DUBAI: Design fair Salone del Mobile.Milano is making its way to the Middle East for the first time with an event in Riyadh titled “Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano meets Riyadh,” set to run from Nov. 26-28.

Staged in partnership with the Architecture and Design Commission at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, the event will take place at King Abdullah Financial District in the Kingdom’s capital.

More than 35 Made in Italy brands focused on furnishings, lighting, surfaces and accessories will be showcased alongside Saudi designers at the first edition, which acts as preview of a larger Salone del Mobile to be held in Riyadh in 2026.

Maria Porro, president of Salone del Mobile, said: “Riyadh is the place where vision becomes city. With ‘Red in progress. Salone del Mobile.Milano’ … we are bringing the design culture of the Salone and the exhibiting companies to this country to listen and work together with contractors, developers and architects — not a showcase, but a space where collaboration and content meet, and ideas become places.”

According to a released statement, the focus is business-first — with an emphasis placed on facilitating meetings between firms and professionals in the Saudi market and sharing expertise and best practices in the delivery of interiors in large development programs.

A cultural program will also unfold in the form of masterclasses and round tables, organized with the Architecture and Design Commission and led by design figures from Saudi Arabia and Italy.

Salone del Mobile.Milano was launched in 1961. In 2024, the 62nd edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano welcomed almost 2,000 exhibitors from 37 countries and recorded more than 302,000 attendees in total.