One major trend from Paris and Cologne: stronger presence of wood

This is not a new trend - it was there last year, too, but

"now the innumerable tree stumps have become more bulky and the whole thing comes across as being ostentatiously in too close touch with nature"

as from Stylepark describes it. And I agree to a great extent - overdoing the positive pursuit of sustainability and re-use of wood will alienate many people from the idea. On the other hand, I like the sophisticated and relaxed style of Gervasoni (above).
Some more examples:

Briccole Venezia, the design forms part of a larger project for Milan furniture company RIVA 1920 where 18 designers and architects have been asked to design products using recliamed oak from Venice’s waterways mooring posts substituted from the Venice’s lagoon because of wear and tear or breaking.
(via: Dezeen)

Base stools, design: Lukas Redwitz, made of oiled natural oak

Similar, but much more artistic are the cocktail tables from Suzanne Rippe's Bloc collection launched last week at Maison & Objet in Paris and this is an approach I strongly approve.
Examples of such approach there has been a lot at IMM Cologne, too, and I will quote again Thomas Wagner:

"In general in Cologne hand-made goods and arts and crafts would appear to be surfacing again. It is indeed amazing how quickly the void left behind in Cologne by absent designer manufacturers has been filled by handicraft beginnings or, in other words, the term design has been loosened from its industrial anchoring."

Another one - KAURI table and stools, and many more.

See your product here

Turquoise Home Accents

As we all know already, the color of 2010 is turquoise, and every time I see something beautiful in a shade that reminds me turquoise I think how good an accent it can be in the interiors I am working on. Here is a small collection of my finds:

Hammock, 'Verdant Sonata'

Fresh green holds the promise of sweet relaxation in a hand-woven hammock from Mexico. The Maya Artists of the Yucatán preserve this ancient heritage as they weave thick nylon cords according to age-old techniques.

Long before the Spanish arrived upon the coasts of the Yucatan Peninsula, the Maya preferred to sleep and rest in hammocks. They considered the hammock to be like the loving embrace of a mother, due to the comfortable manner in which the body is held and swung within its cradle. For them, the hammock is a work of art. Their hammocks are incredibly comfortable, easy to maintain, and may be stored just about anywhere.
It easily packs for travel to the beach or lake. Extender ropes (measuring 1 meter), hammock hooks ("S" hooks), and step-by-step instructions included for easy installation.

And for teen rooms, something more modern:

Turquoise Groovy Peace Sign Tie Dye Lamp Shade by JoJo Designs


Clothes Laundry Hamper for Turquoise Groovy Peace Sign

And two more beautiful turquoise home decor pieces:

Cyan Design 02380 Turquoise Vase Turquoise

Palm boxes, 'Gift from the Sky' (set of 3)


















Happy decorating!
See your product here

Inspiration from Maison & Objet

I am fascinated by French designer Suzanne Rippe’s line of cocktail tables launched this week at Maison & Objet in Paris :

photos via DESIGNinTELL

Crafted from collected by the designer old beams and logs meant for destruction, each piece of the Bloc collection is unique because each piece of wood is unique. "I let myself be guided by its shape and its own experience of lines, nodes, and cracks.”, explains Suzanne Rippe.
A great way to introduce nature in interior design!

 I like very much also her other genuine furniture and lamps made of natural materials, combining different textures and colors - I would be happy to use them in any interior design project to create instant cosiness and individuality.

See your product here

Inspiration from Cologne

Some of the new designs that I liked from the Cologne furniture fair:
 

Knoll

Karat, 

Ruche, new sofa designed by Inga Sempé for Ligne Roset

-

And one Top Pick from IMM by Platform: "Jasper Morrison continued the theme of natural and luxurious textures with his ‘Cork Table’ for Cappellini".(above) - a statement that can very well be used also for the KAURI table and stools above the Cork table.

IMM Cologne 2010 starts today - Comfort is the main trend

The first for the year and one of the most influential furniture fairs starts today. There the new trends will be presented along with many new products for interior design. As Hamburger Abendblatt writes in the article Comfort meets design: Furniture Trends 2010 , the focus will be on "chic design and more comfort". I think that the following examples prove that the trend for comfort will be prevailing at this fair and probably during the whole 2010.

One of the interesting new products: atelierTakagi will present the Spun table lamp designed by Jonah Takagi. the light is constructed from a spun aluminum shade, a steel base, with a cloth cord - great for any room.

Team by Wellis shows its new furniture system Giro, design: Kurt Erni - with only 17 components offering limitless design opportunities. The concept comprises units, incorporating drawers, flaps and doors on multiples of 51 cm. The modules of this integrated cubic system can be stacked and combined side-by-side - lengthwise, diagonally and even in an overhanging configuration. The various elements slot together, and a special mechanism allows them to slid sideways and even rotated 180° around. Just touch anywhere and the drawers, flaps and doors simply open up. 

source: Stylepark

 Another example - in this private spa bedroom and bathroom oasis merge into one unit:

See your product here

Now! Design à vivre, Maison & Objet - preview

I have already two favorites from the coming  now! design à vivre, Maison & Objet, Paris -|they are by two from the 10 new talents chosen for the show and

"sponsored by Philippe Starck, Maison’s 2010 Designer of the Year to be part of a showcase curated by Chantal Hamaide, editorial director of the Intramuros magazine at next week’s now! design à vivre exhibition, as part of Maison & Objet, Paris.
The 10 designers are 5.5 designers, Sam Baron, Gilles Belley, Michel Charlot, Constance Guisset, Joachim Jirou Najou, Mathieu Lehanneur, Philippe Nigro, Normal Studio and Marie-Aurore Stiker. 
Philippe Starck has challenged them with the question ‘What is missing? and the designers will offer an initial reaction through a five minute video at next week’s event – the starting point for a show to be held in Paris in June 2010 as part of Designer’s Days.
 "

source: ARTS THREAD Blog

 I like the idea of this simple, but elegant and very practical cupboard, named Around,  by Joachim Jirou Najou.

and The Dancing chair by Constance Guisset . What is very peculiar about her - she is a designer, but she has been also the administrator of the Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec studio (2003-2009). I like this chair so much that I would be happy to have it at home for me! It is obviously very comforrtable, but also - very elegant and, as the source reports, it has obvious "relationship with the fashion world ... the wooden structure recalls the nineteenth century crinoline." I have been writing many posts about this mutual influence between fashion and interior design - in most cases it brings great results - like this one above!


See your product here

Luxury at the coming Maison & Objet 2010

Boca do Lobo, the Portuguese company for luxury furniture design will present at the coming Paris show its latest LE Limited Edition/Large Emotion collection, Time Goes By.
The stand will be adorned with a selection of other distinctive pieces, including their recently released Limited Edition Crochet chest. It does look like a jewel with this unusual decoration and an interesting continuation of the popular LACE trend in the last years.

See your product here!

IMM Cologne 2010 Introducing: THE MASHUP

Modern carpets, created from worn and rugged oriental ones:

 Using worn and rugged oriental carpets as raw materials, THE MASHUP rugs are made by first stripping down the originals to their bare essentials. The threads are refined using various methods, and are then reassembled precisely as THE MASHUP carpets - in a new, sophisticated patchwork pattern. Steeped in time-honoured techniques handed down through the generations, THE MASHUP gives the age-old oriental carpet modern appeal combined with a perfect, vintage look and feel.
THE MASHUP premium rugs are available in five standard sizes and six different colour schemes. Carpets can also be made to order in custom sizes, shapes and colour schemes.
Available from January 2010 from Kymo - a German label for contemporary floorwear. In keeping with the brand's philosophy 'Go on. And create.' the Kymo collection is characterized by a stylish, young, fresh and cutting-edge approach..
A great application of the popular re-use trend!
Нови килими от износени стари ориенталски килими - това ще покаже на наближаващия Панаир в Кьолн немската компания Kymo.  Серията се нарича THE MASHUP и включва 5 стандартни размера в 6 различни цветни схеми, но предлага и възможност за поръчки с различни цветове, форми и размери. Тази серия модерни килими е произведена от стари ориенталски килими чрез използване на оригиналните основа и нишки, но обработени и втъкани по нов начин. Резултатът е изискан модерен килим с мотиви тип patchwork.



source: imm-cologne
See your product here

IMM Cologne 2010 - Highlights

After two weeks only Cologne will become a global platform for all the latest trends and movements related to design, home and lifestyle. For those of you eager to get acquainted with all the interesting novelties - some highlights from the hit guide 2010:

The chameleon of sofas, “FASHION SUPERSOFT” is especially attractive
because of its alluring design, whose visual
appearance stands for itself, but promises
seating comfort as well.
The two-tone cover material can be switched
effortlessly, and each covering is offered in the
broadest range of colors and materials. For
example, the upholstered sofa can be turned
into a leather sofa in the blink of an eye.

Pixel Rose Carpet - pixel form fascinates designers  in the last years. This hand-tufted designer carpet by Bretz Wohnträume GmbH consists of pure new wool, viscose and viscose-wool blends. The tantalizing contrast in materials and
punctuated pixel-form use of 14 different color
tones produces a three-dimensional sense
that is strengthened even more by various pile
heights.

AURA Bed for ACCENTE. Design by Martin
Ballendat

XENTELON H1 Wall cupboard - The latest LED
technology illuminate the glass sheets made of
10 mm thick safety glass. It achieves its
homogeneous lighting through a specialized
dot matrix incorporated into the glass. The
light can be handily controlled with its own
4-channel remote control. Red, blue, green,
all blended colors, light intensity and tempo
as well as dialing pre-installed dynamic color
changes are stored in the control module.

Interior Design Week Cologne 2010 - Preview

I am very pleased to find that it appears 2010 will be a busy year for interior design! The year starts with ambitious projects - mainly in Cologne:  

Interior Design Week 18 - 24 January 2010: "An exhibition event focusing on current trends in design – particularly interior design. The exhibitors are institutions and museums, including Museum Ludwig and the Museum of Applied Art , universities, design offices, initiatives, showrooms, galleries, networks, furniture stores and international manufacturers."                            Christine Ruff Ceramic 

PASSAGEN 2010 is opening the international design season with "projects and presentations by the crème de la crème of the international designer scene... Whether classic soloists or young networks, universities, newcomers, institutions, architects, the media or agents: They are all neighbors for a week; densely-strung pearls on a design route through Cologne ’s inner city – and since recently in the Ehrenfeld and Mülheim districts.

PASSAGEN 2010 is a design symposium that tackles the topic “Context:Design.” It presents design “live” and 1-to-1 in an interplay with architecture. It addresses the reciprocal effects of art and design, includes the issue of social demands on design – particularly the topics sustainability and ecology, as well as urbanism and aesthetics.

From 18 to 24 January 2010 runs also the second DESIGNERS FAIR held in Cologne. After over 20,000 visitors “stormed in” in the first year, organizers have increased the space available to exhibitors to about 4,000 m² – on which over 65 furniture and interior designers are exhibiting their new products. The first DESIGNERS FAIR in 2009 consciously focused on young German designers – as of 2010, it’s also open to international exhibitors.
Some exhibitors' previews: 

The CEDON collection (left) is being presented
to the public in its full scope for
the first time during PASSAGEN. 

The trend for authentic sustainable design with lasting quality and value is going to be clearly presented at Cologne:

in the hand-crafted luxury kitchen
Heavy Beauty by manufacturer IB
Möbelwerkstätten, clear aesthetics
and robust materials unite to become
furniture for generations. The concept
combines clean lines and regional
materials – such as solid wood,
greywacke and stainless steel – with
professional appliances to create sensuous
living space. 

It is good to find that there will be interesting new furniture for children:

Sixeight children’s furniture is a
sophisticated, Bauhaus-oriented
designer furniture system for the
child’s room of today and tomorrow.

TEAM 7, market leader for eco-design furniture, presents the new collection Lanoo – which reinvents rooms for kids and teens from their perspective.