Salone del Mobile 2025 - A round-up from afar.

What I loved, and why I didn’t go

Apr 15, 2025

Last week was Salone del Mobile – Milan’s annual furniture fair (it’s more glamorous than it sounds) which attracts the biggest names in product and interior design. As the most important design event globally, it’s popularity has been steadily growing outside the realm of design, with a marked interest by brands in the fashion and tech space that want a piece of the action.

Anybody that knows me knows I ❤️ Milan, thus I am never lacking in excuses to visit. It’s one of my favourite cities and I am endlessly inspired by the design scene there - it feels so playful but considered. Fun but not dumb (something we should all aspire to be). Hopefully I’ve just written my own epitaph…

There are so many things I love about the city - from the fashion (my bank account does not love this), its perennially stylish inhabitants, the brutalist architecture that feels so different to many other cities in Italy, the language, the food, the wine, the negroni sbagliatos at Bar Basso along with 95% of the design world’s population… the list could go on. So, you may wonder why, after having visited every year for the past 10(ish) years (pandemic-aside) - I decided not to attend this year.

My time in Milan appears to consist of: chairs, negronis, tiles, and shoe shopping

Last year was fun as always, BUT I didn’t feel quite the same thrill as usual. Something more commercial seemed to take over, and I had a few bugbears with the general vibe. Namely:

Being part of a mass data collection exercise. I shudder to think how much time I wasted liberally giving away my email address to random iPad wielders.
Instagram over IRL. Many spaces appeared to be designed solely for photographic appeal. The majority of design consideration went into how a space would look in an image rather than how it would feel IRL. In which case - why bother experiencing when the screen does it (more) justice?
Luxury / tech brand overkill. So many locations have been hijacked by luxury or tech brands as a promotional piece, limiting the spaces for actual product designers to showcase their work. Why anyone would want to visit a Google-themed design space is beyond me, yet unfortunately these brands have the budget and influence to attract big names and thus large audiences.

Add the insanely hiked up hotel prices, and the Squid Game style scramble to get a dinner reservation (something I do excel in, I must admit) – this year I decided to stay at home and observe from afar.

So, after much research, I bring you: The Room Service Salone 2025 Special (Online-Only version):

SPACES:

1. Es Devlin - Library of Light

Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera is a hotspot when it comes to Salone installations. This year, it’s Cortile d’Onore was used as a stage for Es Devlin’s kinetic installation - a rotating sculpture that houses over 3000 books. Commissioned by Salone del Mobile, Devlin started the project by exploring the space’s origins - its name derives from pinakothēkē, a Greek term meaning a storage box for painted boards.

What I love about this installation is that not only does it look impressive, it serves a purpose for the general public. Every day at 8pm during Salone week, there were recorded readings that visitors could listen to in the space. The books are available to read on site, and visitors are invited to donate their own books to expand this public archive. After dusk, the exhibition stays open and readers can experience the light streaming from the installation, - casting dramatic shadows in the courtyard.

2. La Prima Notte Di Quiete by Dimorestudio & Loro Piana

I must admit, I usually find Loro Piana’s ‘Quite Luxury’ aesthetic a bit… dull. Which is why I was so shocked/impressed at their chaotic installation for Salone this year. Less showroom, more film set, the installation designed in collaboration with Dimorestudio was described as:

‘an immersive installation exploring the boundary between reality and cinematic fiction through the spaces of an elegant house.’

Titled ‘La Prima Notte di Quiete’ (The First Night of Quiet), the installation showcases new furniture pieces by Dimoremilano – founders Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci’s studio’s furniture brand – for Loro Piana Interiors, alongside existing Dimore pieces reimagined in Loro Piana fabrics. The installation is designed as a series of vignettes/film stills - accompanied by a soundtrack by composer Nicola Guiducci.

The most surprising element of this whole installation is the sense of lived-in space - there are sounds of a brewing storm outside, meanwhile inside, well, it’s kind of… a sexy mess. A bathtub is overflowing, there’s shattered porcelain on the table…It’s so unusual to see a non-perfect space in this setting - something that looks lived in, never mind in the aftermath of a party. Yet, homes are places to be experienced, and not just looked at. This is a refreshing way to view furniture, another experiential win ✅

PRODUCTS:

3. Philippe Malouin x Lehni ‘Bent Aluminium’

I’ve been a big fan of Phillippe Malouin for a long time. He is a product designer’s product designer. Everything he does is simple, yet clever. I loved his his previous work ‘Industrial Office’ for Salon94, and this year, he builds on that with a new body of work created in collaboration with Swiss furniture manufacturer Lehni. Following on with the same research and exploration of industrial materials, this collection highlights the versatility of bent aluminium and nylon. A range of tables, consoles, and shelves with storage drawers in a palette of red, brown, green and bright yellow show that storage can be sophisticated if done right.

4. Studio Haddou Dufourcq

French architecture studio Haddou Duforcq put a decorative spin on aluminium by collaborating with 145-year-old French metalworking house Pouenat to create a range of furniture. The duo designed a collection of satin-and-nickel-plated aluminum chairs, mirrors, shelves and chandeliers that take inspiration from classic decorative elements. Its refreshing to see metal used in a more ornate way - I’m ready for a more ornamental aesthetic and this is it! The pieces reference Louis XIII twisted-wood frames and circular/ball type accents as per Josef Hoffmann, but without being twee. LOVE!

5. Valextra - Travelling Sculpture Suitcase

I’ve broken my own rule and am reporting on something that isn’t strictly furniture at Salone, BUT I love these stretched suitcases by Valextra that were designed to house ‘travelling sculptures’ designed by Venice-based creative agency Zaven. In all honestly, I prefer the suitcase to the art. Zaven describe their goal:

“…to conceive a playful object, or more precisely, a portable laboratory designed to creatively approach the construction of structures in balance”.

TBH I can’t get on board with this statement, it feels like post-rationalisation at its finest, but I love the cases.

6. George Sowden - Dual Functionality

George Sowden could literally design a bin bag and I would be immediately enamoured, so here I am again singing his praises. His new range of table lighting is an addition to the existing collection (of which I currently own three and can 100% recommend + they come in at a surprisingly affordable price point). The new range works via both USB and battery, and come in a new range of designs and materials (including a sleek metallic finish). He’s stocked at SCP if you live in London.

LOCATIONS:

One of my favourite things about Salone is getting to visit spaces within the city that you’d not normally be able to access. From private pools and tennis clubs, to random warehouses transformed into luxury exhibition spaces, one of the highlights of the week (for me at least) is being able to have a sneak peak at these obscure locations. If I’m honest, this is where I start to feel a little bit of Salone FOMO – the following two locations look so interesting and will sadly not be open for business next time I visit.

7. 6am Glassworks - Two Fold Silence

I’m not sure why, but I have a thing for creepy, abandoned spaces that are ripe for renovation. When looking for potential houses to buy, my mum knows better than to send me any links to properties that are ‘finished’. She is all to aware of my penchant for a living room that has not been touched since 1965 and may or may not come with a resident ghost. This brings me to 6AM glasswork’s installation, staged in a series of unfinished shower stalls in a basement 👻.

The ‘Two Fold Silence’ exhibition displays 41 new and existing pieces by 6:AM, as well as prototypes, such as unfinished chandeliers and a towel rail made of glass murrini rods and stainless steel brackets. The installation takes place on the walls and floors of the 1930s Piscina Cozzi building, designed by engineer Luigi Secchi. The building’a upper floor contains an expansive, working swimming pool, however the hydrotherapy facilities planned for the basement were never finished due to worsening circumstances under Italy's fascist regime. Visitors to the exhibition can weave in and out of the rows of stalls, each one being used to showcase a different piece of work.

I can only imagine the atmosphere of the place, so I do feel like this would have been one worth seeing IRL.

8. Prada Frames aboard Gio Ponti’s Arlecchino train

When I saw the visuals of this, I confess my FOMO did peak. This year’s Prada Frames – a free event in collaboration with Formafantasma exploring the relationship between the natural environment and design – took the theme of Transit this year, and what better way than to do so than onboard the Arlecchino (Harlequin) train. Designed by Gio Ponti in the 1950s and refurbished by Fondazione FS Italiane in 2020, the train was used by Prada to offer:

“a prismatic gaze on infrastructure as a dynamic and multifaceted system that enables, restricts, and shapes movement, whether of people, goods, data, or power.”

From the green and red velvet seats with their wingback (Ponti-signature) designs, to the pink leather swivel chairs on the train’s viewing gallery, to the custom vintage standing espresso bar - the list goes on. I MUST TRAVEL ON THIS TRAIN.

But, all is not lost. While the Arlecchino can be chartered year-round by those willing to pay the (nebulous) fee, the Fondazione Italiane does do the occasional day trip from Milan to Verona aboard Ponti’s iconic train. If anyone is wondering what to get me for a birthday present, may I suggest they start here.

MY SALONE 2025 TAKEAWAY

I have light FOMO but I think I made the right choice.
Can we stop with the re-showing of ‘iconic’ designs and make space for new work - or at least show the old designs in a new way. Yes, I know I have just banged on about my obsession with a 1950s train, but at least this was used as a vehicle (literally and figuratively) for discussion. Shouldn’t Salone be a space of creativity - i.e. new people making new stuff? It’s almost impossible to get a space at the show/in the city - if we jettisoned at least some of the re-editions there would be much more room for emerging designers to show.
I wonder who Salone del Mobile is actually for now? My feeling is that it’s purpose now is for non-furniture brands to show their relevance / influence. Or alternatively, it’s for interior designers to the über wealthy - only they can afford to jettison their £30k+ sofa every year for a new edition? This makes me feel a little sad. Furniture does not (or should not) have the same life span as fashion - this constant need for newness undermines craft, and is terrible for the environment.
BUT THE BIG QUESTION - Will I go next year?… Probably :-)

Did you visit Salone this year?

If so, I’d love to know what my take is compared to your IRL version (just to put the FOMO to bed once and for all).