The international design fairs shaping 2026

When the world came to a standstill six years ago during the pandemic, some speculated that it might spell the death knell for the design trade show – and in some ways, perhaps it did. Traditional fairs have struggled to draw the same crowds and have taken time to regroup. Stockholm Furniture Fair announced earlier this year that it will skip 2026, returning as a biennial in 2027, while London Design Fair cancelled all future events indefinitely in 2023. Others are taking steps to move with the times. In Milan, Salone del Mobile continues to grow its busy cultural programme and in 2026 will reinvigorate its offering at Fiera Milano with the introduction of a more intimately scaled collectible design pavilion, created by Formafantasma.

In tandem, smaller, more agile design fairs staged in architecturally compelling locations have surged in popularity, with design platform Alcova and the travelling showcase Nomad leading the way. It turns out that making the design fair experience more pleasurable – less overwhelming, more considered – has its appeal. Who would have thought?

The result is a seemingly ever-expanding fair calendar. It’s no exaggeration to say that, if time, money and inclination allow, you could now spend almost every week of the year at a design fair somewhere in the world. But where to begin? Seasoned design tourists have their fixtures – spring in Milan, summer in Copenhagen, winter in Miami – yet there’s something especially appealing about seeking out the less expected. We reached out to friends and insiders for their steer on the most interesting design fairs in the year ahead, and were pleased to find a healthy mix of new arrivals alongside trusted favourites. Here’s what they recommended.

January

Paris Déco Off / Maison & Objet, Paris, France

In January, décor enthusiasts head to Paris for the biannual design fair Maison & Objet, held at the city’s Parc des Expositions from 15–19 January. Running in parallel, Déco Off ,14–17 January, sees more than 150 textile houses unveil their latest collections across showrooms in the city’s Marais and Madeleine districts. Together, the two events serve as a barometer for the design trends set to shape the year ahead, drawing buyers, decorators and the design press alike.

At this year’s Maison & Objet, the theme is ‘Past Reveals Future’, a celebration of furniture rooted in craftsmanship. The fair’s designer of the year, Harry Nuriev, will also present a dedicated installation and unveil a new collection of home objects created exclusively for Baccarat.

14 to 17 January 2026
paris-deco-off.com

15 to 19 January 2026
Parc des Expositions Paris Nord Villepinte 82, avenue des Nations 93420 Villepinte, France
maison-objet.com

NEW for 2026: Shoppe Object Paris, Paris, France

Further bolstering the appeal of Paris in January is the launch of Shoppe Object Paris. The New York–founded trade fair will make its European debut from 17–19 January within fashion and lifestyle trade show Who’s Next at Porte de Versailles. Located in Hall 7.2 and conceived as a ‘showroom within a showroom’, it promises to bring a tightly curated international edit spanning tableware, furniture, gifts and lifestyle, with a focus on materials, craftsmanship and contemporary retail culture.

The showcase, developed in collaboration with WSN, the group behind the recently launched and hugely popular Matter and Shape, it designed to act as a strategic bridge between European and North American brands and buyers.

7 to 19 January 2026
Paris Expo Porte de Versailles is 1 Place de la Porte de Versailles, 75015 Paris, France
shoppeobject.com

NEW for 2026: Der Pavilion, St. Moritz, Switzerland

Curator Giorgio Pace, who co-founded the collectible design fair Nomad in 2017 before departing last year, has announced his next venture: Der Pavilion. The four-week-long constellation of exhibitions, performances and experiences will open in St. Moritz on 29 January, overlapping with Nomad St. Moritz, which takes place from 12–15 February.

Described by Pace as a ‘natural evolution’ of what he has been building over the past fifteen years, Der Pavilion is conceived as a residency-style exhibition model. It is designed to foster a slower, more reflective cultural experience during the St. Moritz winter season, offering visitors deeper engagement, greater visibility and sustained access to collectors.

The inaugural edition will unfold within the former Hotel Eden, currently slated for redevelopment. Looking ahead, Pace says the project will evolve into a permanent architectural structure, serving as a year-round home for exhibitions, performances and gatherings.

From 29 January 2026
Hotel Eden, Via Veglia 12, 7500 St. Moritz, Switzerland
giorgiopaceprojects.com

DesignTO Festival, Toronto, Canada

Launched in 2010, DesignTO is a ten-day, city-wide festival that evolved alongside Toronto’s annual Interior Design Show, emerging as a platform for independent design studios to host off-site events. Championing the local design community, this year’s programme spans workshops, talks, exhibitions and window installations.

The talks cover a wide range of topics and don’t shy away from important issues, from the climate crisis and social justice to decolonisation. The workshops, meanwhile, sound refreshingly playful – try bacon embroidery at the Drake Hotel with textile artist Laura Carwardine, or join a life drawing class on vintage furniture from In Corso, hosted by design Substack For Scale at the Ace Hotel.

23 January to 1 February 2026
designto.org

February

Zsonamaco and Unique Design X, Mexico City, Mexico

It won’t take much persuasion for those in the northern hemisphere to book flights to Mexico City in the bleakest of months, but if you need an excuse, Mexico Art Week – and its headline event, Zona Maco – is it. The largest art fair in Latin America, the action unfolds across the city and at the Citibanamex Centre, where visitors will find contemporary art, design, photography and antiquities.

For its 22nd edition, the fair welcomes British designer Lee Broom for a creative residency at a historic villa in Polanco, owned by lighting brand Diez Company. Here, Broom will present more than 50 works, spanning new editions and collaborations with Calico Wallpaper, Lladró and a selection of Mexican artists chosen in collaboration with Diez.

For the past three years, the festivities have also included nomadic design fair Unique Design X, which brings together international galleries such as Carpenters Workshop and Marion Friedman, alongside local talents such as Esteban Tamayo and Atra Form.

4 to 8 February 2026
Zsonamaco, Citibanamex Centre, Avenue del Conscripto 311, Lomas de Sotelo, Miguel Hidalgo, 11610 Mexico City, Mexico
zsonamaco.com

5 to 8 February 2026
Av. Morelos 67 Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Mexico City, Mexico
uniquedesignxgroup.com

India Art Fair, New Dehli, India

We’re told that this year’s India Art Fair is set to expand its collectible design offering, spotlighting the work of 12 design studios and two design galleries. Among them is Mumbai-based Æquō, which has teamed up with the French Institute’s residency programme, inviting French designer Marie Gastini to explore a cross-cultural dialogue between traditional Indian textile techniques and contemporary scenography.

A new design talks programme, curated by multidisciplinary media agency Border & Fall, will further explore design practices across South Asia and beyond. Elsewhere in the city – at Sunder Nursery – conservation scientist and creative director Tara Lal, in collaboration with architectural studio T__M.space, has created the Aranyani Pavilion, a spiral-shaped structure that explores sacred ecologies, invasive species, Indigenous knowledge systems, and decolonial approaches to restoration in South Asia.

5 to 8 February 2026
NSIC Exhibition Grounds, Okhla, New Delhi, Delhi, 110020, India
indiaartfair.in

Object Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands

For those in Europe, Object Rotterdam kicks off February. Long praised for its considered curation and easy-going scale, the fair is particularly strong on championing a diverse mix of voices, bringing emerging talent into dialogue with more established names across disciplines. Last year, it moved from its usual home in the HAKA building to the centrally located AIR Offices; this year, to the delight of architecture fans, it remains in the heart of the city, relocating to the 1980s Central Library on Hoogstraat – reason enough to visit in itself. Currently awaiting large-scale renovation, the former library offers visitors the rare chance to wander its stacks one last time, transformed into a temporary showcase for contemporary design.

6 to 8 February 2026
Central Library, Librijesteeg 4, 3011 HN Rotterdam, Netherlands
objectrotterdam.com

NEW for 2026: FUTUREOBJEKT at Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne Art Fair is also upping its design offer with the launch of a new collectible design salon, FUTUREOBJEKT. Described as a ‘fair-within-a-fair’, the showcase brings together 20 Antipodean design studios, including several Wallpaper favourites. Among them are Melbourne-based Volker Haug Studio, which will debut a series of Murano glass lamps, and Don Cameron, presenting a selection of rare vintage design pieces alongside new works of his own.

Also launching in 2026 is the fair’s first-ever design commission, presented in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria. Melbourne-based artist and designer Anna Varendorff of ACV Studio, known for her distinctive curved brass sculptures, will create an ambitious installation for the VIP lounge.

19 to 22 February 2026
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Exhibition Door 1, 1 Convention Centre Pl, South Wharf VIC 3006, Australia
melbourneartfair.com.au

March

Matter and Shape, Paris, France

Returning for its third edition, Matter and Shape has quickly become a firm favourite among design aficionados. Launched in 2024 and held during Paris Fashion Week in a temporary show space at the Jardin des Tuileries, the salon highlights the increasingly porous boundary between fashion and design, drawing collectors, buyers and creatives into the same orbit. As the show's artistic director, Dan Thawley, noted last year '...design has never been more fashionable than now.’

Conceived as a tightly curated platform for both established and emerging voices, Matter and Shape pulls together objects and interiors that sit at the intersections of ‘design, industry and craft, creativity and commerce’. This year look out for Irish glassware brand J Hill's Standard, which is launching Irish fashion designer Richard Malone's first products.

6 to 9 March 2026
Jardin des Tuileries, 75001 Paris, France
matterandshape.com

Collectible, Brussels, Belgium

Last year during Brussels design fair Collectible we discovered a lively design scene as the city continues to emerge as one of Europe’s most compelling places for creatives to live, work and sell. Needless to say, we’ll be returning this year to see how that energy has evolved. Now in its ninth edition, Collectible Brussels takes place at the Vanderborght Building, once again positioning itself as a key platform for the discovery of contemporary collectible design.

12 to 15 March 2026
Vanderborght Building, Rue de l'Ecuyer 50, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
collectible.design

April

Milan Design Week, Milan, Italy

Every year, there is plenty of chatter about which trade show is the ‘new Milan’, alongside much lamenting over the way fashion and tech brands have infiltrated the design ranks. Yet despite it all, Milan remains undefeated as the most important event on the design calendar. At its heart, it is an unrelenting but thrilling, negroni-fuelled networking marathon, played out across wisteria-strewn courtyards and palazzi – and, for all its intensity, a lot of fun.

As well as annual favourite Alcova, which announced its 2026 locations earlier this month, this year, don’t miss Raritas at Salone del Mobile: a new collectible design pavilion conceived by Formafantasma, which promises to tempt even the most weary design cognoscenti into making the pilgrimage out to Rho.

21-26 April 2026
Rho Fiera, Strada Statale Sempione 28, 20017 Rho, Milan
salonemilano.it

May

DesignMarch, Reykjavík, Iceland

Despite its small size and remote location, Iceland is home to a vibrant, energetic design community as evidenced each year at Design March in Reykjavík, the country's annual festival of design, architecture and craft. The five-day event unfolds as a citywide programme of exhibitions, talks, open studios and installations, bringing together local and international practitioners while placing a particular emphasis on Icelandic design culture and local materials – expect plenty of wool, algae and lava stone. Spread across galleries, institutions and unexpected venues across the city, DesignMarch offers a focused snapshot of contemporary practice, from product and furniture design to architecture, fashion and graphic design.

6 to 10 May 2026
honnunarmidstod.is

NYCxDesign and ICFF, New York, USA

New York Design Week(NYCxDesign) is the city’s annual, city-wide celebration of design, spanning exhibitions, talks and trade fairs across Manhattan and beyond. Among its highlights in 2026 is the second edition of Afternoon Light, the design fair founded by Minya Quirk and Deirdre Maloney, who first launched the project as an online collectible design marketplace. Last year, the fair debuted under the name Shelter by Afternoon Light; in 2026, it returns simply as Afternoon Light and relocates to downtown venue WSA.

As before, the fair will feature an invitation-only exhibitor list and a tightly edited curation. Widely regarded within New York’s design community as a welcome counterpoint to ICFF – the mega trade show at the Javits Center around which Design Week originally coalesced – Afternoon Light brings a fresher, more considered perspective.

It helps that Quirk and Maloney are industry veterans: founders of fashion fair Capsule and of Shoppe Object (see January’s listings), which they sold in 2022.

17 – 19 May 2026
nycxdesign.org

ICFF, Javits Convention Center 429 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
icff.com

Afternoon Light, WSA, 161 Water Street, NYC 10038
afternoonlight.com

June

3 Days of Design, Copenhagen, Denmark

True to its name, the festival unfolds over three days each June, animating historic buildings, showrooms and temporary venues across the Danish capital. Copenhagen is ideally scaled for a city-wide event of this kind: if not entirely walkable, then effortlessly cyclable. June in Copenhagen only adds to the appeal, with the city’s relaxed, assured hospitality lending the festival a warm, celebratory atmosphere, helping to explain its runaway success.

That popularity has inevitably driven rapid growth. While the 2026 programme has yet to be announced, last year saw more than 400 brands take part across eight districts. The challenge now will be ensuring the event retains its lightness of touch as it continues to expand.

10 to 12 June 2026
3daysofdesign.dk

NEW for 2026: Nomad The Hamptons, Long Island, USA

As longtime admirers of theatre director Robert Wilson and his Water Mill Center – the experimental arts foundation and campus he established on the East End of Long Island in the early 1990s – we were pleased to learn that it will host Nomad's US debut. A long-standing hub for cross-disciplinary exchange, the Watermill Center was chosen, Nomad says, because it aligns naturally with the fair's interest in dialogue across art, design and architecture. Set to take place in summer 2026, the Hamptons edition marks a significant moment for the fair, situating its collectible design programme within one of the world’s most concentrated collector communities.

25 to 28 June 2026
Robert M. Wilson, Water Mill, 39 Watermill Towd Road, Water Mill, NY 11976, USA
nomad-circle.com

July

Work/Shop Nantucket, Nantucket, USA

Nantucket, the rarefied Massachusetts island, isn’t an obvious choice for a design fair, but its strong culture of craft, tradition and collecting suggests otherwise. Founded by design communications agency Alpha Kilo, Work/Shop Nantucket is a year-round, residency-based platform that transforms a historic property in the heart of town into a rotating showcase for craft, design and cultural exchange. Structured around four seasonal chapters – Culinary (May–June), Design (July–August), Sustainability (September–October) and Entertaining (November–December) – the programme brings together artisans, designers and heritage brands through workshops, demonstrations, salons and retail-led installations. Timed to coincide with Nantucket’s high season and events such as Nantucket by Design (hosted by the local historical association), Work/Shop, now in its second year, positions itself as an intimate, narrative-driven alternative to the traditional trade fair.

The design residency runs 10 July to 9 August 2026
alphakilo.com/workshop

August

Setmana d'Arquitectura i Disseny Club Pollença, Mallorca, Spain

Mallorca has become a veritable haven for creatives, with plenty happening in the island’s capital, Palma, alongside architectural pilgrimages such as Jørn Utzon’s Can Lis near Portopetro, Fundació Miró Mallorca, and artist-run hotels like Corazón in the Tramuntana mountains. But for one week in mid-August, head north-east from the capital to Pollença, where a mini architecture and design conference takes over the town. Over its 12-year history, guests have included Sabine Marcelis, Kersten Geers, Rafael Moneo, Jacob van Rijs, Alfredo Häberli, Daniel Libeskind, Boltshauser, Carme Pinós and Stephen Bates.

2026 dates TBC
instagram.com/setarqcpollenca

September

London Design Festival, London, UK

At London Design Festival 2025, Duncan Riches, creative director of the Shoreditch Design Triangle, told us that he sensed ‘a renaissance in the UK design sector’ – a view we were inclined to share after encountering a confident new generation of design talent across the city. In Brompton, Alex Tieghi-Walker made his debut as district curator (and is tipped to return in 2026), foregrounding a fresh mix of emerging voices, while Shoreditch buzzed with renewed energy, from House of Icon to Slancha Gallery’s pop-up on Brick Lane. The 2026 programme has yet to be announced, but if last year is any indication, it promises to be one of the most energised editions yet.

12 to 20 September 2026
londondesignfestival.com

Lake Como Design Festival, Como, Italy

There is a clear move towards slower, more reflective alternatives to the big trade shows, and Lake Como Design Festival is no exception. Set against one of Italy’s most compelling landscapes – and less than an hour from Milan – the fair returns for its eighth edition in 2026. This year's theme is 'Confine', which invites designers to explore borders not only as lines of division, but as sites of encounter, exchange and transformation. Over nine days, a programme of exhibitions, installations and talks will unfold across venues around Lake Como, inviting designers and audiences alike to consider how geographical, cultural and conceptual boundaries continue to shape both creative practice and contemporary life.

12 to 20 September 2026
lakecomodesignfestival.com

Vienna Design Week, Vienna, Austria

2026 marks the 20th anniversary of Vienna Design Week, a small but firm favourite within design circles. Moving beyond a narrow focus on product, the festival’s talks programme is known for tackling more searching questions – from the role of designers today to the future of design education – while in 2025 platforms such as the Feminist Welding Club kept things lively and accessible. Organised by an independent association, and retaining an agreeably offbeat spirit, the festival spans around 200 events across the city and welcomes some 40,000 visitors each year.

25 September to 4 October 2026
viennadesignweek.at

October

We Design Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

We're already marking our calendars for the next edition of We Design Beirut – a five-day design experience that brings architecture, craft, exhibitions and workshops to life across historic sites in the Lebanese capital. The 2025 edition expanded significantly from its 2024 debut, activating landmarks from Roman Baths to Villa Audi and Burj El Murr with curated projects that explore legacy, resilience and continuity.

2026 dates TBC
wedesignbeirut.com

Edit Napoli, Naples, Italy

More than a few designers we’ve spoken to cite Edit Napoli as their favourite fair, and it’s easy to see why. The place to go for designer-makers, independent producers and craftsmen pushing back against the conventions of the mainstream design industry, the three-day fair was founded by design historian and independent curator Domitilla Dardi and engineer-turned-gallerist Emilia Petruccelli.

It takes place at La Santissima, the city’s former military hospital. Alongside the main exhibition, Edit Napoli runs its own awards programme, recognising the best unreleased product, as well as Edit Cult, a satellite initiative that sees selected brands present special projects in some of Naples’ most significant cultural sites.

‘In the context of a big design week, you don’t always have the attention to listen to the stories behind the work,’ Dardi told Wallpaper in 2019. ‘This kind of design deserves time.’

9 to 11 October 2026
La Santissima, Vico Trinità delle Monache, 80134 Naples, Italy
editnapoli.com

November

ART X Lagos, Nigeria, West Africa

Lagos, Nigeria is widely recognised as Africa’s creative and design capital, anchored by major events including Design Week Lagos, Lagos Photo Festival, Lagos Fashion Week and ART X Lagos. Of these, ART X Lagos remains the city’s most established and buzziest cultural moment. The 2025 edition had plenty of art–design crossover, with highlights including Nifemi Marcus-Bello’s Material Affirmations – Okírì Acts I–III at Tiwani Contemporary, and Portraits of Modernity, a live installation inspired by photographer J.D. Okhai Ojeikere, featuring the 'Pàtẹ́wọ̀' chair by Wallpaper* Future Icons Salù Wadi Studio. This year’s programme is yet to be announced, but as the fair marks its tenth anniversary, expectations are high.

Dubai Design Week, Dubai, UAE

The Middle East’s largest creative festival celebrates design in all its forms, bringing together installations, new commissions, exhibitions, talks and workshops across the purpose-built Dubai Design District (d3) and beyond. What began as a festival dominated by international brands has since evolved to include a strong presence of exhibitors from across the MENA region, bringing their own distinct design languages to the world stage.

2026 dates TBC
dubaidesignweek.ae

Cairo Design Week, Cairo, Egypt

Now in its fourth edition, Cairo Design Week has established itself as a significant new hub for design in the MENA region, broadening a landscape long centred on Dubai. The event is set to return in November 2026 for its fourth edition, building on its 2025 programme that transformed the Egyptian capital into a sprawling design playground with installations, exhibitions, workshops and talks across three districts: Heliopolis, Zamalek and Downtown. A meeting ground for regional creativity and innovation, the festival highlights both heritage and contemporary design in one of the Middle East’s most lively cities.

2026 dates TBC
cairodesignweek.net

Mumbai Design Week, Mumbai, India

The shifting design landscape in India is one we’ve been watching closely at Wallpaper*, and one of the reasons we eagerly anticipate the third edition of Design Mumbai in 2026. As with many international trade shows, global names and headline activations tend to dominate the programme – 2025's edition included a packed talks schedule and Design Mumbai Exchange, a series of installations by international designers – yet it is the local studios and brands that most pique our interest in this rapidly evolving market.

25 to 28 November 2026
Jio World Garden, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai 400051, India
designmumbai.com

December

Design Miami, Miami, USA

The final major design event of the year, Design Miami will open its 22nd edition in 2026. What started as a modest gathering in 2005 during Art Basel Miami Beach has grown into a leading global fair with annual editions in Miami, Basel, Paris and Los Angeles with a new edition launching in Dubai in 2027.

The Miami iteration has helped to revitalise the city’s design district and continues to attract designers, collectors, and curators from around the world, all in search of high design with a side of winter sun.

1 to 6 December 2026
designmiami.com

DesignTide Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

After a 12-year hiatus, DesignTide Tokyo returned in 2024, reviving a platform that originally ran from 2005 to 2012 and was widely admired for prioritising creative experimentation over commercial trade. The 2025 edition, currently underway as we write, builds on that legacy with an expanded, more considered format shaped by an international board of directors and curators, including Hirofumi Akimoto of furniture label E&Y, Disegno editor-in-chief Oli Stratford, London-based sound artist Yuri Suzuki, and Sight Unseen co-founders Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer.

Designers are selected through an open call and rigorous review process, with the programme unfolding across a Main Exhibition, student showcase, market and extension venues. Details of the 2026 edition are yet to be announced, but the fair’s renewed ambition is clear.

2026 dates TBC
1F Forest Hills West, 4-18-16 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
designtide.tokyo