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The trends of IMM Cologne 2017

Every year in January, IMM Cologne opens the season of the international exhibitions of furniture and interior design forcing designers, architects and creators to ignore Christmas festivities and tune into a working mood. We made up a list of five trends to follow in the spring and summer seasons.

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TWO POLES

The global trend of the exhibition is controversies. We are engaged in talks about nature and fall asleep cuddling in our beds with phones. We invite people over and get annoyed when they invade our privacy. We dream of living in a wooden greenhouse, but it will be a disaster if it’s not ultra-modern.

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Designers learn to solve the endless tangle of mixed feelings. They no longer draw a parallel between right/wrong and are comfortable with designing a cool grey living room next to a kitchen in the colour “hot sand of the Sahara”. The important thing is that the owner has to feel comfy.

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  • YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A REFINED MINIMALISM AND AN ECLECTIC WOODEN SPACE. DESIGNERS COMBINE ROUGH WOOD WITH THE SMOOTH SURFACES OF THE METAL OR STONE AND ON THE LIGHT WOODEN SHELVES YOU CAN EASILY PLACE THE CONCRETE BOXES.

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The boundaries between the zones – kitchen and living room, bedroom and dressing room – are getting thinner. The world goes towards flexible multifunctional spaces that can be reformatted according to the needs.

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HYGGE IS THE NEW WORD IN DESIGN

Hygge is a Danish term translated as comfort, aesthetic and social warmth.

It’s a broad concept. Rubik’s Cube from different aspects. Hygge is listening to the fire logs crackling breaking into thousands of pieces. A ceramic cup with aromatic tea is on the table. A textured wall that you know every inch of.

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Hygge is similar to the English term “сocooning” (be at home) when you spend time with your family, appreciate the moment and understand the value of the simple things.

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  • HYGGE REPRESENTS THE ANTI-MODEL OF FLEETING URBAN LIFESTYLES. IT IS ABOUT FEELING AND SOULFULNESS, THE ABILITY TO FOCUS ON THE SENSE AND IMPORTANT THINGS.

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In the interior, hygge is subjective. Following an old principle, “I’m an artist, I see it” someone create a mood using the light, while others prefer the language of colours.

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WOOD IS A MUST

Almost every brand has chosen wood as their top material, converting it into the protagonist of the season.

Wood identifies a connection with nature, so its popularity is justified. Manufacturers combine authentic craft skills and new technologies to create something special, unique and timeless.

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Tables, chairs, shelves, cabinets. Simple elegant shapes with soft transitions or complex, bizarre with contrasting bands: from soft pine, cedar and chestnut to solid oak, maple, walnut and ash.

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The unique ancient tree was presented by Riva in 1920. The Earth table made of the 50,000-year-old kauri wood reflects an image of a world map.

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EVERYTHING IS A STORY

Everything has a special story.

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Now the guests of IMM Cologne know that Santa Marta is located in northern Colombia and the locals make the unusual weaved furniture of coloured plastic. In 2016 the designer Sebastian Herkner surprised everyone with his round living space project “Das Haus”, and in 2017 he collaborates with Colombian craftsmen. The Caribbean collection, which they presented at the exhibition, includes chairs and tables made in the traditional technique of the region.

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IMM COLOGNE SAYS INNOVATIONS

German designer Patrick Palcic created a copper clock that tells people time with smells.

Instead of other timepieces, “There Is Something in the Air” allows experiencing the passage of time in a different way. The clock has no hands, only 12 small holes punctured around the perimeter. Each hour is assigned a special fragrance, hidden in the mechanism behind it. At noon at hourly intervals, a drop of essence is released lightly marking the surface. The shell heats up and the aroma floats in the air.

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A big place for innovations and innovators is Living Kitchen – a separate IMM Cologne section with furniture, equipment and accessories for a kitchen environment.

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Brands face off for the indicators of perfect ergonomics and energy efficiency, materials and concepts. Everyone wants to be in the shoes of the discoverer and show the function, which simplifies the life of society. Today you can warm up а stove on the way home or see the food in a refrigerator without opening it. Special programs remind you what to buy in a store. Paper lists slowly migrate into the category of the nostalgic past.

The tendency towards visual minimalism prevails. All equipment, from a kettle to an oven, hides behind the sliding or folding doors, lifting rolls. Adaptive panels and worktops allow the construction space for a specific need: a large family dinner or a breakfast for two.

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IMM COLOGNE AND LIVINGKITCHEN HAVE ACHIEVED A RECORD NUMBER OF VISITORS THIS YEAR – 150,000.


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