April 8-13, the most anticipated event for all professionals and connoisseurs of furniture design — Salone del Mobile 2025 — took place at the Rho Fiera Milano exhibition center. This is a real Fashion Week in interior innovations but with much larger budgets. Revolutionary solutions that meet the most demanding tastes and needs inspire new, bright ideas for the best designers. The scale of the exhibition is impressive. The turnover of the represented brands is over 9 million euros, which makes iSaloni a cost-effective event attracting hundreds of thousands of fans. It sets trends, defines the future, gives new meanings, and cuts off secondary details.

Thought for Humans: solutions for the future

The key theme of 2025 are the interconnectedness of humans and matter, sustainable development, and innovation. They were observed everywhere, even in the layout of the pavilions. New thematic routes were prepared for the guests. The layout of the factories was atypical. Big brands left the show, opening their flagship boutiques in the heart of Milan:

Modulnova — on Via Corso Garibaldi:
Flexform — on Via Della Moscova;
Baxter Cinema — on Via Largo Augusto.

Poliform and Minotti remained among the big players, but rumor has it they won't be there next year either.

Trends we saw at iSaloni 2025

Salone del Mobile showcased not only the highest-quality furniture but also solutions that evoke emotions and leave no one indifferent.

Materials

Delicate, tactile, soft, velvety wood finishes: a combination of monochrome glossy and matte finishes. Oiled metal, which is a delight to touch — Baxter and Henge have introduced such a novelty, making the metal less cold and smooth as if it had been varnished.

Cabinets, closets, and wall panels are upholstered in natural fabrics such as linen and corduroy, such as Poliform. The upholstery of the doors and back walls of the closets is made of cotton fabric, creating a 100% straw effect, as in Rimadesio.

The glass of closets, doors and freestanding cabinet furniture (bars, vanity units, cupboards) has a light interior texture — thin fabrics, light, elegant metal mesh inside the glass. By the way, glass is also given mirror tinting of fascinating shades and different transparency.

Color scheme

Salone del Mobile demonstrated milky, creamy, beige, and warm gray shades, as well as white with contrasting black details. Mustard colors in all sorts of variations in both fabric and leather. One of the factories called this color in leather — Beer leather.

Olive light range and eucalyptus color in wall decoration, leather and fabric. For example, Ulivi factory presented products in this range (relaxing bedroom and living room) for the second year. The spaces convey silence and slowing down, maximum relaxation, and peace.

Wine, bordeaux, and terracotta are accents in light interiors. Various combinations of pure white with more saturated beige, creamy shades, and ebony are also used.

There are all sorts of shades of green: in addition to eucalyptus, rich grassy ones in combination with walnuts are on trend. Cattelan's contemporary solutions and Nature Design are prime examples.

Many brands, such as Cattelan and Antonio Lupi, offer glossy chrome and nickel finishes and matte metal finishes in soft, delicate champagne colors in different gradations. The wood finishes offered are light, non-toned oak, often combined with brushed brass. Warm American walnut also remains at the peak of popularity, and matte black is becoming increasingly popular.

Room architecture

An architectural approach is becoming increasingly apparent in furniture, where space is zoned using furniture rather than walls. For this purpose, doors or sliding partitions are used, which become part of the dressing room or kitchen, sometimes hidden among the facades of the dressing room and sometimes simply adding to the overall color. Large sliding partitions with a wooden frame, inspired by Japanese culture, with large cells of wood, are trends we saw last year and are increasingly gaining popularity.

Poliform showed brand-new textures and color schemes. Warm and gentle shades prevailed, creating a cozy atmosphere.

Baxter traditionally showed more courage in color solutions, using actual colors in new variants — the brightest mustard and wine tones. Also, Baxter very successfully works in one of his favorite purple ranges.

Rounded corners and very soft shapes prevail in furniture. This trend has been developing for several years and is reaching its peak this year. All vanity, coffee tables, many sofas, and beds have rounded shapes. Rounded sofas with a ripped backrest and a side table in the vacated space are relevant.

In the case of furniture, we see the influence of the 1970s and 1960s: many positions stand on legs or are suspended systems that keep the floor space open.

Light walls and ceilings illuminated from within are very relevant. Plants in the interior play a special role. Nature fills the room with life and coziness. Trees in large cachepots made of ceramics and leather — a trend relevant last year — remain appropriate this year. Green palms, red and green maples, olive trees, and other large plants are suitable.

The era of classic interiors is passing away. There is a feeling that we will have in mind the works of object designers of the 50s, 60s, and 70s of the 20th century, such as Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, Jacobsen, Chitterio and others, and the Baroque and Art Deco style, even in their modern form in the coming season will not look relevant.