Your exclusive trend alert...
from the world’s largest design fair in Milan
A few months ago was the world-famous Salone del Mobile design fair, which attracts 400,000 people from 164 countries to gather in Milan once a year. The magnificent event sets the scene for design for the coming year, so we’ve compiled some highlights to make sure you stay on top of these upcoming trends.
SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH DESIGN
When Salone del Mobile launched their manifesto, they challenged people to incorporate sustainability into design, not only with materials but also through design processes. Designers responded with underlying themes of sustainability and natural elements throughout the fair. Many displays had references to the natural world, with use of natural materials such as ceramic, woods and glass.
There was also widespread use of sustainable materials, such as the new Solid Textile Board, made of recycled cottons and wood textiles.
While most chose to make subtle references to the natural world, some designers chose to bring a literal interpretation to the manifest by bringing the outdoors in.
NATURAL MATERIALS
In keeping with the sustainability theme, the show boasted many stunning pieces using natural materials and hand made pieces. Beautiful wood features, in particular, were used in many different forms.
Blonde wood was particularly highlighted in hand-made pieces across many exhibitions, suggesting that the scandinavian trend is continuing strong into 2018.
Natural materials with highlighted imperfections and textures were also quite a feature.
Tweed is now the new leather! Much like last year’s show, the fair was dotted with many tweed textiles and rugs.
In cases where tweed wasn’t used, there were many visible weaves and raw linen textiles featured, to somewhat mimic a tweed texture.
GREEN
From soft greens to moss greens, this is set to be the biggest colour trend of the year! Many designers used their colour palettes to link their pieces back to the theme of sustainability through design. If you remember our previous blog post we discussed how green velvets are set to make a big comeback in window treatment trends.
MILLENNIAL PINK
The popular millennial pink, or rose quartz, trend shows no sign of fading in 2018. Though some designers went all-out in expressing their love for pink, the colour was featured in a much more subtle way in most displays.
This year we are also seeing this classic colour paired with soft blue hues and complemented against the trending muted green tones. We can see some more subtle interpretations of the ongoing Scandinavian trends.
BOLD ECLECTIC PATTERNS
Layers of bright bold patterns, creating a ‘more is more’ look dotted the Milan fair. The Dolce and Gabbana collaboration with Smeg, in particular, was one of the biggest ‘must sees’ of the event.
Tying in with the natural materials trend, many patterned fabrics with rich textures were presented as an organised chaos of colour.
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
The Salone del Mobile this year gave us an insight into the future of how technology can be seamlessly incorporated into our daily lives. Miele’s new Dialog Oven undoubtedly stole the show. This advanced oven analyses the molecular composition of the food which you place into it, and cooks it to perfection automatically. It can even cook the same meal in two ways, like a salmon half grilled and half raw. And it cooks it quicker than an average oven too!
A concrete 3D printed house was printed on site during the event. The 48 hour task produced a fully-functioning home with a somewhat crude exterior, but a beautifully designed interior. The display provides an insight into a futuristic construction industry, based around sustainability and minimising waste.
Kartell has also resurfaced and refined a 2016 experiment, which combines a dining table with an induction stovetop. The piece is an answer to the growing apartment living trends, forcing designers to be more innovative in optimising space.
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