From archival revivals and tactile innovations to cross-disciplinary spectacles, this year’s Salone del Mobile.Milano fused industry insights with artistic imagination — and proved once again why Milan is the center of the design universe.
A Special Report for officeinsight
Despite global market turbulence, the 63rd edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano proved its resilience and relevance, drawing 302,548 attendees — a figure in line with its record-setting 2023 edition with Euroluce — and signaling a strong vote of confidence in design’s future. This year’s edition featured 2,103 exhibitors from 37 countries, including 45% international companies, and the highest-ever percentage of foreign professionals, who made up 68% of total visitors. These numbers speak volumes: the Salone remains a global beacon for innovation, networking and inspiration in furniture and interior design.
“The Salone creates lasting value for a multitude of stakeholders,” said Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano. “This year, we demonstrated strength and a shared vision.” That vision was made tangible not only at the Fiera Milano fairgrounds but across the city of Milan, where immersive installations and thematic exhibitions blurred the line between commerce and culture.
A World Stage: New Geographies, Emerging Markets
This year’s visitor demographic revealed a notable geographic shift. While China retained its top spot among foreign countries represented, strong growth from Germany, Spain, Poland, Brazil, India and Switzerland suggested a diversification of the design economy. Particularly telling was the surge in attendance from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with the latter entering into a new memorandum of understanding with the Salone for design development initiatives. Meanwhile, the United States was in 8th place in the attendance rankings — representing 2.6 percent of the tradeshow operators at the fair.
Also notable was the enduring energy of SaloneSatellite, the section dedicated to young designers under 35 at the fair. It drew 39,000 visitors, with 700 emerging talents from 37 countries showcasing ideas that challenged the boundaries of form, function, and material.
Euroluce: Lighting the Way Forward
Returning as part of its biennial rhythm, Euroluce again served as a major driver of innovation. The newly launched Euroluce International Lighting Forum attracted 1,500 participants to a two-day program of masterclasses and talks from 20 international experts, including solar designer Marjan van Aubel, Studio Drift’s Lonneke Gordijn, and Robert Wilson, the legendary theater artist known for his mastery of light.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino added a dose of cinematic mystery to the fairgrounds with La dolce attesa, a theatrical meditation on time and uncertainty. The installation, which included set design by Margherita Palli and a soundscape by Max Casacci, was among the week’s most buzzed-about experiences. Classic Italian brands like Artemide, Foscarini, and Luceplan were all present, as were North American lighting brands like Lambert & Fils, Lucifer Lighting and Lumifer.
When it comes to furniture brands at the fair (Kartell, Pedrali and Arper were present), Other important Italian brands were absent from the fair, choosing instead to present their work in their Milan showrooms or creating illuminating installations at venues across the city. This gives brands from Scandinavia, Germany and Spain a greater presence at the fair. Refreshingly, American brands are having a bigger presence at the fair like Knoll, Tuuci, Humanscale and Luxxbox, just to name a few. US Kitchen and bathroom brands: Kohler, Graff, House of Rohl, and Kallista were also present at the fair.
Beyond the Fairgrounds: Fuorisalone Takes Over the City
While Salone del Mobile anchors the week at Fiera Milano, it’s Fuorisalone, the citywide constellation of exhibitions, brand activations, and site-specific installations, that gives Milan Design Week its soul, and is the place to see real inspiration, trends and the cultural pulse that drives the global design conversation.
Spanning historic palazzos, former factories and public piazzas, Fuorisalone transforms the city into a design laboratory. Brands and designers use the city’s architectural heritage as a canvas: Artemest’s L’Appartamento, staged inside a grand 19th-century residence, featured room vignettes by international designers (one US public relations firm told us that they had over 10,000 visitors the first day); Prada Frames took over the cavernous halls of Milano Centrale station for a sold-out symposium; and Cassina hosted a theatrical tribute to modernism at Teatro Lirico.
Each district had its own personality. Brera was dense with showrooms and gallery pop-ups; Tortona hosted immersive installations. And Alcova, set in a former villa on Milan’s outskirts, once again proved a magnet for experimental work from independent studios and emerging designers.
During Milan Design Week 2025, Spazio Maiocchi once again served as the central hub for Capsule Plaza, a hybrid exhibition that bridges design, fashion, technology and culture. This third edition expanded across multiple venues, including a newly renovated former gym and pool across the street. The theme for this year’s Capsule Plaza was “Expanded Living,” inviting exhibitors to explore the boundaries of domesticity. The event featured a diverse lineup of brands and designers, each presenting innovative installations that redefined the concept of living spaces. Swiss modular furniture brand USM made a striking impression at Spazio Maiocchi through a collaboration with Pharrell Williams’ wellness brand, Humanrace. This partnership resulted in an immersive installation that reimagined the bathroom as a sanctuary of self-care and design innovation. The centerpiece of the exhibit was a vibrant, modular bathroom environment featuring USM’s signature Haller system in a bold emerald green. This setup extended USM’s modular design into new territories, incorporating elements like showers, tubs, vanities and bath products, all complemented by fixtures from Laufen. The installation showcased how USM’s adaptable systems can transform everyday spaces into personalized wellness retreats. USM’s presence at Spazio Maiocchi exemplified the brand’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of modular design, demonstrating how functional furniture systems can be seamlessly integrated into contemporary lifestyle concepts.
Also at Capsule Plaza, Hydro unveiled the “R100” exhibition, featuring designs by Sabine Marcelis, Stefan Diez, Cecilie Manz, Keiji Takeuchi, and Daniel Rybakken. All pieces were crafted from 100% recycled aluminum sourced and manufactured within a 100 km radius, emphasizing sustainability and local production. Hem collaborated with Formafantasma to present new furniture pieces that blend innovative design with functional aesthetics, and Design Galleries Salon94 presented a collaboration between Philippe Malouin and Lehni, while Friedman Benda featured works by Misha Kahn, highlighting the intersection of art and design.
What makes Fuorisalone essential is not just its content but its energy. Whether sipping espresso in a courtyard installation or navigating a soundscape-infused light show in a repurposed warehouse, visitors weren’t simply spectators — they were participants in a citywide performance of design culture.
Fashion’s Full-Court Press
This year, fashion brands leaned harder than ever into Salone, transforming heritage spaces across Milan into immersive design universes. Gucci’s “Bamboo Encounters,” held in the Chiostri di San Simpliciano, invited artists from Palestine, India, Austria and Italy to explore new ways of working with bamboo. At Palazzo Citterio, Loewe’s artist-designed teapots combined humor, abstraction and surprise. And Hermès offered a jewel-box exhibition of mouth-blown glass vessels and color-blocked accessories. The fashion brands have taken over with over-the-top experiences, and in many cases becoming the talk of Milan design week.
Why is that? The luxury fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Bottega Veneta, and Loewe, think in worlds, not just products. They understand that today’s consumers don’t just want to shop — they want to feel something. At Milan Design Week, these brands create fully immersive environments that extend their seasonal narratives into tactile, spatial experiences. It’s not about a chair or a bag; it’s about a mood, a fantasy, a point of view. Moreover the fashion houses fuse craft with theater, and are masters of storytelling. Whether it’s Loewe’s installation celebrating heritage crafts or Dior’s collaborations with international artisans, fashion labels bring drama, emotion and a deep respect for craft into their installations, often with scenography that rivals contemporary art exhibitions.
The fashion houses also blur disciplinary lines, and freely mix furniture, textiles, fragrance, lighting, sound and sculpture, tapping into a hybrid form of expression. This cross-disciplinary experimentation, unbound by typical product constraints, is a hallmark of innovation in experiential design. Finally, these brands understand social media and spectacle. These brands know how to go viral. Their Milan exhibits are often Instagram catnip — ephemeral, theatrical, and layered with symbolism. They’re not just staging rooms; they’re staging moments designed for maximum digital shareability and cultural impact.
Material Futures: The Cork Revolution and the Confidence of Glass
Sustainability was no longer a footnote. It was the headline. In Casa Cork, David Rockwell and the Cork Collective turned the humble material into an immersive celebration of circular design. This standout installation showcased the example of design’s potential to champion sustainable materials. From cork chandeliers and furniture to 3D-printed cork trees, the installation emphasized cork’s potential in climate resilience and the circular potential of cork in design. “It’s one of the best materials. It feels great, it’s acoustically rich and it really is from the ground,” said David Rockwell. Here you could see brands such as 4spaces, Chilewich and Wolf Gordon who showcased products that used cork as a material.
Glass also emerged as a star. From Studio Urquiola’s grooved Murano-lit modules to Hermès’ mouth-blown vessels, designers embraced its fragility and confidence alike. Laila Gohar’s surreal bed installation for Marimekko was both cake and canvas. Visitors literally lounged, read and ate in bed.
Reissues and Reverence
This year also confirmed the power of reedition. Roche Bobois revisited its iconic Mah Jong sofa with a chromatic twist by Pedro Almodóvar. Knoll reissued boxy steel tables by Joe D’Urso. And Ligne Roset brought back the cult-favorite Annie Hiéronimus sofa. Cassina took it further with a theatrical homage to Le Corbusier, Perriand, and Jeanneret, staged in a historic Milanese theater by Formafantasma.
From Immersive Storytelling to Theatrical Showmanship
Designers across disciplines embraced performativity and spectacle. Es Devlin’s “Library of Light” at Pinacoteca di Brera turned viewers into performers with a rotating bookshelf installation honoring mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi. Nike, Vans, and Range Rover added a dose of rave-inspired scenography to their product debuts.
Sustainability and Storytelling at the Core
With its ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event management, Salone del Mobile continues to lead in responsible design. This year saw a new agreement between Federlegno Arredo and Italy’s Ministry for the Environment, aiming to lay the groundwork for an extended producer responsibility (EPR) model for furniture.
Brands big and small echoed the sustainability call: Ikea’s new foam-free sofa used coconut fibers and natural latex; Muji’s tiny modular homes returned with their DIY, low-impact charm; and Hydro’s R100 exhibition labeled each object with its exact carbon footprint.
Final Takeaway: Salone + Fuorisalone = Milan’s Design Supernova
Together, Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone form an unmatched constellation of creativity, business and culture. The numbers — over 302,000 attendees, 2,100+ exhibitors, and hundreds of offsite events — tell a story of design’s enduring magnetism, even amid economic uncertainty.
Salone del Mobile is no longer simply a trade fair. It is a global cultural moment. In the words of Claudio Feltrin, President of FederlegnoArredo, “You do not come to the Rho Fiera pavilions to follow the market — you create it.”
As the fair looks toward its 2026 edition (the next edition takes place April 21-26, 2026), its mission is clear: to remain a platform where ideas meet industry, where sustainability meets sophistication, and where the future of design takes tangible form.
As the world shifts, Milan remains design’s beating heart — and Salone its most vital rhythm.