Salone del Mobile.Milano brings it’s vision to Riyadh with ‘Red in Progress’.
November 2025 launch showcases more than 35 Italian brands & Saudi designers as a preview of the growing annual event, a milestone for Saudi Arabia’s design ambitions and the Middle East’s cultural calendar.
The world’s most influential design fair is making its Middle East debut. Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh, delivered in strategic partnership with the Architecture and Design Commission at the Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, will transform the King Abdullah Financial District into a stage for design, dialogue and business exchange from 26 to 28 November 2025.
The inaugural edition was announced by Dr. Sumayah Al-Solaiman, CEO of the Architecture and Design Commission, and Maria Porro, President of Salone del Mobile.Milano, on the sidelines of the Cultural Investment Conference at the King Fahd Cultural Centre, held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and organised by the Ministry of Culture.
It’s the first activation of the strategic partnership signed earlier this year between the Architecture and Design Commission and Federlegno Arredo Eventi S.p.A., the official organiser of Salone del Mobile.Milano, aimed at forging professional connections, spotlighting local talent, driving sustainable innovation in training and standards, and translating ideas into built spaces, interiors and cities.
Establishing a business-first meeting point for more than 35 Made in Italy brands together with Saudi designers, the first edition serves as a preview of a much larger and more articulated Salone del Mobile to be held in Riyadh in 2026. This reflects the Kingdom’s ambition under Vision 2030 to strengthen its creative economy and global cultural role.
Dr. Sumayah Al-Solaiman,
CEO of the Architecture and Design Commission at the Ministry of Culture, highlighted that the launch of Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh will strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position on the global design and furniture stage. She explained that the event will act as a bridge between Saudi and international designers, opening new avenues for collaboration and exchange while reinforcing the Kingdom as a destination for creativity and innovation.
She also noted that it will broaden knowledge-sharing with leading institutions, foster collaboration between Saudi and global stakeholders, and attract investment, actively contributing to the growth of the creative industries in line with Vision 2030.
Maria Porro,
President of Salone del Mobile, said: “Riyadh is the place where vision becomes city. With Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh, we are bringing the design culture of the Salone and the exhibiting companies to this country to listen and work together with contractors, developers and architects — not a showcase, but a space where collaboration and content meet, and ideas become places.
The focus is business-first: facilitating meetings between firms and professionals in the Saudi market, sharing expertise and best practices in the delivery of interiors in large development programmes and consolidating an institutional dialogue that combines cultural dimension and concrete results, in line with Vision 2030.
With this first event we wish to narrate the value of Italian design, as well as featuring a working table geared to understanding how to build effective synergies, making the Salone an ally in accelerating quality, innovation and sustainability in the Kingdom’s projects.”
A scenographic installation by Giò Forma will mark the space with the red imprint of the Salone. Showcasing furnishings, lighting, surfaces and accessories from select Italian companies recognised for their quality, innovation and sustainability, the installation sets the stage for a wider programme of business and cultural exchange.
At its heart, a modular scaffolding structure draped in semi-transparent red fabric will turn the raw language of the construction site into a cultural platform. Red serving as a unifying thread, a symbol of energy and the future. Around this, the cultural programme will unfold through masterclasses and round tables, organised with the Architecture and Design Commission and led by leading figures from Saudi Arabia and Italy. The Forum, a platform for dialogue and professional exchange, will cover case studies and the Kingdom’s urban transformation in an informal setting.
Giò Forma Studio noted: “In Saudi Arabia, everything speaks of construction and the future. Salone del Mobile.Milano and Riyadh come together to give shape to this energy. Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh is a spatial device that sublimates the construction site into a cultural platform, connecting the know-how of the Italian design industry with Saudi urban transformation players. It is a preview that prototypes avant-garde spaces and envisions a future lifestyle.”
The Business Lounge, (BELOW) designed by Lissoni & Partners, will provide a dedicated space for meetings and presentations with Saudi decision-makers, while site visits to giga-projects in Riyadh and beyond will connect Italian brands with clients and generate B2B opportunities across the supply chain.
//In conversation with Maria Porro
by Anirudh Datta (Editor-in-chief at Design Essentia)
AD: Why was Riyadh chosen as Salone’s host city in the Middle East?
Maria: Riyadh is in a historic transformation under Vision 2030—with giga-projects, and major residential and hospitality demand—on course to the global spotlight of Expo 2030 and FIFA 2034. It’s also a high- potential market for Italian design (Italy leads the premium segment), making now the right moment to build a direct bridge between Saudi ambitions and Made in Italy excellence.
AD: In what ways will the Riyadh edition showcase and engage with Saudi talent and the local design community?
Maria: Expect curated masterclasses and roundtables featuring Saudi voices, dedicated networking and a Business Lounge for direct meetings with developers and contractors, and opportunities for Saudi designers to interface with leading Italian companies.
AD: Who is Salone Riyadh designed for: industry professionals, businesses, or the wider public?
Maria: All of the above. Developers and contractors gain qualified deal-flow; architects and designers access knowledge and global networks; the wider public experiences design culture up close—mirroring Salone’s multi-target model.
AD: Beyond the November event, will Salone include year-round initiatives in Riyadh?
Maria: Yes—institutional collaborations are planned to keep the exchange active between editions and to upskill the local ecosystem.
AD: How is Salone contributing to positioning Riyadh as a regional design hub?
Maria: By replicating the Milan playbook—pairing high-quality business encounters with culture and measurable impact—Salone helps concentrate global attention, build networks, and raise standards, just as it does in Milan’s design ecosystem each spring.
Red in Progress.
Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh is being delivered in collaboration with and supported by the institutional partners that work alongside the Salone in its international activities, including the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), underscoring their shared commitment to promoting Italian design abroad and deepening cultural and economic ties with Saudi Arabia.
CHECK OUT MORE AT www.salonemilano.it/en
also check the article published in DE India SEP-OCT 2025 edition.
