Salone reinforces its collaboration with Art Basel and lands in Hong Kong

Collectors Lounge, Art Basel Hong Kong 2026, Salone del Mobile.Milano - Ph. Gordon Lau

After Miami, the Salone curates the Art Basel Hong Kong Collectors Lounge. A further key step in the internationalisation of Made in Italy design

Since its debut at Art Basel Miami Beach, which marked the Salone del Mobile.Milano’s arrival at the heart of the international collecting scene, the three-year partnership with Art Basel continues in Hong Kong. With its second Collectors Lounge, the Salone is consolidating an increasingly established presence in settings where art, design and value converge. In one of the global market’s most dynamic hubs, it engages a highly discerning audience and brings Italian design into the circles where relationships are forged, choices are shaped and the new geographies of the contemporary world are mapped out.

In partnership with Lissoni & Partners, the Art Basel Hong Kong Collectors Lounge will take shape thanks to a selection of companies representing some of the most influential names in the Italian wood and furniture industry: Arper, Artemide, B&B Italia, Bontempi, De Castelli, Ethimo, Fiam Italia, Flos, Gallotti&Radice, Glas Italia, Golran, Gufram, Kartell, Mattiazzi, Memphis, Meridiani, Molteni&C, Natuzzi, Oluce, Pedrali, Porro, Villari and Visionnaire. A diverse group in terms of styles and positioning, yet united in its vision — a constellation of manufacturers that interweaves manufacturing heritage and innovation with a marked ability to engage with the contemporary codes of art and architecture. Here, Italian design asserts itself as a cultural language and a strategic lever capable of connecting beauty, business and investment.

Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, had this to say: “With Art Basel Hong Kong, we are taking a key step in the Salone’s internationalisation process, entering one of the most important hubs for the art market and for accessing the Asian markets. Hong Kong represents a privileged gateway to Asia — China, Japan, South Korea — and a point of connection with a region in which demand for design is evolving and making itself felt on multiple levels. In this context, even as flows are being redefined, the city’s role as a relational and cultural platform is growing, capable of generating opportunities on a regional scale. It is within this context that the Salone’s presence has been growing since 2024, the year in which the SaloneSatellite Permanent Collection was hosted by the IDFFHK International Design Furniture Fair Hong Kong and the Designworks Foundation, showcasing more than 100 products. The aim is not merely to maintain a presence in a market, but to build relationships and connections within high-value ecosystems, where art, design and cultural investment intertwine. Participation in Art Basel Hong Kong is accompanied by a programme of content that reflects the evolution of the event, which this year sees the debut of Salone Raritas, the new platform dedicated to limited editions, one-off pieces and high-end craftsmanship. In parallel, Italian Design Day, curated by Annalisa Rosso, fits into this framework as a tool for cultural diplomacy, promoting reflection on the role of design in the regeneration of spaces, objects and relationships, and strengthening the dialogue between the Italian design sector and international contexts.”

Duyi Han designer e artista, Talenia Phua Gajardo CEO e Founder The Artling, Yoko Choy China Editor, Wallpaper* Global Edition; Founder, Cultural Associates - Ph. Gordon Lau — Duyi Han Designer and Artist, Talenia Phua Gajardo CEO e Founder The Artling, Yoko Choy China Editor, Wallpaper* Global Edition; Founder, Cultural Associates, Annalisa Rosso Editorial & Cultural Director, Advisor at Salone del Mobile.Milano - Ph. Gordon Lau

The Talk: For the love of collectibles: why collect design now

The Salone’s cultural programme in Hong Kong will feature the talk For the Love of Collectibles: why collect design now, curated by Annalisa Rosso, Editorial and Cultural Director, Advisor of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, which will explore collectible design as a frontier between design research, limited-edition production and the creation of cultural value. Scheduled for 28th March at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, the event will bring together the artist and designer Duyi Han and Talenia Phua Gajardo, Founder and CEO of The Artling, in conversation with Yoko Choy. The discussion will throw open a reflection on the new trajectories of contemporary design, exploring its narrative dimension, its ability to activate contexts, and its growing relevance within hybrid scenarios spanning residential, hospitality and public spaces. A look at the Asian scene as an evolving laboratory, where collectible design forges a language capable of interpreting and redefining the geographies of contemporary design.

Celebrating Italian Design Day

On March 27 at 12:00 PM, Italian Design Day will be celebrated at the Collectors Lounge, in the presence of Massimo Ambrosetti, Ambassador of Italy to the People’s Republic of China; Carmelo Ficarra, Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong; and Paola Bellusci, Director of the ICE Agency Hong Kong. Annalisa Rosso, Editorial and Cultural Director–Advisor of Salone del Mobile.Milano and Testimonial of Italian Design in Hong Kong, will present a reflection on re-design as a practice of regeneration and design responsibility. Her talk will focus on the ability of design to reinterpret the existing, extend its lifecycle, and generate value through sustainable and conscious processes. This approach is reflected in the vision of Salone del Mobile.Milano - an event aligned with the United Nations Global Compact, ISO 20121 certified for sustainable event management and a promoter of Green Guidelines for all exhibitors - and finds synthesis in the Salone Raritas project curated by Ms Rosso. Here, limited-edition objects of high manufacturing quality are conceived to endure over time, resisting the logic of obsolescence and affirming a new idea of permanence in contemporary design.

Hong Kong: a threshold between markets and visions

In recent years, Hong Kong has embarked on a significant evolution of its positioning in the international art and design system. Within this context, the economic data also reflect a phase of redefinition that opens up new positioning opportunities. In the first eleven months of 2025, Italian wood-furniture supply chain exports to Hong Kong stood at 59.8 million euros, while the furnishing macro-system reached 52 million euros (Data Centro Studi FederlegnoArredo). Values that, within in a phase of transformation of flows, confirm the city ‘s role as a strategic platform for access to a wider area. Hong Kong is in fact part of a rapidly evolving Asian system, in which markets such as China, Japan and South Korea are showing significant levels of demand for Italian design. From this point of view, the city is taking on an increasingly central function as a relational and cultural hub, capable of activating connections and opportunities on a regional scale. A threshold, rather than a destination.

A global itinerary to expand geographies and audiences

The partnership with Art Basel Miami Beach and Art Basel Hong Kong is an essential step forward on the broader international journey that the Salone del Mobile.Milano has been conducting in recent years with the support of the ITA - Italian Trade Agency. The intent is to place the culture of Italian design in strategic economic contexts, creating connections with clients and professionals who will help redefine new opportunities for expanding international audiences and geographies.

Carmelo Ficarra, Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong, commented: “The Salone del Mobile deserves Hong Kong and Hong Kong deserves the Salone del Mobile. The partnership with Art Basel, the support of ITA and the participation of some of the most prestigious figures on the Italian creative scene valorise the collaboration of the Italian system in a leading sector and in a market full of potential and ample space for Italian companies. Blending art and design, creativity and trends within the context of Italian Design Day 2026 in Hong Kong is a significant achievement that promotes Italian excellence and sparks new synergies in an extremely dynamic economic and cultural context.”

Paola Bellusci, Director of the ITA - Italian Trade Agency Hong Kong, said: “The ITA Agency strongly supports the strategic alliance between the Salone del Mobile.Milano and Art Basel, two international brands synonymous with quality, cutting-edge design, research and innovation, which are rooted in a solid tradition and global leadership. The Salone del Mobile enjoys an outstanding reputation among trade professionals in Hong Kong, who welcome its return to the city with keen interest and high expectations. Through this integrated partnership, the Italian side hopes to consolidate its position in the local furnishing and lighting market. The occasion also provides a timely opportunity to increase and further opportunities for dialogue and exchange between the communities of Italian and Chinese professionals, as well as those from all the regions represented by Art Basel participants: designers, architects, interior designers, journalists and artists, whilst also engaging an ‘audience’ of consumers distinguished by their considerable spending power and their long-standing ‘aspiration’ towards an Italian-type lifestyle”.

Its presence in the Collectors Lounges at the Miami Beach and Hong Kong trade consolidates the ongoing story of Italian design, anticipating the themes, languages and contents of the next edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, scheduled from 21st to 26th April 2026, along with EuroCucina / FTK, Technology For the Kitchen and the International Bathroom Exhibition. A path that confirms the Salone's desire to engage with the various international ecosystems and to promote the culture of design as a strategic lever for the growth of the Italian creative industry.