The buzzy tournament everybody in model is clamoring to wait? Well, it’s not in reality a manner tournament. It’s Salone de Mobile, aka Milan Design Week, or simply Salone for brief amongst common attendees. Salone is the arena’s final design honest, which has emerged as some of the freshest cultural occasions of the 12 months as design and model insiders alike flock to Milan for the hub for furnishings and décor.
It’s traditionally drawn design-world insiders, however in the previous few years, it has grown exponentially a number of the model set, together with model manufacturers showcasing their newest house collections and attendees from the manner set. This 12 months, manufacturers comparable to Hermès, Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Saint Laurent—to call a couple of—showcased their designs, appearing the rising hyperlink between luxurious model manufacturers and the design tournament. To get an within have a look at Salone del Mobile in 2025, we tapped attendees to percentage their insider takeaways at the best shows, design tendencies, Milan scorching spots, and what to put on.
Madeline O’Malley, Market Director, Architectural Digest
“Milan Design Week is one of the few things that seems to be getting better as it gets bigger. There is no city that feels quite as alive as Milan during Salone. The creativity and enthusiasm for design is next-level. When I first started going years ago, it was a much smaller design-industry event, not dissimilar from others around the world. Interior designers and trade professionals wandered showroom floors. … It wasn’t boring per se, but it was not the glamorous fashion fest it is today. The fashion world has been smart to get involved. The bigger houses tap the coolest up-and-coming artisans or top-tier global designers for product collabs and one-off creations. The result is a brand expression that is both well-rounded and limit-pushing. I’m of the mind that taste is taste, and the worlds of art, fashion, and design do not exist as silos. The concept of fashion people at home is a major pillar of AD‘s interest and my own personal interest. When it comes to dressing for the week, comfort is pretty key. I’m walking miles and miles a day, from Brera to the cobblestone streets of Le Cinque Vie. Venetian slippers hold up shockingly well.”
Inside Madeline O’Malley’s Salone:
Favorite shows
“Dimorestudio collaborated with Japanese textiles brand Hosoo and showed them on Osanna Visconti’s bronze furniture pieces in her fabulous apartment—[the] height of Milanese style. Cabana Magazine‘s Martina Mondadori teamed up with Deborah Needleman, who tapped seven different creatives to create pieces inspired by Martina’s mother’s legendary Renzo Mongiardino–designed apartment. From Peter Schlesinger to Sophie Wilson to Emily Bode and Green River Project, one thing was more inspiring than the next. Loewe‘s teapot exhibition was studied and understated, and [it was] so cool to see new names.”
Favorite tournament
“I put together a small lunch at the Ralph Lauren restaurant at their Della Spiga store for some fun design-world friends—Noah Ruttenberg, Xavier Donnelly, Bilal Taruk, Matilda Goad, and more. It was so great to actually sit down for a meal. Most events are little more than a 15-minute stop-by, so it’s fun to have a more leisurely lunch where I can pick everyone’s brains about what they’re loving around town. It’s become a bit of a Salone tradition.”
Favorite puts in Milan
Da Giacomo: “Iconic [restaurant] designed by Mongiardino.”
Trattoria del Ciumbia: “Designed by Dimorestudio. Delicious food. I went there for the Dimorestudio x Loro Piana dinner this trip. [I’m] obsessed with the red, yellow, black, and white tiles on the floors and the delicate lace on the windows.”
Arjumand’s World: “My favorite textiles in Milan; such an inspiring stop.”
Laboratorio Paravicini: “Beautiful plates; a treat to watch the artisans paint them as you shop.”
Top design development from Salone
“It’s all about the return to the craftsman, the hand. Shoppers are becoming less satisfied with mass-produced pieces. They want a story. So much of what we see in Milan is traditional craft done in new and exciting ways. Examples were everywhere. Tomás Alonso’s tables for Hermès are made of Italian glass and Japanese wood, traditional materials and technique, but [they’re] as contemporary as anyone could imagine.”
Shop O’Malley’s Salone glance:
Kia Goosby, Market Editor, Vanity Fair
“My first time going to Salone was a great experience, and it already has me thinking of attending next year. There was so much to do and see, and I was only there for a limited time. … I feel like I got a small taste of the magnificent world of Salone. I traveled to Milan for the purpose of seeing Louis Vuitton unveil their new signature home collection and some beautiful new objets pieces that will complement any home.”
Inside Kia Goosby’s Salone:
Top showcase
“I really enjoyed Gucci’s Bamboo Encounters exhibit that featured a variety of artists and how they incorporated bamboo into their artwork. I saw the physical pieces of bamboo as well as the imprints of the pieces where the negative space was more of the work. But there were these kites that were so beautiful moving throughout the courtyard of a school that were so peaceful and calming to watch.”
Top tournament
“Christofle and Charlotte Chesnais did the most perfect collaboration held at Sant Ambroeus, where the table was set with the most beautiful fruit and vegetables, and the flatware pieces were styled throughout. I mentioned to Charlotte that her pieces were just too beautiful to eat on. It just shows you how luxury moments look great at the table too.”
Milan suggestions
“Milan has so much to see and do, but if you don’t do anything else, you must visit Bar Luce at the Prada Fondazione for a snack—I had the pistachio gelato! The inside of the space is a step into the captivating world of Wes Anderson, who designed the cute little restaurant. I could just sit there all day.”
Shop Goosby’s Salone glance:
Lydia Zacharis, Buying Manager, Net-a-Porter
“Milan’s energy during Salone was, once again, palpable—much more so than fashion week—with creatives from all disciplines coming to see as much as possible over the course of a few days, and there was so much that was worth seeing! The increasing cross-pollination of ideas and conversations between design, art, food, and fashion could not be more evident here, where the public was also able to access many parts of the design fair, so the city was filled with so much life and dynamism.
“I misplaced monitor of what number of model manufacturers had a presence this 12 months, a large trade to round 10 years in the past when Loewe was once some of the few luxurious manufacturers activating thru their Craft program. What I specifically beloved is how hidden architectural gem stones have been opened to guests via manufacturers who well selected to show off their creations in sudden settings, mixing new and outdated in probably the most fascinating manner. Hidden palazzos, stunning personal residences, historic gelaterias, and places comparable to forgotten swimming pools have been printed, shifting the point of interest from a business honest to a natural supply of visible pride and inspiration.”
Inside Lydia Zacharis’s Salone:
Favorite exhibits
The Row: “The emblem’s first (and in my opinion much-anticipated) foray into homeware in a carefully populated Palazzo Belgioioso with a choice of handwoven blankets, throws, and bedding in ivory, mink, and black colours, which the logo shall be promoting of their shops. Very easy and stylish, as we’re aware of via the logo.”
Hermès: “I used to be taken in the course of the set up via James Conte, some of the emblem’s regional gross sales managers, who spoke with aptitude and keenness. The house consisted of suspended white containers, which have been underlined via halos of vibrant gentle and housed stunning new creations, together with a number of bold-colored glass items.”
Loewe Teapots: “The emblem commissioned 25 the world over famend architects, designers, and artists from world wide. Each teapot had such a lot persona and names comparable to ‘Listening to the Waves,’ ‘Peaceful Tea Set,’ and ‘Love Letter.'”
Loro Piana x Dimorestudio: “La Prima Notte di Quiete, a cinematic, multisensory enjoy in a re-created eclectic 1970s/1980s Milanese condo furnished via Dimorestudio with items upholstered in Loro Piana’s sumptuous materials. Dramatic pink velvet curtains, leopard carpets, damaged tableware, to call some of the main points.”
Completedworks: “Anna’s peculiar however stunning items in intricate fabrics comparable to textured glass and knotted foam towards the blank, modernist background of Alcova’s Villa Borsani. The silver vegetation have been a spotlight.”
Favorite events
“The T mag birthday party on the iconic Villa Necchi Campiglio, designed via Piero Portaluppi, with probably the most discerning visitor record, treated via L52.
“An affogato break at Georg Jensen’s pop-up ice cream café named Gelateria Danese, with the brand’s sterling silver serveware taking an everyday role under recently appointed Creative Director Paula Gerbase, who is reinvigorating this historic Danish silversmith house.
“And after all, the Neptune Papers cocktail at allegedly the oldest gelato store of Milan, Gelateria Umberto 1934, the place 12 other scrumptious gelato flavors complemented attention-grabbing conversations—you’ll be able to all the time depend on VSJ Consulting to collect a just right crowd.”
Milan recommendations
“The Shop the Story recent antique retailer with a beautiful edit of, basically however no longer solely, Prada and Miu Miu items.”
Top design trends from Salone
“Twenty-twenty-five marked 100 years of the [art deco] motion, which originated in 1925 with the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, and its affect was once observed in lots of Salone’s propositions. This 12 months, there was once an abundance of geometrical shapes; formidable colours, together with coloured glass; steel finishes; and sumptuous fabrics comparable to chrome steel, brass, and lacquer.
“Color, in general—something that we interestingly saw during the last round of fall/winter 2025 fashion weeks, too, with one of the last shows of the season, Saint Laurent, capturing the mood perfectly—took center stage. Vibrant glass and acrylic in pieces that explored how light and color can interplay and reflect was one of the key trends we spotted this year.”
Shop Zacharis’s Salone glance: