ITALIAN DESIGN STARTS MOVING AGAIN

The Italian furniture market is growing again. Not by much, but it grows. In 2025 the sector posts +1% and reaches 15.6 billion euros, after a weaker 2024. It is not an explosion, not a race, but it is still a signal: the system holds.

The figure comes from the Deloitte Furniture Market Monitor 2026, presented in New York during the Design Summit promoted by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce together with Deloitte. Looking ahead, the sector could reach 15.7 billion in 2026 and 15.9 in 2027, thus returning above pre-pandemic levels.

Within these numbers, however, there is a more interesting reading. Italy accounts for only a small part of the world furniture market, which moves around 800 billion euros. But the weight of Italian design is not measured only in percentage. It is measured in reputation, in perceived quality, in the ability to turn a piece of furniture into a sign of style.

Export remains a fundamental lever. France, the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom remain central markets, but new growth areas are also emerging, from the United Arab Emirates to Poland. It confirms that Italian products, when they keep identity and consistency, continue to find room beyond national borders.

The heart of the sector remains traditional furniture, which represents the largest part of the market. Alongside it, lighting and bathroom keep an important role. Lighting, in particular, seems to intercept well the change in the way we live: today the home is no longer just a functional place, but a space of atmosphere, perception and personal storytelling.

Growth in the coming years, however, will not be taken for granted. The sector will have to deal with costs, tariffs, international instability, new rules and more cautious household spending. That is why Contract B2B appears to be one of the most solid areas, because it links design not only to the private home, but also to hospitality, work, retail and experience spaces.

Then there is the issue of mergers. In recent years design has been crossed by many corporate operations, including Italian players. It is an important step: companies are looking for structure, capital, markets, commercial strength. The sector remains creative, but becomes more and more industrial and financial.

The real transformation, however, concerns the very meaning of the product. Furniture is no longer enough as an object. It must carry identity, sustainability, technology, service, storytelling. The dialogue with luxury is also becoming increasingly evident: furnishing moves closer to the world of the maisons, entering a higher, more aesthetic, more narrative dimension.

Meanwhile sales channels are changing too. Online weighs more and more, while the physical store remains central but must evolve. It cannot be just display. It must become consultancy, selection, experience.

Italian design restarts from here: from prudent growth, but also from a deep transformation. The challenge is not only to sell more. It is to keep being desirable in a market that changes taste, tools and language.