3. MATERIALITY WILL MATTER MORE THAN COLOUR
The question we ' re going to ask is not just " what colour is it?" but " what is it made from?"
Firstly, what do we mean by materiality? It simply means making the material itself part of the design, not disguising it or treating it as secondary. And this is coming through as a big trend movement for 2027.
Salone ' s own 2026 campaign was called A Matter of Salone, putting physical material at the centre of the conversation. And that idea ran right through Milan. Stone was shown with dramatic natural veining. Timber grain was celebrated rather than disguised. Glass was treated experimentally. We saw lacquer, metal, woven materials and highly tactile textiles used in increasingly unexpected ways.
Even in bathroom design, Salone identified materiality and durability as a new expression of luxury.
This is where I think some of the familiar " texture " conversation becomes much more sophisticated.
We ' ve talked about adding texture to rooms for years. What ' s changing is that the material itself becomes part of the design story.
4. PERFECTLY MATCHED FINISHES ARE OVER
The next stage of materiality is contrast.
One of my favourite things about the latest international collections is how much freer designers have become about combining materials. At Milan, a number of observers spotted warm and cool metals being deliberately mixed; chrome alongside bronze and brass, and wood, stone, lacquer, glass and upholstery all appearing together throughout the show.
Copenhagen told a similar story. Stainless steel and aluminium were everywhere at 3daysofdesign, but importantly they weren ' t necessarily presented as cold, industrial materials. Steel appeared alongside oak, Douglas fir, marble and other natural surfaces. And this is why I don ' t think " chrome is back " – because this doesn’ t quite capture what is happening. The more interesting story is material clash.
Cold with warm; glossy with matt; precise with imperfect; industrial with handmade.
INTERIORS & INTERIOR DESIGN
5. CRAFT GOES HIGH-TECH
Craftsmanship is still in-demand as a trend that’ s evolving- but not in the nostalgic way we might expect.
This is one of the movements I think will become hugely influential. The entire 2026 edition of SaloneSatellite, the section of Milan devoted to emerging international designers, centred on Skilled Craftsmanship + Innovation. More than 700 young designers were invited to explore the relationship between making by hand, technology, new materials, circularity and production.
That is important because this isn ' t a return to rustic craft. It is a new generation taking weaving, joinery, ceramics, basketry and other traditional techniques and combining them with digital design, unconventional materials and radically contemporary shapes.
We ' re already seeing extraordinary woven furniture created using digital modelling, traditional timber joinery used in very contemporary furniture and waste materials transformed through new manufacturing processes.
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