Salone del Mobile - Key Trends from Milan Design Week 2025

Last week, we had the pleasure of attending the 63rd annual edition of Salone del Mobile as part of Milan Design Week. Salone del Mobile is an expansive exhibition for the design industry featuring the boldest, brightest, and best new trends in furniture and interior design. It's the largest trade fair of its kind in the world (!), so there is a huge amount to see and draw inspiration from.

The event began in 1961 and has consistently showcased the most innovative, ingenious, and iconic designs ever since. Experimentation and cross-pollination are encouraged with some outstanding results (think monkeys combined with a chair - yes, really). For design professionals, it is a must-attend exhibition, so we sent our product design manager to have a look around.

Here are our key trends from Salone del Mobile 2025:

Retro-Inspired Design

Coming through in the revival of iconic designs, historic fabric patterns, and retro colour combinations, the inspiration of 70s design looks set to continue. Across the show, chunky chairs and sofas from 70s catalogues were given a 2020s refresh, and conversation pits are still making a comeback. Also within this trend, dark wood came through strongly this year – with soft flowing forms featuring heavily, showcasing the high level of historic woodworking ability of prestigious furniture brands.

Heritage Stripes

Seemingly, stripes are going nowhere this year – with almost every exhibition featuring bold designs in colourful striped fabrics. One noted difference was the prevalence of more interesting striped patterns pulled from decades past: with stripes of varying colours and thickness adding more interest and depth to the trend. 

Outdoor Living

This has been growing year on year and 2025 is no exception – the outdoor furniture exhibitions were bigger and bolder than ever before. The divide between interior and outdoor design is becoming ever blurrier with many brands creating full outdoor living rooms complete with floor lamps, sofas, and rugs that are of equal quality to those found indoors. Lighting here is key, as the ambience of an outdoor space is markedly changed by the quality of the lighting. Brands specialising in outdoor accessories showcased this to great effect during the exhibition with eye-catching light installations and soft accent lights perfectly accentuating their outdoor furniture.

Deep Reds

Inescapable in the world of fashion this past year and now coming to the forefront in interior and outdoor furniture design, deep reds, plums, and cherries were the colour of choice at this year’s Salone exhibition. Colour drenching in deep red was extremely popular and looked incredibly luxurious in premium fabrics and shiny lacquer finishes. Marbles and tiles in deep, shiny crimson looked remarkable and created an elegant and romantic colour scheme without becoming too harsh or bold.

Vintage Blues

Part of the continuing appeal of nostalgia and the revival of vintage designs, pale Tiffany and duck egg blues were to be found across multiple new collections on show during Milan Design Week. Often paired with darker teal and metallic finishes, this colder contrast to the deep reds on offer throughout the show brought a nice freshness with its soothing and serene colour palette. In addition to pale blues, deep, almost black, navy tones and dark teals offered another option that is more luxurious - often featured on heavier, softer fabrics.

Sophisticated Browns

Whilst pops of colour is a trend in and of itself, the combination of deep brown fabrics, dark walnut finishes, and textural creams and neutrals made up a huge proportion of the collections at this year’s exhibition. These neutral colour schemes, while simplistic, combine neutral colours and premium textures in an elegant way that speaks to the ongoing appeal of quality, timeless pieces that can soften a space and create a look that exudes luxury. 

Contrasting Cushion Trims

Contrasting colours in a playful manner was a popular choice among leading Italian brands at this year's exhibition. Unexpected piping colours and interesting cushion trims added a touch of humour to otherwise simple and elegant designs, softening their serious edge.

We had a great time at Salone del Mobile 2025 and can't wait to see what is created for next year!