Salone del Mobile launches ‘Raritas’ as collectable design booms among younger buyers
Last week, Salone del Mobile announced that it will be delving into the rarefied world of collectable design as it returns to Milan for its 2026 edition. Titled Salone Raritas, this addition to the line-up will take centre stage in the Rho Fiera. “We chose ‘Raritas’ from the Latin because it’s the best way to describe what doesn’t sit within the strict rules of design,” said Salone del Mobile’s president Maria Porro over lunch at London’s Claridge’s hotel. “Of course, collectable design is a big trend. And with all big trends there’s a risk of overproduction,” she added. “But there has always been a constant dialogue between design and unique pieces, antiques, crafts and one-of-a-kinds. And throughout the history of industrial design, the development of a new chair is only possible thanks to the hands of craftspeople.”
Porro went on to mention that Salone del Mobile draws more than 300,000 visitors, including buyers, architects, interior designers, journalists and editors from around the world. As such, the intention is to give an international platform to collectable design galleries – and the noble craftspeople who they represent. But this downplays the fact that collectable design has been on a seemingly unstoppable ascent in recent years. Showcases and fairs dedicated to exquisite one-off, antique and handcrafted pieces (with hefty price tags) can be found roving the globe. Design Miami makes an annual pilgrimage to Paris while Pad hops across the pond from Paris to London. Then there’s Nomad, the salone showcasing in hotspots from the Hamptons to St Moritz. So keep an eye out, a Lalanne sheep could be coming your way.
Perhaps the most surprising thing to note is that the demand for collectable design is reportedly being driven by a younger crowd. Given how expensive it is to furnish a flat through exclusive design galleries peddling in the ultra-rare, this might seem counterintuitive. But as a “Zillennial” (the micro-generation born between Generation Z and the millennial generation), I see collectable design as the antidote to interiors that suffer the fate of over-exposure on social media feeds. These days, the ultimate luxury is knowing that no one can copy your carefully put-together home. Collectable design is, inherently, undemocratic but it upholds values of craft, quality and narrative that industrial design cannot compete with.
Ultimately, I wonder whether the appeal of collectable design also lies in its potential as a salve to overconsumption – that bugbear of sustainability that design companies struggle to genuinely confront. I dare anyone to walk through the halls of a design fair without feeling slightly nauseous about the quantity (and at times the average quality) of new products flooding the market, year in, year out. Nowhere is this feeling more acute than in the halls of the Rho Fiera. This next chapter for Salone del Mobile is a bold attempt to reconcile two conflicting ideas within the realm of design. Whether or not this hybrid approach works is another question. We’ll report back in the spring.
Grace Charlton is Monocle’s associate editor of design and fashion.
