Furniture, Design & A Different Side of Shanghai

A business trip, a design journey and a little Shanghai adventure in between. Sweet Home travelled to Shanghai to visit two major furniture and design exhibitions — CIFF Shanghai and Maison Shanghai — while taking the opportunity to experience one of Asia's most dynamic cities.

Looking Up in Shanghai

Shanghai makes an impression almost immediately. Glass towers, enormous intersections, historic buildings and fast-moving streets exist side by side. Even before entering the furniture fairs, the city's architecture offered plenty of design inspiration.

New city. New perspectives.

Into the World of Furniture

One of the main purposes of our Shanghai trip was visiting the 58th China International Furniture Fair (Shanghai). Walking through such a large international furniture exhibition gave us the opportunity to see new collections, materials, furniture concepts and emerging directions in the industry.

For Sweet Home, visiting an international fair isn't simply about finding another product. It is about understanding where furniture design is heading and discovering ideas that can be adapted for the Malaysian market, our customers and future projects.

Furniture Meets Lifestyle & Design

Next stop: Maison Shanghai 2026. The atmosphere here brought another perspective — more lifestyle driven, more experimental and full of creative presentation ideas.

From furniture itself to booth styling, colours, materials and the way products were presented, there was inspiration everywhere. Sometimes a small detail is enough to spark an entirely new idea.

The Little Shanghai Moments

Of course, a trip isn't made only from exhibition halls and meetings. Some of the most memorable moments came from simply exploring — walking the streets, cycling through the city and discovering unexpected things along the way.

Business trip? Yes.
Furniture hunting? Definitely.
But there's always time to explore Shanghai.

Shanghai After Dark

When the exhibition day ended, Shanghai showed us a completely different personality. The skyline lit up, historic architecture glowed in warm light and the streets remained full of energy.

A night with one of Shanghai's most recognizable landmarks.

Bringing New Inspiration Home

Shanghai gave us more than a look at new furniture. It gave us new perspectives on design, materials, presentation, lifestyle and the future of furniture.

From CIFF and Maison Shanghai to the streets of Pudong and the Shanghai skyline, every part of the journey offered something different to observe and remember. We return to Malaysia with fresh ideas, new inspiration and plenty more to explore.