Amid global crises and slowing markets, furniture companies must rethink their strategies and direction

Wars, tariffs, economic and geopolitical instability, falling exports: it is becoming increasingly difficult for businesses to find their way. Against this backdrop, Italian furniture companies must devise new strategies for internationalisation and focus on innovation and business transformation. These are the key themes at the heart of the forthcoming Design Report by *Il Sole 24 Ore*, on sale on 20 October.

The report provides an overview of the strategies currently in place. On the one hand, companies are aiming to consolidate their position in mature markets, such as the United States and Europe. On the other, they are looking to new markets such as India, Mercosur and North Africa, whilst keeping an eye on the Middle East and China – markets currently facing difficulties but which remain strategic. With exports slowing down, the game is also being played at home: digital transformation and a rethinking of business models have become essential steps to remain competitive.

Alongside the economic analysis, the report presents a series of features on market trends. The focus is on lighting, the star attraction of the 2027 Salone del Mobile: no longer merely a piece of furniture, but an element capable of defining spaces, atmospheres and well-being, on which technological research and experimentation are centred. The report then turns its attention to craftsmanship, the expertise that remains one of the hallmarks of Italian design: it engages with innovation and industry and is a recognised asset on foreign markets.

There is also a focus on innovations for the bathroom – a room that is taking on an increasingly central role in the home and is becoming more and more akin to a space for self-care, where materials, technologies and solutions for everyday wellbeing are being explored. The overview concludes with a focus on the new role of offices, reimagined following the era of hybrid working as spaces for meeting, collaboration and quality, designed to attract people rather than simply accommodate workstations.