Maria Porro On What Will Define Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026
As the design community looks ahead to the 64th edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano, few voices carry more influence than its president, Maria Porro. In Interior Design‘s latest DesignWire episode, hosted by Managing Director Helene Oberman on the SURROUND Podcast Network, Porro offers a candid look at how one of the world’s most important design platforms is evolving—and what that means for the industry at large.
Since starting her role in 2021, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Porro has guided the fair’s evolution, striving to understand how best to create spaces that invite vital discussions, material discovery, and cultural impact. “Every company builds up its own architecture, its own space so when you enter the space of a brand you really feel you are inside a new atmosphere every time,” she says, noting the rare intimacy found throughout the global fair.
Long considered the benchmark event for furniture and product design, Salone serves as an ecosystem that generates ideas, fosters collaboration, and reflects shifting priorities in design. The 2026 edition includes more than 1,900 exhibitors from 32 countries—evidence of its vast influence. For Porro, the fair’s ongoing commitment to accessibility and sustainability, is paramount, earning an ISO 20121 certification for sustainable events management, which shapes how it operates at every level.
What to Expect At This Year’s Salone del Mobile.Milano
When asked by Oberman to describe a central question around this year’s show—What meaning can design take on today?—Porro offered a poetic response, reflecting her deep roots in the industry as a fourth generation furniture maker. “It’s the possibility to start from a stone, from a piece of wood, from a recycled plastic and give shape and matter and function and beauty to something that already exists,” she says. “Somehow design is always in connection with the way society evolves.” That evolution is on full display at Salone del Mobile.Milano.
From showcases of raw materials to final products, this year’s show reflects the endless possibilities of design. SaloneSatellite, now in its 27th year and curated by Marva Griffin, is back per usual to showcase work by the under-35 set and a new collectible design addition, Salone Raritas, makes its debut. “A little gem inside Salone,” shares Porro.
Listen to the full DesignWire episode on the SURROUND Podcast Network to learn more about what to expect at this year’s Salone del.Mobile.
Curated by Annalisa Rosso with exhibition design by FormaFantasma, Salone Raritas brings collectible design and design professionals together. A curated selection of galleries will be housed in this exhibition, featuring new as well as vintage and antique pieces. “Salone has always focused on quality over quantity,” Porro adds, noting the intentional selection process for exhibitors.
This year’s show also will feature Aurea – An Architectural Fiction, an immersive experience by Oscar Lucien Ono of Numéro 20, part of “A Luxury Way.” The installation invites visitors to explore an imaginary interpretation of a hotel, offering a dreamlike spatial narrative where Art Deco meets surrealism meets cinema, making clear this year’s show goes beyond the merely functional, encouraging creatives to stretch the possibilities of design.
At a moment when design is increasingly called upon to address environmental and social challenges, Porro’s vision underscores a broader shift: from product to purpose, from event to ongoing dialogue. Listen to the full episode to hear how Porro is redefining what a design fair—and the industry it represents—can be.
Salone del Mobile. Milano. Photography ©Diego-Ravier. 
Salone del Mobile.Milano. Photography ©Andrea Mariani. 
Salone Raritas: NILUFAR Andres Reisinger 12 Chairs For Meditations. Photography by Alejandro Ramirez Orozco. 
Salone Raritas: Mercado Moderno. Jorge Zalszupin Andorinha coffee table. 
Aurea Salone del Mobile.Milano. Illustration by MN20.
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