Salone del Mobile debuts in Saudi Arabia

Maria Porro, President of Salone del Mobile.Milano, comments: "Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh is the first step towards 2026, when the city will host a fully-fledged Salone del Mobile, broader in scope, richer in content and at the service of Saudi Arabia’s design ecosystem". 

"Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh" is being promoted in collaboration with and supported by the institutional partners that work alongside the Salone in its international activities — MAECI — Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ITA — Italian Trade Agency. 

Matteo Zoppas, President of ITA – Italian Trade Agency: "ITA - Italian Trade Agency stands alongside the Salone del Mobile.Milano to support the internationalization of Italian wood-furniture and design companies and to strengthen the presence of Made in Italy products in strategic markets, in line with the export plan promoted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani"

Minister Antonio Tajani declared: "Thanks to the preview of the Salone del Mobile Riyadh 2026, we are strengthening the economic ties between Italy and Saudi Arabia. Italian design, renowned for its ability to unite the richness of craftsmanship rooted in our local communities with extraordinary functionality and quality, is making a fundamental contribution to the major urban, residential, and hospitality projects promoted by the Saudi development plan ‘Vision 2030’. Through the Export Plan, together with the instruments made available to companies by ITA, SACE, SIMEST and CDP, we will continue to support Italian companies also in this strategic sector."

A large installation by the architecture studio Giò Forma

The spectacular heart of Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh is a large installation by the international architecture studio Giò Forma, which introduces Riyadh to the world of the Salone del Mobile.Milano: a landscape of modular scaffolding, covered with a semi-transparent red fabric, transforming the raw language of the construction site into a cultural stage. Red is not only a colour but also the common thread of the experience, a visual trace connecting places and people, a symbol of energy and the future. Within the structures of the installation, the products of more than 35 furniture companies light up a performance in which know-how, bold design, harmony and circularity come together and chart new perspectives. It is both a preview and a manifesto: a communication tool that heralds the arrival of a global event, inviting Riyadh to experience design as a shared cultural construction. Florian Boje of the studio Giò Forma says, "the Salone del Mobile.Milano in Riyadh is the navel of the world, a major, dynamic local and global laboratory where new scenarios for home living are imagined and built."

A Business Lounge by Lissoni & Partners 

The B2B component takes shape in the Business Lounge designed by Lissoni & Partners studio, which unfolds into lounge and meeting areas designed for discreet yet functional hospitality: close sitting rooms defined by curved walls like graphic strokes, pillars clad in backlit pleated fabric that become landmarks, carpets, furnishings and touches of greenery creating a welcoming retreat. A fullheight illuminated wall narrates the story and values of the Salone del Mobile.Milano. The layout of the furnishings has been conceived to convey a space given over to scheduled meetings, presentations and networking between Italian companies and key Saudi players. Rounding off the programme, site visits to some of the major mega-projects under development in Riyadh and throughout the Kingdom are envisaged. The aim is to foster professional relationships, test the needs and priorities of clients and generate concrete opportunities for companies within the supply chain. 

Alongside the professional programme, there is an area dedicated to Lifestyle in collaboration with KAFD retailers and Italian and Saudi food & beverage brands: the Financial Plaza hosts convivial opportunities illustrating the rituals of Italian living, conceived as spaces for interaction between participants. Not just a simple interlude, but a theatre of service and hospitality thought out with the same care as the design aimed at fostering conversation. 

Finally, there are two institutional areas: the Saudi Ministry of Culture space showcasing the work of local designers in collaboration with the Kingdom's leading universities; the Architecture and Design Commission at the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture area hosting "Designed in Saudi", an initiative conceived by the Commission to nurture the local ecosystem: it highlights emerging talent, supports the development of skills, and creates the conditions for ideas and products to gain visibility on international markets, with the aim of positioning the Kingdom as a new global destination for design. At the heart of the initiative lies the "Designed in Saudi" seal, a mark of quality awarded by a committee of local and international designers to products that, after a thorough evaluation process, demonstrate authenticity and a human-centred approach from concept to final outcome. 

Exhibiting companies: Alchymia, Argenteria Schiavon, Arper, Artemide, Bonaldo, Calligaris, Cassina, Citco, Desiree, DGA, Edra, Fantoni, Florim, Flos, Foscarini, Gessi, Giorgetti, Guzzini & Fontana Projects, Henry Glass, LaPalma, Lema, Listone Giordano, Living Divani, Loloey, Minotti, Molteni&C, Nardi, Natuzzi Italia, Officina della Scala, Pinetti, Poliform, Poltrona Frau, Porro, Rugiano, Technogym, Venini, Villari, Visionnaire