Nineteen hundred exhibitors from Italy and around the world. 700 designers, all under the age of 35. Over 169,000 sq.m. of exhibition. The numbers give a sense of the scale of this year’s Salone del Mobile.Milano, the landmark European furniture and interiors design trade fair that attracts a large contingent of Indian architects, designers and real estate developers seeking both inspiration and commerce.

According to data provided by the organisers, of the total number of visitors passing through the fair’s gates, Indians place 10th of 160 nationalities. Italy is also the second largest exporter of furniture to India within the European Union. And this year keeping them interested are two new offerings, Salone Raritas and Salone Contract.

Raritas, as the name suggests, will be a marketplace for limited edition and one-off design objects and rare antiques from around the world. The 25 exhibitors at the debut include Milan’s own Nilufar gallery, COLLECTIONAL from Dubai, and Brun Fine Art, which has a presence in cities such as London and Florence.

Bringing collectible design into the mix is a shift from what the trade fair’s known for — as a venue for design-forward furniture, furnishings and home accessories — to what consumers are increasingly spending money on. In a way, Salone’s adjusting to a reality already evident at other interiors-centric trade fairs, from the commercially-focussed NeoCon in Chicago and to the more niche Copenhagen fair, 3 Days of Design.

“Salone has always reflected what is happening worldwide,” says Annalisa Rosso, editorial director and cultural events advisor at the trade fair, who curated the 2026 Raritas lineup. “Furniture manufacturers and the interior design industry are finally understanding the importance of craft, and as a business-to-business event, we are building a bridge.”

Salone president Maria Porro, adds that they’ve also identified “demand from high-end residential and hospitality projects for distinctive, narrative-driven objects capable of shaping identity. We have observed a stronger convergence between art, design, and craftsmanship”. While no Indian design label finds a spot at Raritas this year, Porro believes collectible design made in the country has “huge potential” overseas. “Indian design is a vibrant ecosystem, rooted in millennia-old craftsmanship — think Jodhpur for sheesham wood, Saharanpur for intricate carvings, Moradabad for brass — that hybrids with contemporary innovation. India doesn’t imitate; it creates an authentic ‘third way’, very much aligned with the Italian manufacturing tradition,” she says.

While design collectibles lure collectors and institutional buyers into making high value purchases, as a trade fair, the real value to exhibitors lies in large volume sales of mass-produced custom-made furniture and interior products. Which goes to explain its second venture, Salone Contract. The new initiative transitions the trade fair from being just a marketplace for objects, to playing middle man between developers and the global design industry.

Which goes to explain Salone’s multi-city outreach strategy in India earlier this year (similar to such public relations outreaches across the U.S., Dubai, Shanghai and Singapore). While at Delhi’s India Art Fair, the target audience was art collectors, architects and designers, in Mumbai, it was also the country’s billionaire builders. Potential buyers for Salone Contract, which will debut next year.

“India’s rapid expansion in hospitality, mixed use developments, and high-end residential projects reflects the global evolution of contract. Access to major projects now requires the ability to navigate differentiated regulations, financial guarantees and increasingly complex forms of mass customisation,” says Porro, explaining the rationale behind the contract furnishing extension. “Our objective is to make this complexity legible and to strengthen qualified B2B relationships between companies and global decision makers. We are looking at a global market currently valued at around €68 billion, projected to exceed €110 billion within the next decade.”

Yogesh Chaudhry, director, Jaipur Rugs, which regularly presents at the trade fair, believes Salone’s new verticals are well thought out. “There is no one show globally that combines the interior and design ecosystem and offers it in the format of Contract.”

According to Manju Sara Rajan, co-founder of Bengaluru-based collectible design studio Kaash, the diversification isn’t surprising. “Even though Salone set the gold standard for design shows, they have stiff competition today from other trade fairs,” she says. Given India’s booming real estate market — which is expected to hit the $1 trillion mark by 2030, according to international real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield — Rajan believes the trade fair’s Contract vertical may find more takers than Indian collectors in search of rare objects.

“As far as collectibles go, designers in India already have a ready market of collectors. Salone with its reach as an industry body will be able to bring together Italian design and manufacturing in a way that benefits Indian developers interested in importing well-made durable furniture. Especially since tariffs on furniture have now been slashed. And from a design industry standpoint they will be able to offer something to participants that other fairs are not.”

The writer is based in Mumbai and reports on travel and culture.