Red means go: Maria Porro on bringing Salone del Mobile to Riyadh

Both in design and in nature, red is never neutral. It’s energy, urgency, an exclamation mark. For Maria Porro, president of Salone del Mobile Milano, it’s also a metaphor for transformation. When she speaks about “Red in Progress: Salone del Mobile Milano meets Riyadh,” the world’s most influential design fair’s first foray into the MENA region, she doesn’t talk about expansion or markets. She talks about listening. “In Progress’ signals both transformation and commitment.” she says. “This edition is not just a show, it’s a beginning. We are here to build something meaningful together: a shared platform for design, dialogue, and durable partnership.”

Taking place from November 26 to 28, at the King Abdullah Financial District, “Red in Progress” marks the beginning of Salone’s long-term partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Architecture and Design Commission. The teaser event precedes a full-scale Salone Riyadh edition in 2026.

“In Riyadh, we are not exporting a model, we are co-creating one,” said Porro. “I believe in partnerships based on trust, local relevance, and shared standards. Inclusivity means expanding what excellence looks like, without lowering the bar.”

For the uninitiated, Salone isn’t just a design fair; it’s the design fair. Since 1961, it has set the global tone for how we live, design, and dream through furniture, interiors, and architecture. In Milan, it is considered a cultural institution in its own right. So when Porro, the fair’s youngest-ever and first female president, announced that Salone is heading to the region, it marked a global shift for designers.

“By 2026, we will scale this into a full trade fair: broader exhibitor base, deeper business ecosystem, richer educational programming. But the DNA will remain the same: listening to the Saudi context, amplifying its genius loci, and embedding our commitment to craftsmanship, innovation and professional excellence.”

At the heart of the event is a scenographic installation by Giò Forma, an award-winning Milan-based studio. Their vision for ‘Red in Progress’ is anything but static. It is a modular scaffolding structure wrapped in translucent red fabric. “Working with Giò Forma is really energizing. They understand how to turn architecture into narrative,” Porro explains. “One of the most meaningful moments was reimagining scaffolding not as a neutral structure, but as a bold metaphor. They insisted the structure feel permeable and welcoming, like a design in progress mirroring Riyadh’s dynamic growth. It’s a powerful symbol: something usually hidden becomes center stage.”

The color red ties it all together. In Milan, it is Salone’s calling card; in Riyadh, it takes on new resonance. “Red is our unmistakable signature […] In Riyadh, it becomes more than color: it becomes space,” Porro says. “Through Giò Forma’s all-red scaffolding installation, we reimagine the raw language of the construction site as a cultural stage, a space in motion, just like the city itself.”

The event will bring together over 35 Italian brands with Saudi designers, developers and architects. The agenda blends business with culture: masterclasses and panel exhibitions alongside a Business Lounge designed by Lissoni & Partners to facilitate real B2B connections.

That philosophy extends to the partnership at the project’s core. Two women: Porro and Dr. Sumayah Al-Sulaiman, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Architecture and Design Commission, have shaped this collaboration together, each bringing different strengths to the table. What makes these sessions unique is not just the content. It’s how receptive the audience in Riyadh is: passionate, ambitious, and ready to shape their own design future.

“It will be a moment of sincere dialogue between Riyadh and Milan and between two different but aligned ways of thinking about design’s social and economic potential,” said Porro.

In many ways, the event mirrors Saudi Arabia’s broader transformation under Vision 2030, which positions culture and creativity as central to national growth. Porro sees the timing as serendipitous. The Kingdom is investing in education, materials research, and supply chain development to ensure that the next generation of designers can build responsibly and at scale.

“The global language of design is polyphonic,” said Porro. “The Salone’s role is to hold the space for that dialogue and ensure that, wherever it goes, it speaks with people, not just to them.”