A historic chapter for FORM AT WOOD. Our journey at Salone del Mobile 2026
- BY AGATA KOŚCIELNIAK
We returned from Milan with a profound sense of achievement – a culmination of years of hard work. As one of only 10 Polish companies, we were given the opportunity to present our craftsmanship at Salone del Mobile – the world’s most influential design stage. Six days of intensive dialogues with architects from dozens of countries confirmed a clear trend: premium interiors are currently defined by soft, organic shapes, warm wood tones, and materials that invite the sense of touch.
Salone del Mobile is the compass for global design trends. This year’s edition, held from April 21-26 at Fiera Milano Rho, attracted over 316,000 visitors from nearly 170 countries. Representing Poland among such a select group of exhibitors was both a great honor and a significant responsibility.
The booth as a meeting point - conversations instead of catalogs
We went to the fair with a clear mission: instead of handing out brochures and business cards, we invited architects for one-on-one design consultations. In Pavilion 18P, our booth became a place to truly experience the tactility of our wood: from the sharp geometries of the EDGE and SMOOTH series to the timeless MAPAO collection and our HEXAGO acoustic panels – whose perforated version is the first in the world to achieve Class A sound absorption in the wooden panel category. Visitors didn’t just stop by to look; they came to us with real challenges – walls that couldn’t be tamed with existing solutions, visions for which they lacked the right tools, and intricate details that no one else was willing to tackle. These were the kinds of conversations that stay with you long after the fair is over.
The world premiere of the FLOW collection
Salone del Mobile was also the setting for the global debut of our new FLOW collection – a line of 3D wooden wall panels inspired by rhythm, soft curves, and the natural dynamics of wood. FLOW is our response to a growing demand from interior architects for solutions that combine organic aesthetics with modular flexibility – and Milan, at the heart of the global conversation about the future of design, was exactly the right stage to unveil it.
The feedback from visitors confirmed we hit the perfect moment. Architects from very different markets – Scandinavia, the Middle East, the Far East – quickly recognized in FLOW an answer to concrete design challenges: how to bring movement and softness into an interior without sacrificing compositional order, how to design a wall that draws the eye and quiets the room at the same time, how to combine the character of real wood with the current language of premium interiors.
The FLOW collection remains fully aligned with our modular philosophy. Although we introduced a smaller format for this series (12.5 × 25 cm), we still give architects complete freedom to combine it with our other collections. The smaller format opens up new compositional possibilities: more precise scale control, finer wall subdivisions, and seamless transitions between the EDGE, SMOOTH, MAPAO, HEXAGO and FLOW collections within a single interior. It is a system designed for the real work of a designer – from hotel lobbies and corporate receptions to demanding residential projects.
2026 trends: curves, warmth, and tactility
This year’s edition of Salone del Mobile clearly signaled where interior and product design is headed, holding the steady course we have been observing for several seasons. After years of sharp, geometric dominance and minimalist coolness, organic forms are returning – arches, waves, soft curves, and rounded edges. Architects are less and less interested in interiors built only to impress; they increasingly design spaces people actually want to be in.
The color palette is dominated by warmth. Tones of terracotta, burnt cinnamon, honey oak, and the deep, chocolate hues of American walnut are leading the way. These shades are returning to premium interiors not as accents, but as the foundation of entire compositions – walls, furniture, textiles, and 3D wooden wall panels. Combined with the natural grain of real wood, they create an effect no print or imitation can replicate: the genuine, physical presence of the material in space.
The second clear signal from this year’s fair is multi-sensoriality. Architects increasingly look for materials that engage more than the eye – materials that sound right, feel right under the hand, and bring a piece of natural texture into the room. This explains the rising importance of acoustic wall panels, sound-absorbing surfaces, and solutions that soften the acoustics of open-plan offices, hotel lobbies, and residential living areas. Our HEXAGO acoustic panels – the first wooden panels in the world to achieve Class A sound absorption in their perforated version – fit precisely into this direction.
The third theme running through the conversations at our booth was the return to natural materials. After a decade of experiments with synthetics and heavily processed surfaces, designers are coming back to wood, stone, linen, wool, and ceramics – materials that live alongside the interior and grow more beautiful with time. 3D wooden wall panels fit into this direction naturally, combining craftsmanship, authentic wood grain, and a contemporary design language that the demanding premium interiors market is increasingly looking for. That is exactly what the conversations in Pavilion 18P confirmed.
Our perspective
„Milan is the realization of a dream that took root years ago and which we've been building toward for several years. We stood shoulder to shoulder with brands that have shaped global design for decades - and it turned out we have plenty to talk about. The most rewarding part was the unplanned validation: seeing that our philosophy of wood is understood regardless of the market or cultural context. For visitors from diverse backgrounds, who view design through entirely different lenses, the first physical contact with the product was often enough to convey its value without a single word. That is the best proof of why being there was so vital. We proudly represented Polish design and returned with a wealth of inspiration and new prospects for supporting designers in their most ambitious projects."
What's next?
The energy of Milan is propelling us toward the next major events on our calendar. We will showcase the FLOW collection this autumn in Poland at Warsaw Home, with further plans to appear at Batimat in Paris and Architect@Work in Berlin. In the second half of the year, we will also launch an online wall panel configurator, a tool designed to help architects create and visualize bespoke projects for their clients with ease.
Thank you for being part of our journey!
About the brand: FORM AT WOOD designs and manufactures premium 3D wooden wall panels, acoustic solutions, and LED-integrated panels. Rooted in three generations of woodworking expertise (since 1966), the company delivers projects to over 20 countries. FORM AT WOOD products have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the German Design Award, iF Design Award, and A’ Design Award. All products are crafted at our facility in the Opole region, Southern Poland.
Media contact:
Łukasz Kapluk
Sales Advisor & Client Relations
tel. +48 571 423 991
e-mail: [email protected]
Where you can use wooden ACOUSTIC panels
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A historic chapter for FORM AT WOOD. Our journey at Salone del Mobile 2026 We returned from Milan with a profound sense of achievement – a culmination of years of hard work....
