Over 1,900 exhibitors from 32 countries are testament to the international scope of the Salone, which is increasingly becoming a strategic driver for the sector. The 64th edition is evolving in an increasingly connected and accessible way, consolidating the Salone as a platform for cultural, design and curatorial innovation. The new features include the debut of Salone Raritas; the installation Aurea, an Architectural Fiction, which intertwines heritage and innovation in the A Luxury Way experience; an increasingly active synergy between exhibitors and the city; and the launch of the Salone Contract project, which will take shape in 2026 with dedicated itineraries and a talk at the fair, ahead of its official debut in April 2027.
The countdown to the 64th edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano (21st-26th April, Rho Fiera Milano,) is on: more than 1,900 exhibitors (36.6% from abroad), 227 brands including first-timers and returnees, over 169,000 square metres of net exhibition space completely sold out. At the centre of it all is the eagerly awaited return of the biennial exhibitions: EuroCucina with FTK – Technology For the Kitchen, featuring 106 brands from 17 countries, and the International Bathroom Exhibition, which will bring together 163 brands from 14 countries. Completing the picture is SaloneSatellite with 700 designers under 35 and 23 international schools and universities. These figures confirm that the Salone is not only the most important international furniture and design fair, but also an active and evolving cultural infrastructure: a relational and strategic driver that fuels global connections, disseminates shared visions and consolidates Milan’s role as the capital of contemporary design.
The common thread running through the 2026 edition will be an increasingly integrated architecture of content and exhibition itineraries. The Salone is also embarking on a new venture, which will lead to the debut of Salone Contract in 2027 — the Masterplan has been entrusted to Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten (OMA) — which will explore the major themes of this changing ecosystem — from the interpretation of contexts to the visitor experience, integrated supplies and the strengthening of B2B networking.
Debuting also Salone Raritas. Curated icons, unique objects, and outsider pieces (Pavilions 9-11): 25 exhibitors will create a new platform, a bridge between special production and the design market, curated by Annalisa Rosso, Editorial Director and Cultural Events Advisor of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, with exhibition design by Formafantasma. A Luxury Way (Pavilions 13-15) will feature Aurea, an Architectural Fiction, an immersive installation designed by Maison Numéro 20: an imaginary hotel that transforms interior design into narration and scenography, leveraging the emotional and sensory dimensions of living. Bringing this narrative together and amplifying it, the communication campaign A Matter of Salone is a collective project that puts matter back at the centre as the origin and meaning of design, translating the transition from gesture to form and meaning into images, and a reworked visitor experience: a clearer and more intuitive wayfinding system will help visitors find their way around the fair more easily, fostering discoveries and encounters and making the complexity of the event easier to understand.
In this complex context, sustainability will emerge as a central, concrete and measurable focus: the Salone will highlight the transition towards increasingly circular and systemic design, in which materials, processes and supply chains become part of the project. At the same time, the event has obtained the renewal of the ISO 20121 certification for the 2026–2028 three-year period, thanks to a rigorous measurement process, verification and impact mitigation actions. This approach consolidates performance and credibility over time, together with environmental and social objectives.
Maria Porro, President of Salone del Mobile.Milano, had this to say: “In the midst of a geopolitical and economic phase marked by profound discontinuity and new polarities, the Salone del Mobile.Milano is reaffirming its role as a strategic global platform, responding to the markets with vision and continuity, standing as a fixed point in an unstable time: a place where the industry meets, ideas are articulated and the future is planned. The sold-out exhibition space and the significant increase in foreign attendance are the concrete results of an integrated and forward-looking strategy, built up over time. A vision that has its driving force in Milan and develops through a solid and ever-expanding network of international relations. After stops in the United Kingdom and Germany, we will be continuing our international roadshow with new missions in France and Spain. We are also looking further afield, however. To the United States, a key market for the entire sector, where we have launched a collaboration with Art Basel in Miami, which we will consolidate in March in Hong Kong through a project involving an even greater number of Italian companies: a strategic alliance between two leading creative and contemporary design platforms, capable of opening up a new frontier of cultural and commercial cross-pollination between design and art. Other prospects include India, currently one of the markets with the most extraordinary growth potential, as well as Morocco, Turkey and Portugal. In Riyadh, we launched a new institutional channel and the pilot event Red in Progress, involving 35 Italian companies, which marked the beginning of a strategic partnership with a key region for the evolution of Made in Italy, where we will be organising an actual Salone del Mobile next November. We took the SaloneSatellite Permanent Collection to Japan: a cultural mission that brought young Italian designers into dialogue with the Japanese market, which remains one of the most sophisticated and receptive to our value system. Within this international framework, the Salone is also evolving in terms of content and format. With Salone Raritas, we will explore the value of uniqueness, iconicity and high craftsmanship, while as we work towards Salone Contract, we are opening up new design directions dedicated to expanding sectors – hospitality, retail, marine, real estate – with the aim of accompanying Italian companies not only in defining competitive and sustainable standards, but also in ensuring that they are recognised and chosen as reference partners for setting up these spaces at an international level. We are talking about supply chains that hybridise, generate work and attract investment, having a concrete impact on manufacturing and local areas.”
Ms Porro concluded: “The strength of the Salone has always lain in its ability to act as a system: not just an event, but a cultural and economic infrastructure in constant transformation. An ecosystem – as confirmed by our work with the Politecnico di Milano – capable of producing widespread value, which translates into economic impact, but also critical thinking, urban regeneration, hospitality and new services. Milan is our centre of gravity, but today the Salone is also an industrial policy that leads to vision and action. Cultural leverage is our strategic driver: we invest in the Cultural Programme, in Talks, in installations, in exhibition formats, conscious that design is no longer just a product, but a story, a thought, a system. Young people have a key role to play in this system. With SaloneSatellite, we are renewing our commitment to talented designers under 35: they make up the most vibrant laboratory of the future, our critical mirror, our lifeblood. In 2026, we took them to Japan and, in 2027, we will take them to other capitals of emerging design. Because the Salone is, above all, a collective responsibility towards the future.”
Claudio Feltrin, President of FederlegnoArredo, said: ” In 2025, the wood-furniture supply chain recorded a production turnover of €52.2 billion, marking a 1.3% increase compared to 2024. Exports, accounting for 37% of the total, are estimated to remain broadly stable over the year (+0.4%), despite showing signs of weakness in the first ten months of 2025 in some key markets such as France (-1.3%) and the United States (-2.5%). By contrast, early signs of improvement and recovery are emerging from Germany (+1%). The data processed by the Centro Studi FederlegnoArredo (see dedicated economic note) depict a scenario in which exports continue to play a central role for the supply chain, while at the same time requiring companies to demonstrate greater adaptability, market presence, and diversification, given an international context characterised by high volatility. In this context, I believe our companies have performed at their best, managing to maintain their presence even in markets experiencing temporary difficulties, without ever abandoning them, and by promptly seizing the first signs of recovery, as is currently happening in the German and UK markets. I would say we have been effective in diversifying, and that maintaining a strong market presence during the most critical phases has proved to be a rewarding strategy. In this scenario, Salone del Mobile.Milano is confirmed as a strategic platform for the international positioning of the wood-furniture supply chain: a privileged meeting place for buyers, operators, and designers from all over the world, and a key opportunity to strengthen the presence of Italian companies in global markets by consolidating positioning, engaging with new stakeholders, and reaching emerging markets.”
Annual Events
As always, there will be four annual events: the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, Workplace3.0, and S.Project, with a total of 915 brands (38.57% from abroad), including 139 taking part for the first time or returning to the Salone. The entire event will be accessible thanks to new thematic itineraries, allowing visitors to appreciate the distinctive features of an unrivalled offering.
The focus on the all-Italian ability to create timeless objects will return with A Luxury Way (Pavilions 13-15), at the centre of which Aurea, an Architectural Fiction, an installation by the Parisian studio Maison Numéro 20 guided by interior architect Oscar Lucien Ono, will open its doors: an imaginary hotel that will take the form of a series narrative spaces, a synthesis of interior design and artistic vision. Visitors will be invited to make their way through contrasting universes: from a lush winter garden to a surreal dining room, a mysterious smoking room and a library complete with fireplace. All the spaces will merge into a dream: they will be intimate and unique environments, in which interior design becomes an emotional and theatrical language. The atmosphere will blend Art Deco influences, cinematic references, oriental symbolism and surrealist accents in an immersive story in which light becomes matter – filtered, reflected and sculpted by the architecture. Every detail, from the materials to the furnishings, is designed with sustainability in mind, ensuring that luxury is not ostentation, but a conscious vision of the art of living.
With 700 designers from 43 countries and 23 international design schools and universities, SaloneSatellite will once again focus on talents under 35. The theme of the 27th edition is Maestria artigiana + Innovazione ― Skilled Craftsmanship + Innovation, an invitation to rediscover craftsmanship as the language of the future, a bridge between manual heritage and technological vision. A collective call to rethink “making by hand” as a design, cultural and political act, capable of giving shape to the urgent needs of a new global generation of designers.
To accompany and make this varied offering more accessible, the 64th edition will introduce a new wayfinding system developed by Leftloft and designed to improve the visitor experience by means of clearer, more consistent and intuitive visual tools. The project includes three recurring graphic interfaces inspired by the logic of underground railway networks, which will make it easy to find information, reducing reading time and perceptual complexity. A simplified visual hierarchy will clearly distinguish the physical pavilions from the exhibitions and events being hosted, making for smoother navigation. To support this, a series of highly legible graphic elements – such as clearly visible numbers at the entrance to the pavilions and bases along Corso Italia – will facilitate orientation even from far off. David Pasquali, Co-founder and Creative Director of Leftloft, commented: “Working on a signage project means humanising complexity without denying it, it means working on words and information hierarchies even before graphics, it means designing objects in which form, function and identity blend perfectly, and this is perhaps the most difficult and intriguing challenge.” The system will be completed by a pocket map, which can also be used when closed, allowing immediate access to its contents. By putting the visitor at the centre, this project will translate the complexity of the event into an accessible and contemporary language, reinforcing the identity of the Salone as an evolved and inclusive ecosystem.
The Biennials. EuroCucina with FTK – Technology For the Kitchen
Following its success in 2024, great anticipation is building for the return of EuroCucina with FTK – Technology For the Kitchen, featuring 106 exhibitors from 17 countries (38.60% from abroad), including 35 brands appearing for the first time or returning. The Biennale promises to be the international reference platform for kitchen design, thanks to high-quality exhibition content that offers a clear view of the sector’s progress, driven by technology, sustainability and innovation, intelligent systems, AI integration, biophilic design and greater control for users, who will be able to create tailor-made atmospheres and environments.
Integrated, multisensory vision is what is driving the kitchen evolution: open-plan kitchens that merge with living rooms, interactive surfaces, invisible induction hobs, integrated hoods and kitchen larders that disappear at a touch. Materials are becoming tactile and environmentally friendly: FSC-certified wood, antibacterial ceramics, regenerated laminates and recycled laminated glass. Colour is making its way back to the forefront, but in soft hues. Minimalism is evolving: no longer cold and rational, but emotional and natural, approaching the concept of well-being. Integrated home automation systems allow their users to control lighting, temperature, sound diffusion and even olfactory scenarios, creating truly tailor-made microcosms. Kitchens are becoming user-led, adapting, anticipating and taking heed. But they remain true to their soul: UNESCO recently inscribed Italian cuisine on its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, confirming the deep-seated value of the kitchen as a place of memory, creativity and conviviality. Italian companies are responding to this recognition with research and conscious design: kitchens that express identity but also speak the global language of innovation.
Equally, the large appliance world is also undergoing a transformation. At FTK – Technology For the Kitchen, leading companies will be focusing on increasingly quiet, integrated and autonomous devices. Emerging trends include refrigerators that can recognise food, suggest recipes and organise shopping in the Cloud; smart ovens that adjust cooking according to type of food and user preferences; dishwashers that self-dose, self-clean and communicate when they need attention. Energy efficiency, now a mandatory standard, is combined with sophisticated and customisable aesthetics. Appliances become part of the décor, while voice interaction and touchless interfaces complete a user experience that is increasingly smooth, elegant and tailor-made.
The Biennials. The International Bathroom Exhibition
The International Bathroom Exhibition will once again take centre stage as the sector’s largest international showcase, combining design and technology, with 163 exhibitors from 14 countries (28.22% from abroad). The evolution of this space is being driven by an increasingly “home spa” vision: fluid environments, spectacular walk-in showers, equipped niches, storage mirrors and layered lighting that sculpts the atmosphere. Minimalism becomes warmer and tactile: matt finishes, brushed metals, mineral and earthy colours, continuous large-slab surfaces, advanced ceramics and composites that cut down on joints and maintenance. The keyword is wellbeing, but with a very concrete undertone: water efficiency, hygiene and durability. There is also a theme that is rewriting design priorities: longevity. More than any other room, the bathroom has to withstand the passage of time and changing habits without losing its aesthetics or comfort. This is why “easy” yet elegant solutions are on the rise: flush-to-floor access, non-slip surfaces with a textured appearance, integrated seats and discreet supports that look like design details, ergonomic handles, and heights and dimensions redesigned for easier use. Even the lighting becomes functional, with diffused, glare-free lights and targeted points for safety and precision. Equally, the architecture of the furnishings becomes modular and repairable, with replaceable components, resistant finishes and scheduled replacement parts, because sustainability also depends on the long life of the product. On the tech front, the bathroom connects silently: digital showers with customised profiles, smart sanitaryware and bidets that raise hygiene standards, taps with sensors and consumption monitoring, and smart valves that prevent leaks and damage. The medium- to long-term outlook is for “services”: predictive maintenance, remote assistance, software upgrades, integration with home automation and AI to create tailor-made ambiances (light, steam, sound, microclimate).
Salone Contract
Salone Contract was conceived as a long-term strategic project: a new Salone del Mobile.Milano initiative designed to interpret and understand the complexity of contract furnishing, a rapidly changing market on which value is shifting from individual products to the ability to integrate systems, skills, data and services. The Masterplan was entrusted to Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten (OMA). The Salone chose OMA, an international architecture and urbanism firm, because it combines design practice with a strong research dimension, and an approach that spans scales and disciplines. It is precisely this visionary and methodological approach that is driving the construction of Salone Contract. 2026 represents a key phase in the run-up to the 2027 event: in April, OMA’s initial Contract observations will be presented at a lecture by Rem Koolhaas and a day of international forums organised by the Salone in collaboration with OMA. In the pavilions, a thematic journey among the exhibitors will offer a cross-cutting view of the contract offering and its evolutionary trajectories, while a structured incoming programme will involve a selection of international professionals and global top players. Starting in September 2026, the project will continue with an international road tour of key markets, gradually building an informed and profiled international audience. In 2027, Salone Contract will present as a structured, non-generalist exhibition, with companies selected for their design quality, industrial capacity and operational reliability, complemented by the first edition of Salone Contract Forum: three days of content and a programme of B2B meetings with international professionals. Federico Pompignoli (PMP Architecture) is also expected to collaborate on the 2027 edition as a local partner, in dialogue with OMA.
Salone Raritas. Curated icons, unique objects, and outsider pieces
Salone Raritas (Pavilions 9-11) will make its debut at the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026, an atlas of collectible design bringing together curated icons, unique and “outsider” pieces, limited editions, antiques and high-end creative manufacturing. The show will feature 25 exhibitors: an international constellation lit up by names such as Nilufar, COLLECTIONAL, Salviati x Draga & Aurel, Mouromtsev Design Editions, Mercado Moderno, Bianco67 and Brun Fine Art – different chapters of a single story. Curated by Annalisa Rosso and with exhibition design by Formafantasma, the space will be transformed into a sober and calibrated architectural lantern, designed to allow the objects to speak for themselves and make their value clear to architects, interior designers and hospitality professionals. The aim of Salone Raritas is to create an authoritative point of reference for the professional design market: connecting galleries and designers with international decision makers, providing a clear, selective and high-quality platform where collectible works and furnishings can be discovered and acquired. Here, rarity becomes a method: a direct bridge between special creative production and evolved demand. Rounding things off, Sabine Marcelis will devise a special project that condenses light, matter and perception into a precise gesture, to be seen and remembered. Salone Raritas will not be a luxury category: it will be a cultural project that will focus on identity, origins and visions, and will make the object an act of language in the present.
The Cultural Programme
2026 will mark the fourth edition of the public programme Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives. After welcoming some of the most influential figures in contemporary design thinking, the series of meetings designed by Formafantasma will progress the programme’s role as a platform for discussion on the most pressing issues related to innovation, sustainability and new market perspectives. In line with the renewed drive towards internationalisation that began with Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh – the project that brought the Drafting Futures debate to the capital of Saudi Arabia in November 2025 – and the talks in Shanghai held in collaboration with the West Bund Art & Design Fair, those held in Hong Kong as part of Art Basel, and in New Delhi as part of the India Art Fair, the 2026 edition will strengthen its position as a space for generating virtuous connections.
The Salone in the city
Once again this year, Salone will embrace Milan within the context of Milan Design Week, renewing its partnership with the Teatro alla Scala Foundation for the sixth consecutive year. The official opening night of the Salone will take place at the Teatro alla Scala, with a concert by the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra conducted by Michele Mariotti and featuring Giuseppe Albanese on piano. For the third year running, the Design Kiosk, a Salone landmark entrusted to Corraini Edizioni (a DWA-Design Studio project), will be back in Piazza della Scala, accompanied by the three-dimensional Salone del Mobile.Milano sign. Furthermore, there will be a special project in partnership with K-Way: a newsstand in Piazza del Duomo curated by the Salone, which, in addition to the usual distribution of magazines, will be the ideal starting point for embarking on an urban itinerary devised by Bianca Felicori, founder of Forgotten Architecture, for the Salone. Five stops, chosen to provide a reinterpretation of significant buildings in Milan through light textile installations and to spark dialogue around architecture, design and urban mobility. The newsstand will also host a limited edition capsule collection — developed with K-Way and linked to the Salone del Mobile’s 2026 campaign — together with a booklet documenting the project, both also available at the brand’s Milan flagship stores. Finally, this year, to an even greater extent than last year, the Salone will also flow into the Salone in the city: over 200 showrooms of brands exhibiting at the annual events, EuroCucina and the International Bathroom Exhibition will become part of the great design festival, throwing open their doors to design lovers.
Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan, said: “The concert by the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra, ushering in the Salone del Mobile and the event’s presence in the city, with installations and initiatives during Milan Design Week, are clear and concrete evidence of the deep ties between the Salone and Milan: a constant and lively dialogue and collaboration that withstands the test of time. I am delighted that the 64th edition of the Salone shares the city’s vision and objectives, starting with the desire to innovate, experiment and invest in young people and the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the supply chain. Creatives, architects and all those who work in the field of design, or are passionate about it, are eagerly awaiting the opening of the 2026 Salone to find out how the international design sector has interpreted these challenges and how it has translated possible solutions into products, furnishings, furniture and creative projects. We are confident that Milan, fresh from hosting the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, will welcome designers, professionals, companies, buyers and visitors from all over the world to take part in the Salone del Mobile.Milano with renewed enthusiasm. The event, both inside and outside the fairgrounds, is unquestionably unmissable.”
Attilio Fontana, President of the Lombardy Region, commented: “The Salone del Mobile in Milan is a virtuous model of sustainable development, capable of combining innovation, environmental responsibility and employment growth. It is here that design becomes a concrete lever for the ecological transition of production chains and for fostering the work, skills and talents that make Lombardy one of the most dynamic regions in Europe. The Lombard Region strongly supports an event that generates skilled employment, strengthens the competitiveness of businesses and promotes a design culture that is attentive to people, territories and future generations.”
Mobility and Hospitality
In support of sustainable mobility, from 21st to 26th April 2026, in collaboration with BusForFun, the Salone will once again be promoting a free shuttle service to and from Milan Malpensa Airport. On the hospitality front, Salone del Mobile.Milano has renewed its collaboration with MiCodmc, offering an exclusive service finding hotels to stay in during the event (bookings will be available through the Salone website). For the second year running, in collaboration with fuorisalone.it, the Salone will be supporting the Mito Design Connection platform (mitodesignconnections.it), promoted by the Unione Industriali Torino and the Turin Chamber of Commerce to foster relations between companies in Turin and Milan and provide logistical and hospitality support for exhibitors and visitors. The platform offers hotel reservations and support in organising travel between Turin Porta Susa and Rho Fiera.
Partners
Once again, this year, ITA — Italian Trade Agency has provided significant support for the Salone del Mobile.Milano on its international missions. In April, the agency’s commitment will be renewed with the aim of bringing the largest number of qualified foreign professionals from all over the world to Milan which will be welcomed in the IBL — International Business Lounge.
For the 2026 edition, Salone is being partnered by Intesa Sanpaolo, institutional partner since 2017, which supports the Italian furniture and design sector by promoting the sustainable growth of companies within the supply chain; Panerai, the Salone’s Official Time Keeper, K-WAY, Ca’ del Bosco, S.Bernardo, illycaffè, and Radio Deejay, Radio Capital e m2o.
Maria Porro concluded: “Now that the April Salone has been designed, I can only thank those who have accompanied us on this journey over the past few months. The Italian Trade Agency, which supports us in our promotional activities abroad, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, which has always supported us. The Government and the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy also stood alongside the Salone in Saudi Arabia on the occasion of Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh. I would like to thank the Municipality of Milan, with the Department of Economic Development and Labour Policies and the Department of Culture, and the Lombard Region, with the Department of Tourism, Territorial Marketing and Fashion, which have also been by our side in the research activities that have gone into the second Annual Report of the Salone Observatory. This magic has been made possible thanks to the excellence of industrial manufacturing that knows how to work as a team, innovate, build worlds, and spread vital energy throughout the city, transforming it into the international capital of design. Thank you, therefore, to the Teatro alla Scala Foundation and to all the other public and private institutions and organisations that will once again contribute to the success of this ecosystem, which is unique in the world.”
