Sustainable Design Trends at Salone del Mobile 2025

Sustainable Materials & Sensory Craftsmanship

A defining theme at Salone del Mobile 2025 was the return to materials—not only in terms of tactile quality but also in their origin, lifespan, and story. Designers leaned heavily into localized production, artisanal expertise, and new cycles of material reuse. Sustainability was no longer a separate category, but a standard design lens applied across installations and furniture collections.

The overarching message: Materials are not just components. They’re carriers of meaning, memory, and care.

• In many pavilions, recycled resin, softly textured wool, natural stone, and organic fibers like palm or jute took center stage. Not as neutral backgrounds, but as characters in a narrative about ecological responsibility and sensory connection. Texture played a vital role: finishes invited touch, surfaces revealed layered time, and each material seemed to echo the origin from which it came.
• One standout was the Materia pendant light by Studio Davidpompa — a minimalist suspension made from volcanic rock and powder-coated aluminum. The contrast between raw lava texture and sleek matte metal created a refined duality. It captured the spirit of 2025’s most forward-thinking booths: embracing local geology, reinterpreting craft, and turning elemental substance into elevated atmosphere.
  Image 1: Materia – Pendant light by Studio Davidpompa. A fusion of volcanic rock and matte black aluminum, combining local material heritage with minimalist precision.
• The theme of longevity through reinvention continued at Alcova. Terraformæ, in collaboration with 70Materia, unveiled Fragma — a terrazzo-like material made from ceramic production waste. It offered a model for how industrial leftovers could be upcycled into surfaces of quiet elegance, challenging the aesthetic norms of recycled design.
• Magis’s Pied-à-Terre table by Brogliato Traverso offered a sculptural solution in recycled marble: fragments of discarded stone were bonded into a decorative base, transforming mineral waste into functional art. These micro-recycling approaches offered both aesthetic nuance and marketable durability — core values echoed throughout the fair.
• Meanwhile, the Soft Horizons project by Objects of Common Interest recontextualized Greek marble waste into poetic, columnar forms. Though more symbolic in nature, the installation opened a dialogue between industrial waste and cultural narrative — suggesting that design can also serve as a medium of remembrance and place-making.

Across the fair, sustainability was not only about avoiding waste — it was about giving material a second voice and third life. From lava rock to palm fiber, what mattered was not perfection, but the trace of the hand, the site, and the story.

Curved Forms & Sculptural Seating

At Salone del Mobile 2025, seating takes center stage as both functional anchor and expressive art. Across major collections, from Poliform to B&B Italia, the trend is unmistakable: fluid curves, deep volumes, and lounge systems designed to invite conversation and redefine comfort. This year’s silhouettes embrace a retro-futuristic revival—drawing on the sensuality of 1970s interiors while integrating contemporary refinements in tailoring, texture, and modular versatility.

Among the standout debuts, Emile by Christophe Delcourt for Molteni&C reimagines the modular sofa with sculptural grace. Its asymmetric backrest shifts in height like a topographical landscape, giving movement to its static form. Bold, graphic contours and elegant volumes merge architecture with softness—offering a striking focal point that adapts to modern rhythms of life.

B&B Italia’s Tufty-Time 20, a reissue of Patricia Urquiola’s icon, honors two decades of design evolution. The updated model enhances ergonomics and introduces new curved components, pushing its flexibility and sociability. With its disassemblable construction, it also champions sustainability—proving that legacy and innovation can coexist within one modular frame.

Meanwhile, Loulou Rock by David Nicolas for Gallotti&Radice adds sculptural intimacy to the category. This modern rocking chair combines artisanal craftsmanship with theatrical flair—featuring a matte black frame, polished brass accents, and a fixed leather seat cocooned by a generous curved backrest. The piece blurs the boundary between nostalgia and modernity, offering both visual drama and sensory comfort.

Altogether, these seating systems transform lounging into an act of living sculpture—where form follows function, but never without style. At Kantras Art, we draw inspiration from these pieces to inform how we create comfort that makes a statement—through furniture, textiles, and visual design that prioritizes emotion, atmosphere, and expressive form.mattered was not perfection, but the trace of the hand, the site, and the story.

Muted Earth Tones with Jewel Accents

Rich textures in moss greens, terracotta, aubergine, and moka browns paired with metallic or jewel-shaded accents—creating layered warmth and sophistication.

In 2025, Salone del Mobile showcased a refined shift from stark minimalism toward textural expression and tonal depth. A spectrum of earthy tones—moss green, terracotta, mocha brown, aubergine—created immersive, grounded palettes. These hues weren’t flat; they were enriched through layering, organic surfaces, and surprising pairings with metallic or jewel-like elements such as brass, garnet red, and lapis blue.

Natural Finishes Lead the Way

Materials like travertine and dark-grained walnut made a strong statement. Designers embraced raw, honest finishes—walnut with expressive graining, stone left subtly porous, and wood pieces that highlighted rather than concealed their natural origins. Travertine, in particular, was a standout for its versatile earthy elegance—used in everything from sculptural coffee tables to integrated wall panels. Chrome made a confident return too, but not in its coldest iteration. Instead, it was warm, mirror-like, and sculptural—often serving as a sleek counterpoint to organic textures and forms.

Texture, Pattern, and Personality

The muted palette came alive through tactile richness. Think chunky boucle upholstery, velvet in jewel tones, heavy linen, and knotted wool used in soft furnishings and large-scale seating. But it wasn’t just about solid color—pattern is back in a big way, especially on statement sofas. This year’s standout trend? Personality-packed pattern.

Sofas and armchairs embraced folk-inspired designs, drawing from global textiles and craft traditions. South American motifs, block prints, and embroidered details lent cultural character to otherwise minimal layouts. Designers like Martin Waller of Andrew Martin emphasized the return of traditional techniques like chain stitch and crewelwork, giving fabric a handcrafted, soulful quality. These textiles do more than decorate—they tell stories, embedding personal and cultural identity into the core of the interior.

As Waller notes, “Sofa trends for 2025 are showcasing a vibrant blend of cultural influences and artistic expressions,” and at Salone, these elements were rendered in a sophisticated way—never overwhelming, always curated.

Glass with Emotion

Adding to the sensory palette was the glass renaissance. Designers sculpted glass into thick legs, optical tabletops, and curved room dividers, playing with opacity, ripple effects, and jewel-tone colorations. Rather than being purely functional, glass became a canvas for emotion—expressive, surreal, and layered.

Together, these elements define a major shift for interiors in 2025: a move toward expressive harmony. Earth tones ground the space, glass adds emotion, textures bring softness, and patterns add narrative. It’s a warm, personal, and elevated aesthetic—one that aligns closely with Kantras Art’s vision for meaningful, emotive design.

Patterned Rust Sofa in Earth-Toned Living Room with Natural Textures