Salone del Mobile

Furniture and interior design exhibition fair

The Salone del Mobile (established 1961) is the largest exhibition of furniture and interior design in the world. The Salone del Mobile, or “Furniture Fair,” is recognized internationally as the preeminent annual showcase of the world’s leading furniture designers and manufacturers.

The Salone got its start in September 1961 by a group of Italian furniture designers and studios aiming to bring potential clients to Milan. This group established the Italian Furniture Fair Promotion Committee and appointed Alessandro Colli as its chairman, and the first edition of the Salone opened on September 24^th of the same year at the old Campionaria Fair.

The initial edition was very successful and encouraged the organizers to make the Salone an annual affair. The following two exhibitions grew rapidly in size, such that exports of Italian furniture grew by 174% from 1960 to 1964. In 1965, the Salone organized an exhibit that traced the history of Italian furniture along displays from design powerhouses Arflex, Cassina, Kartell, Molteni, Poltrona Frau, Poltronova, Saporiti, Molteni, Stildomus, Tecno, and others, to showcase the leading trends and the future focus of the Italian aesthetic. Given this exponential growth, by the end of the decade, the Salone del Mobile had already garnered its status as the most important design destination in the world.

In 1967, recognizing the benefits of showcasing a global and more diverse perspective, as well as of increasing global attendance even more, the exhibition began to exhibit international designers, products, and manufacturers. Over the course of the 1970s and 1980s, the Salone del Mobile developed satellite exhibitions that focused on design inspiration in specific categories. In 1976, for example, the Euroluce exhibition debuted as a showcase of the most exceptional lighting fixtures. The year 1989 brought the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, and in 2006 the Salone welcomed the International Bathroom Exhibition.

Today, the Salone del Mobile occupies an area of 230,000 square meters (approximately 2,500,000 square feet), and approximately 2,500 companies participate in it. The show is operated by Cosmit S.p.A.

Due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the 59th edition of the Salone del Mobile was first postponed from its originally planned date of April 21-26, 2020 to June 16 -21, 2020. As the public health impact of COVID-19 continued to worsen during the 2020 spring, the 59th edition of Salone del Mobile was further postponed to April 13-18, 2021.

For additional information on Salone del Mobile, please visit:

“The History.” Salone del Milano.

“What is Milan Design Week?” Vogue Living, 5 April 2018.

Last updated: April 18, 2020