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The Salone del Mobile.Milano events programme

From special projects and site-specific installations to press conferences, masterclasses and talks, this programme of events allows you to discover what's new at the Salone and learn about the design industry in all its forms. An opportunity to meet, listen, discuss and connect.

Upcoming events

Past events

Arena Drafting Futures 2026

Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives

Arab Design Now: Networks of Making, Networks of Meaning

Introduction by Abdulrahman al Muftah, Designer, Program Coordinator Design Doha

This conversation introduces Arab Design Now, one of the most relevant publications dedicated to contemporary design across the MENASA region, offering an in-depth survey of more than 70 designers working across architecture, products, and craft, and presenting a rich landscape spanning the Levant, the Gulf, and North Africa. A second edition of the book will be presented in 2026, curated by Noura Al Sayeh-Holtrop, and will be announced on this occasion. A fundamental, ongoing editorial project reflecting the richness and diversity of the Arab world, developed with the support of Design Doha, the long-term platform strengthening networks of makers and thinkers, supporting knowledge transmission, and positioning design in MENASA as a vital force.

Fahad Al Obaidly, Director Design Doha

Noura Al Sayeh, Curator Arab Design Now 2026

Said Berkane, Senior Cultural Project Specialist, Qatar Museums

Followed by a Book Signing with Fahad Al Obaidly and Noura Al Sayeh at Corraini Mobile Bookshop

Arab Design Now, Volume I, SilvanaEditoriale, 2024

23 APR 2026
14:00 – 15:00
Drafting Futures Arena, Pav. 14 - Fiera Milano, Rho

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Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives

ITALIAN FURNITURE AND DESIGN. The role of finance in sustaining the sector's global excellence

Welcome by Maria Porro, President Salone del Mobile.Milano

Presentation
Made in Italy Furniture Industry: challenges and opportunities in a changing market
Curated by Stefania Trenti, Responsible Industry and Local Economies Research Intesa Sanpaolo

Round Table
The value of Italian Design and the strength of supply chains facing new economic and geopolitical challenges

The round table explores the challenges and opportunities that the international context presents to the furniture sector and its supply chains, with particular focus on the role of finance in supporting the global competitiveness of Italian manufacturing. At the heart of the discussion: investment strategies, pathways toward sustainability, and innovation as a driver of growth. Analysis from Intesa Sanpaolo's Research Department will be complemented by first-hand accounts from companies across the sector and by a reflection on the value of intellectual property as a strategic safeguard of Italian design's identity and excellence on the world stage - offering an integrated perspective that brings together macroeconomic data and entrepreneurial visions on the new trajectories of global markets.

Inge Buffolo, Director Business Development Department EUIPO
Daniele Lago, President and Head of Design Lago
Anna Roscio, Executive Director Sales & Marketing Imprese Intesa Sanpaolo
Andrea Tagliabue, CEO TABU
Modera Federica Galli, Journalist TRC

Curated by Intesa Sanpaolo

23 APR 2026
15:00 – 16:00
Drafting Futures Arena, Pav. 14 - Fiera Milano, Rho

ARENA DREAFTING

Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives

Two Speeds of Design. Between Scale and Singularity

The talk Two Speeds of Design looks at authorial design and at a product in wide circulation as two forces that shape contemporary practice and related market. Serial design brings large reach, continuity, and broad application. Authorial design ─ unique pieces, limited editions, outsider creations ─ is a platform for freedom: a space where imagination, exploration, and risk can operate without constraint. Moving between these two worlds is, for the most forward-thinking figures in the field, a conscious choice and a source of strength. Limited editions and bespoke commissions function as sites of research ─ material, conceptual, and formal ─ while serial production translates and extends that research into form and distribution, subject to the disciplines of scale, numbers, and cost. The relationship between the two is dynamic rather than hierarchical, and their coexistence reflects a mature design ecosystem - one capable of addressing both cultural ambition and industrial reality.

Job Smeets, Founder Studio Job
Clément Rougelot, Co-Founder 13Desserts
Giovanni Lacerenza, Director Brun Fine Art
Roberto Palomba, Architect and Designer, Co-Founder Palomba Serafini Associati

Moderated by Maria Cristina Didero, Independent design curator and Author

23 APR 2026
16:30 – 17:30
Drafting Futures Arena, Pav. 14 - Fiera Milano, Rho

Design Kiosk Public Programme

Magazine C: A Chair as a Magazine

This talk introduces the editorial concept behind C Magazine, where each issue revolves around a single chair. Through research, essays, and visual storytelling, the publication expands a design object into a broader cultural narrative, connecting history, culture, and contemporary practices across global and interdisciplinary contexts.

Eunkyung Jeon, Executive Director Magazine C
Sunjin Kim, Editor Magazine C
in conversation with Francesca Spiller, Founder and Owner Reading Room

23 APR 2026
18:30 – 19:30
Piazza della Scala, Milan

Al borde - david barragan

Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives

David Barragán in conversation with Marcela Fibbiani

The talk explores an architectural approach rooted in local reality and territory, proposing a design centred on the sustainability of life and cultural identity. The discussion focuses on experimenting with materials, vernacular knowledge, and the matter that anchors us to the site, seeking alternatives to steel and concrete that cause a loss of identity. It will highlight the value of constructive knowledge transmitted through oral tradition and artisanal craftsmanship. Architecture is presented as matter, context, and collective action. David Barragán of Al Borde studio will share case studies from Ecuador and abroad, demonstrating how project diversity can foster local development and social innovation. This approach involves adapting design to local conditions using materials like earth, bamboo, and wood, while reclaiming ancestral knowledge to face environmental crises.

David Barragán, Co-Founder Al Borde
Moderated by Marcela Fibbiani, Design Journalist, 90+10

Followed by a Book Signing with David Barragán at Corraini Mobile Bookshop
Al Borde: Less Is All, Arquine, 2020

Architects registered with CNAPPC (the Italian National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects and Conservators) are entitled to 2 CPD credits: please complete the form to register and initiate the accreditation process. Training credits will be awarded exclusively to participants who have signed the attendance register on site.

Ph. JAG Studio

24 APR 2026
11:00 – 12:00
Drafting Futures Arena, Pav. 14 - Fiera Milano, Rho

Arena Drafting Futures

Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives

Italian Cuisine as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Opportunities and development of a crucial sector for Made in Italy

This moment of exchange explores the implications of the growth and value of Italian savoir faire — from cuisine to design to furnishings — opening new opportunities for evolution among Made in Italy companies. The discussion will address how past, present and future can enter into dialogue to express identity, culture and lifestyle. Intangible heritage thus becomes a driver of industrial development, marketing and design. The question is: how can businesses transform cultural recognition into economic value?

Silvia Sassoni, Strategic communications and public relations professional
Carlo Cracco, Chef
Edi Snaidero, Designated Advisor, Kitchens Division – Assarredo, FederlegnoArredo
Conducted by Maddalena Fossati, Editor-in-Chief of La Cucina Italiana and President of the Steering Committee for the candidacy of Italian Cuisine for UNESCO Heritage status

24 APR 2026
12:00 – 13:00
Drafting Futures Arena, Pav. 14 - Fiera Milano, Rho

Cover_Salone2026

Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives

Raritas. Bringing Craft, Special Editions and Antiques to Salone del Mobile

With the introduction of Salone Raritas, contemporary craft, special-edition design and antiques enter Salone del Mobile not as peripheral categories, but as central pillars within a wider ecosystem. As architects, interior designers, developers and hospitality brands increasingly look to rare and characterful pieces to give distinction to residential, retail and public interiors, how are these disciplines being positioned within a fair historically defined by industrial production? What does it mean to present unique and limited-edition works at a trade event, and what new opportunities does this create for designers and gallerists working across collectible design, high craftsmanship and antiques? Featuring exhibitors working across collectible design, high craftsmanship and antiques, this panel will explore the growing appeal of collectible objects among professional audiences and consider how Salone Raritas aligns with Salone del Mobile’s wider role as an international platform for design culture and business.

Draga Obradovic, Co-Founder Draga & Aurel
Luca Marullo Viola, Co-Founder Parasite 2.0
Stephan Hamel, International Design Consultant
Francesco Faccin, Founder Studio Francesco Faccin
Moderated by TF Chan, Director Collect Art Fair

24 APR 2026
16:00 – 17:00
Drafting Futures Arena, Pav. 14 - Fiera Milano, Rho

Design Kiosk Public Programme

Never Too Small: Rethinking Compact Living

In this talk, Colin Chee introduces Never Too Small and his perspective on contemporary living. From New York to Japan, he shares projects that transform compact spaces into thoughtful and functional homes. The talk also highlights designers, artists, and experimental practices that are reshaping urban living to be more creative, accessible, and human.

Eunkyung Jeon, Executive Director Magazine C
Sunjin Kim, Editor Magazine C
in conversation with Francesca Spiller, Founder and Owner Reading Room

24 APR 2026
18:30 – 19:30
Piazza della Scala, Milan

Matteo Caccia

Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives

Home – Place – Feeling

What does the ideal home look like? It is a concept that changes over time, but not too much. For millennia, a house has been a house. And yet its form and functions adapt to the outside world. They open up, when the time is right, or close to protect like a shelter from the world outside, when that is the better choice. A monologue by Matteo Caccia will explore the evolution of the concept of home throughout human history and the history of design. Dimensions, function, divisions. A sentimental journey through the most

Performance by Matteo Caccia, Author and Storyteller
Introduction by Davide Coppo, Head of Special Projects Rivista Studio and Valentina Ardia, Editor in Chief Rivista Studio
Curated by Rivista Studio

25 APR 2026
11:00 – 12:00
Drafting Futures Arena, Pav. 14 - Fiera Milano, Rho

la pina

Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives

If La Pina goes to the Salone

Sunday, April 26, marks the appointment with La Pina. A passionate design lover and daughter of the unforgettable architect Andrea Branzi. The iconic Radio Deejay host will explore the Salone del Mobile stands with her sharp and curious eye. This lively walkthrough will culminate at the Drafting Futures Arena, where La Pina, in dialogue with the President of Salone, Maria Porro, will share her personal experience with the audience, leading to a vibrant debate on the world of design and its impact on our daily lives.

26 APR 2026
11:00 – 12:00
Drafting Futures Arena, Pav. 14 - Fiera Milano, Rho

Design Kiosk Public Programme

Speed, Culture, Identity: A Conversation with Klaus Busse

The talk offers an overview of key themes in contemporary design: what it means today to design for a brand like Maserati, how to build a balance between heritage and innovation, and how contemporary culture, across digital, fashion, and new visual languages, is reshaping the automotive world. It provides a perspective on how design is evolving through speed, identity, and cultural change.

Klaus Busse, Head of Design Maserati
in conversation with Leonardo Brini, Outpump Creative Director

26 APR 2026
18:30 – 19:00
Piazza della Scala, Milan