The Salone del Mobile moves to Saudi Arabia

The iconic Milan Furniture Fair, usually a highlight of early April, is coming to Saudi Arabia for the first time. Scheduled for November 26-28, 2025, at the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, the event will feature an installation showcasing Italian design.

The Salone del Mobile in Milan is preparing for “Red in Progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh,” three days dedicated to the encounter between Italian craftsmanship and the Saudi design ecosystem. This is the first concrete result of the strategic partnership signed in January 2025 in AlUla, Saudi Arabia’s leading tourist destination, between the Architecture and Design Commission, representing the country’s professionals, and Federlegno Arredo Eventi S.p.A., the official organizer of the Salone del Mobile.Milano.

As the press release states, “this agreement provides a multi-year framework aimed at forging professional links, promoting local talent, stimulating sustainable innovation in training, and translating ideas into built spaces, interiors, and cities.” The event, to be held in Riyadh from November 26 to 28, will also promote the environmental standards defined in the Vision 2030 plan.

Although this first edition will be a smaller-scale installation than the original show, the agreement should enable the Saudi capital to benefit from a more complete version of its very first edition of the Salone del Mobile. Milano in 2026.

For this first edition, the organizer of the Salone del Mobile plans to showcase furniture, lighting, coverings, and accessories from more than 35 Italian companies (including Cassina, Giorgetti, and Natuzzi Italia), selected for their quality, innovation, and sustainability.

Riyadh, a strategic cultural hub

The Salone del Mobile set its sights on Riyadh because, over the years, the capital city with a population of more than 8 million has established itself as “the center of gravity for the design of new hotels, shopping centers, offices, and residences” that are reshaping the kingdom.

Under the impetus of the Vision 2030 Plan—which aims to reduce Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil revenues—the Ministry of Tourism is targeting 150 million visits by 2030. This ambitious goal is supported by the addition of 362,000 new hotel rooms.

Another sign of strong demand to be met is that real estate firm JLL Research has highlighted a leasable commercial area set to reach 9.9 million square meters, coupled with an increase in high-end office rents of around 8.7% year-on-year.

All of this space will need to be developed. For Italian furniture manufacturers, this rapprochement with Riyadh should boost their exports and thus open up new opportunities for the sector, especially among a population with high purchasing power and a taste for luxury.

The Saudi Arabian market for furniture, fittings, and equipment, estimated at around $7 billion in 2024, is expected to reach $9 billion by 2030, according to studies by TechSci Research and Mordor Intelligence. This market is directly dependent on the development of the residential and hotel sectors.