As urban life continues to shrink inward, the yearning for nature is evolving from "occasional escape" to "daily necessities". 

From March 18th to 21st, 2026, the 57th China International Furniture Fair (Guangzhou) welcomed the third "Nature's Echo” outdoor theme special exhibition. Themed around "Co-Grow", this special exhibition was curated by artist and designer Yuan Yuan, aiming to create a touchable, breathable, and stayable wild field in the hustle and bustle of modern life. Through an immersive experience, it encouraged the audience to rethink the relationship between humans and nature, and to feel the serenity and strength of life taking root downward and meeting the light upward.

A Response to “Growth”

"We live our lives at such a frenetic pace that we scarcely have time to realise what it is we are losing." The reflection expressed in the Curator's Statement also served as the spiritual starting point for this year's "Nature's Echo: Co-Grow".

From "Nature's Echo: All in One" in 2024 to "Nature's Echo: Pristine Nature" in 2025, Nature's Echo Special Exhibition, the outdoor-themed IP initiated by the China International Furniture Fair (Guangzhou) in collaboration with the new media platform Z Media, has always been committed to promoting the deep integration of design aesthetics and the outdoor industry through innovative exhibitions, top-tier curatorial teams, and cutting-edge design trends.

In the third year, the organisers had more thoughts: how can a platform that brings together design, industry, and lifestyle grow beyond the iteration of exhibition forms? What else could a special exhibition bring to the audience when outdoor activities have become commonplace nowadays?

Yuan Yuan, an artist, designer, and founder of RUYI Home and Out Focus Studio, presided over this year's Nature's Echo with her unique artistic perspective. In the two exhibition spaces, through cross-disciplinary practices of outdoor and art, she transformed the ancient cosmology of "the sky being round and the earth being square", as well as the natural rhythms of day and night alternation, and the yin and yang interplay, into silent spatial nourishment.

The golden trees standing tall in Hall 12.1 echoed the upward growth force with their upright posture. The two horses on the platform between Area A and Area B represented the vitality of life running freely. Audiences would find their own pace amidst the hustle as they move through the scenery.

This year’s special exhibition placed greater emphasis on life and nature, utilising a lot of recyclable and nature-friendly materials to integrate sustainable concepts into space design and product presentation. Through touchable, traversable, and interactive immersive experiences, viewers were no longer mere observers but became a part of the natural environment, experiencing the aesthetic symbiosis of art and nature.

Future Samples of Outdoor Lifestyles

"Nature's Echo: Co-Grow" is not just an art exhibition, but also a comprehensive sample of the outdoor lifestyle in 2026. The exhibition area seamlessly integrated high-end outdoor furniture, casual soft decorations, garden accessories, and other elements into a natural scene, presenting various industry trends such as full-scene integration, balance of design and function, and underlying-themed sustainability.

Since its inaugural exhibition in 2024, the "Nature's Echo" themed special exhibition has gathered numerous top domestic and international brands, becoming a trendsetter in the industry. The third exhibition, "Nature's Echo: Co-Grow", has attracted a more diverse lineup of brands.

In terms of the international brands, well-known Italian home furnishing brand Kartell, Danish design brand HAY, American high-end lighting brand Visual Comfort&Co, and Portuguese luxury home textile brand Abyss&Habidecor all made their appearances.

Chinese domestic original design brands such as XUE, SING CHAN, Femo Design, and Out Focus Studio, as well as professional brands in the outdoor furniture industry like HIGOLD, VINEKO, Artie, MYX, pebl, KUNDESIGN, and high-quality enterprises, brands, and distributors such as CIYEALife, gathered together to present an in-depth dialogue between international cutting-edge design and Chinese local innovation.

During the special exhibition, multiple in-depth dialogue salons were held, including the "Nature's Echo" Design and Art Sharing Session, the Cutting-edge Outdoor Trend Exchange Session, and the Home Aesthetics Appreciation Session. These events created a high-quality platform for the industry to engage in intellectual exchanges and establish industry connections.

The Upward Growth of Chinese Design

It's worth mentioning that last year, the second "Nature's Echo: Pristine Nature" themed exhibition won the Architecture MasterPrize in the Interior Design Exhibition category. This is not only a recognition of the curatorial and design team, but also a strong international-level endorsement for China's home furnishing and design industry's exploration and practice on the sustainable path.

From introducing art curation in 2024, to focusing on sustainability in 2025, and then to emphasising human perception and experience in 2026, in the three-year journey of "Nature's Echo", every iteration responded to the real challenges of industry transformation. And the special exhibition itself also showed the upward growth trajectory of China's outdoor furniture industry, from manufacturing to creation, from functionality to aesthetics, from the domestic market to the global stage.

As the largest and most professional outdoor home furnishing exhibition platform in Asia, the Outdoor Furniture, Sunshade & Leisure area of China International Furniture Fair (Guangzhou) took "seeking innovation" as its theme. With an exhibition area exceeding 50,000 square meters, the area continuously defines the industry boundaries of outdoor lifestyle. It also builds a bridge between design and nature, between business and responsibility, and between China and the world, leading to a better life.