After Miami, the Salone curates the Art Basel Hong Kong Collectors' Lounge. This represents a significant advancement in the global recognition of Made in Italy design.
Since its debut at Art Basel Miami Beach, which marked the Salone del Mobile.Milano continues its three-year partnership with Art Basel, marking its arrival at the heart of the international collecting scene in Hong Kong. With its second Collectors Lounge, the Salone is consolidating an increasingly established presence in settings where art, design and value converge. In one of the global market’s most dynamic hubs, it engages a highly discerning audience and brings Italian design into circles where relationships are forged, choices are shaped, and the new geography of the contemporary world is mapped out.
In partnership with Lissoni & Partners, the Art Basel Hong Kong Collectors Lounge will take shape thanks to a selection of companies representing some of the most influential names in the Italian wood and furniture industry: Arper, Artemide, B&B Italia, Bontempi, De Castelli, Ethimo, Fiam Italia, Flos, Gallotti&Radice, Glas Italia, Golran, Gufram, Kartell, Mattiazzi, Memphis, Meridiani, Molteni&C, Natuzzi, Oluce, Pedrali, Porro, Villari and Visionnaire. A varied group with different styles and roles, but all sharing a common goal—a collection of manufacturers that blend traditional craftsmanship with new ideas while effectively connecting with modern art and architecture. Here, Italian design asserts itself as a cultural language and a strategic lever capable of connecting beauty, business and investment.
Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano had this to say: “With Art Basel Hong Kong, we are taking a key step in the Salone’s internationalisation process, entering one of the most important hubs for the art market and for accessing Asian markets. Hong Kong represents a privileged gateway to Asia – China, Japan, and South Korea – and a point of connection in a region in which demand for design is evolving and making itself felt on multiple levels. In this context, even as flows are being redefined, the city’s role as a relational and cultural platform is growing, capable of generating opportunities on a regional scale. It is within this context that the Salone’s presence has been growing since 2024, the year in which the SaloneSatellite Permanent Collection was hosted by the IDFFHK International Design Furniture Fair Hong Kong and the Designworks Foundation, showcasing more than 100 products. The aim is not merely to maintain a presence in a market but to build relationships and connections within high-value ecosystems, where art, design and cultural investment intertwine. Participation in Art Basel Hong Kong is accompanied by a programme of content that reflects the evolution of the event; this year sees the debut of Salone Raritas, the new platform dedicated to limited editions, one-off pieces, and high-end craftsmanship. In parallel, Italian Design Day, curated by Annalisa Rosso, fits into this framework as a tool for cultural diplomacy, promoting reflection on the role of design in the regeneration of spaces, objects and relationships and strengthening the dialogue between the Italian design sector and international contexts.”
The Talk: For the love of collectibles: Why Collect Design Now
The Salone’s cultural programme in Hong Kong will feature the talk For the Love of Collectibles: Why Collect Design Now, curated by Annalisa Rosso, editorial and cultural director and advisor of the Salone del Mobile.Milano will explore collectible design as a frontier between design research, limited-edition production, and the creation of cultural value. Scheduled for 28th March at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, the event will bring together the artist and designer Duyi Han and Talenia Phua Gajardo, founder and CEO of The Artling, in conversation with Yoko Choy.
The discussion will prompt a reflection on the new trajectories of contemporary design, exploring its narrative dimension, its ability to activate contexts, and its growing relevance within hybrid scenarios spanning residential, hospitality, and public spaces. A look at the Asian scene as an evolving laboratory, where collectible design forges a language capable of interpreting and redefining the geographies of contemporary design.
Celebrating Italian Design Day
On March 27 at 12:00 PM, Italian Design Day will be celebrated at the Collectors Lounge, in the presence of Massimo Ambrosetti, Ambassador of Italy to the People’s Republic of China; Carmelo Ficarra, Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong; and Paola Bellusci, Director of the ICE Agency Hong Kong. Annalisa Rosso, Editorial and Cultural Director–Advisor of Salone del Mobile.Milano and Testimonial of Italian Design in Hong Kong will present a reflection on redesign as a practice of regeneration and design responsibility. Her talk will focus on the ability of design to reinterpret the existing, extend its life cycle, and generate value through sustainable and conscious processes. This approach is reflected in the vision of Salone del Mobile.Milano – an event aligned with the United Nations Global Compact, ISO 20121 certified for sustainable event management and a promoter of Green Guidelines for all exhibitors – and finds synthesis in the Salone Raritas project curated by Ms. Rosso. In this project, special limited-edition items are designed to last a long time, going against the trend of things becoming outdated quickly and supporting a new idea of lasting value in modern design.
Hong Kong: a threshold between markets and visions
Recently, Hong Kong has embarked on a significant evolution of its positioning in the international art and design system. Within this context, the economic data also reflect a phase of redefinition that opens up new positioning opportunities. In the first eleven months of 2025, Italian wood-furniture supply chain exports to Hong Kong stood at 59.8 million euros, while the furnishing macro-system reached 52 million euros (Data Centro Studi FederlegnoArredo). Values that, within a phase of transformation of flows, confirm the city's role as a strategic platform for access to a wider area. Hong Kong is, in fact, part of a rapidly evolving Asian system, in which markets such as China, Japan, and South Korea are showing significant levels of demand for Italian design. From this perspective, the city is taking on an increasingly central function as a relational and cultural hub, capable of activating connections and opportunities on a regional scale. A threshold, rather than a destination.