanted was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is DesignWanted based?
DesignWanted is headquartered in Milan, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does DesignWanted make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising and Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are newsletter Subscriptions.
Who are DesignWanted's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dezeen, ArchDaily, Designboom, Yatzer, Wallpaper*, Core77, Azure Magazine and Dwell.
Does DesignWanted have an API?
No public API is recorded for DesignWanted.