The 2025 edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano will herald the launch of the first edition of The Euroluce International Lighting Forum, a global arena for multi-voice discussion on the leading issues in lighting design. The first three names have been unveiled: DRIFT, A.J. Weissbard and Marjan van Aubel.
Two days packed with events, including conferences, round tables and workshops, numerous international guests and a space created ad hoc in the Euroluce exhibition area. This, in brief, sums up the first edition of The Euroluce International Lighting Forum1 that will be held on 10th and 11th April 2025 in the Pavilions of the lighting biennial under the umbrella of the 63rd edition of Salone del Mobile, at Rho Fiera Milano from 8th to 13th April, and on a two-yearly basis thereafter.
The Forum slots into Euroluce’s evolutionary path, launched to great success in the 2023 edition, a fundamental step in the development and transformation of the exhibition format and visitor experience, with an entirely rethought layout geared to creating an increasingly engaging and contemporary business platform. The 2023 project, entitled The City of Lights, which then merged with the catalogue of the same name published by Corraini, was included in the ADI Index 2024, the annual selection of the ADI – Association for Industrial Design.
One of the aims of the Forum concept is to offer the design community an increasingly wide-ranging and expanded event rounding off and fully complementing the commercial offering. An experience that promotes the culture of light by transcending its merely practical function to transform it into an element of qualitative and human value capable of putting people at the centre of exhibition architecture and of the fair event itself. Light will be the focus of an emotional and cognitive journey, offering visitors an immersive and distinctive experience. Light is thus addressed not just in terms of its technological potential, but also through a deep and philosophical reflection on its role as an expressive and innovative language. An integrated vision aiming to redefine lighting paradigms, proposing avant-garde concepts that will steer the design of future lighting fixtures.
The Forum will bring together an international panel of creatives, architects, designers, scientists and lighting industry professionals, to discuss highly relevant topics. The first names to be confirmed include DRIFT, specialising in sculptures, installations and experiential performances that underline the parallels between artificial and natural structures, A.J. Weissbard, a lighting designer and multifaceted artist of international renown; and Marjan van Aubel, a leader in the field of solar design for a sustainable, innovative and mindful future.
A structured programme will provide an opportunity to dig deep into key issues such as the interaction between light and architecture and light and wellbeing, through an integrated and multidisciplinary design approach. The central role of light in integrated and sustainable design for public and private spaces, with quality of life and the future of our planet at its heart will be explored.
Each edition will tackle specific aspects of lighting design, providing inspiration and practical tools for creating more sustainable and inclusive spaces.
Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile, had this to say: “Following the first transformation of Euroluce that we set in motion at the previous edition, rethinking the exhibition layout, we are proud to present another important innovation, this time concerning the content of the exhibition. Light is, incontrovertibly, an increasingly integral part of our lives. As a place where ideas and visions that lead to dialogue intersect, laying fertile ground for innovation, the Forum reflects the DNA of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, which has always been a generator and bearer of new ideas and formats for tackling contemporary challenges.”
Carlo Urbinati, President of FederlegnoArredo’s Assoluce said: “Light not only makes things appear, it also creates atmospheres, depths and perceptions capable of interpreting architectures and open spaces, as in a pentagram. The role of the designer is increasingly similar to that of the conductor of an orchestra, who does not just execute a score, but gives a personal interpretation of it. It is with this sort of strategic role within the industry in mind that FederlegnoArredo’s Assoluce felt it was time to set up a dedicated international forum. I would therefore like to thank the Salone del Mobile.Milano for deciding to give shape to this idea with The Euroluce International Lighting Forum, confirming, once again, that our trade fair is not just the world’s leading design and furniture sector event but, uniquely in the world, is the home of entrepreneurs committed to designing the future of the sector they represent.”
The Forum was presented for the very first time in Munich, the first stop on the international Salone del Mobile 2025 promotional tour. It will embark on its travels again in Europe and North America – 4th December during Art Week Miami and at the end of January to New York and Boston – and will set off once more in February to other European cities – accompanied by digital insights for an ongoing dialogue with the entire international design community. Each stage will be a further opportunity to reveal the many innovations that will take shape in April and open up new reflections on design and living.
The protagonist of the Munich event was light, increasingly at the centre of our hyper-connected world, of thinking around sustainability and digitalisation processes, and also of holistic reflection on people’s wellbeing. A panel discussion moderated by Sandra Hofmeister, architecture and design critic, editor-in-chief of Detail, featured Carla Wilkins, Board Member of IALD and Senior Partner di Lichtvision Design, a worldwide design studio specialising in architectural lighting, with over thirty years’ expertise as a lighting designer, Stefan Diez, industrial designer and former participant of SaloneSatellite, always engaged in creative experimentation and with a rigorous focus on sustainability and Simon Schmitz, who also made his debut at the SaloneSatellite and interprets light as a synthesis of functionality and artistry.
The next Salone event, prior to the international road tour, will take place in Milan on 28th November at the Piccolo Teatro Grassi and will also be streamed from 10am with an English translation. The Salone del Mobile.Milano Milan Design (Eco) System – Annual Report 2024 will set out the initial results of the research project carried out with scientific oversight by the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano university, which contains a first prototype analysis of a globally unique event – the Milan Design Week, of which the Salone is an international catalyst. The aim is to build a long-term monitoring model that addresses crucial challenges such as environmental, economic and social sustainability, inclusion and cultural legacy, contributing to the development of future strategies. The event will kick off with a Lectio Magistralis by Charles Landry, one of the leading international authorities of the use of creativity and imagination for the rebirth of cities.
Streaming available from 28th November – https://salone.it/annualreport_en