The Salone del Mobile.Milano in Houston, Texas

Houston, panoramic view of the city

The Salone concluded its American tour aimed at sharing all the new things the 63rd edition has in store with designers, companies, stakeholders and the international media on Thursday 20th February

After visiting Miami in December during World Art Week and then New York in January, the Salone del Mobile.Milano touched down in America again in Houston, Texas, to introduce the new things the 2025 edition, from 8th to 13th April, has in store. These include the debut of The Euroluce International Lighting Forum, five days of talks and round tables, more than 30 world-famous speakers and three major installations at the fairgrounds and in the city, with three exceptional guests - the artist Robert Wilson, the Oscar-winning filmmaker Oscar Paolo Sorrentino and the French architect of luxury hospitality Pierre-Yves Rochon.

The American market is of primary importance for Made in Italy. 2024 (following 2022 and 2023) again closed with record Italian sales of authentic products in the US, accounting for a total of 76.4 billion USD, up another 5% on 2022 (at 73 billion) and, especially, 55% up on 2020, the negative peak of the pandemic. Furniture and construction contributed to this result, accounting for more than 3.7 billion USD, and up 42% again on 2020.

In particular, Texas is the third highest US State for purchases of authentic Made in Italy goods (more than 5 billion USD in 2024) and design contributes to these Italian productions, having doubled pre-pandemic figures and settling at around 300 million US dollars (+100% on 2021). Texas is also home (along with Florida and Arizona) to new residential settlements and is increasingly a home of technology par excellence. There is a sharp increase in the activity and establishment of IT and electronics companies and start-ups, first of all in Dallas and Austin, the so-called Silicon Hills, a trend that continues to grow to the detriment of historic sectors such as aerospace and oil, while Houston remains the American and world capital for aerospace and oil.

On 20th February, the management of the Salone del Mobile.Milano and the Italian Trade Agency, Miami, held a meeting in Houston, in collaboration with the leading American associations of architects, designers and builders, geared to introducing the main novelties, activities and events that the 63rd edition of the trade fair has in store.

Carlo Angelo Bocchi, Director Italian Trade Commissioner Miami, had this to say: “The new record Italian sales to the US are reassuring as regards the path taken post-Covid by our companies, which are innovative, sustainable and keen to use design to improve every aspect of daily life, fostering wellbeing and quality. Italy has never prioritised cost choice over product choice, and bringing the Salone (one of the most famous trade fair formats and international content) to cities such as Houston has always fuelled the passion of American architectural practices, designers, builders and engineering companies for products that are perceived as unique and trendy, as well as increasingly innovative and attuned to green solutions within the framework of sustainability and the circular economy."

Andrea Vaiani, Exhibition Director, Salone del Mobile.Milano: “It’s a real pleasure to be back in the United States, a country that has reasserted itself as an extremely high value user of the Salone brand, with 7,023 professional operators at the 2024 edition (+16% vs 2023), making it the 6th highest country of provenance out of 150. We are here to discuss the upcoming Salone, an extraordinary edition in terms of content, innovation and strategic vision. An unmissable event for the industry, bringing together the excellence of global design, with exceptional participants, leading companies and new, emerging realities. It will feature 2,000 exhibitors – 38% of them from abroad – and 148 brands, including first-timers and returnees, spread over more than 169.000 m2 of entirely sold- out exhibition space. This edition will mark the keenly-awaited return of Euroluce, with over 300 brands from 25 different countries. It will also feature SaloneSatellite, with 700 designers under 35 and 20 international schools and universities. All these figures are testament to the Salone’s strategic role as a platform for business, innovation and internationalisation, its excellence also confirmed by the financial value of the Italian and foreign exhibiting brands, which together generate more than 16 billion euros in turnover. A high profile cultural programme will trigger new visions, with three site-specific installations: Villa Héritage by the architect Pierre-Yves Rochon, La Dolce Attesa by Paolo Sorrentino and Mother by the undisputed genius Robert Wilson. The focus on lighting design with the debut of the Euroluce International Lighting Forum is particularly important. Rounding off the offering will be the Drafting Futures talks and round tables, involving leading figures on the contemporary scene.”

Luca Adornato, Director of Marketing and Communication at the Salone del Mobile.Milano added: “The common thread running through all the activities, events and discourses of the 63rd edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano is the communication campaign Thought for Humans., devised by Dentsu Creative Italy. A concept that reaffirms the spirit of design – being created by and for humans, responding to their needs, values and experiences. This informed our choice of the American photographer Bill Durgin, whose innovative artistic vocabulary explores the relationship between body and matter. His shots lay bare the deepest essence of design – demonstrating how materials blend harmoniously with the human body, the campaign also alludes to the entire manufacturing process, to its impact on the environment and, especially, to the importance of design in its entirety. Thinking with humans in mind means putting not just the object at the centre of design, but also its meaning, its function and its relationship with those who live with it and the space they inhabit.”