Press Release, August 2025

The 56th China International Furniture Fair Shanghai (CIFF) will return to the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (Shanghai Hongqiao) from September 9 to 12, 2025. As the furniture industry undergoes an unprecedented transformation, CIFF Shanghai aims to represent a catalyst for cross-border collaboration and creative excellence.

Spanning 55 successful editions and establishing its dual-city format with Guangzhou Pazhou hosting the spring edition and Shanghai Hongqiao hosting the autumn showcase since 2015, CIFF represents one of the key furniture exhibitions worldwide.

CIFF Shanghai is a dynamic ecosystem where design meets commerce, encompassing the complete furniture value chain from residential collections to commercial solutions, production technology, and home accessories.
Expanding across 10 halls spanning 300,000 sqm, the 2025 edition welcomes over 1,500 selected global brands alongside 150,000 professional visitors, covering eight major product categories: upholstered sofas, sleep systems, living/dining room furniture, office/commercial & hospitality furniture, furniture production equipment, outdoor furniture, home accessories & textiles.

Serving as a crucial marketplace for luxury home furnishings, CIFF Shanghai leverages its extensive media network and strategic partnerships to connect international brands with top-tier Chinese retailers. The event’s comprehensive program attracts tens of thousands of industry professionals—designers, interior designers, and buyers—through innovative exhibitions, trend forums, and networking opportunities that drive both domestic market growth and global trade expansion.

CIFF Shanghai’s Pillars of Excellence

ORIGINAL DESIGN: The Creative Powerhouse of Asian Furniture Innovation
CIFF Shanghai Design Eden Contemporary Design Trade Fair (Hall 4.1) stands as the exhibition’s creative epicentre, having undergone significant evolution since its 2024 transformation.
Under the 2025 theme “Preciousness”, Design Eden presents the complete ecosystem from conceptual creation to market validation, serving as both an aesthetic laboratory and commercial proving ground.
Gathering China’s most commercially viable original design forces, Design Eden showcases how innovative thinking translates into market success. This curated space demonstrates firsthand how contemporary design reshapes industry value, bridging the gap between artistic vision and business reality.

Some of the Design Eden Special Curations:

• East Design Show (Curator: Zhu Xiaojie): CIFF Shanghai’s inaugural special design exhibition, nurturing emerging talent through four distinct sections: Design Foyer, Design Workshop, Design Market, and Tea Talk.
• The Italian Lounge (Organised by Edimotion): Functions as a dynamic meeting point where prestigious Italian design brands, professionals, and institutions converge with key stakeholders from China’s thriving market. Operating under the significant patronage of Politecnico di Milano – Scuola del Design, the initiative features a comprehensive program of forums, talks, B2B meetings, and educational events.
• HOTLINE Design Creators’ Joint Exhibition (Curator: Zhang Zhongyu): Exploring “Signal from the Nearby,” this exhibition maps the networks and resonance fields of independent designer brands through interconnected creative communities.
• Grand View Tea Ceremony (Curator: Huang Jianhui): A cultural bridge integrating Eastern tea traditions with contemporary ecological concepts through immersive, interactive experiences.
• “Envision” Contemporary Design Living Exhibition (Curator: Jiang Boming): Under the theme “Wandering in Dreams and Realms,” this sensory journey integrates designer works through sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.
• Design Gravity Field (Curators: Li Xuelian, Wang Shichao): Addressing sustainability through “Economy” and “Just Enough” design philosophy, challenging industry excess and waste.

 

BOOSTING EXPORTS: Elevating Chinese Design on the World Stage
CIFF Shanghai 2025 positions Chinese furniture design as a sophisticated interpreter of Eastern lifestyle aesthetics, creating meaningful dialogues between space and emotion. The exhibition transforms furniture from mere functional objects into cultural ambassadors, carrying the DNA of Chinese design philosophy to global markets.

Key International Showcases:

• Living & Dining Rooms Interior Pavilion (Pavilion 6.1): Holistic home solutions featuring integrated soft furnishing coordination and spatial harmony concepts.
• Urban Outdoor Furniture Exhibition (Pavilion 1.1): Comprehensive outdoor living solutions spanning luxury garden collections to innovative camping equipment, merging international standards with Chinese innovation.
• Office & Public Space Exhibition (Pavilions 7.2/8.2): Revolutionary workspace concepts balancing efficiency with human-centred design through “Full Category Coverage × Smart Scenarioization.”

 

RENEWED SUPPLY & DEMAND: From Manufacturing Excellence to Brand Leadership
The Chinese home furnishing industry’s transformation from production powerhouse to design innovator takes centre stage, showcasing how domestic brands are redefining quality, aesthetics, and consumer experience.

Featured Sectors:

• Sofa Excellence (Pavilions 2.1/5.1): Revolutionary seating comfort through the philosophy “Channels Build Commercial Value, Quality Empowers Enterprise Future,” spanning Chinese luxury to international quality standards.
• Smart Sleep Solutions (Pavilion 3): Harmonising technology with natural comfort, redefining bedroom spaces as healing sanctuaries that deliver deep restorative experiences for both domestic and export markets.

 

NEW HOME CONSUMPTION: Pioneering the Future of Home Furnishing Commerce
The debut New Retail Pavilion (North Pavilion) represents a paradigm shift from traditional product transactions to comprehensive lifestyle operations, showcasing how emerging brands are revolutionising customer engagement.

Innovation Focus:

• Data-Driven + Scene Experience: Dual-approach methodology combining smart shopping guidance with immersive brand experiences
• Lifestyle Proposers: Positioning retail spaces as cultural and aesthetic influencers rather than mere product distributors

 

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION: Smart Manufacturing for Industry 4.0
CIFF Shanghai addresses the critical challenge of achieving “Smart Manufacturing New Balance”—optimising high aesthetics, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in an era of mass customisation.

Technology Showcases:

• International Woodworking Machinery Fair (Pavilions 7.1/8.1): Over 340 global technology brands demonstrating solutions for “light high customisation” manufacturing challenges through AI timber selection, flexible cutting systems, and integrated smart production lines.
• Upholstered Furniture Technology Exhibition (Pavilion 8.1): Advanced automation addressing labour dependency and production efficiency through automatic cutting, AGV handling, and intelligent packaging systems.

 

 

With the theme “Design Crossing Boundaries,” the 56th CIFF Shanghai 2025 represents a comprehensive vision of the furniture industry’s future, where Chinese design reshapes the global landscape, dissolving boundaries between Eastern and Western aesthetics, traditional craftsmanship and digital innovation, commercial success, and cultural significance.

Mark your Calendar

CIFF Shanghai 2025
September 9-12, 2025
NECC National Exhibition and Convention Centre (Shanghai Hongqiao)

For more information: https://en.ciff-sh.com