From November 26 to 28, 2025, the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh will host the “Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh” event. A three-day program that will bring the Salone to the heart of Riyadh, transforming its financial square into a business-first meeting point between the Salone, Made in Italy furniture companies and the Saudi project ecosystem.

The event, in strategic partnership with the Saudi Architecture & Design Commission , will feature an installation curated by the architecture firm Giò Forma, an intensive cultural program and a B2B platform, a meeting point between Made in Italy and the Saudi project ecosystem — a first step towards 2026, when Riyadh will host a full-fledged Salone del Mobile.

King Abdullah Financial District, Riyadh ©JohnnyGreig_Getty Images

Enhancing creative and manufacturing supply chains

The aim of the strategic partnership between the Salone and the Saudi Ministry of Culture, through the Architecture & Design Commission (in line with Vision 2030 and following the Memorandum signed in AlUla last January), is to promote the creative and manufacturing supply chains of the two countries through a shared exhibition, accelerate qualified connections, raise the visibility of local talents, promote sustainability and innovation standards and practices, and create concrete conditions for ideas and projects to become construction sites, interiors and cities.

Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, emphasizes that Saudi Arabia is a natural hub for design and a market that, in recent years, has shown encouraging signs, presenting today a growth potential in absolute terms still to be realized. “That is precisely why we are here: to turn this potential into concrete projects, lasting relationships and value for the entire supply chain thanks to the strategic partnership with the Architecture & Design Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture and with the support of MAECI and ICE”. 

Cultural Investment Conference, King Fahd Cultural Center, Riyadh
 

A rapidly growing economy

Riyadh’s economy is rapidly developing: today the city is the focal point for designing new hotels, malls, offices and residences that are reshaping the country. The numbers are clear: tourism aims for 150 million visits (source: Vision 2030, General Authority for Statistics) by 2030 with 362,000 new rooms; retail gross leasable area will grow to 9.9 million m2, and prime office rents are increasing (+8.7% year-on-year) (source: JJL Research). In parallel, the Saudi market for furniture, fixed elements and equipment is worth around €6.11 billion (2024) and is projected to reach €8.06 billion by 2030 (source: TechSci Research and Mordor Intelligence), with residential (65%) and hospitality as the main drivers.

For Italy it is obviously a favorable scenario: according to data from the Centro Studi FederlegnoArredo, in 2024 Italian exports from the filiera legno-arredo to Saudi Arabia reached €288.3 million, +16.9% over 2023 and +19% over 2022. According to UN Comtrade Data the Kingdom is the second market in the Middle East and North Africa for Italian furniture; Made in Italy leads the high-end segment with a share around 36%, in a context where imports cover about 40% of the market and the premium/luxury segment is worth roughly €0.59 billion; purchases remain predominantly offline (92%) and choices are often guided by architects, interior designers and procurement.

“Together with Fashion and Food, the wood supply chain (Furniture) — said Matteo Zoppas, president of ICE,  — contributes to the three Fs of Italian excellence and craftsmanship, generating, despite geopolitical tensions, €9.67 billion in exports in the first half of 2025, almost in line with the result for the same period in 2024 (-1%). Thanks to ICE’s office, the teaser event in Riyadh will feature a rich program of B2B sessions between more than 35 Italian companies and selected Saudi operators”. 

 Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh  ©Studio Giò Forma - Salone del Mobile.Milano

Made in Italy on display

The event “Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh” will redesign the public space of the King Abdullah Financial District with the Salone’s red mark. At the heart of the event is the large installation curated by the international architecture firm Giò Forma: a set of modular scaffolding covered by a semi-transparent red fabric that will transform the language of a construction site into a cultural stage. Within the weaves of the installation, products from more than 35 furniture companies will be showcased along a route where craftsmanship, design ability, harmony and circularity meet and trace new perspectives. The cultural program, curated by Annalisa Rosso, Editorial Director & Cultural Events Advisor of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, will bring together voices from Italy and Saudi Arabia.

The B2B component will instead take shape in the Business Lounge designed by Lissoni & Partners, which will be organized into lounge and meeting areas conceived for discreet and functional hospitality   and to create a comfortable refuge. A full-height luminous wall will tell the story and values of the Salone del Mobile.Milano.