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From Urban Chic to Green Design – the outdoor trends for 2012

Photo: Bauholz design

Escaping from the hectic pace of everyday life, shifting down a gear and enjoying the evenings and weekends in your very own green oasis: for a growing number of people, the garden, patio or balcony is their favourite place for getting away from it all for a while. And that means having a comfy place to sit too.

The Nordic maritime look with its clear but cosy shapes is particularly popular for outdoor furniture right now. And in view of Scandinavia’s coastal climate, it’s perfectly acceptable for the tables and chairs to look a little rough. When it comes to patterns, stripes and various shades of blue are popular. At the same time, romanticism is experiencing a renaissance: a growing number of manufacturers are going for a dreamy look. The trend is dominated by playful creations and gently flowing forms, along with combinations of charming details, floral designs and old-style patterns. The City Style is also featuring on the outdoor stage as a countertrend to the romantic look and favours flamboyant, design-oriented shapes. Loungers and couches are characterised by a puristic straightforwardness and elegance and many of the material combinations include stainless steel. When it comes to colours, white, sand and brown shades will continue to dominate in 2011/12. And green is a must. The trend colour of the last fashion season is now conquering balconies and patios too, with manufacturers banking on bright shades like lime and apple green. read more…

13. September 2011
Categories: News, Press, Trends
Tags: balcony, countertrend, decor, decoration, facts, green, growth, Koelnmesse GmbH, Metin Ergül, naturalness, oasis, outdoor, outdoor furniture, quality, spoga+gafa, terrace, top brands, tradevisitor, visitor numbers

Business trends 2011: Excellent prospects for the furniture industry

photo: Rolf Benz.

Homing and furnishing have become more diverse, colourful, cosmopolitan and above all, more important on a global scale. That‘s why good furniture design today is successful at every point on the map. Furniture design will always transcend boundaries, and no longer be held captive behind a national border. As the motto “design goes global“ implies, supply and demand are evolving worldwide. The international volume of trade in furniture has therefore doubled over the past nine years. That‘s good news not only for international clientele, but also for the international furniture industry.

Sustainability and healthy living included: solid wood furniture at imm solid

Ever since the awkward eco-fashion designer Miguel Adrover became the latest worldwide craze and insider tip and designed the autumn collection 2008 for the conventional German natural fashion mail-order company Hessnatur, it has been clear: Sustainability has developed into a boundless mega trend.

This is a fact that Vereinigte Möbeleinkaufs-GmbH & Co. KG is well aware of. With its new line “Woods & Trends” based on solid wood furniture, the industry player from Bielefeld is reacting to the fact that more and more consumers want ecologically manufactured lifestyle products. And these are already plentiful in the furnishings world – unlike in other industries. They can be seen at imm cologne from 19 to 25 January 2009.

Furniture industry sees an opportunity despite financial crisis

Despite the financial crisis and its current effects on the economy, the German furniture industry sees an opportunity to increase the status of homes and furnishings in these difficult times. Whenever people feel extremely insecure, their own home and the sense of security and safety connected with their own four walls assume a higher status. Only the furniture industry can satisfy this feeling now, and thereby bring furniture higher up the ranking list of personal desires. In addition, furniture as a valuable and life-long consumer item represents a long-lasting and reliable investment.

The figures and statistics seen since the summer provide evidence that this hope is not entirely without foundation. In the otherwise extremely different 3rd quarter of the year, in which almost no other industry branch escaped unscathed, growth of 1.5 percent was realised.

Design as an Economic Factor: Design de Cologne

Once a year, Cologne becomes a talking-point as the design capital of Germany. During the international furniture and interior design fair imm cologne, trade visitors from all over the world experience a city that is vibrant with design, installations and design VIPs despite the January weather.

Cologne is largely associated with design because of the furniture fair. Apart from that, little is known about Cologne in the design world, apart from the obvious, that is: the Gothic cathedral and other architectural treasures, museums of modern art and Cologne’s residential charm. And more than anything else, of course, the Rhine city is known for its almost rustic charm, its brewery taverns and Kölsch pubs.

At the same time, in view of the imm cologne‘s communicative and commercial importance for the international design world, it is hardly surprising that, over the years, a creative scene has developed in the city which, thanks to its institutions, educational establishments, studios, galleries, various event formats and retailers, constitutes an impressive and unusually diverse economic force for the region. Here in Cologne, the sector is represented by industrial and product design, corporate and communication design, media and fashion design, event design, architecture and interior design.

imm cologne

Create. Furnish. Live.

From Urban Chic to Green Design – the outdoor trends for 2012

Business trends 2011: Excellent prospects for the furniture industry

Sustainability and healthy living included: solid wood furniture at imm solid

Furniture industry sees an opportunity despite financial crisis

Design as an Economic Factor: Design de Cologne

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