Maria Porro, president of Salone del Mobile Milano Photo: Courtesy of Milano Finanza

For the 63rd time, Milan once again became the capital of furniture and design with the Salone del Mobile. From the exhibition halls in Rho to the showrooms in the city center, the event looked as far as China and the rest of the world.

With more than 2,000 exhibitors from 37 countries and 148 brands (with Italian ones alone generating over $10.2 billion in revenue) spread across approximately 169,000 square meters of the exhibition space - not including the complementary events of the biennial Euroluce and SaloneSatellite - the 63rd edition of the Salone del Mobile Milano took place from April 8 to 13, 2025 at the Rho fairgrounds in Milan, with its presence extending into the city and blending with the packed calendar of events linked to the Milano Design Week and the Fuorisalone. 

Over the years, the event has increasingly established itself as a global benchmark platform for the furniture and design sector. In the words of Claudio Feltrin, president of FederlegnoArredo, it is indeed a true "tool of industrial policy in times of economic downturn such as this current one."

With its showcase of products, workshops, masterclasses, and round tables, the Salone del Mobile is a formidable think tank of business, creativity, and sustainable innovation, as well as a breeding ground for new talent. The idea of offering free exhibition space to design schools whose graduates can apply to exhibit at SaloneSatellite, dates back 25 years. Since then, over 14,000 young designers and more than 350 design schools and universities have connected with Italian and international furniture makers through this initiative, aptly celebrated by the SaloneSatellite Permanent Collection 1998 - 2024 Exhibition held in November in West Kowloon Cultural District of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Claudio Feltrin, president of FederlegnoArredo Photo: Courtesy of Milano Finanza

That same November in East China's Shanghai, Salone del Mobile Milano, with support from the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), partnered for the first time with West Bund Art & Design, Asia's most prestigious art fair.

China remains a key market for Made in Italy, ranking eighth in 2024 among the top 25 export destinations for the wood-furniture sector, despite a decline in value compared to the previous year - 347 million euros ($393 million) versus 479 million euros in 2023, and even more so compared to 578 million euros in 2022.

To this we can add figures from the lighting sector. Exports to China didn't exceed double digits (28 million euros in the first 11 months of 2024), but they recorded a 12.4 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023, placing China 14th among export destinations for lighting products.

The potential of the Chinese market is also evident in the attendance data for the Milan Salone, where China regained the top spot for the number of visitors following the post-pandemic transition.

"We closed the 2024 edition with record numbers: over 370,000 industry professionals from 146 countries," summarized Maria Porro, president of Salone del Mobile Milano. 

"This year's edition once again sold out in terms of exhibition space, despite global uncertainties, thanks in part to strategic alliances in the United States, China, and Saudi Arabia, which are opening up new opportunities for Made in Italy."