Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026: this is how it went

Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026

Against a backdrop of geopolitical instability and shifting demand, the Salone del Mobile.Milano has confirmed the industry’s ability to hold its ground without retreating, seeking out new markets, new business models and new forms of design.

The 2026 edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano notched up 316,342 visitors from 167 different countries, consolidating its position as a global benchmark for the sector. In a year marked by unstable markets and growing international complexity, the Event has stood the test of the present with an offering combining industrial strength, design quality, cultural content and new business opportunities. The percentage of international trade visitors, which stood at 68% – consistent with 2025 – went beyond mere attendance figures: it confirmed the Salone as a concrete internationalisation, networking and business development lever.

Over six days, companies, buyers, investors, retailers, contractors, designers and the international media found the Salone to be a hub for high-value networking and content. With 1,900 brands from 32 countries, the image projected by the 2026 edition of the event was of a responsive and competitive industrial ecosystem. The International Bathroom Exhibition and EuroCucina, together with FTK, Technology For the Kitchen, confirmed the strategic importance of two key sectors in the evolution of contemporary living, encompassing industrial quality, technology and new lifestyles.

he ranking of the top twenty foreign countries by number of attendances of operators underscored the evolving geographical distribution of demand. In absolute terms, China dominated once again. Europe’s resilience was confirmed, with a growing number of trade visitors from Germany (in second place in the top 20, up 5.1% on 2025), Spain (rising to third place, up 8.7%), Austria (in thirteenth place, jumping 15.7%), and Belgium (up 7.3%). Poland grew (in fifth place, +2.1%), stable France in sixth place. Compared to non-European markets, attendance of operators from the United States performs very well (+8.8% compared to 2025) as did that from the United Kingdom (+10.4% compared to 2025). Outside the rankings, visitor numbers from both Canada (+28%) and Mexico (+15%) rose significantly, while there was a strengthening of dynamic regions with new potential, such as Mercosur, (Brasil in fourth place +1.3%), South Korea (in fifteenth place +4.5%).

This growth was underpinned by a year-round programme of initiatives: from Expo Osaka 2025 to the three-year partnership with Art Basel Miami Beach and Hong Kong and B2B missions to India, the United States, Canada and China, to the Salone del Mobile’s first spin-off in Saudi Arabia, through to promotional activities at the leading European hubs, from Paris to London, Berlin and Madrid. This permanent international presence received further recognition as of today with the appointment of the Salone del Mobile.Milano as an Ambassador of Italian Design Worldwide, conferred by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, announced at the opening of the 64th edition of the event.

The appointment forms part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ economic and cultural diplomacy policies and marks the start of a new phase of collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), formalised by the signing of the Framework Agreement with FederlegnoArredo. This alliance aims to consolidate the presence of Italian design in key international markets, leveraging an integrated network of institutions, embassies and Italian Cultural Institutes. Meanwhile, thanks to the support of the ITA – Italian Trade Agency, the presence of industry professionals at the event was boosted once again this year by a delegation of over 200 players of the contract sector from 51 countries.

Alongside the annual and biennial exhibitions, the 2026 edition reinforced its role as a catalyst for new opportunities, transforming content and visions into tools for interpreting markets and design. With Salone Raritas – 28 galleries from 12 countries – the Salone has launched a broader dialogue on the cultural value of design, placing uniqueness, research and experimentation at the centre. The curatorial masterplan for Salone Contract 2027, designed by Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten / OMA, has instead shifted the focus onto a segment that goes beyond the logic of the product to engage with complex systems and a global market worth 68 billion euros.

Over 6,039 Press and Media attendances, (2,828 from abroad), broadening the event’s international reach and underscoring the power of an event that continues to shape the global debate on design, industry and the evolution of living. There was also a marked presence of the younger generation: 8,057 Italian students, 6,361 foreign students and 700 designers under 35 from 39 countries at SaloneSatellite confirming the event’s role as a bridge between education, research and industry. Design lovers’ numbers grew reaching 37,431 this year – to whom the Salone dedicated 24 themed itineraries: a guide to help visitors find their way around, inviting them to discover new products and trends.

Last but not least, the Common Archive. La Notte Bianca del Progetto, promoted by the Salone Observatory, was sold out. The Common Archive event saw 19 institutions – including major public and private archives – throw open their doors with over 50 guided tours and free talks, showcasing more than 150 historic architecture and design collections, part of the city’s heritage made accessible to the international public gathered in Milan for the event.

Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, had this to say: “With 316,342 presences from 167 countries, the 2026 edition has reaffirmed the strength of a system that, even in the most challenging of times, has chosen to move forward. It was a success not just in terms of the trade fair itself, but for the entire sector: a result of teamwork, a shared vision, and dialogue between different worlds that find a concrete synthesis here. The Salone does not merely bring the world of design together: it sets it in motion. It transforms attendance into relationships, content into opportunities, and complexity into direction. The international dimension, the growth of foreign markets and the work carried out throughout the year confirm the Salone’s role as a strategic infrastructure for supporting the sector in its internationalisation processes. The designation of Ambassador of Italian Design Worldwide underscores our responsibility to represent a system capable of competing, innovating and opening up to new geographies. Salone Raritas, the masterplan presented by Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten / OMA for Salone Contract 2027, the cultural programme and the participation of the new generations show that the future is not just built on numbers, but on our ability to experiment, change team, and take on the risk of innovation. As Rem Koolhaas reminded us in his lecture, designing means getting out of one’s comfort zone – a thought that the Salone adopts as its method – creating the right conditions for the sector to continue to dream up new possibilities. Thanks to the efforts of all concerned, this edition has delivered an even more international Salone to the national economy and provided a concrete direction for the supply chain: combining industrial continuity with the capacity for innovation, leveraging a model rooted in local areas, difficult to replicate elsewhere and still competitive on international markets today.”

“First and foremost, the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026 has given a concrete shot of confidence to the entire sector. Against a complex international background, the results have exceeded all expectation, as the figures clearly show. A successful challenge that allows us to look ahead to the coming months with cautious optimism, but above all enables us to state that, once again, the Salone del Mobile was called upon to send a signal of recovery and confidence to the country, and it did not disappoint. The atmosphere over the last few days has been genuinely positive, with the increased turnout of trade professionals largely reflecting market trends, confirming the Salone del Mobile’s role as a strategic platform for our companies’ business. Europe has staged a striking comeback, with a presence that implies that the Old Continent is playing a central role in shaping new growth trajectories. Equally, encouraging trends are also being seen from operators outside Europe, starting with the United States (+8.8%), which is once again showing interest and investment capacity, despite President Trump’s tariffs. This is also the framework for the work already under way on the Contract 2027 project, designed specifically to attract an increasing number of international companies and buyers, further strengthening the event’s role as a leading platform. Sincere thanks go to all the institutions that came to visit us and which, through their presence and support over the years, have contributed to the results achieved, reinforcing the value of the Salone as a strategic platform for the sector,” added Claudio Feltrin, President FederlegnoArredo.

The Salone del Mobile.Milano is now looking ahead to its 65th edition; from 13th to 18th 2027.