The 64th edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano will take place from 21st to 26th April at Fiera Milano Rho, featuring more than 1,900 exhibitors from 32 countries across 169,000 square metres of exhibition space. The event will showcase 227 brands including first-timers and returnees, with 36.6% of exhibitors based abroad, reinforcing the Salone’s position as a global platform for furniture and design innovation.
International Expansion and Market Development
The Salone is pursuing an expanded international roadshow following successful missions to the United Kingdom and Germany, with new initiatives planned for France and Spain. Strategic collaborations are being developed with key markets, including a partnership with Art Basel Miami and an expansion into Hong Kong through a project engaging a growing number of Italian companies. The platform is also exploring emerging markets such as India, Morocco, Turkey and Portugal.
In Riyadh, the Salone launched Red in Progress, a pilot event involving 35 Italian companies and marking the beginning of a strategic partnership with the region. A new Salone del Mobile edition is scheduled for November in Riyadh. The SaloneSatellite Permanent Collection was also brought to Japan as a cultural mission, introducing young Italian designers to one of the most sophisticated design markets.
New Exhibition Categories and Curatorial Innovation
The 64th edition introduces Salone Raritas, a new platform debuting in Pavilions 9 – 11 featuring curated icons, unique objects, limited editions and high-end creative manufacturing. Comprising 25 exhibitors including names such as Nilufar, COLLECTIONAL and Salviati x Draga & Aurel, the exhibition will be curated by Annalisa Rosso with exhibition design by Formafantasma, creating a selective reference point for collectible design in the professional market.
A Luxury Way experience in Pavilions 13 – 15 will feature Aurea, an Architectural Fiction – an immersive installation designed by Paris-based Maison Numéro 20. The installation takes the form of an imaginary hotel with narrative spaces that transform interior design into scenography, blending Art Deco influences with cinematic references, oriental symbolism and surrealist elements.
The communication campaign A Matter of Salone serves as a collective project centring matter as the origin and meaning of design. A new wayfinding system developed by Leftloft will guide visitors through the fair with clearer and more intuitive visual tools inspired by underground railway network logic, reducing reading time and perceptual complexity.
Biennial Exhibitions and SaloneSatellite
EuroCucina with FTK – Technology For the Kitchen returns with 106 exhibitors from 17 countries, offering insight into kitchen design progress driven by technology, sustainability and innovation. The International Bathroom Exhibition will bring together 163 brands from 14 countries, emphasising the home spa vision and wellbeing concepts alongside technology integration.
SaloneSatellite will feature 700 designers under 35 and 23 international design schools and universities, with the 27th edition themed Maestria artigiana + Innovazione – Skilled Craftsmanship + Innovation. The programme invites participants to rediscover craftsmanship as a bridge between manual heritage and technological vision.
Salone Contract: Strategic Initiative for 2027
Salone Contract has been conceived as a long-term strategic project addressing the rapidly changing contract furnishing market. The Masterplan was entrusted to internationally renowned architects Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten of OMA, chosen for their combined design practice and research approach spanning scales and disciplines.
In 2026, OMA’s initial Contract observations will be presented at a lecture by Rem Koolhaas, with thematic journeys among exhibitors offering cross-cutting views of the contract offering. Starting September 2026, an international road tour will build an informed and profiled international audience ahead of the structured 2027 launch. Federico Pompignoli of PMP Architecture will collaborate as a local partner in dialogue with OMA.
Market Context and Sustainability Commitment
The wood-furniture supply chain recorded a production turnover of €52.2 billion in 2025, marking a 1.3% increase compared to 2024. Exports account for 37% of total production, estimated to remain broadly stable with exports increasing 0.4%, though some key markets showed weakness in the first ten months of 2025, including France at minus 1.3% and the United States at minus 2.5%. Early signs of improvement are emerging from Germany, up 1%.
Sustainability remains a central focus, with the Salone highlighting the transition towards increasingly circular and systemic design. The event has obtained renewal of ISO 20121 certification for the 2026 – 2028 three-year period through rigorous measurement, verification and impact mitigation actions.
The four annual events – Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, Workplace3.0, and S.Project – will gather 915 brands with 38.57% from abroad, including 139 participating for the first time or returning to the Salone. Over 200 showrooms of brands exhibiting at the annual events and biennial exhibitions will join the design festival during Milan Design Week, throwing open their doors to design enthusiasts.
Official Opening and City Integration
The official opening night will take place at the Teatro alla Scala, featuring a concert by the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra conducted by Michele Mariotti with Giuseppe Albanese on piano. The Design Kiosk will return to Piazza della Scala for the third consecutive year, accompanied by the three-dimensional Salone del Mobile.Milano sign.
A special partnership with K-Way will launch a newsstand in Piazza del Duomo curated by the Salone, serving as a starting point for an urban itinerary by Bianca Felicori of Forgotten Architecture. Five stops will feature light textile installations reinterpreting significant Milan buildings, sparking dialogue around architecture, design and urban mobility.
