Whereas last year was spoken of as a success edition with record figures, this year we saw a serious decline. From 360,000 visitors at the Salone del Mobile in 2024 to barely 300,000 in 2025. More and more companies are opening their own showrooms in the city, like Molteni this year, for example. What is the future of the big fairs? IMM in Cologne needs to reinvent itself, but the Salone is also in need of some reflection.

Last year, the Zona Tortona seemed to be making a comeback, but even the Superstudio struggled to fill its space this time. The district everyone wants to be is Brera. In times of crisis, companies are also taking fewer financial risks. No more extravagance, neither at the fair nor in the city. No more waste, which might actually be a good thing. But does that also mean a compromise on creativity?

Alcova was once again a success, even though it's located far outside Milan. But everyone wanted to see it, including the professional audience. That said, it was mainly enthusiastic design lovers who likely stood in the long lines at the entrance over the weekend. The participants were also satisfied, with strong networking opportunities and even direct sales. Hier Studio designed the scenography for Woven Whispers for Belgium is Design. The expo will be at CID in Grand-Hornu in the autumn.

1. Esther Van Schuylenbergh is a textile designer focused on the development of woven textiles, both at the craft level and within the high-tech industry. Shifting Colors is a series of hand-woven panels in monumental waffle weaves, where subtle color shifts interact with the structure to create fluid transitions. With endless variations in colour and pattern, the double-sided panels can be customised for any interior and can be used as tapestries or room dividers.

2. Morevi, the creative pseudonym of Georgian-Belgian artist duo Ana Naskidashvili and Frederik Poisquet, focuses on hand felting, an ancient traditional craft. Historically in Georgia, hand-felted carpets were made by families, contributing to a sense of community and belonging. Morevi modernises this concept. The making process is central to their work, involving a series of meditative and repetitive actions. The duo presented a large hand-felted tapestry made of Belgian wool from the Terra series, produced in a palette of natural, earthy tones.

3. Xavier Servas, a French designer and visual artist, moved to Brussels in 2021 where he works with the collective Au Charbon. Driven by an experimental approach, he started researching natural balloons in 2020, which he produces himself to create inflatable sculptures. Pumpkin is an inflatable light sculpture. It unfolds when turned on: a small fan activates and inflates it. The material it is made of is leather obtained by tanning pig intestines, which is extremely thin and airtight.

4. Sarah Carestia is a textile designer specialising in weaving. Entre Voir is a collection of handmade fabrics of linen and wool of different sizes, designed to modulate and structure space. Composed of threads of different density, alternately full and empty in the same rhythm, the woven surfaces evolve according to light and the viewer's point of view.

5. As a Belgian industrial designer and founder of FINKR Design Studio, Florian Martin dedicates his work to a rigorously functionalist approach, focusing on simplification and rationalisation of craft and industrial processes, while considering material constraints as a constant source of innovation. The Doppler fittings were born out of an intention to solve a technical challenge in the metal spinning process. Doppler, a collaboration with the Canadian Studio D'Armes, is available in four different configurations. Each head can be rotated during installation to choose the best lighting angle. The model remains adjustable after installation.  It was also on display at Alcova.

6. In 2023, Vormen won, as part of a team, the competition to design the restaurant for the new museum of contemporary art KANAL Centre Pompidou in Brussels. The team, called Chantal, consists of architectural offices Elmēs and Générale, artists Sarah & Charles and Vormen. The restaurant presents itself not only as a space for consumption, but rather as a productive environment. Three eleven-metre-long tables will occupy the space. Furniture is essential to the proposal. It is made to be mobile, to give guests and staff a certain spatial power. Chairs can create more intimate configurations, while stools and side tables are there to be moved around.

7. ForVAKlab, the Belgian centre of expertise and service with a focus on craftsmanship, entrepreneurship and innovation, based in Bokrijk, Michaël Verheyden collaborated with professionals from the VAKlab community to create five exclusive objects. Blacksmith Dirk Van Esser forged the frames for the upholstered BIUR-armchair and the SERPA side tables. Martine Geladi is the driving force behind hand-weaving workshop 10spotting in Hasselt. For the BIUR-armchair, Martine weaved the hemp fabric, while Sophie Doore upholstered the furniture. Thanks to the natural materials and sustainable finish, this piece perfectly embodies Verheyden's design philosophy.

8. Soleille Gallery, a new design gallery from Ibiza, attended Collectible in Brussels last month. There, they were apparently very impressed with Belgian design. At Alcova, they showcased works by some of these designers, including Karen Verlinden. Combining paper, ceramics and light, Karen creates sculptures that engage the viewer in an emotional and visual dialogue. Her works, often minimalist and monochrome, emphasise the beauty of structure, form and material. Each artwork is made by hand, with her self-taught artistic development encouraging a constant search for new forms, techniques and meaning.

9. With Monograph, CC Tapis and Destroyers/ Builders bring the studio's architectural sensibility to the world of carpets. Focusing on paper collages with adhesive tape, the collection is inspired by one of the most primitive and instinctive phases of creation. While Linde Freya Tangelder usually applies her research to metal, wood or glass, this collection marks her first exploration of textiles and two-dimensional design. Her process of collaging, folding, cutting and taping was adopted by Indian artisans. Like her sculptural works, these carpets celebrate subtle reliefs, layered textures and tonal variations, evoking the overlapping transparency of tape on paper by stitching together a series of hand-woven carpet strips. The collection celebrates the rawness and simplicity that characterise Destroyers / Builders.

10. Jonas Van Put  is our Henry van de Velde Young Talent Gold Award winner this year. Last year, Fendi Casa launched Lunar by Jonas, a series of coffee tables. This year, the collection was expanded with the release of a dining table version and a bedside table. The dining table retains typical features such as the marble top and the cylindrical shape, which is now used for the legs and evokes the serene presence of a full moon.

11. Under the title “Reenchanting the Villa Medici”, the Villa Medici in Rome - which has housed the French Academy in Rome since 1803 - has been working on a thorough renovation for several years. This summer, the new citrus garden will be unveiled, redesigned by Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets. To mark the occasion, Muller Van Severen designed the Cosimo de Medici furniture line, produced by French design label Tectona. The collection consists of tables, chairs and loungers, and is available in three colours: white, light green and dark blue. Following the triangular shape characteristic of the garden and in dialogue with the historical architectural elements of the Villa Medici, Muller Van Severen designed a collection consisting of metal ribbons with fine, triangular ends.

12. DeltaLight,  in collaboration with Mosca Partners, presented the installation Components of Space in the courtyard of the Palazzo Litta. A geometric installation where light, shape and texture interacted with the environment. The structure consists of ventilation tubes that form an architectural grid and define the space in a unique way. The installation symbolises our lighting solutions: simple, but with great impact.

13. Luc Druez (LcD) showed his fabrics at both Masterly and Palazzo Litta. His high-tech collections revolve about light. All fabrics are translucent and can be used in space, for windows and transparent environments (such as curtains, screens, partitions), on walls or as seating or to make spectacular objects. His installation in Litta, a luminous cage made of recycled material and semi-precious metal wires, surrounds the majestic chandelier in the Sala degli Specchi. The installation creates a unique optical atmosphere in which light reflections on the metal and on the mirrored floor, blur the floor and ceiling. Covered with enamelled copper wires with shape memory, the installation interacts with the visitor.

14. While most brands take a classic approach to being present in Milan, Modular Lighting Instruments takes a different path, choosing to build its own custom space that tells the story of light in a way you can feel. It brings its vision to life in the spaces of Club San Babila. The Spot, designed by Brussels-based Erased Studio, is an event space created especially for the duration of Milan Design Week, an installation of 49 lamps from the Thimble series as well as a programme of workshops and lectures. During the daily workshops, visitors could make their own lamps, while the lectures offered insights into the design process, led by designer Jeffrey Huyghe and engineer Jelle Busschaert.

15. Vincent Van Duysen, creative director of Molteni&C, focused in 2025 on projects designed in the 1970s and 1980s. These historic spaces and objects have now been reinterpreted through a 21st-century lens. In this aspect, the collection perfectly reflects the values of the recently opened Palazzo Molteni. He himself designed the writing desk Aria, an essential element in contemporary living spaces. The desk is characterised by clean lines and a minimalist aesthetic. The top is covered in Ecoskin. The lower part is made of solid black-lacquered wood. Inside, a small pull-out drawer provides the perfect space to store valuables. Ideal for home offices.

16. We had already announced it, but now we’ve seen the result. Tomorrowland launched Morpho. The designs, with a link to Art Nouveau, were created by Dieter Van der Velpen.
At the Salone, the focus was primarily on Ethnicraft products: chair, table, bar stool, lounger, daybed. The lounge chair Vime can be used both indoors and outdoors. Indoor options include dark brown teak or oak with green velvet, bouclé, beige chenille and three leather colours with embroidered details on the backrest. Available from September 2025.

17. Pedrali's Shifting Perspectives stand was designed by Frederik De Wachter's Milan-based DWA Design Studio. DWA took inspiration from the Case Study Houses Program, an American research movement created to explore innovative, functional and sustainable housing solutions. Today, more than ever, we are driven to think about how architecture and design can evolve in a sustainable and innovative way to meet the challenges of tomorrow. From this perspective, creating spaces that are welcoming, harmonious, and aligned with the needs of everyday life becomes truly essential. To illustrate this, DWA created Materioteca, a large-scale model.

18. Under the name of founder and chief designer Hind Rabii, lighting objects in glass have been created for more than 20 years. 'Glass kissed by fire, shaped by breath, born in Venice.' The search for balance between form, function, materials, construction requirements, curiosity and experimentation are the main characteristics of the creative process from which the projects of the Venetian studio LCM MARIN come to life. Marco Marin, who founded LCM MARIN design with his wife Carolina and his son Lorenzo, has developed numerous projects in furniture and lighting over time, in collaboration with many national and international brands. New for Hind Rabii: Talea, which stands for the cuttings of a tree.

19. Dirk Wynants of Extremis drew inspiration for the Cabrio from the Strandkorb, a cultural icon from the 19th century. The design remained practically untouched for more than a century. This opened the door for a modern reinterpretation, which improved both functionality and aesthetics while honouring its rich heritage. Cabrio is the ultimate two-seater sofa that makes your terrace the best place in town; a world of unparalleled comfort and enjoyment. The convertible cover keeps the sofa's cushions dry when you are not using it. At the same time, you can position it to protect yourself from the sun, stay comfortably out of the wind and not be blinded by bright light.

20. Alain Gilles recently became art director at Croatia's Milla & Milli. His Dialogue collection for them is all about balance, stability and creating a conversation between two contrasting elements in a single piece. The design approach, however, is highly rational. To create a table that extends far from its base, that base must have a certain mass. The base, with its minimalist, angular, square shape, contrasts sharply with the soft, subtle and refined curves of the tabletops. The dialogue between the two elements is enhanced by the use of contrasting wood finishes. This finish on the base gives a deeply porous, matt look that - especially in black - evokes the appearance of charcoal or lava stone. The table tops have a contrasting smooth finish that also makes them easier to clean.