The Designers To Know From Salone Del Mobile 2026

Key moments, debut collections and significant designer collaborations

Iwan Maktabi

This year marked Iwan Maktabi’s debut at the fair, where the renowned carpet house presented two collaborations showcasing the breadth of its vision. One unfolded at Nilufar gallery as part of an immersive interior conceived with David/Nicolas and de Gournay. The second formed part of Jusoor Design Collections, centred on the concept of Jusoor – Arabic for “bridges” – celebrating creative cross-cultural exchange. Iwan Maktabi partnered with Saudi designers Abeer AlRabiah and Albandari Sulaiman to create the CORA Collection; 12 sculptural seating pieces inspired by five coral species native to Saudi Arabia. Integrating handwoven carpets into three-dimensional stools, each work echoes the rhythm, resilience and chromatic richness of coral colonies.

For more information, visit iwanmaktabi.com

Yabu Pushelberg

Committed to craft and intent, and working with both heritage and experimental brands, the design house presented objects that transform the human experience through interiors. From a debut collaboration with Poliform on the Lanai bedroom collection to the Daiya lamp, continuing an ongoing partnership with De Padova, Yabu Pushelberg’s multidisciplinary talents were front and centre. With its first creative journey with ALPI (pictured), it introduces veneers shaped by memory, landscape and context. From these surfaces, the team created an installation inspired by the forest’s depth, shadow and mystery, drawing on universal myths and lore of places believed to shelter mythical creatures.

For more information, visit yabupushelberg.com

Hermès

Charlotte Macaux Perelman, architect and artistic director of the Hermès Home universe, designed a set comprising 30 rectangular columns, each embellished with graphic motifs in wood, inviting visitors to wander through its ‘aisles’. The structures displayed pieces from the Hermès Home collection, such as a cashmere throw, vases in various materials and a water jug in hand-hammered metal. Also presented was the Stadium d’Hermès table (below) imagined by British design duo Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby and crafted entirely from marble.

For more information, visit hermes.com

Etereo

The Dubai-based architecture and interior design collective presented four design series born from collaborations with StudioTwentySeven, Nilufar, Conte Casa and Alimonti Milano. Showcased as different isntallations across the city, each highglighted the dialogue between design and materials. In the Alimonti Milano showroom, the Medusa collection came to life, expressed through four lamps, a console (pictured) and a cabinet. The series explores the tension between softness and density through a meeting of natural stone and metal.

For more information, visit etereodesign.it

Poltrona Frau

The high-end Italian furniture brand unveiled its True Over Time collection at its Milan flagship store. Bringing together new pieces and evolutions across living, dining and bedroom spaces, it featured contributions from designers Jean-Marie Massaud, Faye Toogood, Roberto Lazzeroni, and others. Also on show was the Archibald Delicate Balance Limited Edition created with artist Shepard Fairey, in which the brand’s iconic Archibald armchair (below) meets street art through graphic signs and symbols.

 For more information, visit poltronafrau.com

Missoni

Celebrating the slow art of craftsmanship, Missoni launched a special project paying tribute to one of the most iconic tools in its creative history: the Caperdoni machine. Carefully preserved and used exclusively by the house, it transforms hand assembled bobbins and spools into richly textured, vibrant fabrics. Producing just one metre of fabric per hour, its slow rhythm underscores a concept of luxury rooted in time and attention to detail. The project also marked Caperdoni’s entry into the world of home design, with a new collection of poufs, throws, cushions and home accessories.

For more information, visit missoni.com

Minotti

The Minotti pavilion presented a new expression of the Italian brand’s identity, with a scenographic architectural setting that brought together languages, materials and visions into a cohesive, immersive narrative. As a showcase for its 2026 Collection, in which the design house worked with six designers, the experience unfolded over a series of environments, each interpreting its new indoor and outdoor collections in contemporary ways. New seating systems were also unveiled, such as Orion, Ruffle and the Elyne chair (pictured), each conveying the evolution of the brand’s design vision.

For more information, visit minotti.com

Etro Home Interiors

Conceived as a multifaceted environment, the presentation offered an immersive journey through the brand’s ever-evolving vision, and served as the setting for the launch of its new Etro Ornamenta collection. Drawing inspiration from the cultural legacy of Art Deco, different materials come together to shape a rich and layered aesthetic. Fringes, braided cords and embroidered fabrics meet marble, fine woods and intricate inlays.

For more information, visit etro.com

Loro Piana

In Studies, Chapter 1: On the Plaid, the Italian textile brand paid tribute to plaid as a central element of its heritage. The scenography, structured as a passage, introduced visitors to 24 plaids, each differentiated by techniques, constructions, patterns and finishes. Translating historic symbols and graphic elements from the archives, each piece is approached like couture and crafted exclusively upon request, offering a unique dimension of measure, individuality and personalisation.

For more information, visit loropiana.com

Aesop

Returning to the fair for the third year, Aesop’s installation explored purposeful art, the nature of light and the act of harnessing it. Throughout the experience, entitled The Factory of Light, the story of Aesop’s latest creation, Aposē, unfolded. Cast in brass with glass-blown crowns, the trio of limited-edition table lamps marks the skincare brand’s first venture into lighting.

For more information, visit aesop.com

Images Supplied

From the Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Interiors Summer 2026 issue