Furniture and design, Italia leads Europe with 26.7 billion

The scenario for 2026 remains uncertain, with different possible evolutions depending on how long the war in Iran will last and, above all, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with all the possible consequences for the world economy. However, Italy's furniture and design sector faces this umpteenth crisis starting from a competitive strength: a turnover of 26.7 billion euro in 2025 that confirms not only Italia's European leadership in this sector (Germany follows, in second place, with a production value of 21.7 billion), but also its dynamism, given that the Italian furniture industry closed the year with slight growth (+0.5%) after the slowdown that followed the post-Covid two-year period, while the main competitors lost further ground, with Germany marking -2.9%, Poland -0.3% and France -4.5%).

Determining, for growth in 2025, was the contribution of foreign markets, alongside the solid control of the domestic market, confirmed by a trade balance among the highest in Italian manufacturing, with 8.4 billion euro of trade surplus. The data emerges from the study "Made in Italy furniture and design: challenges and opportunities in a continually evolving market" by Intesa Sanpaolo,presented by Stefania Trenti, head of industry & local economies, and Ilaria Sangalli, head of industry research at Intesa's research department, which delves into the competitive positioning of the sector in a scenario conditioned by tensions in the Middle East.

The Intesa Sanpaolo study hypothesises three different possible scenarios for the evolution of the crisis in the Middle East, assuming a closure of the Strait of Hormuz until mid-May, followed by a normalisation of oil and gas production and transport flows, as well as a gradual return of energy prices in the second half of the year. In this case, pa slight increase in the domestic market is expected in 2026, thanks to the driving force of the real estate segment and the good momentum of tourism, particularly at the high end, with new openings and interior renovations. The current context of global uncertainty could indeed play in Italia's favour, strengthening its attractiveness. On the export front, the most likely forecast is that foreign sales will remain substantially stable.

Sales on European markets were decisive, where Made in Italy furniture manufacturers recorded growth in Germany (+2.2%), the United Kingdom (+5%) and Spain (+1.5%), against a slight drop in France (-2.4%). Among the emerging countries, the growth of exports to the United Arab Emirates (+2%) and a real jump in sales to Turkey (+43.5%) are worth mentioning. The increase in sales to Canada (+9%) - a market that has thus entered the Top Ten destinations for Italian furniture - was the counterbalance to the drop in exports to the United States (-8.2%) which, while confirming itself as the second commercial outlet, was penalised by the exchange rate and the uncertainties created by the Trump administration's trade war. China, on the other hand, in seventh place among Italian furniture destinations, disappointed with -4.7%, the result of the country's persistent difficulties, which is struggling to stimulate domestic demand after the bursting of the real estate bubble.

The industrial districts made a decisive contribution to the sector's results, generating 83% of the 2025 trade surplus (for a total of EUR 6.9 billion) and holding up better than exports (-0.3%, or EUR 9 billion). The good performance of Pordenone Furniture (+7.7%), Murgia Upholstered Furniture (+8.9%), Alto Adige Wood Furnishings (+10.1%) and Bovolone Styled Furniture (+20.6%) balances the slight backwardness of the Brianza (-1.8%) and Treviso (-3.3%) districts, which are nevertheless confirmed as the main industrial poles by export value in 2025, thanks to a marked ability to redirect trade flows. Specifically, the Brianza district managed to achieve significant growth in Turkey (+23%), partly offsetting the contraction of sales in the United States (-12%) and in some European markets (especially in France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland). Similarly, the Treviso district compensated for the difficulties in France and North America with excellent performances in Canada (+27.5%), Turkey (+35.4%) and Holland (+14.9%).