interior design | imm cologne

Dual trade fair imm cologne / LivingKitchen 2013 set to be a big success

Frank Haubold, Vice President Trade Fair Management at Koelnmesse. (photo: Koelnmesse)

In several respects, Germany can be described as the country for furniture – as is also reflected in the development of the imm cologne. The event has returned to its former strength and has been reporting a steady increase in attendance figures since 2009. This is due on the one hand to a trade fair platform that has proved its worth and on the other to the stable economic situation and high demand for furnishings within the Federal Republic.

“For many years now, this trade fair has been an absolute must, even if there are a few weaker years behind us,” explains Frank Haubold, Vice President Trade Fair Management at Koelnmesse. “In 2012, we were once again able to welcome a lot of first-time exhibitors to the imm cologne – young, up-and-coming companies who saw their presence at the trade fair as a way of gaining a stronger foothold in Germany and Europe. But it wasn’t only new providers who came to Cologne: a lot of firmly established manufacturers returned as well – precisely because the German furniture show enjoys such a good reputation and, in recent years, has been able to improve its standing even further.”

Translated into figures, this means an increase from 948 exhibiting companies in 2009 to no fewer than 1,159 this year. In addition, the number of visitors grew by 15% to approx. 115,000 in the same period.

Zones instead of rooms: imm cologne 2012 provides inspiration for new floor plans and the interior trends of the future

Zones instead of rooms: The elimination of room boundaries and walls is giving rise to a host of new possibilities for interior design.

The reason modernist architecture is so topical again today is that – perhaps for the first time ever – it is compatible with many people’s desire for open living spaces, a more flexible organisation of their lives and aesthetics with a bearing on the present. Today we want to live the way Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier proposed.

But also the way Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien depict in their installation for “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” at imm cologne 2012 (16.-22.01.2012) in Cologne: in an individual, lively home with cultural echoes. In a house that permits privacy and publicness, that connects the kitchen, eating and working zones, family and friends, areas of retreat and shared wellness experiences in an individual way.

The conventions that shape the way we live are changing along with our lifestyles, and architecture is enabling a growing number of people to try out new ways of living. The elimination of room boundaries and walls, the new desire for cosiness and the longing for more nature in the house are giving rise to a host of new possibilities for interior design. Today, anybody that wants to build a house for contemporary living needs more than a floor plan – he needs a concept.

“Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” at imm cologne 2012: an interview with Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien

Nipa Doshi und Jonathan Levien gestalten eine große Wohn-Installation auf der imm cologne 2012.

Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien will be creating a large-scale interior design installation at the imm cologne 2012.

Anglo-Indian designer couple Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien will be creating a large-scale interior design installation at the imm cologne 2012. In the midst of the planning phase for “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage”, they talked to us at their London studio about their vision of individual forms of living, merging spaces and organically evolved houses.

Their design is a collection of interweaving functional spaces, rather like a collage of real architecture, different cultures and original imaginings. An interior perspective.

The brief for “Das Haus” is to create an artificial living situation in accordance with your own very personal wishes. Can you actually imagine a house in the middle of the trade fair?
Nipa Doshi: At the outset of the project we started thinking that our idea of a perfect house doesn’t actually depend on the object itself so much as on its surroundings. We want the house to capture a feeling. It’s located in the context of the fair, so we didn’t want a house that feels as if it’s standing by itself in the countryside. Instead, we imagine it as part of the socio-economic neighbourhood, as part of a community. We’re not thinking of a place with houses and beautiful gardens, but of a place with shops and workshops, a house full of life. The house isn’t in a residential area, it’s located in an urban context.

London design studio Doshi Levien to create imm cologne highlight “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” 2012

Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien. (Photo: Doshi Levien)

Starting in 2012, the international interior design fair imm cologne will again be hosting a major design event: “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage”. The project focuses on the design of an artificial living situation within the trade fair – public and yet very personal living space designed by Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien. The London-based design team will be kicking off the new format in January 2012.

“Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” will show a structure created entirely in accordance with the guest designer’s ideas – architectural elements, interior and outdoor space – as well as arrangements of furniture and furnishing elements for an individually configured interior design. In the middle of the Pure Village hall, the trade fair will erect an approx. 180 m² platform to serve as an open stage for the project. “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” is thus both a designer portrait and a visionary blueprint, an example of how it is possible to create a world of one’s own that becomes an expression of one’s own personality.

D3 Professionals: the exhibition of independent designers and design studios at imm cologne 2012

Boomerang by Atmosfera - D3 Professionals Aussteller auf der imm cologne 2011. (Foto: Atmosfera)

Boomerang by Atmosfera - D3 Professionals exhibitor at imm cologne 2011. (Photo: Atmosfera)

[D³] Professionals offers the opportunity for young and independent designers and design studios to present their ideas to a wide audience and to achieve herewith contacts to the industry and the retail business. In 2011 28 young professionals from 9 different countries have presented their ideas in product design and interior design.

At imm cologne 2012 (16th to 22th January 2012) there will be the next opportunity for designers to present their visions and ideas for the future of furniture and interior design. We invite all interested designers and design studios to apply for participation. Become part of the [D³] COMMUNITY and apply today! The final deadline for your application is October, 31st 2011.

imm cologne and LivingKitchen: The furnishing year 2011 is kicking off with a double sensation

The furnishing year 2011 is kicking off with a double sensation. Parallel to the international interior design fair imm cologne, the new international kitchen fair LivingKitchen will also be opening its doors in fully booked halls from 18th to 23rd January. And so, in the third week of January 2011, Cologne won’t just be the design capital of Europe, it will be the gourmet capital as well. At the imm cologne 2011 and LivingKitchen, over 1,200 companies from 49 countries will be presenting more than 100,000 pieces of furniture and even more interior design items on a space of approx. 300,000 m². Around one third of those products are totally new.

“Cologne is a talking point in the international interior design sector again,” says CEO of Koelnmesse Gerald Böse. “In view of the huge interest from professional circles and the media, plus the fact that the number of exhibitors who have registered to take part exceeds all our expectations, we can already say that the dual event imm cologne and LivingKitchen, which presents the entire spectrum of interior design in one location, is going to be a total success.”

Pure Village: bilingual web platform for information about interior design

The success of Pure Village has shown that the increasing overlap between the various product segments and the growing importance of co-ordinated interior design concepts is creating the need for a special forum. At the international interior design fair imm cologne, this need is met by Pure Village. And so that the discussions can continue between the fairs held at the start of every year, the webpage www.purevillage.net is intended to provide a bilingual web platform for information about interior design.

purevillage.net provides a multitude of varied content on design issues relating to furniture, home furnishings, architecture and interior design. Pigeonholing is passé: Anything that influences the quality of interior lifestyle and design can be presented.

A design dictionary helps users expand their basic knowledge; regular news about exhibitors, new products and trends as well as reports on aspects such as colours, materials and sustainability ensure the Pure Village community is always up to date. Company profiles provide interesting insights and give a face to the furniture.

Home life trends 2011: What stays? What‘s coming?

photo: Warendorfer Küchen.

It‘s been called “homing“ for years: that magical word, that complete residential concept. Nature, genuineness and heartfelt cordiality are the order of the day, something you instinctively know from your own conception of the pastoral idyll. And for this, there are cosy sofas, fireplace-heated rooms, plush carpets, silky pillows, walls of natural stone, mineral bathtubs, solid wood dressers.

Of course, natural materials like wood, glass, stone have become readily available, along with a colour palette in nature‘s spectrum. People are becoming more sensitive to – and sensible with – the resources of this world. Even with furniture, they are paying closer attention to the material and its origins. They are paying heed to the volume of raw materials, and their recyclability. It‘s worth noting here that discussion of the “cradle to cradle“ approach is beginning. “Cradle to cradle“ aims at a virtually one hundred percent recovery of all components, and opposes their disposal on the rubbish heap, or their incineration, or their recycling into far inferior components. Increasingly, raw materials are being re-used. Some European furniture manufacturers are already pursuing this prudent approach today.

At imm cologne 2011 and LivingKitchen, roughly 110,000 furniture pieces and even more furnishings are on display. Nearly 30 percent of these are completely new innovations. Given all the diversity, there will always be furniture and furnishings that enjoy particularly strong demand.

30. December 2010
Categories: Trends
Tags: 2011, Cologne, cradle to cradle, furniture fair, glass, homing, imm cologne 2011, interior design, natural materials, recycling, stone, sustainability, Trends, wood

Designer’s Voice: Harald Gründl about design trends, a fast pace and greenwashing

Harald Gründl (EOOS), member of the imm cologne Trendboard. (Foto: Koelnmesse)

Born in 1967 in Vienna, Austria, Harald Gründl studied industrial design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and holds a PhD in philosophy. In 1995 he set up the design agency EOOS together with Martin Bergmann and Gernot Bohmann. EOOS has become a leading studio for furniture design, brand spaces and design research with clients including Alessi, Armani, Bulthaup, Dedon, Duravit, Matteo Grassi, Walter Knoll and Zumtobel.

Harald Gründl, member of the imm cologne Trendboard, has chaired the Institute of Design Research Vienna since 2008 and is a partner at EOOS design, where he heads the studio‘s research activities.

What was the most interesting thing about the imm cologne Trendboard Workshop for you?
I found it very interesting to see that there are a lot of similarities in the way the various members of the Trendboard perceive the design sector, and that we’d all noticed similar phenomena. Meeting new people is always the most interesting thing!

The Trend Book shows what’s happening in design right now and what motivates the people who make use of this design offering. In your opinion, where are the strongest influences on product and interior design coming from?
As far as I’m concerned, the sustainability debate is the most important influence on design right now. How can we react to this development intelligently, and how does that affect the trends of the future? We discussed this aspect in relation to all four Interior Trends and were able to identify the different ways it’s manifesting itself.

Interior Innovation Award 2011 open to all – don’t miss the deadline (12.11.2010)!

As of this year, participation in the Interior Innovation Award is no longer restricted to the imm cologne’s exhibitors. By opening the competition up, the award is intended to reflect the international furniture fair’s importance for the industry, the entire spectrum of which is represented at the Cologne show.

With its focus on innovative excellence in all product areas, the competition is a reflection of the industry’s huge inventiveness. “In future, we want the Interior Innovation Award to be an even stronger expression of the efficacy and innovative spirit of companies operating in the furniture and interior design market,” says CEO of Koelnmesse Gerald Böse in explanation of the modified concept. Limiting participation to exhibitors seemed to stand in the way of this aim. “That’s why we decided to abolish the official restriction on participation so as to better communicate the commendableness of the award-winning innovations. And since the imm cologne depicts the entire spectrum of this market, we’re expecting some top-class results from the Interior Innovation Award again.”

imm cologne

Create. Furnish. Live.

Dual trade fair imm cologne / LivingKitchen 2013 set to be a big success

Zones instead of rooms: imm cologne 2012 provides inspiration for new floor plans and the interior trends of the future

“Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” at imm cologne 2012: an interview with Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien

London design studio Doshi Levien to create imm cologne highlight “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” 2012

D3 Professionals: the exhibition of independent designers and design studios at imm cologne 2012

imm cologne and LivingKitchen: The furnishing year 2011 is kicking off with a double sensation

Pure Village: bilingual web platform for information about interior design

Home life trends 2011: What stays? What‘s coming?

Designer’s Voice: Harald Gründl about design trends, a fast pace and greenwashing

Interior Innovation Award 2011 open to all – don’t miss the deadline (12.11.2010)!

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