Back-to-work season also means a restart for the world of design. From September to the end of the year, the calendar fills with key events—both in Italy and abroad—for designers, architects, professionals, and design lovers. We previously shared a general 2025 fair overview; now, we’re diving deeper into the exhibitions and annual and biennial events worth marking down for fall 2025.
Design Fairs in Italy – Between Experimental Formats and Established Institutions
Italy’s fall 2025 design fairs fall into two main categories: those focused on research and experimentation, often showcasing niche projects and emerging talents, and more institutional events, usually dedicated to specific product categories or materials.
The first group includes beloved events for design insiders. It kicks off with Lake Como Design Festival, held on the shores of Lake Como from September 14 to 21. The seventh edition revolves around the theme Fragments, guiding visitors through a wide-ranging path of site-specific exhibitions and installations that explore the theme from multiple angles. Once again, the festival offers guided tours with architects to discover rationalist masterpieces such as Terragni’s Casa del Fascio and Sant’Elia Kindergarten.
Heading south, iDesign Palermo runs from September 27 to October 6. Palermo’s design week explores different meanings of travel—physical, mental, and spiritual—drawing lines that connect and separate distant cultural practices, shaping and reshaping new imaginaries.
EDIT Napoli returns from October 10 to 12, hosted for the first time in the new venue La Santissima. Expect a sharp selection of pieces balancing art and function, artisanal small-batch productions, and site-specific installations. From October 11 to 19, Venice Design Week takes place in the lagoon, focusing on celebrating the past while envisioning the future.
On the more institutional side, fall 2025 fairs are abundant. Starting with Architect@Work Milano on September 10 and 11 at Rho Fiera, a compact fair with over 160 exhibitors and a packed schedule of talks and conferences for architects (often offering continuing education credits). From September 18 to 23, the Salone Nautico (Genoa International Boat Show) showcases the best boat designs—yachts & superyachts, sailboats, RIBs, and multihulls.
Ceramics and bathroom design will take center stage at Cersaie in Bologna from September 22 to 26, while Marmomac, in Verona from September 23 to 26, will focus on marble and natural stone. InOut, scheduled in Rimini from October 8 to 10, will explore hospitality and contract design. The biennial Made Expo in Milan, from November 19 to 22, will address the construction and building industry.
International fairs: global events to add to your Agenda
Maison&Objet, which wrapped on September 8, opened the fall season, followed closely by Helsinki Design Week, lighting up the Finnish capital through September 14.
From September 13 to 21, the iconic London Design Festival returns—one of Europe’s most dynamic events—with district-based happenings throughout the city, from Brompton and Shoreditch to Mayfair, Chelsea, and Bankside.
Things heat up with Barcelona Design Week, from October 7 to 17, followed by Designblok Prague from October 8 to 12, and Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven, running October 18 to 26.
Office and workplace design will be the focus of Orgatec in Cologne from October 27 to 30, the same days of . Followsh Dubai Design Week, a steadily growing reference point for the Middle East and a bridge to Europe, taking place amidst skyscrapers and artificial islands from November 4 to 9. Our fall 2025 fair selection concludes with an event more focused on lighting, namely the London trade fair Light25, scheduled for November 19 and 20.