The core of his research is design: furniture, interiors, architecture and installations. The common thread behind the multitude of Mendini’s projects is his eccentric flair for pairing contrasting elements and re-elaborating themes and ideas that appear antithetical.

In collaboration with Alessi, Philips, Swarovski and Swatch, he has designed iconic pieces that have enriched the international design panorama. For the Cappellini catalogue, Mendini has made the Proust armchair and the new version with renovated upholstery, Proust Geometrica.

He has served as director for magazines such as Casabella, Modo and Domus, and his designs and those of Atelier Mendini, which he founded with his brother Francesco, have been published in numerous monographic volumes in multiple languages.

In 1979 and 1981, he was awarded the Compasso d’oro in design; he is a "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” in France; he has received the honorary recognition from the Architectural League of New York and a Laurea Honoris Causa from the Polytechnic of Milan and the École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, in France.