OMA to lead contract furniture forum at Salone del Mobile 2026

Milan's Salone del Mobile furniture fair has announced Salone Contract, a programme led by OMA partners Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten, dedicated to showcasing contract furniture.

Salone del Mobile, the world's most significant furniture fair, takes place every spring in Milan, Italy.

During its 2026 edition in April, OMA partners and architects Koolhaas and Gianotten will lead a forum dedicated to contract furniture – pieces specifically created for public settings, including workplaces, restaurants or healthcare facilities.

The forum will act as the soft-launch event for Salone Contract, a multi-year programme that will debut at Salone del Mobile 2027 and will explore the expanding global role of contract furniture.

As part of the forum, Koolhaas will host a dedicated lecture to introduce fair-goers to the concept.

A thematic itinerary among various exhibitors' work will also take place, highlighting the key qualities of contract furniture today.

From September of this year, the project will continue as an "international road tour of key markets, gradually building an informed and profiled international audience," said Salone del Mobile.

In 2027, Salone Contract will be launched with an exhibition featuring furniture from brands selected for their design quality, industrial capacity and operational reliability, according to the organisers.

The fair explained why it selected international studio OMA to helm the project.

"The Salone chose OMA, an international architecture and urbanism firm, because it combines design practice with a strong research dimension, and an approach that spans scales and disciplines," said Salone del Mobile.

"It is precisely this visionary and methodological approach that is driving the construction of Salone Contract," added the furniture fair.

This is not the first innovation that Salone del Mobile has announced in recent months. At the end of last year, the fair unveiled plans for Salone Raritas, its first-ever exhibition dedicated to unique and limited-edition design, which will debut as part of this year's edition.

Set to take place in the final quarter of 2026 is the first edition of Salone del Mobile in Saudi Arabia, a satellite fair in Riyadh established to "create a cultural and commercial bridge between Italy and Saudi Arabia".

The photography is by Diego Ravier unless stated otherwise.

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