Top 5 Trends That Defined Salone del Mobile 2025

My first visit back to Salone del Mobile since 2019 confirmed a significant shift in design thinking. From the quiet transparency of glass to the bold sheen of lacquer and sculptural light forms, this year’s fair revealed a design world that’s bolder, more tactile, and deeply intentional. These five standout trends not only caught my eye but signalled where the industry is heading... glass, lacquer, inlay, chrome, lighting, and sustainable materiality. Whether through ancient craft revived or futuristic tech reimagined design in 2025 is as much about material exploration as it is about emotional connection, pushing past aesthetics into purpose. 

- Danielle x

 

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A GLASS RENAISSANCE

Glass made a dramatic return—not just as a material, but as a sculptural presence. Designers played with opacity, colour, and form, treating glass like clay. Think rippling partitions, smoked tabletop slabs, and chunky, almost surreal glass legs supporting otherwise minimal furniture. Glass wasn't just transparent - it was expressive. The use of deep jewel tones, sandblasted finishes, and optical layering gave it both depth and emotion.

“This wasn’t your grandmother’s glassware. It was fluid, bold, and borderline psychedelic.”

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HIGH GLOSS, HIGH DRAMA - LACQUERED LUXE

Lacquer made a glossy return, proving that shine isn't just for chrome.

This year, designers embraced deep, polished finishes in bold hues—oxblood reds, forest greens, midnight blues—giving surfaces a wet-look elegance. It wasn’t just for cabinetry either; lacquer appeared on sculptural seating, coffee tables, and even lighting bases.

The finish brought drama and depth, creating pieces that felt both vintage and hyper-modern. Whether traditional or sprayed with an automotive gloss, lacquer gave objects a liquid-like presence.

“Lacquer is back—and it’s unapologetically shiny.”

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SUSTAINABLE MATERIALITY

This year, sustainability wasn't an afterthought it was embedded in the design language. We saw recycled glass turned into terrazzo like slabs, algae based textiles, and bio-resins formed into chairs and tiles. The emphasis was on material honesty... let it look reused, let it show its story. What stood out most was how these materials weren’t presented as compromises, but as luxuries in their own right.

“Beauty with a backstory. That’s the new luxury.”

CHROME COMEBACK

Chrome is here —and not shy about it. Evoking Bauhaus minimalism and '90s maximalism all at once, it was featured in everything from cantilevered chairs to oversized vases. But this wasn’t the cold chrome of the past; it was warm, sculptural, and even playful.

This year's chrome felt like a mirror to our times—reflective, high-definition, and undeniably sleek.

“If last year was industrial and matte, this year was full shine.”

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LIGHT AS FORM

Lighting broke free from the ceiling. It became the sculpture, the divider, the mood-setter. Organic, asymmetrical, and often interactive, light installations blurred the line between object and atmosphere.

Designers leaned into diffused neon, glowing resin, and modular LED components to craft not just illumination, but ambiance. In many booths, lighting didn’t follow furniture—it led the story.

“Light became its own material—flexible, expressive, and alive.”

Tête-à-tête with modern metalsmith EVAANNA.