The fourth edition of the Salone del Mobile will run from 20th to 22nd November at the SEC Shanghai Exhibition Center. 128 exhibitors will set out their very finest products over almost 8,000m² of exhibition space, guaranteeing a fully immersive experience in the value and originality of Made in Italy. This year will have more of a contemporary bias, with 80 companies in the Design category and 36 top brands in the xLux category.

The announcement presentation of this fourth edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano Shanghai  to some 400 well-known architects and interior designers, real estate promoters and sectoral professionals, took place during the now traditional Red Night, held in the atmospheric and contemporary setting of the MIFA 1862 Theatre, an ancient shipyard restructured and converted into an Art Centre to a design by the acclaimed architect Kengo Kuma. Guests were welcomed to the building, which was bathed in Salone red light for the occasion, and spent an evening savouring the emotional connection between East and West created by such a unique event.

Another opportunity for reflection will be provided by SaloneSatellite Shanghai, making its return laden with expectation and featuring talented designers under 35, allowing young designers and students at Chinese universities and design schools a chance to showcase their projects. A jury of sectoral professionals will assign prizes for the top three projects as part of the SaloneSatellite Shanghai Award, and their designers will be invited to take part in the 2020 edition of SaloneSatellite in Milan.

The Salone del Mobile.Milano Shanghai also provides an opportunity to take stock of the sector and its progress, and promote new relationships that will give concrete support to the synergic development of the furnishing sectors in Italy and China and generate opportunities for cultural debate, inspiration and training. The Master Classes are there to do just this, with their successful programme of meetings, discussion and reflection led by three internationally acclaimed Italian architects – Rodolfo Dordoni, Patricia Urquiola and Ferruccio Laviani – in conversation with an equal number of gifted Chinese architects: Li Hu, Zhao Yang and Chen Fei Bo. The contemporary story of excellent Italian savoir faire will be offset by the experience of the Chinese designers, who are making great strides in innovation and quality in order to come up with original products and new housing models for China over the coming years. In this perspective, the synergy with the Italian design system can provide an effective instrument of differentiation within the context of an increasingly competitive market.

To commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo, the Salone del Mobile.Milano will also pay homage to the eclectic Italian Renaissance genius in China with an installation that celebrates his work and his legacy to the art of design and savoir-faire, a theme that is more fundamental to the world of design than ever before. DE-SIGNO, the art of Italian design before and after Leonardo, is an atmospheric narration of the genius of Leonardo da Vinci and his links to contemporary Italian design. With this initiative, too, the Salone del Mobile is reaffirming the importance of the cultural exchanges that take place today and which have done so in the past between Italy and China.

For the first time ever, visitors will have a chance to buy products from the official Salone del Mobile.Milano merchandising range, encapsulating the quality, functionality and creativity that has always set Italian design apart.