ICFF 2013 - sustainability and creativity

Miss Dondola

Poltrona Frau has unveiled two major projects in the flagship store of Wooster Street, Soho:
“Barrique: The third life of wood”, a project that has given shape to a collection of furniture and accessories designed by famous Italian and international designers -  Michele de Lucchi, Marc Sadler, Mario Botta and Alessandro Mendini, and created by the boys from San Patrignano community of life, that welcomes those who are afflicted by addiction and marginalization. The furnishings have been embellished with details and finishes in Frau Leather, as the Doc chaise longue, whose slats, designed by Marc Sadler, create the effect of a spine; Miss Dondola, the rocking chair by Angela Missoni customized with a multicolor pillow; Inverso, stool designed by Karim Rashid. All objects were made with the wood of the barriques, the barrels used for aging wine, which otherwise would have ended up in landfills.

Doga table

chaiselongue DOC

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A symbol of ROUGH LUXE

Aria by Massimo Iosa Ghini for Murano Due - a sophisticated design, presented in a great setting: there is no problem to lean on a roughly processed wood beam, when you have such an exquisite lighting above you :) and sit on an elegant and comfortable modern stool.
source

Prevailing Trend According to Tendence 2012 - Customizable Design

According to the organizers of the Tendence fair in Frankfurt - the most important consumer-goods fair and trend barometer for the second half of the year, running August 24-28,  a prevailing  trend at this year's event will be customization as designers create high-quality accessories that can be tailored to personal style.
I have written about the customization trend many times since 2007 when it first seemed to appear and I am not surprised to learn that - it is quite natural in the times when we have the technological possibilities to supply the customers with the chance to personalize everything they use.
One of the best examples of customization is 3D Printing - it allows to modify designs according to your customers requirements. Here below are a few customizable accessories from the Shapeways gallery:

Clockwork iPhone 4/4S C

Iphone 4 / 4s case - Cell 2

Hyphae lamp

Green digital station - in the park

which can be situated in the parks or at the bus-stops!   'Еscale numérique' for JCDecaux, the world's leading outdoor advertising company, is the first urban development of French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, 
but  it is not only a good green design, it is all that modern way of living requires - comfort and access to all information sources everywhere!It is a shelter with a green roof covered in foliage, with swivel seating for citizens made of concrete with mini tables and equipped with plugs for laptop use, and a large touch screen which gives updated information about services happening in the city such as guides, news and interactive signage for tourists and visitors. 

mathieu lehanneur: escale numérique for JCDecaux, source: designboom

,,,  
I hope some day we shall have this here, in Sofia, too.

A symbol of the new luxury

In the years of heavy economic problems everything changes - including the idea of luxury. It now shows no useless excess or pure glitter and glamour - it is subdued, but still retaining the value of beautiful craftsmanship and achievements of the past. And much more accessible, like British product and interior designer Lee Broom's  Crystal Bulb launched at this year's Milan Design Week:

“I wanted to create a light bulb as a more accessible design product and incorporating cut crystal seemed the most logical design as this has become a familiar style within my product ranges.”, explains the designer.

Fashion for the home

I have posted a lot about how fashion and interior design connect, but I think that may be we have to talk more about the decoration and fashion connection, because most often fashion designers have projects and products related to decoration, rather than interior design. Like the fashionable Missoni Home range, for example. It is true that they have hotels with interior design by them, but thie products for the home are mostly textile and decoration. Still, for fashion lovers and for anyone who has attitude to good design it is great to have their products at home. I am fascinated with their colorful suggestions for home decor and would use any of these with pleasure in my interior design projects. Here below are some beautiful decorative pieces you may like, too:
 

the ERODE Throw by Missoni Homeis the soft, colorful way to keep warm. Made out of a wool/polyamide blend, this blanket comes in a striped pattern available in three distinct color palettes. As a bright decorative accent, drape over the back of the sofa or keep at the end of the bed. Coordinates with the ERODE Cushion. Missoni Home collection features a range of products from high-end home linens and rugs to furnishing, accessories and lighting. Missoni Home's leading trends boast an exceptional and unique graphic approach to color and pattern designed to complement today's top fashion brands.






ERODE Cushion by Missoni Home(right)




JOCKER Throw by Missoni Home


HUMBERT Cushion by Missoni Home    You can have this colorful style in your lighting scheme and , too:

Bubble Lamp by Missoni Home


Lara Bath Mat by Missoni Home
This Ken Bath Collection by Missoni Home has a very good price and is definitely a great choice - for yourself or as a present:

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IMM Cologne 2012 - Preview

There is a new format for depicting interior design trends at this year's IMM Cologne (January 16-22) - The premiere of  "Das Haus - Interiors on Stage" installation by Doshi Levien:

 "Koelnmesse sees the "Das Haus - Interiors on Stage" format launched for the imm cologne 2012 as part designer portrait, part living laboratory, where the current trends in interior design can be depicted in three dimensions and the guest designer can formulate a statement on his own very personal idea of a perfect home... "We're interested in interior design that's ahead of our time, but not so far ahead that nobody understands it. That's particularly important to us," says Katharina C. Hamma, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse, of her expectations of the project. 
Doshi Levien solved the challenge of creating a very personal living space scenography with visionary character in the midst of the trade fair by coming up with "a culmination of spaces from all over the world - some of them taken from memory, some of them from dreams". The prominent London duo's constructed dream is widely regarded as one of the highlights of the next international interior design fair that will be taking place in Cologne from 16th to 22nd January." via

Some of the products that we shall see there:

Müller Möbelfabrikation

Rukotvorine -

WAVE cabinet

WAVE table

Customized Living

Customization is one of the most popular trends in the last years - creating your own unique look for the things that surround you is a great possibility to express yourself and more and more companies offer customized and personalized products. As an interior designer I am very much pleased with the possibility to choose a rug  and customize it to literally any color combination, size and shape required - carpets are an important part of our interiors and this allows us to implement exactly the color scheme we want for a certain room. We can also use the rug as a way to unite all the colors in a room in the most suitable pattern and style.  

 I have many publications dedicated to this trend and the above abstract is from my post Customization trend: Create your Own Rug. Now I am very pleased to find that  “Customized Living” is a keynote theme at
DOMOTEX 2012. I am eager to see more photos from the event which takes place from 14 to 17 January 2012 and will showcase design trends in carpets, home textiles, resilient floor coverings, parquet and laminates. For those of you who are curious to learn what are the latest trends in carpet design, here below is an abstract from their preliminary publication:

The choice of floor covering is
often the inspiration behind the
interior designer’s whole concept.
A carpet is the unifying design
element which brings together
room decor and furniture
to create an individually styled
living space.

 This trend towards individual, unique style statements – customized living as it is often called – has a massive influence and opens up
new opportunities in personal interior design. Carpets allow almost unlimited possibilities due to the sheer diversity of materials, colours and shapes, not to mention custommade
products. Fashion trends areplaying an increasing role in carpetdesign. Consequently, in the 2012 season we will see lots of bold colour– pink, mustard yellow, cobalt blue, leaf green, turquoise, petroland rust – separately or as blockcolours, but also in funky, colourful combinations. In short, modern carpetsare an attractive and eyecatching design statement.

The  sustainability and “green living” trend applies to flooring, too. There are numerous  materials suited to this trend in flooring and home, such as undyed Himalayan (Tibetan) wool,
hemp, plant fibres and yarns from cacti as well as patterns based on natural forms and images which can
be used in carpets. Countless patterns, shapes and textures are inspired by nature. The natural theme is not simply expressed by the use of environment-friendly fibres and colours, but also by the use of natural images in carpets and rugs.

Interior Design Trends 2012

Happy New year 2012! Let it be better than 2011 and let there be more love and satisfaction - in everything we do!

Usually at this time of the year we are trying to fugure out what expects us, how would the new year look like and for us, designers and design-lovers, what design trends will be most influential?

For sure Green design is one of the most important trends - it’s not surprise, this trend is becoming more and more popular, especially with increasing availability of eco-friendly materials and products, because green interior design not only helps us to create  healthier homes, but also to contribute to a sustainable way of living as a whole. And now we have made the next step -  the rising trend for green roofs and kitchen gardens.. It is interesting that the trend for growing one's own food is expanding into the restaurant business and into the urban community where community gardens are becoming increasingly common.

It appears that tough economic times have taught us some necessary lessons - we are rearranging the list of our values and  improvements in interior design and architecture are taking place to enable even the smallest places to be used efficiently. Some less used spaces are disappearing thus giving more room for more functional spaces.  

An important manifestation of the green trend is the use of resource-efficient features like low-flow faucets, low-E windows, powerful insulation and natural choices and eco-consciousness for furnishing for our homes. A natural and rustic feel with a lot of wood, often unfinished, is becoming more and more popular.

From decoration point of view, it is a good choice that Pantone have made for a color of the year 2012 - Tangerine Tango. Hopefully,  it will successfully play the role of a visual anti-depressant offering some sunshine for a grim economy and help us overcome the gloomy moods, rejuvenate ourselves and our lives.

And, speaking about moods, there is another interesing trend - "A cultural, social and consumer rebooting of all things 90s", according to The Future Laboratory these are "Trends,...designed to reassure, reassess and remind us of things that settle the senses, lull the emotions and refresh the spirits."

Obviously, we need that and design is probably one of the best tools to make the change. With the help of vivid chues, huge patterns, coloured lights, sparkle and glitz luxury slowly returns in interior design, but this is a more resrained, conscious luxury without the exuberance and unnecessary abundance.

My personal hope and believe is that along with green design ingenious designs and new technologhies will help this change most.